There has never been any question that the Canon EOS 1Ds produces the
best quality images of any handheld digital camera on the market. The
only question has been whether or not you wanted to pay $8000 and
crush your shoulders under the weight of this monster.
What do you get with the Mark III incarnation of the EOS 1Ds? The
weight, with battery but not lens, has come down from a ridiculous 3.5
lbs. to a painful 3 lbs. Resolution is up to 21 megapixels (from 12
in the original 1Ds and 16 MP in the Mark II version). That is
5600x3700 pixels, large enough to make superb prints at 20x30" and
acceptable prints beyond 30x40".
Dynamic range in RAW files is 14 bits per color, up from 12 bits in
previous 1Ds bodies.
Operating Speed
The 1Ds Mark III turns on almost instantly and is very responsive, on
par with the cheaper Canon bodies that are not tangling with 25 MB RAW
images. The camera can capture 5 pictures per second, but it can't
write them to the memory cards that fast. After you've captured
about 56 JPEGs or 12 RAW images, the viewfinder and top-deck LCDs will
read "BUSY" for a few seconds until some of the images have been
saved, freeing buffer memory for additional photos.
The 5 frames per second capture rate of the 1Ds Mark III is similar to
the best film SLRs (without accessory power boosters), but
significantly slower than the 10 fps of its sports photography crop
sensor cousin, the 1D Mark III. It is also slower than the EOS 40D
body, which offers a 6.5 fps rate. This can make a difference when
trying to capture peak action during an atheletic event, for example.
Controls
At first glance, the 1Ds Mark III appears easy to operate. There are
the familiar Canon control wheels, one just behind the shutter release
and a thumb-wheel on the back of the camera. The first hint that the
camera might not be so simple is the presence of three external LCD
displays: top deck, rear monitor, rear icon panel. Where should you
look to find a particular piece of information or verify a particular
camera setting? It isn't obvious.
The familiar top-deck control wheel ("mode dial") from Canon's cheaper
digital SLRs is chucked due to its susceptibility to dust, moisture,
and failure. To change among exposure modes, you press a couple of
bottoms on the top left of the camera while simultaneously turning the
main control dial.
In some ways the interface is simpler than on Canon's lower-end
bodies. There are no idiot modes so you don't have to wonder what the
camera will do when set to the flower icon, the "running guy" icon, or
the "green box" icon. You choose among Metered Manual,
Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority, and Program autoexposure. You
choose between One Shot (subject not moving) and AI Servo (subject
moving) autofocus modes.
In most ways, however, the interface is much more complicated. The
menus are deeper. There are more buttons. There are choices about
which of the two memory cards you would like the camera to write to.
Or maybe you want it to write to both simultaneously?
The camera includes a fast processor, massive internal memory, and
high-resolution 3" screen. Would a "help" or "more info" option on
the menu choices and custom functions be too much to ask for?
Autofocus
There are 45 autofocus sensors in this camera. With an f/2.8 lens,
all 45 sensors function, 19 of which are high-precision sensors,
reponding both to vertical and horizontal lines. With an f/4 lens (or
f/2.8 lens with 1.4X teleconverter), only the center AF sensor
responds to vertical lines; the other sensors look at horizontal lines
only. At f/5.6 (kit zoom lens or f/4 + teleconverter), the central
sensor loses its vertical sensitivity. At f/8, a maximum aperture at
which Canon consumer bodies don't even try to autofocus, the central
AF sensor responds to horizontal lines. This is useful when trying to
do wildlife photography with a compact kit, e.g., 300/4 and 2X
converter or 400/5.6 and 1.4X teleconverter.
Autofocus is supposed to function in light as dim as EV -1 (ISO 100),
i.e., light that would require an exposure of 1 second at f/1.4 with
an ISO setting of 400. With an external flash attached in dim light,
the camera will instruct the flash to shine a red "AF-assist beam" on
the subject, unless Custom Function III-14 is set to disable the beam.
Viewfinder
The viewfinder image is large, bright, and shows 100 percent of the
image to be captured... just like a 1959 Nikon F. The in-viewfinder
displays, one underneath and one on the right side, show more
information than the heads-up display on an F-16 fighter jet. The
bottom LCD shows metering pattern, f-stop, shutter speed, autoexposure
lock, flash ready, exposure or flash exposure compensation, white
balance correction, capacity of storage media, ISO speed, focus
confirmation. The right-side display shows ambient and flash exposure
meters (+/- 3 f-stops), the number of photos that can be stored in the
camera's burst buffer, whether RAW or JPEG format is selected, and a
battery charge level icon.
