Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III Review Round-Up

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Get information and user reviews for this camera at Amazon: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III 21.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

Imaging Resource

The full-frame digital SLR megapixel race has a new champion: the 21.1-megapixel Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III. Its new 36x24mm sensor records images that measure 5,632 x 3,750 pixels, with a pitch of 6.4 microns. Next to its higher resolution, the other significant feature in the 1Ds Mark III is its faster five frames per second. The 1Ds Mark III can shoot up to 56 large/fine JPEG images or 12 RAW images before the buffer fills. 1Ds is also built a little more rugged, the 1Ds will make Canon’s highest resolution digital SLR more accessible than the last offering. Though it’s still too big and heavy for most shooters, it’s much easier to use. READ FULL REVIEW

Other Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III Reviews

Digital Photography Review

The Mark III pushes digital SLR resolution over the twenty megapixel barrier. … Despite the resolution increase the Mark III still provides sensitivity up to ISO 3200 (with boost enabled). As well as increasing resolution Canon has pushed continuous shooting up a step with five frames per second over the Mark II’s four frames per second. Other improvements include the larger screen, Live View, a fourteen-bit A/D converter and fourteen-bit RAW files, UDMA Compact Flash support (up to 45 MB/sec) and a whole range of features (such as dual storage slots and Picture Styles) inherited from the EOS-1D Mark III. … Undoubtedly pricey, certainly not perfect, but the EOS-1Ds Mark III is good as it gets, and for many users will offer a genuine, viable alternative to a medium format digital system. READ FULL REVIEW

CNET

The 1Ds Mark III, the latest in the series, brings the megapixel count to a whopping 21.1 and is every bit a precision instrument. 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 customized to tailor certain buttons and functions to your shooting style. … Although it has two Digic III processors to crunch all the bits that constitute 21.1MP of image data, the sheer number of pixels means that it can’t keep up with Canon’s own 1D Mark III, or Nikon’s D3, when it comes to continuous shooting. That said, it does excel at all other areas of performance. … Colors are extremely accurate. One of the nicest things about the 1Ds Mark III is its low noise. You can make pleasing prints across the entire sensitivity range of this SLR. … The Canon 1Ds Mark III isn’t for everyone. You really have to have a need for a lot of pixels to warrant buying. READ FULL REVIEW

Luminous Landscape

The 1Ds MKIII continues Canon’s deserved reputation for ruggedness. If you can take it, the camera likely can as well. I experienced no bugs, hiccups or anything else that prevented me from ever getting a shot. If I didn’t get it it was my fault, not the camera’s. Battery life is phenomenal. High ISO image quality is as good as I’ve seen from any other camera, and better than most. Frame rates at 5FPS are more than adequate for most shooting situations, and for those that need more there’s always the almost identical 1D Mark III which offers 10FPS, though with only 10MP. READ FULL REVIEW

Ken Rockwell

The Canon 1Ds Mk III is the world’s best consumer digital-capture landscape and still image camera. If you want better technical quality, you’ll have to look at klunky commercial medium-format systems which start at five figures and go up from there. Better, the 1Ds Mk III is far easier to carry and use every day in bad outdoors conditions than any of the medium format systems. The 1Ds takes rain and dirt in stride. The Canon 1Ds Mk III is a pain compared to my Nikons, but for landscape and still work, the images are superior. Its a camera for pros and rich amateurs for use in the studio and in the field. Unless you’re loaded, the extra $5,460 spent on a 1Ds Mk III compared to a 5D would buys a lot of first-class lenses, without which the image quality of the 1Ds Mk III will be unrealized. A 5D and excellent lenses will easily outperform a 1Ds Mk III and sloppy, off-brand lenses. READ FULL REVIEW

PopPhoto

What does it take to be the best? In comparing DSLRs, the answer is incredible image quality and performance. Especially for pros, it also takes a nearly unbreakable camera body, long-lasting battery, and a wide range of accessories to ensure that you don’t miss the critical shot. The latest in a series of EOS-1Ds professional-level cameras, the 1Ds Mark III showcases Canon’s most advanced, super-high-megapixel, full-frame sensor. The earlier models broke ground with 11.1MP and 16.7MP sensors (on the 1Ds and 1Ds Mark II, respectively), and all were built to handle the rigors and demands of professional use. For image quality and fine detail that rivals or exceeds that of many medium-format systems, the EOS-1Ds Mark III is the only DSLR in its class. READ FULL REVIEW

Photo Review

Canon’s EOS-1Ds Mark III is the most sophisticated professional camera yet to emerge from the company’s stable. … The new model is targeted at professional photographers who require high quality images and first-rate performance for the studio or on location. … Large, heavy and complex to operate, Canon’s EOS-1Ds Mark III is not the ideal camera for everybody. It’s certainly not for novice users and photographers who prefer to set and forget their cameras are unlikely to extract the greatest benefits from this camera. … However, for photographers who require a combination of very high resolution, extensive adjustability and excellent imaging performance, it is a very impressive imaging tool. In versatility, usability and performance, it represents a genuine rival for most medium-format digital cameras, which are significantly more expensive. READ FULL REVIEW