Hrow wrote:
I was willing to give Canon the benefit of the doubt and time to fix the focus of the 1DMkIII but I am not willing to be part of an on-going engineering effort. I bought the camera based on manufacturer claims of performance and at this point, it is obvious that they were false and misleading. Like the Meatloaf song says, "I want my money back."
The RG samples are still showing up the same kind of anomalies that have ruined any number of decent shots for me. Sure I can get great quality images from the 1DMkIII but in spending some time at the start of the cold dark winter reviewing stacks of files from the summer and fall, I was astounded by the number of potentially good shots that were wasted because they were soft or completely OOF. A whole day's worth of waterfalls were OK at 8x10 but unusable at 13x19. Considering that the location is 5 hours away, that's a huge loss for me and one that I don't care to replicate.
If by this time, Canon hasn't been able to come up with a fix that is verifiable then they owe it to their customers to offer a refund. I know that I am opening myself to some flaming but in my opinion, enough is enough. Even in this jaded world, $4500 is a lot for a camera and it is not unreasonable to want to be able to trust that it is capable of producing in focus images when you need them.
David Estes wrote:
Hmm, reminds me of the Intel Pentium that wouldn't calculate correctly. It was obvious that Intel had no intentions of fixing the problem, till public outcry forced them to do so. Last I checked Intel still sells way more processors that AMD so people obviously didn't quit buying from them for a failure.
99% of people wouldn't know a floating point exception if it hit them in the face. Only us ubergeeks were affected that used the computer to do maths.
That situation isn't the same. A processor is horifically complex and they all have bugs, but 99.99999% of the time they have no affect. The 1D III exists because of it's AF, and that being broken would be like the processor not being able to do integer math, which affects many more things and would have crippled the processor.
I don't own a MkIII, or any 1 series for that matter, but I'll admit all these posts scare the hell out of me, and it's yet another reason to wait when new technology/gear hits the market to see how it performs. I'm not faulting anyone specifically since I think Canon had enough of a reputation to take a risk on a Mk III since it mostly proven technology, and I know some people need/want to have the latest. But man, this is quite a cautionary tale. I think waiting...getting some assurance...and paying less later, is worth it sometimes. I hope this all works out for everyone and Canon makes it right for all of you that are having problems.
The best way to get the message to Canon is to take your Mk3( if you are unhappy with it) to the company that you brought it from, and tell them it isn't working as Canon states. And get your money back.
Canon will listen to there distributors way before a few photographers sending or ringign them.
Wickedfn4u wrote:
A first look at the Canon EOS-1D Mark III
Sunday, April 22, 2007 | by Rob Galbraith
There is one cause for concern, however, and it's one to pay close attention to if you're planning on buying an EOS-1D Mark III as soon as it ships. In the preproduction body we have, the autofocus doesn't work right. When it was issued to us, Canon made it clear that the autofocus wasn't working right in this generation of preproduction camera and/or firmware and provided the assurances you'd expect about how it will be working properly by the time the new model hits the streets. And that's likely to be the case. But it's not guaranteed to be the case, so please keep that in mind before you hand over your VISA card to your pro camera dealer
Dont know how to make it any more clear here is what Canon said to RG...Show more →
I'm not disagreeing with you - I'm just explaining the likely reason as to why Canon pushed the camera out before it was quite ready.
The idea that everybody is going to roast Canon alive over the 1DIII is ludicrous.
Consider this scenario, if BMW released a new 3 series car and touted it as the best thing since sliced bread and we all ran out and purchased it, but then Road and Track did a review of the new car and said that in some ways the new model is not as good as the old model (say the car couldn't corner as well or stop as quickly) would people suddenly start returning their new cars and demanding a refund from the dealer? They might but the dealer would surely laugh them out. Would everyone start trying to sue BMW Let's face it.
The 1DIII is a marketing disaster for Canon and that's it. Spend more time taking pictures with whatever camera you have and learning about its limitations (every camera has them) and less time complaining about it and you'll be happier.
What a sad state we're all in right now. A company that many of us have relied on for decades has committed a huge blunder and has no good options to salvage things quickly. I've churned through bodies with abandon over the last 10 years (film/digital) and never hesitated about buying a Canon product, but now, I simply don't have the confidence I once had.
Canon's buffoonery started with their last minute price hike, irritating many of us that read the "REAL" white paper. Then, after AF questions arose, their denials and string of firmware releases, culminating in what now looks like an imperfect fix didn't help their cause. This is going to hurt this camera over its lifetime, which we can only hope is mercifully short. The camera will die a quiet death unless they can prove, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that there are no issues, but it's still a marketing disaster for them....
Personally, I think the camera produces beautiful files as I've said all along. The color surpasses the 5d and 1Ds2 IMO so the sensor works extremely well. As has already been suggested, this camera's raison d'etre is high speed AF and it can't consistently deliver. As of last night, I think I've decided to wait on the 1ds3 too. I'll be kissing my 1D3 good by this week, and may buy another 1ds2. I'm simply not willing to pay Canon a premium anymore for products that don't return the value I expect. My bank account might be happy too!
Don't have one but a number of the people at naturescapes who have had the original and blue-dot say the blue-dot works better than the 1D Mark IIN for BIF as well. These are the same people that discovered the AF issues on the original first production bodies.
Gene
Jim Victory wrote:
I'm curious do any of the responders to this thread have the 1DMKIII? If you do have you had the "fix" done yet?
I would think you may want to judge whether the "fix" actually works for yourself rather than relying on someone elses evaluation. There are a number of well known wildlife photographers that have the Blue Dot and new firmware update and they all feel it performs better than the 1DMKIIn for BIF.
I have one I purchased in May 2007 and a recent Blue Dot and they both outperform my 1DMKII's and 1DMKIIn. I'm here in Texas where we are still getting Sunny 80+ days and neither heat or sun is effecting its performance.
