DPreview.com 1Ds Mark III Review Posted!

[prodigy2k7]

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0808/08081801canoneos1dsmk3review.asp

I wondered when they would post a review...

 

[Trenton Romulox]

Thanks for posting. I mean, I'm a Nikon user but I respect any brand of gear with specs like that. I'm surprised they didn't touch more on the AF issues that people have talked about with the 1Ds Mark III; or have those all been fixed by now through firmware? Maybe those are what DPreview was waiting for with the review?

Regardless, thanks for posting this.

 

[Hobbes]

lmao all I can do is read and drool

 

[usayit]

Thanks for posting. I mean, I'm a Nikon user but I respect any brand of gear with specs like that. I'm surprised they didn't touch more on the AF issues that people have talked about with the 1Ds Mark III; or have those all been fixed by now through firmware? Maybe those are what DPreview was waiting for with the review?

Regardless, thanks for posting this.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I was under the assumption that the autofocus issue was with the 1d MIII

 

[Trenton Romulox]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I was under the assumption that the autofocus issue was with the 1d MIII

Huh, I thought it was the newer one that was the issue. I'm not sure now though, haha. I'll check it out.

...

You're right, it's with the 1d Mark III. Good call, man.

 

[usayit]

Supposedly fixed with firmware too.. That issue plus the timing of Nikon D3 release really put a hit on Canon's market share.

We are taught in engineering courses that the majority of your development cycle should be in test and test development should coincide with implementation. Somehow that lesson is ignored because the industry sees the test portion of the development cycle as a waste of time and holding off market general release. Stupid stupid stupid... when will they learn.

 

[Big Mike]

Yes, it's the 1D III that had the AF issues, not the 1Ds III.

From what I've been told, it has something to do with the fact that the 1D shoots so fast, the AF had to be designed to work in the brief amount of time when the mirror was down between shots. Apearantly, they didn't get it right.

I know one photog who switched to Nikon over it, and another one who upgraded (shelled out) for the 1Ds because of it.

 

[usayit]

Makes me wonder what "new" engineering challenges were introduced in regards to the AF system... I would surmise that the AF system in the 1d MIII is similar to that of the 1vHS which also hit 10 fps. Just can't figure out how such an issue manage to make it out the door. I know it is impossible to get to 100% bug free but the AF issue just seemed so obvious.

In talking with my local shop, the issue was fixed in firmware but the damage to shooter's confidence has already taken its toll. A miss shot out of focus issue resulting from a mistake on the photographer's part can be easily blamed on the camera's "fixed" firmware. Too bad... I shot with it for a short time.. I loved it. I'm waiting for the used ones to hit rock bottom prices or perhaps just get a 1ds MII.

 

[Trenton Romulox]

Makes me wonder what "new" engineering challenges were introduced in regards to the AF system... I would surmise that the AF system in the 1d MIII is similar to that of the 1vHS which also hit 10 fps. Just can't figure out how such an issue manage to make it out the door. I know it is impossible to get to 100% bug free but the AF issue just seemed so obvious.

Yeah, they probably felt pressured to get the camera out the door and just overlooked the AF issue. It's tough to know exactly what they were thinking.

 

[Big Mike]

It also might have been an issue where the people with problems were the loudest. There were probably plenty of shooters who didn't have a problem and didn't voice their opinion as loud as the ones who did have problems.

A shooter I know, said that one year after he bought his 1D III...it had been in the hands of Canon Service/repair for 250+ days of that year. That was just too much for him.

 

[Bifurcator]

Ouch! That would suck!

But I can't see this camera. You've got a $6,500 with lots more noise and a slightly bigger image than the $3,000 D3. I really question this product. I must be missing something.

 

[Iron Flatline]

In-depth review of Canon 1D Mk III focus issues and solutions.

 

[DeadEye]

Firmware helped but did not fix the issue and it only affected some bodys. Canon finally figured it out . If you have an affected body you can send it in for some micro adjustment (not firmware) that fixes the AF issue. My freind has an early model 1d III and never a problem. I have a new 1D III and it sure is a nice body. I chose frame rate over 22mp. Its over kill IMO. The 1d makes wonderfull prints at 16 x 20 and the 1ds makes a 16 x 20 thats just a tad better. Both are to expensive but quality is worth it to me.:thumbup:

 

[Sw1tchFX]

So i'm not sure if I read this right, but on the 1Ds3, can you select any of the 45 points you want, or just 19 of them, and you have to select the pattern?

If that's the case, that's got to be one of the lousiest design decisions ever, next to two-hand LCD menu operation...wait...


...that was the 1Ds MkII! Boy, I hope canon gets it right this time.

When I was working with 1Ds's and 5D's in seattle, I preferred the 5D every time, I didn't care what the situation was, the handling of the 5D is so far-and-wide superior to the 1DsII it's not even funny. The 1DsII is a poorly designed camera from an ergonomic persective. It's just abysmal how bad it is to operate that thing, it gets in the way of making pictures.

 

[usayit]

So i'm not sure if I read this right, but on the 1Ds3, can you select any of the 45 points you want, or just 19 of them, and you have to select the pattern?

If that's the case, that's got to be one of the lousiest design decisions ever, next to two-hand LCD menu operation...wait...

No different from the 1vseries in the film days that was well received by many photographers. No different from the previous 1d or 1ds versions. That design has been around for years. I think it is a beautifully designed system that works flawlessly albeit a bit of a learning curve. Yes.... it takes time to get accustomed which is why I prefer to par up a 1v with the 1d. Their controls/operation are identical and doesn't require a mental switch when the 1d is pared to another camera (Elan for example).

First, you select whether or not you want to select number of points you want to work with:45, 19, 5 etc.. (I don't remember them all). Then at any time you have the option to select just one of those points (center etc.). WIth a push of a single button, it will go back to activating all the points you selected for activation. In this mode, any point that is in focus is indicated in the viewfinder. For portraitures for example, you always want to make sure all the points on both the subject's eyes. It is a very purposeful design and AF is dead on practically reads your mind.

I generally leave it in the full 45 points with the center being selected at a push of a button. The disadv is that the viewfinder seems a bit cluttered at times. As such, I'll just switch to a reduced set.

The AF system and metering system is the biggest seller of the 1 series (digital and flm). This is the reason why the AF problems in the 1d MIII was such a major issue that caused Canon to loose marketshare so rapidly to Nikon. That and the timing of the D3's wonderful high ISO performance.

As for the dual button operation.... it was meant to prevent accidental changes and limit the number of buttons on the top of the camera for weatherproofing purposes. Again just something to get used to... you get very quick at making changes.