It is easy to view the entire viewfinder image and the one-line LCD
display underneath, even while wearing eyeglasses. It is not easy,
even without glasses, to see both in-finder LCD displays and
the image. To facilitate use without eyeglasses, the Canon 1Ds Mark
III has a built-in diopter adjustment (-3 to +1).
Live View
If the Canon 1Ds Mark III is mounted in a place where you can't see
through the optical viewfinder, you can view the image to be captured
on the 3" rear LCD, on a television set connected via an included
cable, or on a personal computer connected via a USB cable (software
included).
How does Live View work? The mirror is flipped up, darkening the
optical viewinder and sending all of the light to the sensor. This
disables the autofocus system, whose sensors are in the viewing path,
upstream from the mirror. To focus, press the "zoom in" button on the
rear of the camera for 5X or 10X magnification, set the lens for
manual focus, and turn the focus ring on the lens.
Pressing the depth of field preview button stops down the lens to
taking aperture and simultaneously enables "exposure simulation". The
LCD image gets brighter or darker as aperture and shutter speed are
changed in metered manual (M) mode.
Battery life in Live View mode is short; Canon says to expect to
capture about 300 images on a fully charged battery.
Those who have the patience to read every page of the owner's manual
will learn that Live View heats up the sensor, degrading image
quality. Internal temperatures can rise enough to become damaging,
resulting in an obscure thermometer icon appearing. The photographer
is supposed to recognize this icon and turn off Live View. The rear
high-resolution LCD could display a text message: "Your $8000 camera
is heating up to damaging temperatures; please turn off Live View."
But it doesn't, on the theory that the owners will have read and
remembered every page in the owner's manual.
Mirror Lock-Up
For maximum sharpness at high magnifications, either with macro or
telephoto lenses, it helps to swing the mirror up in advance of
opening the shutter. This is most important at shutter speeds between
1 second and 1/30th of a second.
The Canon 1Ds Mark III offers mirror lock-up capability via Custom
Function III-15. Once enabled, a single press of the shutter release
locks up the mirror. After the vibration of the mirror slam has
subsided, a second press will take the picture. How can this reduce
vibration and increase image sharpness if a clumsy human keeps
touching the camera? It can't, unless you attach a remote release or
use the self-timer. For landscape photography, put the camera on a
tripod, set exposure and focus manually, enable mirror lockup, set the
self-timer mode to 2 or 10 seconds, and press the shutter speed just
once for each image. The mirror will lock up as soon as the shutter
release is pressed. Two seconds later, the shutter will open and the
picture get taken. Two seconds should be enough for the vibration of
the mirror and the vibration of a finger on the shutter release to
dissipate.
Some of Canon's film bodies had a mode in which mirror lock-up was
enabled only with the self-timer. This was very useful for travel
photography when the camera was on and off a tripod because it is so
easy to switch in and out of self-timer mode (the "drive" button).
The EOS 1Ds lacks this capability; switching in and out of mirror
lock-up mode involves wading through a series of menus.
Storage
The Canon 1Ds Mark III has two card slots, one for Compact Flash card,
either Type I and II, and one for an SD card. Each RAW image is 25
MB, which means that you can store about 40 images per gigabyte (GB).
Start with either a 16 GB CF
Card or the announced-at-CES 2008 32 GB SD cards
from Panasonic.
Busy photojournalists will appreciate the ability to write images
simultaneously to SD and CF cards. The camera can be set up to write
RAW files to one card and JPEGs to the other. Hand the JPEG card to a
newspaper editor; keep the RAW card for a possible book.
To make it easier to caption images back at the office, the camera can
associate a 30-second sound clip with an image. Simply press and hold
the microphone button while an image is being reviewed.
I had trouble formatting two SanDisk Ultra II 8 GB cards in the
camera. These cards had previously worked perfectly in a 5D body, but
the 1Ds kept saying "Could not format. Change card1." Supposedly this
problem has been fixed with the 1.0.6 version of the firmware.
Flash
The Canon 1Ds Mark III does not have a built-in flash, but it can
control the full range of Canon's external flashes. See our Canon EOS system guide for more
information.
