Canon EOS 1D Mk III

110 frames at 10fps, ISO 6400, Live View and an integrated cleaning system… does the Mark III have it all?

The speculation surrounding Canon’s imminent replacement DSLR had reached fever pitch pre-PMA, and there were all kinds of exotic specifications being bandied about. Would we see a 22MP replacement for the 1Ds Mark II? Or perhaps a full-frame 17MP 1D Mark III?

As it turns out, neither were correct, and in some ways the announcement of the 1D Mark III upgrade was, for many, a bit of an anticlimax. Only 10MP and still the original 1.3x FOV crop?

However, Canon has delivered the most advanced DSLR ever made. Yes ‘only’ 10MP, but 10fps at full resolution, up to 110 continuous frames and a useable ISO 6400. There’s even a never-seen-before lens-tuning system that eliminates minor front/back focusing issues of any AF lens you currently own. In all honesty, any of these features in isolation would have caused uproar a few years ago, so it was a bit of a surprise to read people’s apathetic reactions around the forums post-announcement.

To put the correct perspective on this, the nearest rival to the Canon EOS-1D Mark III is the camera it replaces, the EOS-1D Mark II. In the three years since that camera was launched (including a minor midlife upgrade), nothing has bettered it, and while the others all play catch up, Canon goes one better and improves on its already class-leading package. Nikon’s best (choose between the D2Xs and D2Hs) can only offer 8fps at either 6MP or 4MP depending on your choice, and neither can get close in terms of noise control.

Aimed firmly at the photojournalist or event photographer – the people whose lifeblood is capturing images in some of the most difficult situations you can think of – this offers the ultimate weapon.

The cosmetic changes from the EOS-1D Mark II are pretty minor. Some slight button changes around the top and back, but the biggest improvement in terms of handling is not having to press two buttons at once to make changes in the menu system.

The new camera is pretty much the same size as the old model, however it is a little lighter, thanks to the reduced size (and, consequently, weight) of the new battery. Other improvements are a three-inch LCD screen, which is currently the biggest in its class, and also, more importantly, a high-precision and extremely fast autofocus system with 19 cross-type AF points.

It’s still a heavy camera and carrying one around all day with a lump of L glass on the end of it will probably mean that many wedding photographers, who we think will certainly be in Canon’s sights, may well stick with their lighter 5D, offering better resolution and the ability to isolate subjects at f2.8 thanks to the full-frame sensor.

One aspect of the new camera that will impress anyone is the incredible 10fps burst rate. When you plant your finger on the shutter release and then just hold it there, nothing prepares you for what happens next – it is like a machine gun. Ten seconds later, when you actually let go, you check the frame count to see that you have indeed fired off 100 or so frames.

Equally confidence-inspiring is the camera’s ability to shoot at ISO 1600 or 3200 with pretty much no noise. It is staggering to examine the images at these sensitivity levels, looking for noise that is just not there. There are a number of full-resolution shots taken at ISO 1600, 3200 and 6400 on the disc. Have a close look, and perhaps print off either the 3200 or 6400 examples; we can tell you now, you will be very surprised at the results.

While delving through the camera’s custom menu system, we uncovered something that is probably the EOS-1D Mark III’s best-kept secret. How many times do you read on the forums about people complaining of front/back focusing issues with their lenses? Well, Canon has rather cleverly included a system that allows you to either make global adjustments (so that every lens attached to the camera will be subject to the user programmed focus tuning), or you can adjust per lens.

The first real test we gave to the EOS-1D Mark III was to photograph a local dog agility class. This put both the high frame capture rate and the auto-tracking focusing through its paces. Handling the camera in this shooting situation, you immediately sense that it has a kind of indestructible and purposeful feel to it. We don’t think we have ever used a camera before that instilled that level of confidence. One other thing to point out about the dog agility shots is that they were captured at ISO 1250 due to the low light and also the need for a high shutter speed to freeze the action. Again, there are a number of images on the disc that were taken at this event, so you can make up your own mind about the effectiveness of the Canon EOS-1D Mark III in this type of situation. What we would say is that we doubt there is another camera available that can deliver this level of quality, over a large number of frames captured in succession.

On a slightly more negative note, this test did show up the EOS-1D Mark III’s tendency to underexpose. Normally this is not too much of an issue, however when you are already shooting at ISO 1250, a stop of underexposure means a real world ISO 2500. You also have the added problem of the lack of tonal range that underexposed images bring. It was a minor issue, but there just the same.

Back at base and our first glance of our photographs showed that most were keepers, with only a handful that could not be used due to the image being blurred. This was very impressive and we can say that we found none of the reported focus issues we have read on the forums.

Closer examination of the photographs revealed that Canon has some work to do with its integrated cleaning device, as it simply does not work, at least on our review sample anyway. Despite repeated manual cleans of the sensor, the dust would not budge and we were forced to resort to the more traditional method of compressed air to shift the larger chunks of debris that had accumulated inside the camera. We often hear of people sending back new cameras due to finding dust on the sensor, and we would say that almost every new DSLR will have dust included, even when fresh from the factory. However, those of you who have spent hours in the darkroom, or those who have scanned negatives for printing, will know that digital dust is a non-issue in comparison.

Is the new Canon EOS-1D Mark III the world’s best all-round DSLR? Well, it is clearly the fastest, thanks to the two Digic III processors, which can handle a whopping 100MB per second. Equally, it sets the bar for the lowest noise levels of any DSLR currently available and the 14-bit D/A converter seems to do a pretty good job with colour depth. The image quality is excellent but, although the handling is great, we would like to see things like mirror lockup easier to access rather than buried deep in a custom menu. WB is also not the best, and it performs pretty much like the 5D and the EOS-1D Mark II before it – nothing special.

If you require a working tool that just performs whenever you ask it, in conditions that would have others packing up, or where the low light and the required look to the images demand ambient capture, or where you need to shoot a series of sharp in-focus images as a burst, then there is nothing better. If your work demands a more considered approach, perhaps in the case of the landscape photographer or studio-based professional, where speed is not paramount, then we would say keep your 5D or EOS-1Ds Mark II. The Canon EOS-1D Mark III is a landmark camera and it is, without doubt, the DSLR by which everything else will be measured.

Final Verdict Canon throws down the gauntlet with the benchmark by which everything will be measured OVERALL

Debbi’s passionate about all things photographic: from the latest digital kit to the greatest techniques to capture a scene. She’s been at the helm of the photography portfolio of magazines, websites and more for three years.