I am thinking about getting one.
Questions:
Were there any problems with this camera? Are these problems fixed now? Is there certain serial numbers that need to be avoided?
Is there an autofocus or a prism problem with it?
What is a "blue dot" mk III ?

I tried to do a search, i am not just posting for the sake of it.
Thanks in advance

AFAIK, the only problem I am aware of occuring on some 1Ds M3 cameras is the viewfinder being slightly off level. This is a problem for me as I shoot fine art reproductions and don't want to have to adjust for being off a degree in photoshop.

However that being said I did just put money down on a 1Ds M3 as Canon seems to be correcting the problem.

As for Image Quality issues I had seen something about banding on certain iso settings, but this issue seemed to have been either fixed with software or only occured on very few cameras as I have not read of the banding issues lately.

Hi.
I read the AF system was identical to the 1D MK 111 , so would this not be a problem ?
Cheers
Harry

Harry, do you believe everything you read? Chicken Little wrote that the sky was falling, and some people have written that the Earth is flat, but that doesn't make it true. I think the prism alignment problem seems valid and perhaps a serious concern to some people, but I haven't seen any objective reason for folks to be concerned about the autofocus. So no, I would think this is not a problem. You are just speculating.

I would suggest going to Pro Digital Corner and reading the thread 1Ds Mark III it is near the top now

Excuse me, but some one out there- such as Canon, could tell us if the two auto focus systems are the same. Then none of us would have to speculate ! Those on B/S , right now , could go un-noticed, just need to recover from their $8000, loss ? mistake ?
Cheers again, i think
Harry

Even if the AF system is identical, and I believe it is, the mirror box itself, which was contributing to the problem, is not the same, and the camera shoots at half the speed of the 1DMK3. You do the math. There have been quite a few who have had the viewfinder misalignment but it appears to be easiily fixed. My camera had a slightly different problem, which, to date, appears possibly to the only one. The digital board had to be replaced. I was getting hundreds of horizontal lines in every frame at every ISO. Canon at first thought it was the sensor and replaced that, but had to swap out the d-board in order to actually fix it. Working great now.

The internet talk of the 1dmk3 problems was at a peak at about the time that the 1dsmk3 was being released. This was about the time that the first "fix" was announced by Canon.

According to RG's site, "...Canon reports that the "fix" is being done to all the 1dsmk3 cameras before they ship".

So, it would seem that there was a problem in the initial design which required a fix before the 1dsmk3 could ship - a problem at least similar to that of the 1dmk3.

There is a good bit of evidence since that the"fix" to the 1dmk3 was not complete and that folks are still having problems.

I've only seen one good AF test done with the 1dsmk3 comparing it with the 1dmk3 with a subject running at the camera comparing #'s of in focus shots. I don't remember who did it but I'm pretty sure it was linked off of NSN. In the test the two cameras faired about the same. Both fared worse than a 1dmk2N.

So, the 1dsmk3 had a problem which required the same fix as the 1dmk3. The 1dmk3's fix wasn't quite 100% in many folks view. The tests I've seen show the 1dsmk3 having about the same af performance as the 1dmk3.

btw - I have a 1dsmk2 and had planned on upgrading, but have decided to stay on the sidelines for now. There are lots of things to like about this camera (the ds3), but I like to shoot BIF and until I'm convinced that this is resolved I'm sticking with a known performer.

I have used my 1Ds3 for two months without any problem. And I have been shooting every day with the camera since I got it. And I also have the 1D3 so I can compare them.

I got mine within a week of release. No problems at all. Go for it!

Got mine in December. No problems as yet.

I am truly dismayed that Canon have allowed a viewfinder misalignment problem on such a hideously expensive dslr. I hadn't heard of that before. Their standards really are slipping

David

dhphoto wrote:
I am truly dismayed that Canon have allowed a viewfinder misalignment problem on such a hideously expensive dslr. I hadn't heard of that before. Their standards really are slipping

David

The Canon bashing continues...... . The OP gave title of this thread like this: "Canon 1Ds Mk III - problems" No question mark and not even the word "potential", just "problems" as if... never mind.

David,
I have heard this issue mentioned a few times here but I have not seen any report/post describing the details. Are you referring to some isolated cases or are we talking about a rampant and "epidemic"-like issue here? Can you provide me with some links, please? Mine works flawlessly, well, both my 1D Mark III and 1Ds Mark III do that actually.

Hatteras photo wrote:
I would suggest going to Pro Digital Corner and reading the thread 1Ds Mark III it is near the top now

I did and based on your post there you probably mix the two cameras up. AF and sensor alignment issues have been reported on the 1D Mark III but not on the 1Ds Mark III. Oh, well

I am not sure whether the OP is in the same situation, too, however and it certainly looks like it

I have had 3 problems.

