Canon EOS-1D Mark III

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.

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Canon EOS-1D Mark III Digital Camera Review Navigation
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