Canon EOS-1D MIII

[Jeff Snyder]

Today, Canon announced a new dSLR -- the 1D Mark III. I don't necessarily think this camera will be snatched up by the chasing world, but it's nice to see some of the improvements, namely: live view LCD (something that has differentiated consumer point-n-shoots from dSLRs, and SLRs for that matter), 14bit RAW (increasing dynamic range and tonality over the previously-used 12bit), ISO6400 mode, 3" LCD, and 10 frames-per-second JPG shooting up to 110 images. I haven't had time to read through the white papers and everything else, and I won't really consider it given the ~$4000 price tag. But, it is PMA season, and many expect to see a replacement for the EOS-30D announced soon (a line that seems more common amongst chasers).

DPReview link: http://www.dpreview.com/news/0702/07022208canoneos1dmarkiii.asp

At least you know that Canon really is targeting this beyond the prosumer market by "only" increasing to 10mp. The consumer point-n-shoot camera lines are still in the "my camera has more megapixels than your camera" war, which is silly since I can't imagine many people really use anything more than 8mp (unless you crop a lot or make relativley large prints, things not particularly typical of the non-dSLR market).

 

[Caleb Kimbrough]

Canon is marking today’s launch with the release of several additions to the professional EOS system:

* EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM – A fast, ultra wide-angle zoom lens delivering exceptional image quality throughout the aperture range.
* Speedlite 580EX II – An update of the Speedlite 580EX that offers weather resistance when attached to the EOS-1D Mark III.

I stole this from the dpreview link you gave. That new lens would benefit chasers very well. It covers the "sweet spot" of wide angle shooting and is relatively fast although I'm sure it will come with a hefty price tag like all of Canon's L glass...

Also, not many people really think about using flashes while chasing but they can be beneficial in certain cases and it looks like the new Speedlite has gotten the "weather resistant" treatment. Just a couple thoughts.

One last thing. Do you know how the EOS-1D MIII achieves live-view on the lcd? I know that Olympus has done it before on their cameras by placing two sensors in the camera, one for previewing the image and one for capturing it. I doubt that Canon has done this though since the EOS-1D MIII features a full size sensor where as the Olympus has the small 1.6 crop factor sensor...

Just wondering.

 

[Darren Addy]

Here is the official Canon announcment page (Press Release with lots of info). This is clearly a high-end camera aimed at professionals (or those with money to burn that could use a big tax deduction on their Schedule C).

 

[Scott Taylor]

One last thing. Do you know how the EOS-1D MIII achieves live-view on the lcd? I know that Olympus has done it before on their cameras by placing two sensors in the camera, one for previewing the image and one for capturing it. I doubt that Canon has done this though since the EOS-1D MIII features a full size sensor where as the Olympus has the small 1.6 crop factor sensor...

Just wondering.

The 1D Mark III sensor is APS-H, still a 1.3x sensor... not full frame. The live view is achieved by the mirror flipping up and showing you exactly what the sensor is 'seeing'.

This is going to be a fantastic body. I must have it!

 

[Caleb Kimbrough]

The 1D Mark III sensor is APS-H, still a 1.3x sensor... not full frame. The live view is achieved by the mirror flipping up and showing you exactly what the sensor is 'seeing'.

This is going to be a fantastic body. I must have it!

Ahhh...gotcha. For some reason I thought the 1D series had full frame sensors, my bad. Thanks for the info.