Canon EOS-1D Mark III Digital Camera Review

The Canon EOS-1D Mark III looked fantastic at the Photo Marketing Association trade show last spring. Its 10 frame-per-second (fps) speed tops the industry, the 3-inch LCD looks like a movie screen, and its live preview puts Olympus and Fujifilm to shame. On the technical side, the Mark III's electronics amount to a dual-processor computer. Unfortunately, the 10-megapixel Mark III's autofocus system malfunctions in certain situations, though a firmware patch clearly improves its performance and may have fixed the problem. Still, it's a kick in the teeth for Canon – shooters who would have jumped for the Mark III are waiting to see if the firmware fix is real, or if the next batch of bodies is better.

Physical Tour

Front (8.0)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III shares the design strategy of the previous 1D's – the number of dials and buttons is limited, and everything is prominently placed. The depth-of-field preview is a small button at 7 o'clock on the lens mount, and the lens release button is big and placed at 3 o'clock. There are two slanted planes for shutter releases on the grip. The top is for shooting horizontals, the bottom for verticals. Both are set in front of the control dials, so the user's right index finger controls the same buttons with the same motions in either position.

Canon kept the slope-shouldered, curving design of previous 1D's, avoiding seams, corners, and edges from the sides up to the top of the viewfinder hump, which barely bulges over the lens mount. The Canon logo sits on that gentle rise. The EOS-1 and D labels are at the upper right, and “Mark III” is tucked modestly below and to the right of the lens mount.

The left side of the body bulges to form a comfortable grip, with an indentation below the shutter release for the ring finger. The lower end of the right side bulges even further to form the platform for the vertical release. There's a bulge along the bottom edge, which forms the vertical grip, houses the battery, and makes the Mark III a little more stable when it's set on a flat surface.

Back (9.25)
Canon finally put a four-way controller on the back of a 1D. It's tucked in to the right of the 3-inch LCD, above the Quick Control dial. The 3-inch LCD looks big, even on the mammoth back of the Mark III. Like other Canons, the Mark III's power switch is a big lever set below the Quick Control dial. The media door latch is to the right. It must be swung out and turned to reveal the card slots. There is a “SET” button in the middle of the Quick Control.

The buttons for the right thumb appear at the upper right for horizontal shooting and lower right for vertical, and include Auto Focus on, AE lock, and AF point selection. AE lock and AF point double as Reduce/Magnify controls for reviewing images.

The menu and info buttons are in the upper left portion, which is a logical spot for controls that aren't used during shooting. At the LCD's lower left corner is the Playback mode button. A small monochrome LCD sits to the right of it, and shows media card status, folder and file number, white balance, and image quality. The three buttons below it are erase, function, and picture style.

The viewfinder is large, and surrounded by an even larger soft rubber eyecup. The diopter control is on the right side of the assembly, nearly hidden by the eyecup.

Left Side (9.0)
A swarm of electronic contacts fill the left side of the Mark III. All of them are well-sealed against dust and moisture. Rubber flaps cover ports for flash sync, remote controls, USB, and analog video. A disk screws off the multi-pin port for wireless equipment. A small disk high on the side accommodates an alignment pin for the wireless gear. The battery assembly is secured by a large latch at the bottom of the side.

The USB connection allows for tethered mode shooting, not just data transfer, so Canon provides a bracket that holds the USB cable in place. Since accidentally pulling the USB cable out could damage the port in addition to messing up the shot, the bracket is a great idea. It screws into the wireless port.

Right Side (9.0)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III accepts both SD and CF cards, and both slots are under the large door that takes up a chunk of the right side. The vertical shooting controls – shutter release, control dial, and flash exposure lock – are visible, as well as a large switch to activate them.

Top (8.25)
Canon put three small, dome-shaped buttons on the left shoulder of the Mark III, and they are similar to the buttons found on earlier 1D cameras. They control, from front to back: Exposure mode, Auto Focus and Drive, and Metering pattern and Flash Exposure Compensation. Pressing the mode and AF/drive buttons simultaneously activates the Auto-Bracket system. Older 1D models have more two-button combinations, but the Mark III has switched to more dedicated buttons.

The hot shoe is on top of the viewfinder hump, and accepts Canon's EX flashes, which offer dedicated exposure and multi-flash wireless control. The latest 580EX fits on the Mark III with a rubbery cuff to keep splashed water from getting into the connection.

The mechanical link between the camera and flash is all metal, which should mean fewer broken flashes, but could mean more damage to cameras dropped with flashes on them. The weakest link is bound to get the most damage in any fall, and beefing up the bottom of the flash makes the camera's hot shoe a bit more vulnerable.

A second monochrome LCD graces the right shoulder of the Mark III. It shows exposure data, a frame counter, frames remaining, metering pattern, Burst mode, Exposure mode, battery status, Exposure Compensation for flash and ambient light, bracketing, Auto Focus mode and AF Point Selection mode, Drive mode, mirror lockup, and the self-timer.

Near the viewfinder hump is a button for the monochrome LCD backlight. The exposure compensation/aperture button is centered, and the ISO control is to the right. The control dial is in front of those, and the Flash Exposure Lock is forward and to the left of that. The shutter release sits just beyond the control dial, at the farthest point of the top.

Bottom (8.5)
The bottom of the Canon EOS-1D Mark III is flat and plain. The metal tripod bushing is centered on the optical axis, which eases alignment with many tripods. There is a flush-mounted lug for a wrist strap. The bottom has a rugged surface, and the Mark III is designed to be set on a table without getting scuffed too badly. The area around the tripod bushing will show gouges, however, if the user is careless when mounting the camera.