Why not wait until you get your camera fixed and test it and see if it works. If it doesn't then rant all you want.
rceres wrote:
The idea that everybody is going to roast Canon alive over the 1DIII is ludicrous.
Consider this scenario, if BMW released a new 3 series car and touted it as the best thing since sliced bread and we all ran out and purchased it, but then Road and Track did a review of the new car and said that in some ways the new model is not as good as the old model (say the car couldn't corner as well or stop as quickly) would people suddenly start returning their new cars and demanding a refund from the dealer? They might but the dealer would surely laugh them out. Would everyone start trying to sue BMW Let's face it.
The 1DIII is a marketing disaster for Canon and that's it. Spend more time taking pictures with whatever camera you have and learning about its limitations (every camera has them) and less time complaining about it and you'll be happier. ...Show more →
Not sure your analogy holds water. How would you feel if you buy a new and top of the line expensive BMW only to find that it can only do left turns?
Fast, reliable and accurate AF is what a 1D should be all about. It is not just another feature. So it's not about what Canon's opinion is towards customer demands and expectations, but what the overall majority of Canon users expect from Canon pro gear and how Canon should react when proven they've produced and sold a substandard product.
I just got my MkIII back from Canon with the submirror fix. Initial impression is that this is a big improvement! I was quite happy before, but had some issues in bright light. However, not to a degree that I lost the shots that I wanted. I have been using a mkIIN the last week and in my book the mkIII has a better AFthan the mkIIN. Note however that it is biting cold and low light here now.
I haven't really noticed the 'ghosting issue' on the mkIII, but some shots with my 40D has some strange blur which have puzzled me.
rceres wrote:
The idea that everybody is going to roast Canon alive over the 1DIII is ludicrous.
Consider this scenario, if BMW released a new 3 series car and touted it as the best thing since sliced bread and we all ran out and purchased it, but then Road and Track did a review of the new car and said that in some ways the new model is not as good as the old model (say the car couldn't corner as well or stop as quickly) would people suddenly start returning their new cars and demanding a refund from the dealer? They might but the dealer would surely laugh them out. Would everyone start trying to sue BMW Let's face it.
The 1DIII is a marketing disaster for Canon and that's it. Spend more time taking pictures with whatever camera you have and learning about its limitations (every camera has them) and less time complaining about it and you'll be happier. ...Show more →
Lets say it the breaks would only work correctly 70% of the time, that would be closer to the equivalent. You would not be able to safely drive the car. Same as the focus which is the primary need of the camera. Not knowing if you push the pedal or push the button would that work.
The dealership would have to take it back if it could not be fixed safely it is called the Lemon Law.
The 1DsIII just might sell more as we jump the Blunder-Wagon called Canon. I've asked Canon for a credit for a 1Ds as I was among the first to complain about my AF. They said no. My dealer said no, as expected. I'll have to either buy the Ds or wait a few more months for the Mark IIIN. Canon has worked everyone around and lost any respect it had from some of us. They know the average 1-Series owner is locked into Canon via our lenses, and of course, they have so many blind FanBoys that will find any excuse possible to defend them, many of whom are probably BMW owners, lol.
rebel300 wrote:
Hehe...makes you wonder why people are so anxious to buy the 1Ds3.
Wickedfn4u..you are right on the mark...
Well, in my case, I need to have battery and charger compatibility between 1Ds and 1D which I carry together. One is for wildlife and the other for landscape. And if the wildlife is stationary, I use 1Ds.
Of course, I am hoping no problem is found in 1DsIII although its AF performance is not quite as critical as 1DIII. I just got mine but have not had time to play with it....
Should Canon ever read this they might want to note the following:
As an engineer extremely familiar with optics I suspect that
the use of a concave submirror makes the AF inherently
unstable through the introduction of an aberration (spherical
aberration perhaps?) making the size of transmitted spot on
the AF sensor vary as it moves across the AF sensor's surface
and leading to focusing errors. If this is the cause of the
problem the problem will not be repairable unless and until
they re-design the entire assembly and replace the sensor
and the sub-mirror or add a correction plate to compensate
for the aberration.
Avoid this camera until an updated "N" version without bugs is
brought out!
Finally -- IF you do decide to purchase any fine camera I urge
you to buy it from B&H as they are easily the most reputable
and responsible mail order house that I have dealt with in my
20+ years of Wildlife and Nature photography. N0TE -- I am
in ABSOLUTELY NO WAY Associated or Affiliated with B&H
other than as a satisfied customer entering my 3rd decade as
a client!
Sincerely,
Grover Larkins
PS -- you can check out my work on line if you are
interested -- just search under my name and you will
certainly find my gallery!
larkinsg wrote:
As an engineer extremely familiar with optics I suspect that
the use of a concave submirror makes the AF inherently
unstable through the introduction of an aberration (spherical
aberration perhaps?) making the size of transmitted spot on
the AF sensor vary as it moves across the AF sensor's surface
and leading to focusing errors.
Is this any different than on any other 1-series Canon DSLR?
I view the MkIII as a MkIIIN prototype undergoing an extremely thorough testing program involving thousands of units. Once the production MkIIIN comes out, it is bound to be the best performing and the most polished camera the action photography community will have ever seen.
Nikon, be afraid.
Wickedfn4u wrote:
Lets say it the breaks would only work correctly 70% of the time, that would be closer to the equivalent. You would not be able to safely drive the car. Same as the focus which is the primary need of the camera.
Let's ues a better analogy.
It would be more like the POWER BRAKES not working quite as well than last year's model (but still substantially better than using non-power brakes, like years before).
Non-power brakes were still safe . . . just like old non-AF cameras were still usable.
Let's face it.