You know what they say, no news is good news.
In my line of work, when I stop hearing from customers-they are off enjoying their repaired product and done whining.
Don't know if this is the right place to put this, but I wanted to give folks who are still looking for a Mark III a heads up that Amazon has it in stock as of now.
Mods: Please remove this post if it's inappropriate.
Paul,
I think you are pretty much right on target. What puzzels me so much is that anyone actually buys the Mark III. It must have to do with a certain gambling mentality, a mentality that I fortunately lack. Sure, before the issues were identified many people were drawn in by the Canon cache, but now that problems have been reported by nearly 1/2 the buyers, including some very well known and respected professionals, I would not think anyone would want to take the chance. There is nothing like Zero (0) new sales to spur a company like Canon to act in a more timely manner. Just my two cents of course.
Regards-John
Gambling mentality? You are talking like the 1D Mark 3 is a piece of junk and a purchase is Russian roulette. Far from it. I do indeed suffer from the AF AI-Servo problems but only under very specific conditions, primarily people sports. For people sports I reach for the 1D2N, for everything else I am very very very happy with the 1D Mark 3. I have run a Mark 3 since June 1st this year so I guess I have learnt how to work around the problem so I don't miss the shots I need. Don't get me wrong, it is frustrating not to be able to trust the 1D3 but then again I have the safety net of not having sold my previous bodies to finance the purchase the Mark 3 in the first place, something which no business minded photographer would do anyway.
Anyway, another rugby match this weekend. My Mark 3 has been defaulted and setup from scratch at the advice of CPS UK. I have been incredibly busy during the last 2 months so tomorrow will be a bit of fun. I will travel light (light for me) and I won't be taking my 1D2N, if I get the shots with the Mark 3 wonderful, if I don't, I don't, either way, it will just be me, a 1D3, 500/4 IS, a stack of CF cards and 90 minutes of fine English rugby! Fantastic, can't wait!
Well Allistair, whatever grabs you. I'm also in the envious position of actually not having to sell anything to buy a new Series One or anything else for that matter. Nevertheless, I still like my "stuff" to work properly. A bit compulsive, perhaps, but it is precisely that sort of compulsive attitude that allows me to purchase whatever I want and the new Series 1 Mark III is just to flawed and unreliabale for me. Glad you are able to make do.
Regards-John
I must warn you, if you own a Mk III, you may not like what you see. This bug is giant. It pops up when you least expect it, and yes, it causes focus issues. This bug was discovered on FM'er Bryen Ford's Mark III, you can see sample photos below.
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Get Ready.... This is scary....
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The bug was first discovered tonight on Bryen Ford's Mark III. Very Scary, after months of excellent operation, the bug just pops up out of nowhere.
As you can see, this bug causes major focus issues, as Bryen is no longer paying attention to the game.
Bryen inspecting the bug.
The Mark III Bug, take action before it's too late. Contact your Canon dealer and tell them you will accept nothing less than a fix for the Mk III bug. You might get some free Off! out of it.
Mine must have the bug too.....I should send it back to Canon. Actually your camere has MAJOR focus problem. The first shot is way front focus. The second is only sharp at the left side (or right depends on where you are standing). The third shot is unmistakenly back focus. This is scary.
I had to call my doctor and I don't even have a doctor!!! Thanks so much for the warning. My only question is why is the Bush stuff still on top billing at CNN? I protest!
Man, I needed this string really bad, thanks for the fun. What a refreshing breeze. I owe you one, Matt. Great stuff
I just covered (as a medical provider) the UW-OSU game. I did a quick and dirty survey of the sideline photography pro photography crew. My rough estimate indicates that at least 70% of those shooting were using 1dMkIII's as there primary cameras (with a variety of backups...by the way, I saw 1 Nikon shooter in a sea of Canon shooters). Their Mark III's were typically mounted on long telephoto lenses, with some using their back ups for wider lenses. This is in contrast to reports from other venues, but we are in cool, but sunny Washington. By the way, the few pros that I talked with all loved their Mark III's...I talked with about 5....No one was complaining. Like I said, just an FYI. I didn't get around to ask what firmware that they were using.....sorry
Thanks for that information, Ashwin, I'm not surprised but it's great to hear from someone who was actually out in the field to check things like this out.
Do those guys get special treatment for good Mk3? Otherwise, how can they make a living and keep their job with less than 20-30% acceptable images, assuming there is really problem with the Mk3? They are not out there horsing around and testing, and they probably can have any camera they like to use. As mentioned, they did have the Mk2 as the back up/2nd body. I bet you that they probably shot over thousands of shots per game, day-in and day-out. Well, talking about inconsistency
Thank you for telling us that there are actually real people out there using the Mk3 for sports for a living.
I was taking my 100-400 in for service at the Irvine Canon Service Center. There was a pro guy there that was bringing his Mk III because of too many OOF shots. He lost major $$ when photos he took of a car crash were OOF.
Well, I have not had my MKIII for long and use it for weddings and not sports, but the more I read and the more I use mine the more it seems like it's a matter of "help the sky is falling" more than it is a real problem (yes maybe because most brides are not going out for passes) but it seems as though the firmware has resolved most of the issues.
ashwinrao1 wrote:
I just covered (as a medical provider) the UW-OSU game. I did a quick and dirty survey of the sideline photography pro photography crew. My rough estimate indicates that at least 70% of those shooting were using 1dMkIII's as there primary cameras (with a variety of backups...by the way, I saw 1 Nikon shooter in a sea of Canon shooters). Their Mark III's were typically mounted on long telephoto lenses, with some using their back ups for wider lenses. This is in contrast to reports from other venues, but we are in cool, but sunny Washington. By the way, the few pros that I talked with all loved their Mark III's...I talked with about 5....No one was complaining. Like I said, just an FYI. I didn't get around to ask what firmware that they were using.....sorry...Show more →
They're happy because all the bad ones were sent to FMers.
I have found this place: http://www.digicombos.com/ does anyone know if its a legit retailer? or is there any other place besides amazon that has it in stock?
Don't know them, but I just got mine from Adorama this morning. Ordered Sept 9th, shipped 16th. They were closed for a few days because of holiday, so the 'out of stock' turnaround may have been even faster.
And, for those who might inquire, it shipped with 1.1.0
Shooting field hockey this afternoon ... wish me 'autofucus' luck !!