[page title="Testing / Performance"]
Color (10.54)
The ideal camera records colors accurately with the same saturation and tint as the subject. To test how well cameras approach this ideal, we photograph a GretagMacbeth color chart under standard lighting, and analyze the image with Imatest software.

The Canon EOS-1D Mark III delivers excellent color accuracy, with 99.32 percent saturation, and a mean color error of 5.69. These results were produced with the “Faithful” picture style, at ISO 100, with Noise Reduction off. The results compare well with competing DSLR cameras. To illustrate the results, Imatest generates two charts. The matrix of squares shows the Mark III's reproduced colors compared to the original tones of the GretagMacbeth chart. In each color tile, the outer square represents the camera's produced color, while the inner square shows the ideal corrected for luminosity. The vertical rectangle near the center is the original tone of the chart.  

Standard Picture Style

Faithful Picture Style

The second chart shows a color space. The white center corresponds to zero saturation, including black, white, and shades of gray. Saturation increases with distance from the center. The ideal colors are represented by squares, and the Mark III's renditions with corresponding circles. The distance between the square and the linked circle indicates the amount of deviation from the ideal. Most of the Mark III's pairs are close together, indicating good accuracy.

Standard Picture Style

Faithful Picture Style

The Standard picture style produces larger errors. With noise reduction on, it oversaturates the image with a score of 106.4 percent and a mean color error of 8.66. However, when using the Faithful picture style, the camera is much more neutral in terms of saturation and produces far more accurate colors.

Resolution (10.53)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III has a APS-H-sized 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor. We test resolution by photographing a standard ISO resolution chart under controlled lighting. The camera is mounted on a heavy tripod, and we shoot several images at a variety of apertures and focal lengths. We analyze the images with Imatest, image evaluation software. Using a 28-70mm EF lens, the Mark III produces its best results at f/6.3 at 70mm.

Click on the image above to view the full resolution file

Resolution is measured in line widths per picture height (lw/ph), a unit that remains constant regardless of the physical size or pixel dimensions of the sensor. Imatest also measures digital sharpening performed by the camera's processor. Oversharpening is undesirable because it limits the options for post-processing the image. The Canon EOS-1D Mark III records 1873 lw/ph (horizontal), with 3.8 percent undersharpening and 1654 lw/ph (vertical), with 17.9 percent undersharpening.

If more resolution is desired, Canon announced another DSLR in August 2007 with 21.1 megapixels: the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III. The price goes up for the increased resolution, though: it retails for $7,999.

Noise – Auto ISO (0.00)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III has no auto ISO setting.

Noise – Manual ISO (12.4)
Imatest also measures image noise. We tested the Canon EOS-1D Mark III in both Standard and Faithful picture styles, and with high ISO noise reduction on and off. The line chart shows the results across the ISO range. Relative to other cameras, the Mark III performs very well, with low noise levels at ISO 100, and a relatively slow increase in noise at higher sensitivities.

The Standard picture style seems to run some noise reduction regardless of how the noise reduction preference is set. Its noise level actually dips at ISO 1250, which is unlikely without digital noise reduction. The Faithful picture style shows lower noise than Standard between ISO 400 and 1200. In both modes, the noise reduction system has a clear effect on noise across the ISO range.

White Balance (6.00)
Auto (6.71)
White balance is a weak point for the Canon EOS-1D Mark III. The Auto setting is inconsistent, performing better than the presets under flash and fluorescent lighting, but much worse in tungsten. It also performs very poorly in outdoor shade.

Auto WB - Shade Illumination

Auto WB - Tungsten Illumination

Auto WB - Fluorescent Illumination

Auto WB - Flash Illumination

Preset (5.29)
The Mark III's presets are a mixed bag. The Flash setting is pretty neutral, and Tungsten shows a moderate warm tint. The Outdoor Shade setting is very blue.

In general, the Canon EOS-1D Mark III should be used with custom white balance, which works well except in very dim light. Setting a Kelvin temperature in dim light is a good alternative to the Presets.

Shade WB - Shade Illumination

Tungsten WB - Tungsten Illumination

Fluorescent WB - Fluorescent Illumination

Flash WB - Flash Illumination

Still Life Sequences
Click to view the high resolution images.

Still Life Scene
ISO 100	ISO 100
ISO 200	ISO 200
ISO 400	ISO 400
ISO 800	ISO 800
ISO 1600	ISO 1600
ISO 3200	ISO 3200

Low Light (9.50)
We dim the studio lights to 60, 30, 15, and 5 lux and analyze color accuracy, illumination, and noise, among other things. The 60 lux test corresponds to a room softly lit by two lamps, a common setting for candid photography. The 30 lux test is similar to a room lit by a single 40-watt bulb, while the 15 and 5 lux tests are much darker.

Low Light Tests
60 Lux	30 Lux
15 Lux	5 Lux

The Canon Mark III performs extremely well in low light, much better than its predecessor, the EOS 1D Mark II n. The Mark II n has problems with color accuracy and oversaturation, but the new model seems to have corrected those issues. Colors grow increasingly dull in dimmer lighting but still remain relatively vibrant and illuminated.

Noise is often problematic in images shot in low light because long exposures and high ISO sensitivities tend to produce noise. At ISO 400 in Faithful picture style, the Canon EOS-1D Mark III controls noise very well in long exposures, and the noise doesn't increase as exposure time lengthens. The Mark III applies noise reduction to long exposures, but it doesn't make much of a difference. Though the Mark III keeps noise in check in low light, its color error increases with long exposures at ISO 400. At ISO 1600, high ISO noise reduction greatly improves the image - its color accuracy was better than at ISO 400.

