Canon 1D Mark III digital SLR

• see also my notes:
  • Canon EOS camera system
  • Canon 1D Mark III autofocus modes and functions
  • Canon 1D with Tilt-Shift lenses - a unique advantage with the 1D MIII
  • lens tests 3 - Canon 1D Mark III vs Olympus E510 - some surprising results!
  • lens tests - Canon 1D Mark III vs Olympus E510 - landscapes
  • my 1D Mark III AF tests at the football
  • Canon 1DIII AF tests at the footy - take 2
  • Canon 1DIII AF tests - take 3 - success at last at the football - get your settings right!
  • RAW files
  • remote control of cameras
  • flash technology
• see also on the web:
  • Canon 1D mark III on the web:
    • Canon 1D III white paper
    • Canon
    • Canon USA link
    • accessories
    • Rob Galbraith's articles on Canon 1D Mark III custom functions
    • Allen Rockwell's 10fps blog and podcast
    • Canon 1D MIII high ISO noise:
      • http://kammagamma.com/articles/canon-eos-1d-mark-iii-image-quality-redefined.php 
    • list of official links:
      • http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=314318 
  • Canon Australia's listing of lenses with RRP's
  • photonotes Canon lenses
  • AF for wildlife
    • http://www.wildlifeimagesbyles.net/Technique/1DIII_Guide/1diii_guide.html#autofocusmodes 
  • Canon 1D MIII vs Nikon D3:
    • http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=326811 
      • seems to show that Nikon uses a much more aggressive noise filter which causes image softness at ISO 3200 and above compared to the Canon 1DMIII - a surprising result given the marketing hype from Nikon.
      • “Sharpness wise, the Mark 3's 6400 iso shot is sharper than the D3 ISO 400 picture. ”
      • BUT test was done at same distance for both cameras even though one is 1.3x crop and other is full frame.

• as of Nov 2007, Canon has announced that there really is a problem with AI-Servo continuous shooting mode AF particularly in high ambient temperatures in some bodies and have traced it to the sub-mirror assembly which may need adjustment.
• Canon will be accepting bodies with serial numbers 501001 to 546561 for a free repair as of Dec 2007.
• canon.com.au announcement
• see Rob Galbraith's analysis of this fix:
  • http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-8740-9068-9168 
• new AF service fix announced Mar 2009 - see here
• Canon information on how to get the best out of AF posted March 2009 - here