Adjusting flash settings is about as easy as using Windows Vista.
Want to show a natural looking motion blur behind a sharp
flash-exposed subject? Second curtain sync for the flash requires the
following steps:
- press the menu button
- press the four-way nipple to the right seven times to get to the custom function page
- press the four-way nipple down to highlight the custom function II section
- press the set button to navigate down into the custom function II section
- scroll the thumb wheel four steps to the right to CF II-5
- press the set button again
- scroll the thumb wheel again
- press the set button again
Resume taking photos with a 550EX flash and you'll find that... the
flash fires when the first shutter curtain opens. Give up and take a
bunch of photos, like the one at right, where the motion blur is in
front of the moving subject. Return home, pull out the manual and
discover that settings on the flash override those on the camera.
Search in vain for a second curtain sync switch on the 550EX. Press
all of the buttons on the flash. Go to the Canon USA Web site.
Navigate through the menus. Discover that the owner's manual for the
550EX is not available. Do a Google search and discover that some
kind soul has uploaded the PDF file. Go to page 98 and discover that
second curtain sync is settable on the flash. You only need
to press the + and - buttons simultaneously. That puts the flash into
"high speed sync mode". The press the + and - buttons simultaneously
again. That puts the flash into second curtain sync mode, indicated
by a multi-segmented arrow.
[Why no built-in flash for $8000 you might ask? It would be
difficult to maintain effective weather sealing with a traditional
pop-up flash. In addition, the prevailing wisdom is that professional
bodies should not have built-in flashes because professionals travel
with assistants carrying a full complement of powerful external flashes.]
Here are a few photos from an
indoor skateboard and BMX bike park (Rye Airfield in New
Hampshire). The lens was a 50/1.4 with autofocus set to "AI servo"
(continuous).
|
|
|
mostly flash
ISO 1600, f/2.8 and 1/250th |
no flash
ISO 800, f/5.6 and 1/15th |
mixed
ISO 800, f/5.6 and 1/15th
ETTL flash -2/3 stop |
Available Light
Despite having physically smaller sensor sites than the EOS 5D, the
1Ds Mark III tested slightly better in noise control at high ISO
settings. See image at right of a Cessna
Mustang interior, captured at ISO 1600, for an example of the
value of ISO 1600 in practical situations.
Autofocus performance in low light is slightly better than the 5D,
down to EV -1 compared to the 5D's EV -0.5.
To compare the 1Ds Mark III to the 5D, I photographed a bookshelf at
ISO 1600 and ISO 3200, with the 24-105/4L IS lens. Exposure with both
cameras was f/4 at 1/30th for ISO 1600 and f/4 at 1/60th at ISO 3200.
I compared the images, which were all too unaesthetic to display here,
in Adobe Photoshop. With both cameras, ISO 3200 was visibly noisier
than ISO 1600. Viewed at the same image magnification, images from
the 1Ds looked slightly less noisy than those from the 5D. Enabling
Custom Function II-2, "High ISO speed noise reduction", did not
improve the quality of the 1Ds RAW images nor did a simultaneously
produced JPEG look better than the RAW once opened in Photoshop. The
5D does not have a comparable custom function.
Verdict: Don't spend an extra $6,000 over the 5D for acceptable 8x10
prints at high ISOs.
Batteries
Despite what must be a power appetite on par with a gamer's PC, Canon
claims that the enormous Lith-ion battery is adequate for capturing
1800 photos at room temperature; 1400 when freezing. To recharge the
battery, you must travel with a charger that is larger than a Digital Rebel
XTi.
For important photographic projects, carry a
backup LP-E4
battery.
In our testing, the battery held a nearly full charge for three
calendar weeks with light usage.
Transferring Files
Want to transfer a file from, say, the SD card in the camera to your
personal computer? It is as easy as unplugging the card from the
camera and plugging it into the SD card reader on your PC. Then you
discover that the SD card reader won't read "SDHC" cards, i.e., those
with capacities greater than 2 GB. So you say "It might be a little
slow, but I'll just plug a USB cable into the camera and transfer the
files over USB 2.0." Then you discover that the camera shows up in
Windows Explorer, but not as a disk. Nor can the Microsoft Camera
Wizard figure out how to pull files out. That is when you turn to the
software CD-ROM included with the camera and install the "EOS Utility"
that can pull files from the camera's cards over USB and onto the
local hard drive.