Dynamic Range (11.19)
Dynamic range measures the range of luminance an image records without losing details in highlights and shadows, and with acceptable noise ratings. We test dynamic range by shooting a backlit Stouffer step wedge. The target is a piece of film, and it shows a luminance range of 14 EV. We shoot the chart at each ISO setting because dynamic range tends to deteriorate with increased ISO. The Mark III does very well at ISO 100, and its performance deteriorates slowly and steadily. High ISO noise reduction doesn’t appear to have any effect on dynamic range.

Overall, the Canon EOS-1D Mark III performs particularly well in this test. Of the cameras we have reviewed, only the Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro and the Canon EOS 5D scored better.

Speed/Timing – We test a camera's speed by photographing digital timers. Speed is influenced by the recording medium. These tests are conducted using a SanDisk Ultra II 2GB Compact Flash card. File format also affects speed and burst capacity, so we test at various settings.

	JPEG	RAW	sRAW
Startup to First Shot	0.3 second	0.3 seconds	0.3 seconds
Shot-to-Shot	0.11 seconds	0.13 seconds	0.13 seconds
Shutter-to-Shot	0	0	0
Processing	0.6 seconds	1.5 seconds	0.8 seconds

JPEG (Large, highest quality):
Startup to First Shot (9.7)
It takes 0.3 seconds for the Canon EOS-1D Mark III to start and take its first shot.

Shot-to-Shot (9.9)
In High Speed Burst mode, the Mark III takes shots every 0.11 seconds, which is almost the 10 fps Canon advertises. The camera shoots this quickly for about 12 seconds, or 90 shots, before it pauses. In Low Speed mode, the camera takes shots every 0.3 seconds. This lasts for 130 shots before a pause. The speeds were set to their defaults (High at 10 fps and Low at 3 fps.)

Shutter-to-Shot (10.0)
We could not measure any delay between the time the shutter is pressed and the moment the image is recorded.

Processing (8.8)
It takes the Canon EOS-1D Mark III 0.6 seconds to indicate it has finished recording a large JPEG.

RAW
Startup to First Shot
File format has no effect on startup time. It takes the Canon EOS-1D Mark III 0.3 seconds to shoot its first RAW file.

Shot-to-Shot
RAW mode slows down the Canon EOS-1D Mark III's burst, and cuts the number of images it can shoot at a clip. Between shots in High mode, 0.13 seconds pass, and it takes 30 shots in 4 seconds before pausing. The Mark III still manages 0.3 seconds between shots in Low mode, taking 35 shots in 12.5 seconds before pausing.

Shutter-to-shot
RAW mode has no effect on shutter lag, which we could not detect.

Processing
RAW files are larger than JPEGs, and take longer to write. The Mark III takes 1.5 seconds for each shot.

sRAW
Startup to First Shot
Shooting small RAW files, or sRAW, has no effect on startup. It still takes 0.3 seconds to get off the first shot.

Shot-to-Shot
In sRAW mode, the Canon EOS-1D Mark III shoots at the same rate as in RAW mode, but is able to take more images. It takes 0.13 seconds between shots in High mode, getting 62 shots in 8.3 seconds before pausing. It runs at 0.3 seconds between shots in Low mode, taking 80 shots in 26 seconds before pausing.

Shutter-to-shot
Again, there is no measurable lag between pressing the shutter and capturing an image.

Processing
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III takes 0.8 seconds to process and write an sRAW file, which indicates the format's smaller file size.

[page title="Components"]

Viewfinder (9.25)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III's fixed pentaprism viewfinder is bright and contrasty, though its 0.76x magnification makes objects in the view look small compared to the way they appear through other cameras. Canon claims 100 percent viewfinder accuracy for the Mark III, and if it's not quite that, it's very close – we couldn't discern an error. This is an improvement over most DSLR finders that average about 95 to 96 percent coverage of the recorded image.

The viewfinder is easy to see through, even for users who wear glasses. There is a diopter adjustment that scrolls from -3 to +1.

A rounded, wide patch encloses the Mark III's 45 autofocus points, which are visible individually, and a circle shows the rather large spot metering patch. The active AF site shows up red – either when it is chosen manually or when the camera achieves focus.

Text or icons in the viewfinder show the following data: aperture and shutter speed, focus, manual exposure, AF mode and Point Selection mode, exposure compensation, white balance compensation, ISO, shots remaining, Highlight Priority mode, Metering mode, battery status, JPEG/RAW, maximum number of images possible in current Burst mode, and scales for flash and ambient exposure.

LCD Screen (9.0)
Canon put a 3-inch 230,000-pixel TFT Color LCD on the Canon EOS-1D Mark III, a feature formerly found only on consumer-oriented compacts; in fact, the Canon PowerShot G9 has the same screen. Even on a camera that measures 6.2 x 6.1 inches, the LCD looks big. The jump in size is not accompanied by an increase in resolution, though. The LCD’s brightness can be adjusted in the Setup menu; there are seven levels.

The display is bright, the angle of view is wide, and the color is good. It is easy to read in any light except direct sun. Judging image sharpness is a little tricky on the display, though. In-camera sharpening for the display is low, and images show more detail on a computer screen than they do on the LCD.

The Mark III offers a Live Preview mode that puts the competition to shame. Both Olympus and Fujifilm offer live preview on at least one DSLR, but those cameras have jerky previews – the image lags if either the camera or subject moves substantially. The Mark III refreshes at 30 fps, which is as good as video. Lag just isn't a problem in the view. Of course, it is a problem when shooting – live preview adds a significant delay between shutter and shot.