• announced 2007, available with difficulty May/June 2007
• 10mpixel, 1.3x crop APS-H sensor
• when released this camera was the BEST pro camera for sports/action/wildlife photography, but with the improvement in image quality over the 1D Mark IIN, it is now an option also for the pro studio.
  • the Nikon D3 may be a viable alternative for sports/action
  • the Olympus E3 even though it has more noise at high ISO, has the potential advantage of 2x crop factor which allows a more compact super telephoto kit for wildlife work.
• the improved dynamic range, reduced noise and addition of Live Preview for more accurate manual focusing means it would be an ideal camera for  astrophotography, particularly if the IR blocking filter was replaced, and in the same vein, also great for infra-red photography.
• jpeg file size Large: Approx. 3.5MB (3,888 x 2,592)
• RAW: Approx. 13.0-17.5MB (3,888 x 2,592)
• sensor dust removal system - new design - different from that on the 400D so hopefully this one works better.
• pro body, weather-proofed, heavy, big - 1,155g w/o battery;
• shutter life increased to 300,000 exposures.
• 10fps (if faster than 1/500th sec) up to 110 jpgs or 30 RAW (it also has a 3fps mode)
  • some gotchas:
    • 10 fps only if shutter speed 1/500th sec or faster
    • maximum number images in a burst further limited by:
      • RAW + L ⇒ max. 22 (27 at low speed)
      • sRAW + L ⇒ max. 28 (35 at low speed)
      • high ISO greatly reduces max. burst:
        • L jpeg only at various ISO: 100-400 ⇒ 110 jpegs; 800 ⇒  48; 1600 ⇒ 46; 3200 ⇒ 40; 6400 ⇒ 36;
      • high ISO noise reduction set to ON reduces max. burst at ANY ISO to only 14 L-size jpegs!
      • boosting quality of jpeg from default compression setting of 8 to 10 reduces max. burst from 110 to 86 jpegs as file size increases from about 4.4Mb to 5.7Mb.
• 14bit A/D converter instead of the usual 12bit allows 16,384 levels per color instead of 4,096 levels
  • highlight tone priority mode to preserve highlights but lowest ISO is 200 and some minimal increase in shadow noise.
• improved noise at high ISO by 1-2EV & offers up to 6400ISO (50% less shadow noise than the Mark IIN at all ISO's)
• shutter 1/8000 to 30 sec + BULB; x-sync 1/300th sec with EOS but 1/250th with other flash and 1/60th with studio flash; 
• 19 user-selectable AF points plus additional 26 AF assist points
  • the 19 cross-type sensors are no longer clustered centrally as in Mark IIN and earlier, but are in both inner and outer rings.
  • see autofocus modes on the Canon 1D Mark III
• live preview for manual focus - a first for a Canon dSLR, following Olympus' lead with their  Olympus E330 & Olympus E510 which I also have.
  • as with Olympus, you can easily see live 5x or 10x magnified image for manual focusing accuracy
  • unfortunately, Canon have not implemented a mechanism for rapidly setting AF from live preview mode
    • Olympus allows you to press a single button which drops the mirror back down, sets AF then raises mirror up and puts you back in live preview mode
      • of course with the Olympus E330 in live mode A, you have live AF as well so the above is not needed.
    • on the Canon, you have to press SET to get out of live preview mode, then set AF by your preferred method, then press SET again to get back into live preview mode.
  • no live histogram but you can set aspect ratio grids to assist composition (via menu)
  • for some reason, you need to enable live preview functionality via 2nd wrench in the menu system.
  • on the positive side you can switch between optimised LCD display or actual exposure WYSIWYG display, but you need to rummage through the menu to do this switch (C. Fn IV - 16).
  • unfortunately Canon did not provide a Live Boost functionality as do Olympus so it cannot be used on fainter stars or for infrared photography unmodified.
• LCD image playback:
  • 3“ 230,000 pixel LCD.
  • 1.5x to 10x zoom to check image
  • a nice feature is when using the rear dial to go to previous or next image, the zoom setting is maintained allowing even easier comparisons of focus accuracy - this is a great function, hope Olympus implements this one too.
• optional wireless module WFT-E2A which allows:
  • wireless remote control including live preview in manual focus mode only
  • wireless transmission of image files
  • attachment of external USB hard disk drive to save images to instead of memory cards
  • attachment of 3rd party GPS via the USB port for embedding GPS data in EXIF
  • ethernet cable attachment
  • wireless via 802.11 b or g protocols and transmits up to 150 feet
  • see http://www.sportsshooter.com/news/1752 
• picture styles for jpgs:
  • standard  = high saturation and sharpness
  • portrait = slightly high saturation, low sharpness
  • landscape = high green-blue saturation, high sharpness
  • neutral = low saturation, no sharpness thus best for post-processing
  • faithful = low saturation, no sharpness, designed for 5500K light source
  • monochrome = no saturation, sl. high sharpness
• its main weaknesses are:
  • it's 1.3x crop means its lack of availability of quality wide angle lenses and the limited ultrawide range (a 14mm EF lens gives a 18mm equivalent, while the 16-35mm gives 21-46mm effective range).
  • its big, heavy and imposing although lighter than the 1D Mark IIN
  • the EF lenses may need calibrating to ensure accurate AF - fortunately you can do this yourself quite easily.
  • the cover for the wireless adapter somehow unscrews itself and gets lost (mine did within a week even though I had never unscrewed it) - surely the Canon engineers could have designed this better!
    • looks like I need to order a dozen caps from Canon as I'm not sure its good to leave those wires exposed.
  • its battery charger is big
  • need to upgrade your RAW converter software
  • issues surrounding its AF accuracy in burst mode, see autofocus modes on the Canon 1D Mark III
  • white balance performance in indoor lighting a bit sub-optimal and this is further compounded by the lack of simplicity in setting a custom WB (see below).
  • the wireless adapter costs an extra 1/3rd the price of the camera & I am guessing it will not be compatible with a subsequent model - you would have to have a good reason to spend the money on this.
  • like the Olympus, there is still no auto-ISO mode which intelligently adjusts ISO when shutter speed is getting too long - Pentax have introduced this and, although it would potentially add some complexity to camera options, it would make the P exposure mode much more useful - as it is, I never use the P mode as I prefer the Av mode most of the time.
  • did I say its big? you really can't take this camera to a party and start shooting your friends, its just way too intimidating & you will freak them out.
  • no sensor-based IS
  • no Live boost live preview