You'd expect a camera this heavy to include Wifi and cell phone data
network communications capabilities. What good is a photo if you
can't share it with someone else? Canon offers a bag-on-the-side
WFT-E2A "wireless file transmitter" for about $800, i.e., roughly the
cost of a note PC that would include Wifi, Bluetooth, and cell phone
data network. The WFT-E2A lacks cell phone data capability and
Bluetooth and offers only Wifi. It is therefore is useful in the
studio, but not in the field. The WFT-E2A is not compatible with the
current 802.11n standard, only the older and slower 802.11b and
802.11g standards.
Software
The Adobe Camera Raw 4.3.1 plugin (for Lightroom and Photoshop CS3) can
decode RAW images from the Canon 1Ds Mark III. The JPEGs on this page were
generated with Photoshop CS3 and my
personal scripts that you can download. The Picasa program
from Google should eventually understand the 1Ds Mark III's RAW files.
If you decide to go the Photoshop/Bridge route, you might find
The
DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers (Peter
Krogh; O'Reilly 2005) helpful.
Make sure to enable "auto rotate" (first tools menu) so that an image
captured with the camera held vertically will appear on a computer
screen in a vertical orientation.
Canon includes software with the camera, but it is not as good as
Picasa (free), Adobe Lightroom, or Adobe Photoshop/Bridge. Working
with the 25 MB RAW images is painfully slow. In Adobe Bridge, for
example, when trying to decide whether a photo is a keeper, the
software gives you the ability to zoom in on a portion of a thumbnail.
On a dual-core 2.8 GHz Pentium with 3.5 GB of RAM, this takes 15
seconds, compared to 7 seconds for a 12 MB image from a Canon 5D. A
top of the line personal computer starting in mid-2009 should be able
to handle these images without frustrating delays.
Reliability and Durability
The 1Ds Mark III is Canon's most durable body, designed to withstand
heavy rain, hard knocks, desert sand and dust, etc. The camera can be
set to write images to two memory cards simultaneously, thus
preserving the images even when half of the camera has been shot away
by hostile fire.
An automatic sensor cleaning function activates when the camera
is turned off.
Compared to the Other Canon Bodies
If a photographer had infinite money, would he or she buy the 1Ds Mark
III? Maybe not. The pain of spending $8000 might soon be forgotten
by some folks, but the 3 lb. weight will be a constant reminder that
an adequate job could have been done with the full-frame 5D (2 lbs.).
Sports photographers will prefer the Canon EOS 1D Mark III, $4000 (review)
for its higher frame rate (10 fps versus 5 fps).
Compared to Nikon
Nikon is the only company that might conceivably make a competitor to
the 1Ds. So far they haven't tried. The closest that Nikon comes to
an attempt to compete with the 1Ds is the Nikon D3. The D3 has a
full-frame sensor, but with about half of the resolution of the 1Ds
Mark III. Where the D3 is superior to the 1Ds Mark III is in the
ability to capture usable images at an ISO setting of 25,600, three
f-stops more sensitive than the 1Ds Mark III's ISO 3200.
Nikon, starting with their D40 camera, seems to be ahead in the user
interface department, exploiting the personal computer-like
capabilities of the camera to explain settings with text and example
photographs.
Compared to Medium Format Systems
Can you get better image quality from any camera than from the 1Ds
Mark III? Sure, but not in a camera that you would want to handhold
all day. The realm of higher quality belongs to medium format digital
backs, rolled into systems such as the Hasselblad H3D, the Leaf AFi,
and the Sinar Hy6. These systems are intended for studio use, weigh
even more than the 1Ds, and cost $30,000+. The medium format systems
are designed to work with studio lighting and therefore may
underperform the 1Ds at higher ISO settings.
If you have an extra $20,000, a tripod, and a lot of light, look into
the medium format backs. These systems will get very interesting when
a large square sensor is available, e.g., close to the 56x56mm full
frame of 6x6 film camera. Currently the sensors are 36x48mm, which
wastes a lot of the image circle and has all of the disadvantages of a
rectangular format, e.g., figuring out a way to tilt the camera
sideways or rotate the back.
