I JUST got my 1DIII back from Canon with sub-mirror fix and some pixel remapping on the sensor—but no blue dot anywhere. Canon also didn't send back the box that the camera originally shipped in, so I guess I'll have to buy some new shipping materials too.
Because I'm not even sure the sub-mirror fix was applied (no blue dot), I guess I don't feel too bad about eventually having to send the 1DIII back to Canon for this new "ultimate" fix. In any event, being an early adopter enabled me to get some excellent BIF photos that were a first for me.
dallvr wrote:
I JUST got my 1DIII back from Canon with sub-mirror fix and some pixel remapping on the sensor—but no blue dot anywhere.
Look inside the battery compartment for a white (sort of) dot. The blue dots were on the boxes of cameras that were shipped to retailers with the sub-mirror fix in place.
N.B.: "Canon's autofocus engineers have determined the root cause of the EOS-1D Mark III's warm/sunny autofocus problems."
AND:
..."it's not known yet at Canon USA whether the fix is comprised of hardware, firmware or both"
This could conceivably be just another firmware update for blue-dot bodies.
Photon wrote:
This could conceivably be just another firmware update for blue-dot bodies.
That's what everyone will certainly be hoping for. Plenty of people won't be happy if they have to return their cameras yet again.
Me? I don't really care as long as they get the MarkIII working as well as they originally intended. If it ends up taking one more trip, so be it. In my case the turnaround time was very fast. Four business days.
I looked inside the battery compartment when I got it back and after reading the blue dot thread here—absolutely nothing in the battery compartment. That's why I'm wondering if Canon really did the fix. I sent it to Virginia for the submirror fix, and they sent it on the very next day to Jamesburg for the pixel remapping. That took nearly 3 weeks.
For $4500, I tend to think I'm a key customer. Let's hope so anyway.
You can't be serious. $4500 isn't even a blip on their radar. They are more concerned with customers that may have 50-100 cameras and perhaps millions of dollars worth of lenses and accessories. No.. you and I, even with multiple bodies are nothing to the Canon corporate juggernaut.
It's pretty clear 1Ds MkIII should be fixed too. I think Canon might decide
to release quickly N models of both and in the same time improve them a bit
by adding a hirez LCD for example... Not sure what they would do with
the existing cameras though... They should replace them for free, no doubt.
I don't know what should i say, and don't know that i should feel happy or sad after tried six copies of earlier productions and two Blue-Dots, all failed, and we were blamed by those with GOOD LUCK and got the PERFECT Mark IIIs....
If Canon really digged out the problem, and the Mark III will perform like the white-paper described, Mark III is still the best camea for all purpose usage...and i will get another soon....
Alistair Watson wrote:
This sounds a bit like good news/bad news!
I believe that statement sums it up. I think that the other posters can fill in the details of what part is good and what part is bad.
I'm glad to see that Canon is sticking with the problem, but it seems that they have and are continuing to put some loyal customers through a great deal of anguish.
I wanted one of these Mk III's and I was almost convinced that it was finally OK to purchase one, but I guess I won't be getting one after all.
Maybe it is a clever ploy by Canon to get Rob G. to spread a rumor then discredit him.
Seriously though, I know several people who have no complaints about their Mark III - and they shoot BIF - so I think this may be less of a big deal than the sub-mirroe fix, but I do feel for all who have their equipment out of action for so long.
But then again with so much focus (pun intended) on the AF, this may end up being the best AF dslr ever to be.
The Plot Thickens! Thanks to this forum and RG I won't be sending in my Mk III for a blue dot fix until I see if this new protocol will be part of the repair. As we all know no Mk III without the latest/best fix will be anything less than dogfood when offered for resale unless it has it's Repair Pedigree. So I guess Canon will be buying some new colored paint for new colorful "Dots."
i was not a "first buyer". i still got duped. canon screwed up. it will literally pay for its mistakes. and then we'll pay, cuz they'll jack-up the price of their cameras, photocopiers, or whatever.
end of the year? WTF!?