Please post your hands-on experiences with the recently-released Canon Eos 1D MkIII here. Now that the camera is nearly shipping, I figure it's a good time to start a hands-on thread to compile relevant information in one place.

Please folks, try to keep this thread on topic and the idle 'chatter' to a minimum, so that the thread can hopefully become a valuable resource for those looking for real-world info on this significant update to the 1D Series, provided by those that actually own it, or have extensive experience with it. Feel free to include example images, 100% crops, and any relevant details about the camera, especially in regard to image quality and user interface. Please do not make "I just played with the camera at Xxxxx shop" posts; this thread is dedicated to those who have actually used the camera extensively and can provide ongoing insight to this (relatively) new camera's features and characteristics.

Thanks!

Jeff
FM.com Moderator

Edited by Jeff on Sep 20, 2007 at 10:19 PM GMT (Reason: title for ease of thread-merging)

Picked mine up from Norman Camera today (5/24), and I've been out around the house playing with it for the last two hours. The date code on mine is from April, so I don't think they have been sitting around somewhere for months, unless my date code is unusual.

Battery/charger combo is a major improvement, no more dongles. It took about two hours to fully charge the battery, and the 5 position indicator in the viewfinder and on the top panel are welcome additions. The removal of the button release certainly is an improvement in my eyes. The battery seems so small compared to the old Ni-Mh brick.

The body definitely feels different than the previous generation. The weight is noticeable to me, although it still isn't a light weight camera. The finger slot beneath the shutter is much more pronounced, and the grip seems to have a sharper angle as it wraps around next to the lens on the front of the body.

Compared to the 1DIIN, the viewfinder definitely seems brighter, and the text seems larger and more "crisp" for lack of a better term. In bright outdoor light the information in the VF does not wash out like on some of Canon's models (like 30D).

The auto cleaning mode does not trigger the shutter when powering on/off. That would seem to be only if you set the cleaning to manual.

Navigating the menus with the multicontroller is so much easier than the old way, but unfortunately they didn't allow the multicontroller to act as a select button when the center is depressed, but rather you have to move down to the SET button in the center of the large dial to select.

Those who have used 1 series bodies, and in particular the 1D FPS bodies, are familiar with what I call the immediacy of the body. Well, the Mk III takes this to a new level. The speed of focusing, the actual duration of the events when one presses the shutter button, and just the overall feel are of speed, and it feels much faster than a 1DsII, and seems faster than my old 1DII N.

I'll post some RAW files later; I went outside to try to get some shots of some peonies in our landscaping, but the wind isn't going to allow me much compositional latitude, so as much as I don't care about it I'll get some high ISO shots inside of still life stuff and post that since most people seem to care about that more than anything else. I don't have a plate for the body, but maybe I can rob a lens plate for those test shots. Normally I shoot most things handheld, but such a faux pas would be chastised here I am sure.

I've got some other Raw files to post, but it seems my Charter web space can't hold more than 1 file > 12MB. Any suggestions on the best place to put some additional files that size?

The AF point selection is going to take some getting used to. If the 19 points are selected, the main dial runs around a "racetrack" of the center and surrounding 8 points. To get to the left 5 or right 5 one must use the top dial to roll to the right or left, and then the back dial will select only those 5 points on the outer left or outer right.

Wow, that looks pretty good. It would be nice if you could also post the same shot from your 2n (if you still have it) or your 5d.

I would be willing to put a couple of shots on my public ftp if that would help.

Maybe Jeff can give you a bit of space on the FM server

Mark

I removed the linked file in my previous post as I can only put one file up at a time on Charter's server. *removed link, plenty of shots better than mine available now* is an indoor picture I took this evening; again AWB and Evaluative Metering just as it is out of the camera. I have the other RAW file and some others, but no way to host several at once. If anyone has any suggestions send me a PM and I can put them up elsewhere. At around 14MB per RAW file, it would take more server space than I am allocated.

Edited by Hammerli on May 29, 2007 at 11:08 PM GMT (Reason: Removed link )

I just got back from the dog park shooting my main high contrast test dog. A storm is coming in here, and I was shooting first at ISO 1600 and then 3200. The NR in the camera was set to default, as I haven't looked at those setting yet. I was shooting mostly largest jpeg.

