- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How it compares
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Canon EOS-1D Mark III
- 10.1 MP
- APS-H CMOS
- 3" LCD
Released February, 2007
Conclusion Check out the Canon EOS-1D Mark III
First reviewed December, 2011
Features Key features of the Canon EOS-1D Mark III
10.1 MP
APS-H
Rated 100% by by Pete-SResults: the 5D landscape style (factory settings) out-shot the 1D3 landscape style (factory settings), but my custom settings of 5 for sharpening, +1 for contrast, beat the 5D and yielded an incredible picture with detail that the 5D had only hinted at, and the 1D3 Landscape setting didn't reveal at all.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 24.2 MP    | 30 MP |
EOS-1D Mark III by Manuel-Gonzalez--Parroquiano (Aug, 2007)Also this camera has 10 megapixels at 14 bits, not 12 bits, hence the colors are astonishing and crisp clear.
EOS-1D Mark III by M42--Section-2--Operations-And-Intelligence (Mar, 2010)The camera only has 10 megapixels, but the mp's are large and pick up great image quality while holding down the noise.
sensor size
EOS-1D Mark III by Ignacio-Feito-Garcia--IgnacioBit images, highlight priority mode, fine tuning of all your lenses' focusing, dual card shooting...I had been thinking about a 5D, however when this camera came out I was amazed at all the available functions and decided to forego the full frame (Sensor size is 28.1 x 18.7 mm, a 1.28 crop factor) and go for this beauty.
EOS-1D Mark III by ThomasN (Jan, 2008)Having used both cameras, I have to give Nikon the nod because of its 9-fps burst at FULL frame, slightly lower noise level at high ISO, and a more accurate auto white balance.
viewfinder size
EOS-1D Mark III by Jason-Tu--Dog-Photo-Man (Jul, 2007)View finder - not only the 3 inch LCD is larger but it is also more clear and real to see the pictures.
body size
156 x 157 x 80 mm
93 x 57 x 20 mm
97 x 57 x 28 mm
EOS-1D Mark III by Robert-M.-Weaver (Nov, 2010)It is heavy duty and heavy but rugged, dependable, and takes great pictures.
EOS-1D Mark III by M42--Section-2--Operations-And-Intelligence (Mar, 2010)Canon tells us they dropped some weight from the previous model, but it is still quite hefty.
focus points
| 0 | 51  | 60 |
EOS-1D Mark III by Pete-SIt was finally decided that I needed to locate the custom function to turn off the assist points on the center focus sensor.
EOS-1D Mark III by RWT--Tennessee-Photo (Jun, 2008)I am having absolutely no issues with this camera's focusing in both focusing modes.
Performance Real world tests of Canon EOS-1D Mark III
DxOMark image quality
EOS-1D Mark III by Brian (Feb, 2008)I still have faith in Canon, and think their products are very good, and the image quality of the 1dIII is simply amazing when it works.
EOS-1D Mark III by Alaskan-Photo-Workshops---Tours--Visit-www.Ph...Mine is even used a lot around and for photos of the guests at my folks B. &B in Soldtona Alaska, the Kenai River Hideaway, and even the guests love to see it, and are impressed by the quality images even at low light!
DxOMark low light performance
EOS-1D Mark III by Richard-in-Toronto (Oct, 2007)I have had no issues with the standard focus (other than with dark-coloured objects in VERY low light), but the AI servo is awful.
EOS-1D Mark III by M42--Section-2--Operations-And-Intelligence (Mar, 2010)The meter is excellent as is the image quality.
shutter lag
| 0 ms | 260 ms | 100 ms |
EOS-1D Mark III by Alonzo-D.-Eubank--aeubank (Oct, 2008)You can set the minimum and maximum ISO, shutter, aperture settings, fast shutter speed, slow shutter speed, and the camera will compensate within your set parameters and deliver results.
EOS-1D Mark III by Manny (Jul, 2007)I read a review in Shutter Bug the author of the artical had given the camera to a pro sports photographer to test it.
continuous shooting
EOS-1D Mark III by Mr.-Paul-Walsh (Feb, 2008)I did give it a good workout, using the full fps and burst rate at an event, and I was stunned.
battery life
2,200 photos
120 photos
170 photos
EOS-1D Mark III by Mr.-Paul-Walsh (Feb, 2008)The battery life is brilliant (nearly 3,000 shots per charge).
Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors
pros
-
Generic -
Gives you more flexibility when framing your shot -
2,200 -
94 ms -
Opaque -
100 ms -
45 -
1/8000 s
cons
-
230 k dots -
71.0 -
Feb, 2007 -
APS-H -
22.7 bits -
3" -
0.61x -
10.1 MP -
1,078 ISO -
6,400 ISO -
11.7 ev -
No automatic HDR -
84.91% -
None -
The screen is fixed in place -
Taking quality photos in low-light will require external hardware -
No geotagging included -
No automatic stitching -
1,335 g -
156 x 157 x 80 mm
Reviews Word on the street
 |   Rated by 41 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by W.-A.-Freeman-Jr. (Mar, 2009) Rated 100% by by Manny (Jul, 2007) Rated 100% by by Alonzo-D.-Eubank--aeubank (Oct, 2008) |
|---|---|
Focus
Canon EOS-1D Mark III | Rated 100% by by W.-A.-Freeman-Jr. (Mar, 2009)Since the second repair it has functioned flawlessly and now focuses to meet anyone's reasonable expectations.
Canon EOS-1D Mark III | Rated 100% by by Pete-SFocus is very fast, much faster than the 5D, and much more accurate.
Canon EOS-1D Mark III | Rated 100% by by M42--Section-2--Operations-And-Intelligence (Mar, 2010)This camera is a pro body and autofocus must be fine tuned - in other words it doesn't give you one size fits all focusing.
Sensor
Canon EOS-1D Mark III | Rated 80% by by Fatih-Eman--Concert-photographer (Aug, 2009)Last, but not least, I took a few pictures at ISO 3200 in the room of objects of different colors and shades, with conventional light and was amazed how noiseless they are.
Canon EOS-1D Mark III | Rated 100% by by Pete-SI now have a much higher percentage of well focused, beautifully detailed images that don't need any raw processing to make them look good (and I now delete plenty of pictures for composition reasons alone).
Canon EOS-1D Mark III | Rated 80% by by Richard-in-Toronto (Oct, 2007)The ability to have 10 fps, useable ISO 3200 shots, and not have to worry about water splashes was pretty attractive.
Photography
Canon EOS-1D Mark III | Rated 100% by by Pete-SFinally, I suspected level 4 sharpening (Landscape picture style) was not very sharp, so I shot a church bell tower from about 650 yards away using my 500mm and my 5D and this 1D3.
Canon EOS-1D Mark III | Rated 80% by by Robert-M.-Weaver (Nov, 2010)I shoot action sports and in particular HS football, it is awesome and I love it.
Canon EOS-1D Mark III | Rated 80% by by Richard-in-Toronto (Oct, 2007)It was amazing to take pictures and have them so quickly pop up on the laptop in a wireless fashion.
Lens
Canon EOS-1D Mark III | Rated 100% by by Pete-SA final note, if you want sharp pictures of bugs that don't stay put, or birds in flight, I recommend using the f/2.8 lenses over the f/4 because the auto focus sensors need it (I shoot most of my pictures in bright sunlight at f/7.1, but it's the auto focus that needs the extra light from an f/2.8 lens, not the depth of field that needs a big aperture).
Canon EOS-1D Mark III | Rated 100% by by Lester (Mar, 2008)The picture quality is great even if you're using a non L-series lens.
Canon EOS-1D Mark III | Rated 100% by by Alonzo-D.-Eubank--aeubank (Oct, 2008)This camera has been a very important compliment to my existing L series lenses.
Battery
Canon EOS-1D Mark III | Rated 80% by by Fatih-Eman--Concert-photographer (Aug, 2009)Talking of the battery, it's a new generation battery and charger.
Canon EOS-1D Mark III | Rated 100% by by Alaskan-Photo-Workshops---Tours--Visit-www.Ph...I am use to long life, as all my cameras have the battery grips on them, but I was shocked by how long the battery lasted with the new Mark, and even better it telling you when to recondition it!
Canon EOS-1D Mark III | Rated 80% by by jaybird--Shelter-Island (Jun, 2009)I liked the feel of the camera and the battery worked great, but the images it took were nowhere near the quality they should have been.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Nikon D600 Best image quality as rated by DXOMark Nikon D600 vs Canon EOS-1D Mark III |
 | 2 | Nikon D700 Highest resolution screen Nikon D700 vs Canon EOS-1D Mark III |
 | 4 | Canon EOS 1000D 4-way tie: Shoots RAW EOS 1000D vs EOS-1D Mark III |
 | 5 | Samsung WB750 Most zoom Samsung WB750 vs Canon EOS-1D Mark III |
 | 6 | Nikon Coolpix L610 Best macro lens Nikon Coolpix L610 vs Canon EOS-1D Mark III |
 | 8 | Fujifilm FinePix T200 5-way tie: Image stabilization Fujifilm FinePix T200 vs Canon EOS-1D Mark III |
New duel?
Let the battle continue or dare to compare.
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