Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III
With a price approaching digital Hasselblad territory, the top of the Canon digital SLR is obliged to impress. From the 21.1 megapixel, full-frame CMOS Sensor to the brilliant 3″ display with Live View, and very fast autofocus system to the tough, weather-resistant build, professional shooters will find this camera exceeds every expectation and proves a terrific match for their best lenses.
The body does not accept EF-S lenses; hobbyist shooters may be surprised that no on-camera flash is provided. Accepts both CompactFlash and SD memory cards.
I never wanted a 1Ds. Now I do. But probably I’ll wait for the revision of the EOS 5D.
If you are somebody that makes a living from photography and the images you create the answer is rather simple and the cost of new body isn’t your primary concern. Your photographs are.
The Canon 1Ds Mark III isn’t for everyone. You really have to have a need for a lot of pixels to warrant buying one instead of the 1D Mark III, which offers very similar image quality, an extra stop of sensitivity and double the burst speed for thousands fewer pounds.
It is undeniably impressive, and though it appears on the surface to be a fairly low key update to the Mark II, the more you use it the more you realize how all the little improvements add up to a significantly better camera.
I’ll go over some real world and not so real world shooting conditions. I’ll also occasionally compare the 1Ds Mark III to the 1Ds Mark II as it’s been my main body for a couple of years now. I’ve included 100% crops, a couple of CR2 Raw files, and links to larger images. All images have been processed through Adobe Camera Raw.
The full-frame digital SLR megapixel race has a new champion: the 21.1-megapixel Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III. In this case, the only other contender in the race is Canon’s own 16.7-megapixel 1Ds Mark II.
It is always exciting to hear that your most-used piece of photography kit is being replaced with a new and improved model - as was the case for me with the announcement of the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III.
Since Kodak’s disappearance from the market, Canon held the luxurious position of being the only manufacturer with a full-frame digital SLR in their program for a long time
It offers a high level of control over all aspects of your images, a body design that gives you fast access to these controls and can be customised to tailor certain buttons and functions to your shooting style
ISO has been moved over to the other side of the top plate and has its own dedicated button. Only Bracketing now has a need for pressing two buttons.