Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III - Canon Camera Reviews

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

This is a condensed review of the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III provided by DPReviews.com. The full review can be found at the link provided.

Conclusion - Pros

Significant upgrade to the Mark II that improves almost every area of performance without 'reinventing the wheel'
Better ISO button placement, new joystick, new AF point selection method, ISO in the viewfinder; all help faster more intuitive operation and mean you less often have to take your eye away from the viewfinder.
Superb resolution and pixel level detail, noticeably better than the Mark II (especially in JPEG) - simply stunning output when used at low ISOs with good glass.
Huge, bright viewfinder view really fills your vision
Surprisingly good high ISO performance (beats the Mark II despite resolution increase)
Optional high ISO noise reduction that retains detail whilst removing chroma noise
Dust reduction system and live view
Good dynamic range with plenty of raw headroom
Impressive 5.0 frames per second shooting speed with large raw buffer, UDMA support
Superbly well built, 'a solid block', fully environmentally sealed, totally robust
Very fast in use - feels more responsive than Mark II and low light AF feels more assured
Fast, reliable AF (we had no problems with tracking AF but we're not sports shooters)
Improved user interface including easier menu navigation and custom MyMenu
14-bit raw files and internal processing
Wide range of image parameter adjustment (-4 to +4 for most)
Bigger, brighter LCD is a big improvement (no more pixels, however).
Dual storage slots with comprehensive options for how they're used
Superb write speed with fast SD and UDMA CF cards
Flexible raw and JPEG image quality and size options
Huge range of custom functions, still one of the most configurable cameras
New WFT-E2 wireless transmitter is superb; compact and feature-rich
Voice annotation feature (built-in mic)
Smaller, lighter battery that lasts longer and has a more sensible latch lock
Supplied Digital Photo Professional now a mature and quality RAW converter


Conclusion - Cons

Edge softness / chromatic aberrations with wide angle lenses, needs good glass
Overall softness that means images need more sharpening than you might expect; we'd prefer an even lighter Low Pass Filter.
No autofocus of any kind in live view mode
No built-in wireless flash (needs ST-E2 transmitter)
Mirror up implementation still far from ideal
Higher resolution screen would be nice
As would the ability to select any of the AF points, not just the 19 'primary' points
We would have preferred two CF slots
There's no getting away from the price