Compared to Large Format (Very Large)
Elsa Dorfman uses a 20x24" Polaroid camera. We decided to see how a
print made from an EOS 1Ds Mark III RAW file would compare to a 20x24"
original. The images below were taken using ISO 50, available only
after enabling extended ISO range from a custom function menu. This
is slower than the native resolution of the camera and is probably
slightly lower image quality than ISO 100, but it was useful because
it enabled us to use an f/8 aperture with the powerful strobes in
Elsa's studio.
| Lens |
Original |
100 percent crop |
50/1.4
|
|
|
50/2.5 macro
|
|
|
85/1.2L
|
|
|
Note: The inset images were filtered with Unsharp Mask at the following
settings: 75 percent, 1 pixel radius, 0 threshold. They were then
saved in .png format.
We sent the RAW files to Pictopia and gave them no
instructions other than "make the best 20x30 print that you can". In
a side-by-side comparison with a few Polaroid originals, Elsa and
three other viewers agreed that the 1Ds Mark III images had at least
as much detail as the Polaroid. It was a little tough to compare
because the Polaroid images have less depth of field and the papers
were very different. The Polaroid paper is super thick and glossy;
Pictopia's least expensive RA-4 paper has a matte finish and is much
thinner. The digital image was much cleaner, while the Polaroid had a
lot of waviness and character in the background. As an imaging system
for making 20x30" prints, the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III combined with
Pictopia was the clear victor. As artistic statements, the Polaroid
images were more interesting.
Wishlist
Most new cars have GPS. The EOS 1Ds Mark III plus an L lens feels
about as heavy as hanging a Hyundai around one's neck. Why shouldn't
the camera body include a GPS chip and geotag images with the latitude
and longitude of the exposure location? Canon's theory for how you
would do this is to buy a WFT-E2A "wireless file transmitter" to
attach to the side of the body, then buy a separate GPS and plug that
into the WFT-E2A via a USB cable.
As noted previously, the EOS 1Ds Mark III includes a fast processor,
massive internal memory, and high-resolution 3" screen. Why not add a
tiny touch of software and text strings to include a "help" or "more
info" option with most menu and custom function controls? The
information in the owner's manual wouldn't occupy more than 1/1000th
of a RAW image; why should the photographer be forced to carry around
the owner's manual on paper?
Conclusion
The EOS 1Ds Mark III is a remarkable display of engineering prowess.
Do you need a weatherproofed camera that is strong enough to drive
nails while producing the world's best image quality? If so, the 1Ds
is a bargain. If not, the
Canon EOS 5D, $2000 (review) is a better
value.
I never wanted a 1Ds. Now I do. But probably I'll wait for the
revision of the EOS 5D.
Where to Buy
Compare prices and delivery times from various merchants at
amazon.com. Add
a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM, $400 (review), Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM, $1399 (review), and
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM (review) for the standard professional
kit. Supplement with a Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash, $370 (review) for filling-in
shadows or bouncing off ceilings indoors.
Manufacturer's Specifications
- Effective resolution: Approximately 21.1 million pixels (total
pixels: approximately
21.9 million)
- Recording pixels: 5616 x 3744
- Sensor type: Full-frame CMOS sensor, with primary R-G-B
filtration (36 x 24
millimeters)
- Pixel size: 6.4 microns square
- Lens focal length factor: None (1x)
- Imaging processor: Dual DIGIC III image processors
- Maximum frames per second: 5 frames per second (fps) at shutter
speeds 1/500 second or
faster, in all recording modes
- Drive modes: Single; silent (single-frame); high-speed
continuous (5 fps; adjustable 5
to 2 fps); low-speed continuous (3 fps; adjustable 4 to 1 fps)
- Maximum number of frames / burst: JPEG: 56 (full-resolution,
Level-8 fine compression);
RAW: 12; RAW plus JPEG: TBA
- Flash sync speed: Up to 1/250, with EX-series Speedlites
- Shutter "lag" time: Approximately 55 milliseconds
(from half-way to fully
depressing shutter button)
- Start-up time: 0.15 seconds
- Image type: JPEG, RAW (14 bit); improved A/D conversion to
14-bit processing for 16,384