The monochrome LCD on top of the Mark III shows shooting data, including ISO, Exposure mode, metering pattern, battery charge, shutter speed, aperture, auto bracketing increment, auto bracketing status, Auto Focus mode, Auto Focus Point Selection mode, Burst mode, mirror lockup, flash exposure compensation, shots remaining, and an exposure scale. The data are presented in clear text and icons, and they are a useful selection. The monochrome LCD on the back of the Mark III shows which media are active – CompactFlash, SecureDigital, and external storage each have icons, and below each is an indicator showing what file type is being recorded to that media.

There are icons for white balance presets and an indicator for white balance fine tuning. There are indicators for wired and wireless LAN connection, and for folder number and file numbers. The back LCD looks small below the hulking color display, and the text on it is smaller than on the other displays on the Mark III – it's not as easy to read as the top LCD or the menus.

Flash (8.0)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III does not have a built-in flash unit, but uses Canon EX dedicated flashes that offer wireless control and excellent backward-compatibility. Generally, old EX flashes offer all their original capabilities on the Mark III, but no new ones. That's a big advantage over new Nikon cameras, which only take advantage of the dedicated features of current flashes. Canon notes that the new 580 EX II has a weather seal for the hot shoe and an all-metal mechanical connection with the camera. The new flash syncs with the Mark III at up to 1/300 of a second. Standard flashes sync to 1/250. Studio and other non-dedicated flashes can connect via a standard PC terminal on the left side of the camera.

Wireless flash control is flexible. It's controlled by the flash unit connected to the camera, and can handle several flashes. Nikon has a similar system, though it has an advantage over Canon because some Nikon bodies act as the controller, while the Mark III and other Canons require a flash connected to the camera to control the system.

There are a host of flash options in the menu system. The Setup menu allows users to show the EX flash's settings on the Mark III's displays. The Custom menu has an entire section devoted to flash exposure. The shutter curtain sync can be set to front or rear, and PC terminal flash firing can be activated.

Lens and Lens Mount (9.0)
As a “professional” DSLR, the Canon EOS-1D Mark III isn't bundled with a single lens. Canon supplied a 28-105mm f/2.8 L series lens for testing. Canon has the widest selection of lenses available for a DSLR system, and the optics are excellent. The lenses focus with motors inside the lens, rather than in the camera.

The EOS-1D Mark III's EF-mount is compatible with Canon EF, TS-E, and MP-E lenses, but doesn't function with EF-S lenses.

[page title="Design / Layout"]
Model Design / Appearance (9.0)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III looks very much like the earlier 1D series cameras, with sloping contours and curves where many designers put edges. Functional and mechanical considerations, however, force some deviations from that ideal.

No one will mistake the Canon EOS-1D Mark III for a budget camera or a beginner's choice. It's huge. Nothing about the design is particularly decorative or ostentatious. It looks functional, durable, and perhaps imposing. The body is composed of a mix of graspable texture and smooth black matte surfaces.

Canon makes note of the particular effort put into dust and weather sealing on the Mark III. That's a marked departure from the 5D, which is more like the 30D than the 1D in terms of construction quality and issues that influence durability.

Size / Portability (6.5)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III is 6.1 x 6.2 x 3.1 inches and 40.7 ounces without its battery. With it, the unit tips the scale at 47.1 ounces, which is 2 ounces less than the EOS 1D Mark II n, Canon's previous high-speed, high-resolution DSLR. The difference is the battery. The Mark III takes a lithium-ion power source, which weighs 8 ounces less than the Mark II n's NiMH battery.

It is cameras this size that make photographers switch from shoulder bags to backpacks with little wheels on them. Wedding shooters may be interested in the Mark III, but they'll be wise to get a lighter camera to use as a backup unit.

Handling Ability (9.25)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III's weight and size may make it hard for some photographers to use, particularly over long periods. Its grips are very comfortable, though, and the textured surfaces keep it from succumbing to gravity. The contoured grips are generous for both horizontal and vertical shooting, and the dual shutter release buttons complete the comfortable stance. The viewfinder is bright and comfortable, and it's easy to see shooting data on the various displays.

The live preview function could help users get shots at odd angles – the occasional “Hail Mary,” for instance, or a situation where it's possible to stick a camera over the side of a cliff, but not advisable to stick the photographer's head out there with it.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (9.0)
Canon has made great strides in controls with the Canon EOS-1D Mark III. In general, Canons have lost points for its controls and dials in DigitalCameraInfo.com reviews, but the Mark III addresses some of the complaints we’ve had. Canon finally put a four-way controller on the back of a pro DSLR. This allows the user to navigate around images magnified in playback, the live preview when it's magnified, and the white balance tuning control, which is on a two-axis grid. The only thing the four-way control won't do is the most obvious thing it should; it doesn't allow the user to shift between autofocus points. (Well, it does a little – it activates the center point.) Why should Canon users have to use two dials to set the autofocus point?

In our First Impressions Review of the Mark III, we complained about the SET button in the middle of the Quick Control dial, noting we accidentally activated live preview a few times with it. The problem disappeared after a few hours of use – owners won't have that problem. The Quick Control dial is an intuitive control, and it really is quick. Like the other dial and buttons, it is durable and has a responsive, positive action.




Canon added an ISO button to the Mark III. Earlier 1D's had the user press two buttons simultaneously to access ISO, which was cumbersome. Some controls still have multiple functions, however – the user presses two buttons to activate Bracketing mode, and the function button cycles through controls for white balance, file format, and CF or SD media. Picture Styles, a collection of grouped image parameter settings, gets its own button. Picture Styles set contrast, saturation, sharpening, and so on, and is mostly relevant to JPEG shooters. It's likely that the typical Canon EOS-1D Mark III user will shoot RAW, or will leave Picture Styles at one setting for all their shooting. It seems more like a menu item than a parameter that should have a dedicated button.

