The big SLR news for pro shooters so far this year is Canon's launch
of the EOS-1D Mark III D-SLR. It uses a 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor measuring
28.1x18.7mm that's about the same size as sensors in the EOS-1D Mark II
and Mark II N, but has more pixels than the Mark II's 8.2 megapixels and
the same focal length conversion factor of 1.3x. The new 10.1-megapixel CMOS
sensor has 7.2 micron square pixels and the fill factor (the proportion of each
pixel's sensitivity to light) has been increased, producing images of
startling clarity. But the chip is only part of the story.
A Clean Sheet Of Paper Design
Some of the highlights of the Mark III's design include a 10 frame per
second (fps) burst rate to capture (approximately) 110 JPEG, 30 raw, or 22 raw+JPEG
files. For those photographers who think you can never have too many image file
formats, the Mark III also offers the sRAW format, with 1/4 the resolution and
approximately 1/2 the file size of conventional raw images.
The camera has an ISO range of 100-3200 or 50-6400 with ISO expansion enabled
via the camera's extensive series of Custom Functions--there are
57 of 'em. The 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor's pixels are not only
bigger but are also more receptive to light, resulting in low-light performance
that even at ISO 3200 is spectacular. Under the situations most apt to produce
noise the Mark III produced minimal digital noise, but if that tiny bit bothers
you install Neat Image's (www.neatimage.com)
Photoshop compatible plug-in and make it disappear.
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This
shot of my K-Line steam locomotive was made in my train room at
ISO 3200 with all of the room lights out but some ambient light
leaking from one window with the blinds drawn. The exposure (4 seconds
at f/18) is a classic high-noise situation but while the noise is
obvious it's less than what I would expect with grain with
ISO 400 slide film shot under the same conditions. The truly noise-averse
could eliminate it with Neat Image (www.neatimage.com) but I didn't
do it here because I don't think you would see a difference
on the magazine's pages. Yes, it's that good.
All Photos © 2007, Joe Farace, All Rights Reserved |
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The Mark III has a 3" LCD preview screen with live viewing à
la Olympus' Live View. In addition to expanded methods of image capture
(see "What Else Is New?" sidebar), the Live View shooting mode reduces
vibration by lifting the reflex mirror out of the optical path in advance of
the exposure, with the potential of improving image sharpness at slow shutter
speeds. Live View also lets you implement one of the Mark III's most unique
capture capabilities, the ability to overlay vertical lines corresponding to
different film aspect ratios, including 3:4, 4:5, 6:7, 10:12, 5:7, and even
6:6! During playback these lines are displayed on the Mark III's big screen
and when viewed with Canon's Digital Photo Professional software (included
free with the camera) the images are displayed in the selected aspect ratio.
When viewed in Photoshop or whatever, you'll see and have access to the
whole magilla.
Like previous EOS-1 series cameras, the 1D Mark III D-SLR has 45 AF points,
but unlike its predecessors, 19 of them are of the high-precision cross-type.
The array allows the other points to be divided into groups of nine inner and
nine outer focusing points plus a center point. It is engineered to make selecting
an individual focusing point much faster than in the past. During manual AF
point selection, the AF point area is expandable. Canon claims the new AF sensor
has double the low-light sensitivity when compared to earlier EOS D-SLRs, but
I didn't see it in any of my low-light images. In fact, there has been
an online brouhaha on the Mark III's autofocus capabilities. You can read
my special comments about AF later in the "In The Field" section.
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Shot with Canon's new EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM zoom lens,
these kayaks were captured in Program mode at 1/400 sec at f/10
and ISO 250 with an exposure compensation of -1/3 stop. |
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Twin DIGIC III image processors provide all the good stuff you might expect,
providing NASCAR levels of performance while processing large amounts of image
data. While the EOS-1D has long had two memory card slots, it now has automatic
switching between them when one is full. CompactFlash access is now 1.3x faster
and SD card access is 2x faster. (The Mark III is also compatible with the SDHC
format memory card.) The extra power of dual DIGIC III processors allows Analog-to-Digital
(A/D) conversion to improve from 12 to 14 bits per channel, meaning that tonal
gradation for raw images is now divided into 16,384 separate levels per channel
rather than 4096, and that difference I could see. You'll see it in increased
quality on your computer screen and, depending on your output device, on the
print.
In The Field
Although the shape of the Mark III appears similar to the Mark II and its ergonomics
are similarly excellent, it is a new camera in every way, including placement
of controls. Many are in different locations and some, like the multi-controller
(I call it a "joystick") also found on the EOS 5D, take on menu
navigation duties instead of just AF point selection. The Mark III retains most
of the Mark II's interlocks ("push this, pull that") that
slow users of Canon's pro cameras and that is thoughtfully lacking in
their non-pro offerings, and the 5D is slightly better than the Mark II in that
regard. Out there in the real world these kinds of things are annoying, but
like a missing tooth you eventually get used to it.
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I photographed Mary giving me her best Lee Meriwether (everybody
other than Batfans will have to Google that name) smile in my makeshift
basement studio with the Mark III and EF 135mm f/2.8 SF lens. Exposure
in Manual mode was 1/60 sec at f/9 and ISO 200. Autofocus in my
dimly lit studio was sluggish but no more so than my Mark II. Under
these same dimly lit conditions my EOS 5D seems to lock on and focus
faster than the Mark III. |
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Instead of a Ni-MH power source the Mark III uses a LC-E4 lithium ion battery
that reminds me of Nikon's D2X pack and doubles the Mark III's shots
to 2200. When I tested the camera battery woes were nonexistent. With battery
and memory cards the Mark III weighs 8 oz lighter than a similarly equipped
Mark II N, but it's still a bigga bigga hunk of magnesium alloy. While
it's lighter than the Mark II, it is not as light as the 5D and tips the
Weight Watcher's scale at a relatively heavy 2.54 lbs. Making the chassis
from low-density, high-strength carbon-ceramic the way Porsche makes brake rotors
will cost more, but weight savings would be dramatic. Canon could offer it as
a more expensive version of the Mark III. Who knows, Canon, you may be surprised
at how many of these sports models you could sell to shooters who want something
significantly lighter.
The Mark III is a true professional camera, which means it lacks a pop-up flash,
which is one of the ways that Japanese camera manufacturers appear to delineate
between pro and consumer SLRs. If the lack of a built-in flash for adding small
amounts of fill light bothers you, consider using Canon's inexpensive
($119.95) 220EX flash. It's small, slips on the hot shoe, uses four AAs
so it has real power, and incorporates Canon's E-TTL evaluative flash
system. I've also used it with both the Mark II and 5D
with amazing results.
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Canon's Picture Styles were added to the EOS-1D Mark II N
and continue with the Mark III. This image was captured using the
Monochrome mode with Sepia tone add-on directly by the Mark III
with an exposure of 1/250 sec at f/8 and ISO 250 with a +1/3 stop
exposure compensation. |
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In addition to the Mark III's 57 Custom Functions (arranged in four
groups), up to six frequently used menu options and Custom Functions can be
configured in a user-friendly feature called "My Menu." Up to five
Personal white balance settings and five Custom white balance data items can
be entered. You can also customize image file names to use your initials instead
of the ubiquitous "_IMG." Is 57 too many Custom Functions? Twenty-four
pages in a tiny 212-page User's Guide (old-timers will need their reading
glasses) are dedicated to Custom Functions. As in most of the digital imaging
world, I expect that 80 percent of the people will use 20 percent of the Custom
Functions but 100 percent of them will be happy about it.
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