individual tones
- Highlight tone priority: Improve tonal range in highlight areas
by approximately 1 stop
(C.Fn II-2)
- Noise reduction: Long exposures 1 second and longer (C.Fn II-1);
high-speed ISO images
(C.Fn II-2)
- Storage media: Compatible with two card slots and external
storage media; CompactFlash
(Type I or II, including MicroDrives); SD card slot
(SDHC-compatible for 2GB higher SD
cards); USB external hard drives (requires optional WFT-E2A
wireless transmitter)
- Recording options: Multiple media recording options: record to
only one memory card;
record the same image to both SD and CF card; record RAW image to
a CF card and JPEG image
to a SD card
- New additional features: Files can be automatically written to
another media if card
beomes full; select different image sizes and save to different
media (example: different
JPEG sizes); record same image using all three media options,
including external hard
drive; copy files manually from one card to another, or to
connected USB hard drive
- Image format options: JPEG (compression adjustable in 10 steps
on menu); RAW
("CR2" RAW file format); RAW + JPEG (selectable on rear
LCD panel); sRAW
("CR2" small RAW file format; 1 /4 file size of
full-resolution RAW,
approximately 5.2 megapixels)
- Resolution options: Large: 5616 x 3744 (approximately 21.0
million pixels); "Medium
1": 4992 x 3328 (approximately 16.6 million pixels);
"Medium 2": 4080 x
2720 (approximately 11.0 million pixels); "Small": 2784
x 1856 (approximately
5.2 million pixels); "RAW": 5616 x 3744 (approximately
21.0 million pixels);
"sRAW": 2784 x 1856 (approximately 5.2 million pixels)
- Data recording format: DCF 2.0 and EXIF 2.21; EXIF 2.21--applies
"Adobe 1998
RGB" color space tag to images
- Sound recording: Maximum 30 seconds per sound clip (more than
one clip can be assigned
to each image)
- Folder settings: Create new folder and select on memory card
- 3-part approach to dust reduction: EOS Integrated Cleaning
System; self-cleaning sensor
unit--low pass filter in front of the sensor vibrates at a very
high frequency for about
four seconds to "shake" off loose dust and dirt; occurs
on start-up and shut
down--can also be activated by user or totally disabled; Dust
Delete Data: a test shot is
taken and any dust spots are "mapped" and added to each
image's text data;
automatic removal possible in Canon DPP software; manual: user can
lock up mirror to blow
off any dust or have service technician wipe sensor clean
- LCD monitor: 3.0-inch (diagonal) TFT color; approximately 100%
coverage; approximately
230,000 pixels
- Playback options: Single image; single image with info and
histogram; 4-index or 9-index
image; magnified zoom display
- Live View type: Electronic viewing of scene, directly off
imaging sensor, on LCD monitor
- Coverage: Approximately 100%
- Metering: Real-time evaluative metering (off CMOS imaging
sensor)
- Grid display: Two vertical and two horizontal lines; can be
turned on or off by user
- Aspect ratio: Masking for 6:6, 3:4, 4:5, 6:7, 10:12, and 5:7
- PC live view: Enabled using EOS Utility (v.2.0) (use computer
monitor as viewfinder)
- Shutter speed range: 30 seconds to 1/8000, plus bulb (1/3, 1/2,
or full-stop increments
when user-set)
- Maximum flash sync speed: 1/250 second
- Anticipated shutter durability: 300,000 exposures
- ISO range: 100 to 1600, in 1/3-stop increments; ISO 50 and 3200
can be added via ISO
extension on menu; new ISO safety shift (camera shifts ISO in Tv
or Av mode if needed to
preserve exposure)
- Exposure modes: Manual, Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority,
Program, Bulb
- Metering: 63-zone metering linked to 19 AF points; Evaluative
metering (63-zone, linked
to active AF point); Center-weighted metering; Partial metering
(approximately 8.5% of the
picture area); Spot metering (approximately 2.4% of the picture
area); Options: Center
only; linked to any of 19 AF points; and Multi-spot metering up to
8 readings
- Metering range: EV 0 to 20 (all patterns; at normal
temperatures)
- Exposure compensation: Possible in any Auto exposure mode; up to
+/- 3 stops, in
1/3-stop increments
- Exposure bracketing: 2, 3, 5, or 7 shots (selectable with C.Fn
I-6); up to +/- 3 stops,
in 1/3-stop increments; Standard Auto bracketing, via aperture
and/or shutter speed
- Compatible flashes: Canon EX-series Speedlites (TTL flash not
possible with non-EX
speedlites)