It's great that all the buttons are “sticky” in the computer interface sense; the user hits them, but doesn't have to hold them down to adjust a control. The user presses the ISO button once, releases it, and turns the control dial to set ISO. It just takes one finger, and there is nothing gymnastic about it. It's much better than having to press and hold the button while the dial is turned to operate the control.

A range of controls can be customized, and users who operate the camera daily may tweak them. It's a flexible, sensible system, and an improvement on previous Canon DSLRs.

Menu (8.5)
Canon EOS-1D Mark III menu settings are split into eight tabbed subgroups, so the frequently adjusted settings are quick to access, and the other ones are easy to find – or easy to avoid, for that matter. The Mark III also has a “My Menu” tab, which can be customized to show any six menu items for quick access.

Shooting Menu
White Balance	Six presets, five custom settings, a Kelvin scale or automatic
Custom White Balance Registration	Save up to five custom settings
White Balance Shift/Bracket	Shift on Blue-Amber and Green-Magenta axis
Color Space	Choose sRGB or Adobe RGB
Picture Style	Picture Styles combine settings for Saturation, Contrast, and Sharpening, in ways that help match the output of Canon DSLRs from model to model. RAW files record the Style setting, but aren't limited by it.
JPEG Quality	The compression for various JPEG sizes can be set individually.
Image Size	RAW, a smaller RAW file, four resolutions for JPEGs, or combinations of RAW and JPEG.
Review Time	Interval for which an image is displayed after it is shot.
Beep	Activate annoying sounds as interface feedback.
Shoot w/o card	Allows Mark III to cycle the shutter without memory media, and thus without saving images. Useful only for sales and marketing demonstrations, and potentially disastrous for users.
Dust Delete Data	Records dust on sensor, so spots can be removed automatically from images.

Setup Menu
Auto power off	Set to have Mark III shut itself off when not in use for a period of time.
Record function + media/folder select	Record images to one card, then the other; RAW to one card and JPEG to the other, and many other options.
File numbering	Set options for numbering.
File name setting	Customize first four letters of filenames, including an option to use one character to indicate image size.
Auto rotate	Save verticals upright.
Format	Reset file system on memory card(s).
LCD brightness	Vary color LCD brightness.
Date/Time	Set date and time.
Language	Choose language for menus and interface.
Video system	Choose PAL or NTSC analog video output.
Battery info	Shows amount of charge, number of images shot since the battery was charged, and number of times the battery has been charged.
Live view function settings	Enable or disable live view.
External Speedlite control	Show EX flash's controls on Mark III's displays.
Save/load settings on media	Mark III will record all menu settings (except date/time, language and Video mode) in a file on an SD or CF card. Up to 10 settings files can be saved on a card, and they can be given text names (ie, “Wedding,” “Field Hockey,” “Spot News”).
Register/apply basic settings	Create a group of basic settings for various menu items to be saved in the Mark III's internal memory, and return to those settings easily.
Clear all camera settings	Reset defaults.
Sensor Cleaning	Set to clean sensor (shake off dust) immediately, when the Mark III starts up, or when it is shut off. Also allows manual cleaning.
Firmware version	Show current version, or update it.
WFT settings	Wireless options.

Playback Menu
Protect images	Prevent images from being deleted (except by formatting the memory card).
Rotate	Show vertical images upright.
Erase images	Delete images or groups of images.
Print order	Create print order with DPOF and Canon-specific options.
Transfer order	Send all images or all new images to connected computer.
Image copy	Copy images from one memory card to another.
External media backup	When wireless transfer is active, backup to networked computer.
Highlight alert	Show blown-out areas.
AF point display	Show AF point active when the shot was taken.
Histogram	Show luminance or RGB.
Enlarge display	Enlarge from center or active AF point.
Image jump with Quick Control Dial	Jump 10 or 100 images; in thumbnail, jump to next screen; jump to next date or next folder.

Custom -- Exposure
Exposure level increments	1/3, 1/2, or full EV increments.
ISO speed increments	1/3, 1/2, or full EV increments.
Bracketing auto cancel	Set to cancel auto-bracketing when the Mark III is shut off.
Bracketing sequence	Set order of bracketed images.
Number of bracketed shots	Two, three, five, or seven shots.
Spot metering link to AF point	On or off
Safety shift	Automatically changes ISO or overrides aperture or shutter-priority settings to get a good exposure.
Select usable shooting modes	Disable selected Exposure modes.
Select usable metering modes	Disable selected metering patterns.
Metering pattern in manual mode	Set to switch to a specific metering pattern in Manual mode, or simply use the one displayed on the LCD.
Set shutter speed range	Set fastest speed from 1/250 to 1/8000; set slowest from 30 seconds to 1/60.
Set aperture range	Set minimum to f/1.4 to 9;1 set maximum to 1.0 to 64
Apply Shooting/Metering mode	Use the exposure lock button to switch to a specified exposure and metering combination, instead of locking.
Flash sync speed in Av mode	Set to fixed shutter speed (the maximum sync speed) or allow Av setting to adjust for ambient light.

