My Canon 1Ds Mark 3 arrived nearly two months ago. However, it’s pretty dreary and cold around Utah now, and I find it hard to get motivated to hike around in snow with a brand new camera, so I haven’t had a lot of time to shoot it.  I did mange to use it a few times, and during a week in southern California had it with me most of the time.

So it’s a little early for me to make any major comments, but here’s what I think so far.  There are plenty of reviews already, so just a few comments about key improvements.

THE 1D MARK III GROWS UP ...

I haven’t used a 1D Mark 3, but I from what I’ve read, the 1Ds Mark III is pretty much a 1D Mark III with a full frame 21mp sensor.  This obviously affects capture speeds and file sizes, but little else.  The large rear LCD is the same, as well as the buttons, menu structures, included live view ... the list goes on. 

So what’s better when compared to the previous 1Ds Mark 2?  Here’s my list of what I think is significant, not in any particular order.

NEW BATTERY.  A new lithium ion battery is about 1/2 the size of the previous battery, and about 40% of the weight.  Anyone that has used a 1Ds series camera knows how heavy they are. The reduced weight of the camera is significant enough to make it much more comfortable to use.  My carry along bag previously was a 5d with the 70-300mm DO and the 24-105 IS.  Light, easy to carry and use. Changing the 5D for the the new 1Ds Mark III really didn’t bother me, so the 5d has now been relegated to a backup body.  The new battery seems to last a long time ... perhaps even longer than the previous battery.

NEW BUTTON ARRANGEMENT.  Gone are most of the contortionist “double” button combinations, and especially useful is the new single ISO button near the shutter release.  As camera noise performance in DSLR’s has improved, I find myself using ISO adjustments quite a bit more to adjust exposures allowing me to control shutter speeds and aperture in ranges that I would prefer.  This new button position allows you to easily move your ISO without taking your eye from the viewfinder.

NEW MENU STRUCTURE.  I find the new menu structure easier to navigate, and more logical.

SENSOR CLEANING.  It seems to work.  So far 0 dust spots.  Very nice.

REAR LCD SCREEN.  Great improvement, and it’s about time.  The new screen is much brighter, sharper, and is useful even in bright light.

LIVE VIEW.  When using a tripod and stationary subjects, I find I use Live View at 10x zoom for manually focusing most of the time now.  It’s like using a view camera, and I have a lot of confidence in the sharpness of those captures.  Some have expressed concerns that using Live View will heat up the sensor and cause extra noise, but we couldn’t validate that with some pretty extensive testing of the 40d.  (To test whether we could use Live View in our studios, we took a series of images with Live View active for as long as an hour  and couldn’t detect an increase in noise.)  To use it momentarily for focusing should be no problem at all.  I also find myself using Live View in place of Mirror Lock Up almost exclusively now as well.  It isn’t exactly the same, as the first curtain must return before the exposure begins.  This seems to cause no camera movement and the results are identical - at least in preliminary tests so far.  I plan on confirming both of these things with this new body in some tests in the coming weeks.

Boganvilla

Canon 1Ds Mark 3, EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM at 105mm

ISO 100, 1/80th at f/7.1

HOW ABOUT IMAGE QUALITY?

I haven’t done any direct comparisons yet, but may compare resolution of against the 5d when I get some time.  However, it’s pretty obvious when looking at the images in a RAW convertor they have a lot of resolution, and very low noise.  There are plenty of tests showing up around the web, but from what I’ve seen so far, this is the best IQ and resolution in the DSLR space.  I see claims often that it takes 4x times the pixels to double the resolution of a camera.  While technically that is true, there is a lot more to it than that, and I’m guessing that even in small prints such as an 8x10 or 11x14 there will be an improvement in image quality in images that contain a lot of textures and micro detail.  More on that coming in an article I’m working on..

THE KING

There is no doubt in my mind the 1Ds Mark 3 is currently the king of DSLR’s.  I have to qualify that somewhat, because the 5d and 40d are also outstanding cameras, and from what I have heard the new Nikon D3 is a great camera as well.  But 21mp is substantial enough to make a difference.  I personally will be much more likely to use this camera in place of the Hasselblad and p45+ for many types of shoots.