• see Canon 1D Mark III accessories
• LC-5 wireless controller
  • see remote control of cameras
• TC-80N3 Timer Remote Controller
  • see remote control of cameras
• RS-80N3 Remote Switch
• Angle Finder C
• Dioptric adjustment lenses
• Focusing screens
• wireless transmitter module WFT-E2A
  • see remote control of cameras

• as with all modern dSLRs, the Canon 1D Mark III has a strong IR blocking filter which makes IR photography more difficult, but at least you can use ISO 3200 and the live preview in bright sunshine with an R72 IR filter on the lens.
• in my opinion, of all the latest versions of unmodified dSLRs (excluding the Fuji IR dSLRs), the Olympus E510 and E3 are the easiest to use for IR work in bright sunlight because:
  • for some reason you can actually compose through the viewfinder in bright sunlight at apertures f/2.8 or wider.
  • the Live Boost functionality unique to Olympus allows brighter Live Preview for IR work
  • the built-in image stabiliser can be turned on for ANY lens which makes accurate focusing even easier if hand held via Live Preview as well as allowing longer hand-held shots which IR requires.
  • the Canon 1D MIII has 3 main advantages over the Olympus though:
    • ISO 3200-6400 but even at ISO 3200 you will probably need a tripod so the ISO advantage may not be much is reality; 
    • aperture priority mode has limited use - better than none at all with my E510.
    • only 1.3x crop instead of 2x crop so using the Olympus OM wide angle lenses still retains a reasonable wide angle view.
• note - setting C.Fn IV-16 Live View exposure simulation to Enable results in no image being visible at the correct exposure setting.
• focusing with R72 filter in place:
  • not surprisingly AF doesn't seem to work as the optical viewfinder is pitch black with the R72 filter on.
    • surprisingly, you can compose in the viewfinder of the Olympus E510 in bright sunshine at f/1.4-f/2.0 - why???
  • you can manually focus via the Live Preview even at 10x magnification if ambient EV is 14 or higher (eg. sunlit) and you select a bright IR object such as foliage and aperture is f/2.0 or wider.
• to compose via Live Preview on the Canon 1D MIII with R72 filter in place:
  •  you need at least f/2.0 aperture in bright sunshine, while f/1.4 will be just visible on bright overcast days and f/3.5 will be just visible on bright sunlit scenes but you will not be able to visually focus well at f/2.8-3.5.
  • unlike the Olympus cameras, there is no Live Preview boost mode so composing and focusing IR with the 1DMIII is much more difficult.
• exposure in bright sunlit scenes with R72 filter in place:
  • aiming to use only red channel, exposure in bright sunlit scenes would be approx. 1/15th sec, f/2.0 at ISO 3200 
  • thus if you want better image quality and sharpness, you have to settle for about 1-2 secs at f/5.6 & ISO 800.
• aperture priority exposure peculiarities with R72 filter in place:
  • when not in Live Preview mode, for some reason, Av mode gives ~6EV under-exposure!
    • even closing the viewfinder curtain to eliminate extraneous light resulted in 5-6EV under-exposure.
  • in Live Preview mode Av exposure gives good results at light levels which give exposures of 1/4sec or faster BUT then gives progressively more under-exposure with lower light levels (eg. smaller apertures), thus Av works well in bright sunlight at f/5.6-f/4 or wider.
  • of course in Live Preview mode, you can ONLY use Evaluative Metering mode and not spot metering, etc.
• AWB gives a magenta caste and histogram shows the blue channel is more sensitive to IR than the green channel as is the case with most dSLR sensors (but not the Olympus E510).
• IR results with various lenses:
  • Canon EF 85mm f/1.8:
    • diffuse central hot spot but usable at F/2.8 and wider apertures
  • Canon TSE 90mm f/2.8:
    • focus & composition are difficult but just possible given its f/2.8 aperture
    • asymmetric central hot spot just visible at f/4 and controlled at f/2.8 but obvious at smaller apertures
  • Olympus OM 50mm f/1.4:
    • pronounced well demarcated central hot spot at f/16 which enlarges and becomes more diffuse as the aperture opens and by f/2.0 and f/1.4 it is no longer obvious to the eye on LCD review.
    • NB. the EF 50mm f/1.4 lens is said to also have an unusable hotspot but the f/1.8 lens is OK.
  • Olympus OM 50mm f/1.8:
    • no significant hot spot at any aperture, nice wide aperture for composition & focus
    • another favorite, although the EF 50mm f/1.8 would be better as you don't need to stop the aperture down manually.
  • Olympus OM 50mm f/3.5 macro:
    • hot spot just visible at f/8 and OK at f/5.6 or 3.5 on the E510 but not that obvious at f/8 even on the 1DMIII, thus a good lens when you need DOF but its small aperture means composition is difficult and visual focus impossible on the Canon 1DMIII but still possible on the Olympus E510.
  • Olympus OM 24mm f/2.8:
    • very nice indeed, minimal hot spot evident even at smaller apertures
    • think this will be a favorite.
  • Olympus OM 21mm f/3.5:
    • very nice indeed, minimal hot spot evident even at smaller apertures BUT aperture too small to focus visually, fortunately you can use the IR markers on the lens to help you out with some trial and error.
    • this is my favorite on 35mm film IR.
  • see here for more info on lenses and their hotspot performance for IR photography 
• see also infra-red photography.