Custom – Image/Flash Exposure/Display
Long exposure noise reduction	Off, Auto, or On. In Auto and On, noise reduction begins at 1 second.
High ISO speed noise reduction	When turned on, runs at all ISO settings.
Highlight tone priority	Devotes more of the dynamic range to midtones and brighter.
E-TTL II Flash metering	Set for evaluative or averaging metering.
Shutter curtain sync	Front or rear-curtain.
Flash firing	Enables PC sync terminal.
Viewfinder info during exposure	Set to keep viewfinder display on while shooting.
LCD panel illumination during Bulb	Because the Mark III has a count-up timer during Bulb exposures, it can be useful to see the LCD even in the dark.
INFO button when shooting	Switch to show data from top monochrome LCD on the back color LCD, which is convenient when the camera is on a tripod above eye level.

Custom Autofocus/Drive
USM electronic manual focus	Enable electronic manual focus on very wide aperture or very long telephoto lenses.
AI Servo tracking sensitivity	Changes how the autofocus system treats objects that suddenly appear while it is tracking an object. It can be set to be more likely to continue tracking the original subject, or jump to the new one. The setting has five increments.
AI Servo 1st/2nd image priority	Set to give priority to making an exposure immediately when the shutter is pressed, or to focusing first, then shooting continuously, or to tracking focus first and for subsequent shots.
AI Servo tracking method	Track subject in active AF point, or jump to closer subject.
Lens drive when AF is impossible	Stops racking focus in and out when the Mark III can't make something sharp. Canon suggests it works well with long telephoto lenses, which have long focus ranges.
Lens AF stop button function	Sets function of AF Stop button available on some lenses. Can be set to freeze focus, switch to auto AF point selection, AE lock, and other options.
AF micro-adjustment	Fine-tune autofocus system, either for particular lens models, or for all lenses.
AF expansion with selected point	Use surrounding AF points to improve tracking of subjects in motion.
Selectable AF point	Limit selectable AF points to inner nine points, or outer eight plus center.
Switch to registered AF point	Select the AF point that the Mark III jumps to when the four-way controller is hit.
AF point auto selection	Control how the Mark III can be switched to auto AF point selection.
AF point display during focus	Set to have AF point light up when it is selected and when it hits focus, or just when it is selected.
AF point brightness	Set brightness of AF point display. One setting is right for bright light, the other is better for low light.
AF-assist beam firing	Set to enable EX flash's focus assist lights.
Mirror lockup	This one is pretty well buried, though live preview has the same effect on camera vibration.
Continuous shooting speed	Set high speed to 2 to 10 fps and low to 1 to 9 fps. Defaults are 10 for high and 3 for low.
Limit continuous shot	Set to limit continuous shots from two to 99 shots.

Custom Operation/Others
Shutter button/AF-ON button	Set how shutter release activates focus and metering.
AF-ON/AE lock button switch	Exchange the functions of the AF-ON and AE lock buttons.
Quick Control dial in metering	Set to control aperture, AF point, or ISO.
SET button when shooting	Set function when Live Preview is disabled.
Tv/Av setting for manual exposure	Choose which dial controls aperture and which controls shutter speed.
Dial direction during Tv/Av	Choose clockwise or counterclockwise to increase exposure.
Av setting without lens	Set to allow setting an aperture even when no EF lens is attached.
White balance/media/image size setting	Allows Func. button to call up the menu screen on the LCD.
Lock/voice memo/Picture Style button function	Set button function.
Button function when Quick dial is off	Lock all dials when quick dial is off.
Focusing screen	Register focusing screen type. Necessary for accurate metering.
Timer length	Set how long a parameter can be set after its button is pushed.
Shortened release timer lag	Decreases shutter lag.
Add aspect ratio information	Show 4 x 5, 6 x 7, or square aspect ratios.
Add original decision data	Adds data that can verify an image has not been altered.
Live view exposure simulation	Set to have Live View mimic current exposure setting.

Ease of Use (6.25)
Canon made the EOS-1D Mark III straightforward. The controls are where Canon users expect them to be; and really, no experienced photographer, loyal Canon user or not, would be puzzled for long when seeking out any major function. Two exceptions may be mirror lockup, which is buried in the menus, and AF point selection.

The routine for selecting AF points is clumsy. When 19 AF points are available (that's the maximum, the user can't select the “helper” points in between those), it takes two dials to navigate from the center point to one of the sides. The Quick Control dial switches from the center nine points to the nine points on either side, and the front control dial selects from the nine-point subset. Navigating to a point by pressing the four-way controller in its direction is much more intuitive and takes fewer steps.

On the other hand, the “sticky” buttons are a big advantage, and the Main menus are short and well organized. The Mark III offers good options for monitoring and changing exposure settings, and its lack of clutter is appealing.

[page title="Modes"]
Auto Mode (7.0)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III's Program mode sets both aperture and shutter speed, and white balance and focus can be set automatically. The ISO is in the hands of the user, though the camera can be set to override the user's setting if the exposure goes out of range. All that doesn't amount to a “Simple” or “Easy” mode, as found on consumer cameras, but it's comparable to other pro-level cameras, and suits the needs of the target market.

Custom Image Presets (0.0)
Unlike lower-end digital cameras, the Canon EOS-1D Mark III does not have a dozen or more custom image presets for pets, the beach, fireworks, and eBay. It does, however, let the user create presets and save them on CF or SD cards. The presets cover exposure mode, metering, white balance, ISO, autofocus, and everything else the typical user might reset in moving from one shooting situation to another. Users will determine for themselves whether it's practical to keep the settings on removable media, rather than in internal memory. It's likely that more than a few of the custom settings files will be lost to ill-advised formatting, or that a user will bring the wrong card, the one without the settings, to a shoot where they would be useful.