- E-TTL II: 63-zone metering with EX-series speedlites; evaluative
E-TTL flash metering
(can be averaged over all 63 metering zones); distance information
now used from
compatible Canon EF lenses for flash calculations
- Flash metered manual: Possible with flash in Manual mode, via
FEL button
- Flash exposure lock: 2.4% Spot metering of pre-flash
illumination
- Flash exposure compensation: Possible on body for certain
speedlites (up to +/- 3 stops,
in 1/3-stop increments)
- Flash exposure bracketing: Possible with 580EX II, 580EX, 550EX,
MR-14EX, and MT-24EX
(set on Speedlite)
- Hi-speed flash speed: Possible with EX-series Speedlites, up to
1/8000 second , normal
maximum x-sync is 1/300
- PC socket: Standard; sync line voltages up to 250v are OK
through PC socket or hot shoe
- Number of AF points: 45 (inside of ellipse area of focus
screen); 19 high-precision
cross-type points (require f2.8 or faster lens for cross-type
coverage); 26 assists points
(require f5.6 or faster lens)
- Number of cross-type points: 19 points--any of these can be
user-selected with manual AF
point selection (high-precision type points; require a f2.8 or
faster lens; center point
requires f4 or faster)
- Focus modes: One-Shot AF (for stationary subjects); AI Servo AF
(for tracking moving
subjects)
- Manual AF point selection: 19 AF points ( default); inner 9 AF
points (via C.Fn III
9-1); outer 9 AF points ( via C.Fn III 9-2)
- Automatic AF point selection: Possible in both One-shot and AI
Servo AF modes
- AF On button: AF button on rear of body executes AF and
metering; AE Lock button can
switch functions with AF On button via C.Fn IV-2-1
- Viewfinder coverage: 100%, vertically and horizontally
- Eyepoint: 20 millimeters
- Magnification: 0.75x
- Focusing screen: Ec-C IV (new standard focusing screen);
interchangeable with Ec-series
screens from all previous EOS-1 series cameras
- Diopter: -3 to +1.0 (user-adjustable); further adjustment
possible with Eg series
diopter lenses
- Mirror lock-up: Possible via C.Fn III-15; new: option to have
mirror remain up for
multiple pictures, until SET button is pressed
- Eyepiece shutter: Built-in; activated by lever to right of
eyepiece
- White Balance modes: Auto (WB is read off of CMOS imaging sensor
only); Pre-set
(Daylight, Shade, Cloudy Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash); Custom
(reading taken off 18% gray
card or white object; up to 5 custom readings can be stored);
Color Temperature (range
2500k to 10,000k; 100k increments); Personal WB settings--PC-1 to
PC-5 (up to five,
created in computer and uploaded into camera)
- White Balance compensation: Alter white balance in amber-blue
direction, and/or
magenta-green direction +/- 9 levels
- White Balance bracketing: Alter White Balance in amber-blue
direction or magenta-green
direction, up to 15 mireds
- Picture Style: Allows user to easily adjust the "look"
of JPEG images, or RAW
files processed with Canon software; six presets: Standard,
Portrait, Landscape, Neutral,
Monochrome, Faithful; adjustable settings: Sharpening, Contrast,
Color Saturation, and
Color Tone
- Digital terminal: USB 2.0 Hi-speed (Type B port)
- Video output terminal: NTSC/PAL
- System extension terminal: 15-pin terminal (connects new
wireless file transmitter
WFT-E2A)
- Remote control terminal: N3-type terminal
- Custom functions: 57 Custom Functions (personal functions built
into Custom Functions)
- My Menu: Up to six menu settings can be stored separately for
quick access
- Battery: Lightweight LP-E4 lithium-ion battery pack
- Battery information: Current power source in use (battery, AC
adapter, etc.); remaining
capacity (displayed in 1% increments, on camera's LCD monitor);
current shutter count on
this battery charge; recharge performance (displays when battery
should be discarded; 3
levels)
- Main switch: Three settings: Off, On, and On with Quick Control
Dial active
- Camera body exterior material: Magnesium alloy
- Chassis material: Magnesium alloy, including mirror box
- Operating temperature range: 32 degrees to 113 degrees F (0
degrees to 45 degrees C);
85% or lower relative humidity
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 6.1 x 6.2 x 3.1 inches (156 x 160 x 80
millimeters)
- Weight (without battery or CF card): 41.3 ounces (1205 grams)
Text and pictures copyright 2008
Philip Greenspun.
Article revised March 2008.
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