While 3200 may lose a bit of detail, the files are very normal looking. There is no situation I would hesitate to use 3200. The only issue will be sharpening the file without sharpening the red channel chroma noise. From RAW this will be easy to take care of.

I had an 8gb extreme III in the camera. Shooting frequent short burst it was difficult to look at the camera and see it still writing to the card. Shooting raw plus jpeg in the same style I still didn't get close to filling the buffer.

No comment on the AF yet. I started to lose consistent AF servo on my fast test dog at about. 3200 ISO f5 1/250. But I'm not familiar with all the settings yet. And I would be shooting f5 in a real situation in that kind of light.

My biggest impression is that the ISO 3200 jpegs popped up on the monitor and look just like nice normal files. That's pretty cool at 10mp and 10 fps.

Tomorrow I'm doing low ISO with best glass.

Hammerli, I've PMed you with my email address.

I have about 900MB of space available on an extremely high bandwidth server that I can host the files on.

I posted some samples and impressions in my blog at:
http://diglloyd.com/diglloyd/blog.html#20070523Canon1DMarkIII

Hammerli wrote:
I removed the linked file in my previous post as I can only put one file up at a time on Charter's server. HERE is an indoor picture I took this evening; again AWB and Evaluative Metering just as it is out of the camera. I have the other RAW file and some others, but no way to host several at once. If anyone has any suggestions send me a PM and I can put them up elsewhere. At around 14MB per RAW file, it would take more server space than I am allocated.
couldnt open it on PhotoShop CS2, Preview or LiveQuartz on my Mac.

Try DPP worked for me

Paolo Pena wrote:
Hammerli wrote:
I removed the linked file in my previous post as I can only put one file up at a time on Charter's server. HERE is an indoor picture I took this evening; again AWB and Evaluative Metering just as it is out of the camera. I have the other RAW file and some others, but no way to host several at once. If anyone has any suggestions send me a PM and I can put them up elsewhere. At around 14MB per RAW file, it would take more server space than I am allocated.
couldnt open it on PhotoShop CS2, Preview or LiveQuartz on my Mac.

The RAW file opens fine with Capture One 3.7.7, which has preliminary 1D3 support.

llcFM wrote:
I posted some samples and impressions in my blog at:
http://diglloyd.com/diglloyd/blog.html#20070523Canon1DMarkIII


Lloyd, I'd like a properly exposed images at 1600 and 3200.
I'd also like to see a slightly underexposed image at 1600 and 3200.

dcmiller wrote:

My biggest impression is that the ISO 3200 jpegs popped up on the monitor and look just like nice normal files. That's pretty cool at 10mp and 10 fps.

I just opened your raw file in Capture One. (I'm glad to know C1 does that successfully). Honestly, I don't know that I've seen even a 1600 ISO file that looks that good. Shadows look excellent. Color looks vibrant.

windows Vista opens it natively with the canon codec in it with no problem

Paolo Pena wrote:
couldnt open it on PhotoShop CS2, Preview or LiveQuartz on my Mac.
Adobe Camera RAW would need an update to support it, Paolo, and that will likely be CS3 only. OS X Preview will likely support it in the next RAW support update.

Paolo, the current version of Canon's Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software will open the file.

How's the focusing screen in the 1D-III? Isn't it different than that in the 1D-II?

I like using the Ec-S in my 1D-II . . is the 1D-III stock screen going to be to my liking, or do you think I'll still want the Ec-S?

Does anybody know when Apple Aperture will support MK III RAW files?

Mark III RAW files are Windows-only.

Nill
~~
www.toulme.net

Nill Toulme wrote:
Mark III RAW files are Windows-only.


You mean "for now", right?

Nill Toulme wrote:
Mark III RAW files are Windows-only.


Mac version of DPP will open them too.

Nill Toulme wrote:
Mark III RAW files are Windows-only.
Hah! You are really funny!

ZoomBrowser EX v5.8.0.74 will also view the Mark III Raw file.

-John

Nill Toulme wrote:
Mark III RAW files are Windows-only.

Nill
~~
www.toulme.net

Nill are you trying to start a spate of "WHAT! MkIII raw files arn't going to work on MAC" threads!? lol

Good joke tho.

Chris

I am sure that Jeff has thrown his hands up in the air by now and said to Fred, "Well I tried". How about we cut him a break and actually try to follow the rules he established for this thread and get some actual hands-on feedback from those who have used the camera.