• well this is pretty simple on the Olympus E510 - if your Fn button has been set to custom WB, just:
  • point camera at a white sheet of paper
  • press Fn button and shutter button together
  • then select Yes to accept it.
• let's see how we do this on the Canon 1D Mark III:
  • seems you need to register a custom WB setting before you can use it - here is what the manual says:
  • using the FUNC button:
    • press the FUNC button and turn the circle dial to select the custom WB icon on the rear LCD
    • then turn the half-circle dial to select the number under which the custom WB is to be registered
    • press the toggle button and selected WB number will blink on the rear LCD panel - THIS DIDN'T WORK FOR ME SO HAD TO ABORT THIS METHOD AND USE THE MENU METHOD - SEE BELOW
    • set the lens mode to MF and focus on a plain white object which fills the center spot metering circle
    • take the photo ensuring the white object becomes standard gray exposure - over/under expose may give erroneous WB
    • custom WB will then be registered
  • using the menu:
    • click menu button
    • select [Custom WB regist.] on the 1st menu item then press SET
    • select the Custom WB No. to be registered:
      • press SET
      • turn the circle dial to the desired number (1 to 5) then press SET
    • turn circle dial to select [Record and Register image]
    • selected No. will now blink on rear LCD panel
    • set the lens mode to MF and focus on a plain white object which fills the center spot metering circle
    • take the photo ensuring the white object becomes standard gray exposure - over/under expose may give erroneous WB
    • custom WB will then be registered
  • fine tuning your custom WB settings:
    • you can fine tune the color and give it a name - this would be handy if you worked in several environments repeatedly, but the Olympus method is way simpler and faster to do.

• a bit of a pain on the Olympus E510 but its pretty easy to find except its called Anti-Shock:
  • press menu button
  • go to 2nd menu item using down arrow button
  • enter the 2nd menu items using the right arrow button
  • scroll down the menu items using the down arrow until get to “Anti-Shock” then select it by pressing right arrow button
  • change value OFF or 1 through 30secs using arrow buttons to set duration of mirror up before shutter is opened.
  • click on shutter to get out of menu mode
• let's see how we do this on the Canon 1D Mark III:
  • again you need to go to the menu, there is no dedicated button:
    • select C.FnIII - 15 (took me 5 minutes to find it was under the auto focus functions)
    • press SET to select it
    • rotate circle dial to select option Disable : Enable : Enable Down with SET
  • the last option is handy as it allows you to shoot a sequence with mirror remaining up (no AF or metering I presume between shots but handy for astrophotography)

• OK, this camera is not an easy camera to use for infrequent users let alone beginners.
• many of the settings require non-intuitive button combinations to set so don't be losing your manual
  • eg. setting AE bracketing requires you to press the AF Drive and Mode buttons simultaneously then adjust bracketing amount by using the half dial.
• luckily, the camera allows you to save your own settings to your memory card which can be named with a 8 character file name and loaded via the menu.
  • see manual p. 182 for procedure to do this but essentially you set all your desired settings first then on the menu system, go to the 3rd wrench icon and select “Save/load settings on media”, press SET then SET again to select SAVE, then Change File Name then don't forget to click START to actually save the setting.
  • can't work out how to delete a saved setting via the camera yet.
  • to use a saved setting just go to the menu item and select LOAD then select the desired saved file.
  • limitations:
    • can only have 10 setting files per memory card
    • if you change memory card during shoot, you will not have access to the saved settings on the other card
    • following settings will not be saved:
      • date/time, language, video system
      • C. Fn III-7 (AF micro-adjustment)
      • C. Fn IV-11 (focusing screen)
    • it takes about a second or two to load settings.
• for example, I created the following camera setting files:
  • normal mode:
    • Av, ISO 100, One-Shot mode, single shutter exposure mode, AWB, L+RAW
    • this is so I can quickly get back to my usual preferred shooting settings.
  • sports mode:
    • Av, AI Servo on, ISO 3200, high speed shutter, AI Servo mode set to continuous tracking mode to ignore intruding obstacles, AWB, L jpeg only
  • studio flash mode:
    • manual exposure, 1/125th sec, ISO 100, One-Shot mode, single shutter exposure mode, flash WB, L + RAW
    • I use this for my studio flash set up when using other cameras as well - I set studio flash exposure manually
  • high dynamic range mode:
    • Av, ISO 100, One-Shot mode, single shutter exposure mode, AE bracketing +/- 3EV, AWB, L + RAW
    • this is for creating 3 images of different exposures which can be combined in post-processing to create a HDR image