Drive/Burst Mode (10.5)
What photographer’s heart doesn't swell at the sound of a Burst mode clacking like a runaway freight train, much faster than anyone else's Burst mode? The Canon EOS-1D Mark III's industry-topping 10 fps speed is plenty fast for sports and photojournalism, and it handles bursts of more than 100 images in JPEG, and about 30 in RAW. If the high-speed burst is too fast, the High-speed Continuous and Low-speed Continuous can be set to slower increments.

High can be set to shoot at 2 to 10 fps, while Low can be set to shoot at 1 to 9 fps. The High mode's default is the maximum 10 fps, while Low is set to 3 fps when pulled from the box. Single Frame mode is also available, as well as Silent mode, which keeps the mirror up until the user releases the shutter. Silent mode is notably quieter than the other modes, in part because the mirror moves slower as it falls back into place. The Mark III's self-timer is adjustable to either 2 or 10 seconds.

The older Canon EOS-1D Mark II n could shoot 8.5 frames per second, and the Nikon D2Hs could snap 8 fps. Both capture less resolution at a slower pace.

Playback Mode (7.5)
With a 3-inch LCD, the Canon EOS-1D Mark III ought to have a bang-up Playback mode, but it has a surprising limitation: the Thumbnail mode shows a maximum of nine images at a time, rather than the 16 or 25 available on large-screen compacts. It magnifies images up to 10x, which gives an indication of how sharp an image is, though we found many images that seemed soft on the LCD were actually solidly sharp. The Mark III displays shooting data on four screens of data, and shows readable luminance and RGB histograms. The user can skip through images 10 or 100 at a time, or by date or folder. It has a highlight warning and a voice memo function.

The Mark III can mark images for printing or copying to a computer via USB. It can also copy images between memory cards. Single, multiple, or whole cards of images can be deleted. There is also an image protect function.

Movie Mode (0.0)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III's Live Preview mode works at 30 fps, fast enough for smooth video, but the camera has no provision to save the display on digital media. Its analog output could be recorded, though, providing a route for a kludged Movie mode. Purchasing a camcorder, however, would be a far more efficient way of recording motion.

[page title="Control Options"]

Manual Control Options
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III offers full manual controls for every exposure and shooting parameter. The controls are flexible and clearly implemented. The Mark III is intended for users who rely on a range of manual controls.

Focus
Auto Focus (8.0)
Users identified a problem with Canon EOS-1D Mark III's autofocus system soon after its introduction. While tracking moving subjects, it sometimes missed focus, typically focusing behind them. One of our colleagues, Rob Galbraith, documented the issue on his website. The problem seems most prevalent in bright sun, in hot weather, and with the white balance preset to daylight. Galbraith illustrated the problem when shooting with long lenses.

Canon has released a firmware upgrade since Galbraith published his images, in part to address the focus problem.

Shooting with a 28-70mm and 70-200mm lens, we tried to reproduce the problem with the Mark III. We chose two types of subjects: ones that were smoothly accelerating in a fixed direction (cars pulling out from a stoplight); and ones in chaotic motion (two dogs playing). We set the camera to Aperture Priority, and set the lens wide open at f/2.8. We shot in High Speed Continuous mode. When we tested before the firmware upgrade came out, we had a day with temperatures of about 85 degrees, and we met all the conditions specified for the problem. With the Mark III set to select the AF site automatically, we were disappointed to see that the in-focus points in the pictures of the dogs were as erratic as the dogs themselves – only rare shots were sharp, and the soft ones didn't demonstrate the problem.


The shots of cars were a different story: even with a fairly short focal length, 70mm, many of our images were focused behind the ideal spot. Some shots were sharp, but not the vast majority we hoped for. Though we don't have quantitative data, we believe we reproduced the problem. We saw the problem again when we shot with a manually-selected AF site.


We did not repeatedly produce the other problem noted, in which the Mark III jumped out of focus while shooting a stationary object.

After running the firmware update, we saw improved performance, though our testing location was cooler – in the mid-70s. With the AF site manually selected, the Mark III performed much more reliably – it was impressive. But was it the firmware, or the change in temperature?

Our standard testing for color, resolution, noise, and dynamic range is controlled and repeatable. We know what the variables are, and we know how well we control for them. We are very confident in their reliability. Our trials of the Canon EOS-1D Mark III's autofocus system are entirely different – many variables changed between each set of images we shot – the speed of the cars, color, contrast, how steadily we tracked the camera, and so on.

We also expect that autofocus performance is affected by the photographer's skill. In user forums, implicit in some of the discussion of the Mark III is the idea that pointing it at the subject and pressing the button should be enough. That's not true. Skilled and experienced sports shooters will get many more sharp images than novices, even with the next generation of autofocus.

Photographers who are seriously considering the Mark III have plenty riding on their images. Most are professional. We suggest they test the Mark III before buying it because we saw a problem with the autofocus, and we saw an improvement, but we can't be sure the problem is truly solved.

We should note the autofocus system specifications: it has 19 cross-type sensors, currently the most in any DSLR. Twenty-six more conventional sensors are set between them. Autofocus can be set to One-Shot or Continuous modes. The system can also be set to bias focus in or out for all lenses or for individual lenses. There is an entire menu dedicated to the autofocus. Everything from the brightness of the selected AF point to the fine-tuning of the system for certain lenses can be done in this menu.

Manual Focus (9.5)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III's viewfinder has a 0.76x magnification ratio, so objects look about three-fourths as big as they do with the naked eye. In general, that makes manual focus more difficult, even though the viewfinder is bright and contrasty. Canon has worked on focusing screen technology to make focus “snap” more noticeably. The screen works better than others with equally low magnification.

Manual focus through the live preview on the LCD works well at 5x or 10x magnification, even in low light. It's clumsy without a tripod, and at 10x magnification camera movement degrades the image. When there's a reason to focus the Mark III manually, live preview is a more accurate option than the viewfinder.