First one exchanged by shop due to strange red patches which looked like light leaking onto film. They only occurred at max iso in very very very low light when shooting continuously, but worth exchanging the camera.

Next the quick dial wheel on the back just stopped working for no reason at all, turning the camera into a brick during use. Canon fixed that while I waited by taking it apart, cleaning contacts, and reassembling.

Thirdly, my horizon wasn't straight, so back to Canon again.

Having said all this, I can't recommend the camera highly enough. The results are simply magical. If I were you I would ask to try the camera at a reputable dealer and check to see that the horizon is absolutely straight before choosing which body you take.

My 1Ds Mark III is flawless. I'm really happy about the image quality and feel it was a worthwhile upgrade over the 1Ds Mark II for me.

brainiac wrote:

Thirdly, my horizon wasn't straight, so back to Canon again.

Richard,
Since you experienced this first hand, can elaborate some more, please? I heard about this lately but not quite sure what the exact problem is.

Thanks,
Joshua

AGeoJO wrote:

David,
I have heard this issue mentioned a few times here but I have not seen any report/post describing the details. Are you referring to some isolated cases or are we talking about a rampant and "epidemic"-like issue here? Can you provide me with some links, please? Mine works flawlessly, well, both my 1D Mark III and 1Ds Mark III do that actually.


I haven't heard of the problem until today. I'm surprised too. Shouldn't be any faults on this grade of camera, they should be tested before they are sent out

David

dhphoto wrote:

I haven't heard of the problem until today. I'm surprised too. Shouldn't be any faults on this grade of camera, they should be tested before they are sent out

David

But David, isolated cases, like what Richard experienced, are tough to control (I refrained from using the term "unavoidable") in mass produced items. No manufacturer, camera or otherwise, is immune to this issue. People would have not posted/said anything had there not been the 1D Mark III AF issues. Now, every little thing that surfaces, is magnified ten-fold or even more. Canon is walking on eggshells now, one false move, no matter how trivial and at what level, whack! A warranty issue without receipt resulted in posts like: "I am fedup with Canon", etc. Like I said in another thread, this Canon bashing here on FM is rampant lately. Not without reasons, I may add, but simply going out of control and a lot of regurgitation over and over....

Not to belabor the Canon bashing point....But I was one that agreed with you...Until they messed my Mark III up. I was also one that defended the Mark III quite publicly, posted good examples, etc. Having done all this and getting bad service that effectively rendered my camera useless for anything serious has made me realize (and empathize) what those that have experience such have been dealing with and feeling towards Canon.

On a separate note, the rep (John E. at Canon) has been stellar. He has responded quickly, been very receptive to my issues, scheduled service and has kept up with my problem by following up. Now if he would actually be the one working on my camera Id have more faith that my camera would actually get fixed.

FWIW.

Andrew,
Not only I understand but I feel or borrowing your word, emphathize, your frustration. I really hope that they fix or tweak back your camera to the condition it was before, if not better. I know a few others that experience the issues from back then but how many people here that make a lot of noise experience the situation first hand? How many bad copies of 1D Mark III (after the submirror fix) do exist actually? Like I said, quite a bit of regurgitation going on.

BTW, I am not blindly pledging my allegiance to Canon. As matter of fact, I bought my first Nikkor lens that I really like . Whatever floats my boat!

Oh I understand... It's a real frustrating time for me right now. I am generally happy with Canon and as long as they do me right with this current situation, I'll remain as such.

I plan to actually tone down my negativity towards them going forward as long as they continue to do the right thing by me.

I really just want to get out and use my 300 and Mark III without any hesitation at all. When I can do that "again" I'll be a happy camper.

Have a good day!

Andrew

My experience with my DSIII has been pretty good, actually. My main issue was the dust spec on the sensor which was there from the start and I had to send it in to get cleaned. I also checked for sensor alignment and found it off by about .25 degree. No big deal at all, but I did have them fix it when I sent it in. Got camera back in one week with everything fixed. Terrific camera. Quality control could be better based upon a number of misalignment reports of around 1 degree (unacceptable) but at least that issue is a relatively easy fix.

My camera shipped with the latest 1DsIII firmware, v1.0.6. Bought 1/1/08 from Amazon. The viewfinder was perfectly straight and servo focus has been good so far. Is it better than my 1D2N ? Not sure, but I think it is at least as good AF wise.

1ds III - Horizon 1 degree off, auto focus is flawless. Best focus I have ever used. The horizon issue is a big one though. I can't send it back for repair because funnily enough I need to use it for my job and I need to get paid all the time if I'm going to give canon £6000 for a dogs ass camera that has been assembled by a drunk. Frigging nightmare. Canon suck, That's a fact.