Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III Review
August 2008, Simon Joinson

The EOS-1Ds Mark III is the seventh Canon professional EOS-1D series digital SLR, although only the third of the 's' suffix sub-category which indicates a full frame sensor. Three years since the last EOS-1Ds, the Mark II, the Mark III pushes digital SLR resolution over the twenty megapixel barrier with specifically twenty-one-point-one million pixels (5616 x 3744) on its 36 x 24 mm (full 35 mm frame) sensor. Canon also claims to have increased the 'light gathering efficiency' of the sensor by reducing the amount of (wasted) space between micro lenses, hence despite the resolution increase the Mark III still provides sensitivity up to ISO 3200 (with boost enabled).

As well as increasing resolution Canon has pushed continuous shooting up a step with five frames per second over the Mark II's four frames per second. This means that at full speed the two DIGIC III image processors are dealing with an impressive 185 MB/sec. Other improvements include the larger screen, Live View, a fourteen-bit A/D converter and fourteen-bit RAW files, UDMA Compact Flash support (up to 45 MB/sec) and a whole range of features (such as dual storage slots and Picture Styles) inherited from the EOS-1D Mark III.

From a build, function and usability point of view the EOS-1Ds Mark III is identical to the EOS-1D Mark III apart from the full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor, (naturally) larger viewfinder and UDMA support for Compact Flash cards.

Model line history

The EOS-1Ds Mark III represents a 26% increase in resolution over the EOS-1Ds Mark II which in turn represented a 50% increase in resolution over the original EOS-1Ds.

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III vs. EOS-1Ds Mark II feature and specification differences

	Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III	Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II
Sensor	• 21.1 million effective pixels • 6.4 µm pixel pitch	• 16.7 million effective pixels • 7.2 µm pixel pitch
Image processor	Dual DIGIC III	DIGIC II
A/D converter	14-bit	12-bit
Image sizes	• 5616 x 3744 • 4992 x 3328 • 4080 x 2720 • 2784 x 1856	• 4992 x 3328 • 3600 x 2400 • 3072 x 2048 • 2496 x 1664
RAW files	• CR2 format, 14-bit • RAW full resolution • sRAW (5.2 MP)	• CR2 format, 12-bit • RAW full resolution
Dust reduction	High speed vibration of filter	None
Auto focus	• 45-point TTL CMOS sensor • 19 cross-type for F2.8 or faster lens	• 45-point TTL CMOS sensor • 7 cross-type for F4 or faster lens
AF adjustment	Yes	No
Metering	63-zone linked to AF points	21-zone linked to AF points
Shutter	300,000 exposure durability	200,000 exposure durability
Noise reduction	Optional High ISO	No option
White balance	Up to five personal WB presets	Up to three personal WB presets
Image parameters	• Picture Styles (six default, three user) • Sharpness: 0 to 7 • Contrast: -4 to +4 • Saturation: -4 to +4 • Color tone: -4 to +4 • B&W filter: N, Ye, Or, R, G • B&W tone: N, S, B, P, G	• Color matrix (five default, two user) • Sharpness: 0 to 5 • Contrast: -2 to +2 • Saturation: -2 to +2 • Color tone: -2 to +2
Viewfinder	• 100% frame coverage • Magnification: 0.76x • Eyepoint: 20 mm	• 100% frame coverage • Magnification: 0.70x • Eyepoint: 20 mm
ISO in viewfinder	Yes	No
LCD monitor	• 3.0" TFT LCD • 230,000 pixels • 7 brightness levels	• 2.0" TFT LCD • 230,000 pixels • 5 brightness levels
LCD Live View	Yes	No
Playback modes	Exposure line at top in single image view	No exposure in single image view
Silent shooting	Yes (quieter release)	No
Continuous shooting	• 5.0 / 3.0 fps • Up to 56 JPEG Large/Fine images	• 5.0 fps • Up to 32 JPEG Large/Fine images
Auto rotate	• On (recorded and LCD display) • On (recorded only) • Off	• On • Off
My Menu	Up to six menu options can be customize	No
Menu languages	18	15
Custom functions	57	20
Hot-shoe water resistance	Yes (with 580 EX II)	No
Storage	• Compact Flash slot (UDMA support) • SD card slot (SDHC support) • USB drives via WFT-E2/E2A	• Compact Flash slot • SD card slot
Data connectivity	• USB 2.0 Hi-Speed	• USB 1.1 • Firewire IEEE 1394
Battery power	Lithium-Ion LP-E4 rechargeable battery	Ni-MH NP-E3 rechargeable battery
Dimensions	150 x 160 x 80 mm (6.1 x 6.2 x 3.1 in)	156 x 158 x 80 mm (6.1 x 6.2 x 3.1 in)
Weight	• No battery: 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) • With battery: 1.4 kg (3.1 lb)	• No battery: 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) • With battery: 1.5 kg (3.3 lb)

EOS Integrated Cleaning System video

Foreword / notes

If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read some of our Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).

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Dpreview use calibrated monitors at the PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally also A, B and C.