White Balance (9.25)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III has white balance presets for Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, and Flash. It also saves up to five custom white balances, can be set to a Kelvin color temperature from 2,500 to 10,000 degrees, and can set white balance automatically. The Mark III has the same white balance fine-tune feature found on other Canons, which shows an x-y graph. From left to right, the adjustment goes from blue to amber, and up to down it goes from green to magenta. To add both blue and magenta, users can push the four-way controller to get the cursor in the lower left quadrant.

White balance bracketing is possible on the Mark III. Three images can be taken in +/- 3 full-stop increments that bias for blue/amber or magenta/green.

More details about the white balance's performance are available in the Testing/Performance section, but the basic verdict is that the automatic white balance isn't very reliable. The custom setting is much preferred, of course, as even the presets aren't as accurate as they should be.

ISO (9.25)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III has a standard range of ISO 100 to 3200, with extended settings of 50 and 6400. ISO can be set in 1/3, 1/2, or full-EV increments. The Mark III has two DIGiC image processors, and Canon says the two processors enable both the camera's speed and the noise-reduction capabilities necessary for its uniquely high ISO settings. The Mark III doesn't have an Auto ISO setting, but a custom function will cause the camera to shift ISO when a good exposure is not possible at the manual setting.

Exposure (9.0)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III allows exposure compensation three stops above or below the meter reading. It can be set in 1/2- or 1/3-EV increments. Compensation works in Aperture-Priority, Shutter-Priority, or Program mode. In Manual mode, the exposure scale shows the difference between the camera setting and the meter reading. Though some cameras offer as much as +/- 5 EV of compensation, the three-stop range is plenty. If the meter is that far off, it's better to shoot in Manual mode, unless shooting a range of images for HDR composites.

The Mark III's bracket feature has the same range as the compensation feature. It can be set to shoot two, three, five, or seven exposures, and can be set to vary aperture or shutter speed, or to use the Program mode algorithm.

Metering (9.75)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III offers several metering patterns, showing some evolutionary change from earlier Canons. Canon's evaluative system compares readings from 63 zones to come up with a final reading. The system does a good job recognizing backlighting and bright subjects against dark backgrounds, but tends to slightly underexpose backlit shots to keep detail in the bright background.

The Mark III offers two settings that act like spot meters. The Spot setting measures 3.8 percent of the frame, either at the center of the shot, or at the active AF point. For a spot zone, 3.8 percent is relatively big – many are half that size. It's possible to retain up to eight different spot readings at once, and have them all show as small tic marks on the exposure scale. The user can then use the EV compensation control to set the exposure value.

The Limited Area mode measures the central 13.5 percent of the frame. It's a metering pattern in search of a purpose. Canon added a center-weighted pattern, which is sometimes useful for landscapes and scenes with relatively even lighting.

In Live Preview mode, the Mark III uses data from the imaging chip to replicate the 63-zone Evaluative mode. We found the Live Preview mode readings match the conventional ones.

Shutter Speed (9.0)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III has a vertically traveling mechanical focal-plane shutter that snaps exposures from 1/8000 to 30 seconds, in 1/3-EV increments, and has a bulb setting for longer time exposures. The top LCD shows elapsed time during bulb exposures. Flash sync is 1/60 for studio strobes, 1/250 for most flashes, and 1/300 for the 580 EX II.

Aperture (0.0)
Canon EF lenses use electronic links for communication with camera bodies, including aperture. The Canon EOS-1D Mark III can set aperture in 1/3-EV steps. The Mark III also allows users to set the aperture value for metering with optical systems that don't link to the camera. The minimum aperture can be set to f/1.4-9 and the maximum to f/1.0-64.

[page title="Image Parameters"]

Picture Quality / Size Options (9.5)
The EOS-1D Mark III available pixel resolutions are 3888 x 2592, 3456 x 2304, 2816 x 1880, and 1936 x 1288. All the resolutions are available for JPEGs, and JPEG+RAW shooting is also possible. Thirteen-megabyte RAW files are available at 3888 x 2592 pixels, and the Mark III's small RAW files, or sRAW, are 1936 x 1288. Canon expects photojournalists and wedding shooters to use sRAW to save memory card space.

Picture Effects Mode (9.0)
Canon's picture styles -- Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, and Monochrome – are available on all its current and recent DSLRs. In general, they do the obvious. Standard boosts saturation and contrast, while Portrait is softer and warm-toned. Landscape punches up greens and blues. Neutral and Faithful produce the most accurate results. All the styles are consistent across the camera line, so a Mark III set on Standard produces images that match Standard files from a Mark II n. Canon says the system is convenient for users who use more than one camera model in a shoot.

It's possible to edit saturation, contrast, and sharpening for each style, and to create three custom styles. Styles alter the colors in JPEG files, but in RAW files, they simply record a set of directions for Canon's RAW conversion software, and they can be overridden.


[page title="Connectivity / Extras"]

Connectivity
Software (8.0)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III ships with the EOS Software Solutions disk, which includes Digital Photo Professional for browsing, sorting, RAW conversion, and dust removal. The RAW conversion function includes adjustments for brightness, white balance, contrast, color tone, saturation, and sharpness. It can also apply Picture Styles. Noise reduction is available for luminance and chrominance separately, each with settings of off, low, and high. Digital Photo Professional also allows batch processing.

We used the Mac version of the camera control software in the EOS Utility on an old 1 Ghz G4 with 1 GB of RAM. It's far from a current setup, but Canon says the software works on G3's, Mac’s previous g