Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III

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".

• 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
• Maximum frames per second: 5 frames per second (fps) at shutter speeds 1/500 second or faster, in all recording modes
• Start-up time: 0.15 seconds
• 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
• 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)
• LCD monitor: 3.0-inch (diagonal) TFT color; approximately 100% coverage; approximately 230,000 pixels
• PC live view: Enabled using EOS Utility (v.2.0) (use computer monitor as viewfinder)
• Digital terminal: USB 2.0 Hi-speed (Type B port)
• 5 fps at shutter speeds 1/500 second or faster (for bursts of up to 45 Large/Fine JPEGs or 15 RAW images)
• sRAW mode; 35-zone metering system; 45-point AF; integrated Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit
• Powered by LP-E4 lithium-ion battery pack; stores images on CF, SD, or some SDHC memory cards

• Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III Review

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".

• Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

The full-frame digital SLR megapixel race has a new champion: the 21.1-megapixel Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III. In this case, the only other contender in the race is Canon's own 16.7-megapixel 1Ds Mark II. While most serious photographers don't need more than 8 to 12 megapixels, there is a set of pro photographers who need every last bit of detail a camera can give them.