• using wireless eTTL:
  • don't lose your manual, this flash is complicated to use!
  • to set this flash as a wireless TTL slave unit, you must hold the ZOOM button down for more than 2 secs then turn the dial so SLAVE is displayed then hit central SET button
  • very intuitive isn't it? NOT!
  • well guess Canon uses the theory that if a user really needs a function, if you make it obscure enough they will make sure they won't forget how to use it.
  • the ZOOM button is then also used to navigate to channel selection (1,2,3, or 4), slave ID group (A , B or C),  etc.
  • BUT if you want to set the flash output of the SLAVE, you have to hit MODE button so that M is displayed then press ZOOM button so that ratio blinks, then turn dial to select a A:B or A:B:C then press SET then set relative flash output for each of A, B, +/- C slave IDs by 1st pressing SET, dial to select ID, SET then dial to set flash output then SET.
  • note that ratio 8:1 means 3 stops difference in exposure, 4:1 means 2 stops, and 2:1 means 1 stop.
  • wireless manual exposure mode (non-ETTL):
    • if you want to set SLAVE to manual or strobe, you must hold MODE button down for 2secs until M blinks then use SET button and dial to choose a manual flash output.
    • if using an EX flash as a MASTER, you can use it to control the manual output settings of each slave:
      • press MODE so M is displayed
      • press ZOOM so RATIO blinks
      • turn dial to select A:B or A:B:C (for 3 groups of slave flashes)
      • press SET button and slave ID A will blink
      • turn dial to select output and press SET, repeat for each slave ID 
  • slave flash head must be within 80deg of front of transmitter or master unit and no further than 10m outdoors or 15m indoors when placed directly in front.
    • strangely, Canon decided against using radio waves and opted for more limiting infrared communication. 
    • unfortunately, this means that:
      • you can't fire a TTL flash that is placed behind the camera
      • you can't fire a TTL flash inside a softbox or umbrella which is aimed forwards as the lining of the umbrella or softbox will prevent the direct line to the camera from being visible.
  • lack of built-in flash on Canon 1D series limits options:
    • to control output of 3 groups of wireless flashes requires a 4th flash to be connected to the camera to act as MASTER as using the dedicated ST-E2 IR transmitter, you can only set ratios for A:B flash groups, not A:B:C, thus can only have 2 different outputs which means you can't have adequate TTL control over a main flash, fill flash and background or hair light unless you use a flash on camera to act as master.
    • this also means each flash must have additional complexity of acting as MASTER when this could have been all done in the camera as with Olympus E3 and use the built in flash to trigger the slaves.
    • HOWEVER, there is one benefit of the Canon approach and that is by using an off-camera cord, the MASTER flash can point backwards at a slave behind the camera (although you could rig up a mirror on the Olympus flash to achieve the same).
    • NB. you can disable this master flash from firing by:
      • press ZOOM button until display blinks
      • turn dial on the flash to select OFF then press central button of dial.
      • the flash icon will change so no beam appears to be coming from the unit.
      • it will still fire a pre-flash to transmit wireless signals.
• more gotchas or complexities:
  • you cannot optically trigger non-eTTL flashes unless in manual or auto mode otherwise the pre-flash will prematurely trigger the slaves.
  • cannot be optically triggered by non-eTTL flashes even in manual mode
  • second curtain sync:
    • this is not via a C.Fn setting but via the H/»> button on the flash
    • this is NOT available in stroboscopic or wireless flash, or in external metering modes
    • thus it is ONLY available in non-wireless modes of ETTL or Manual
    • a good reason to buy the off-camera TTL cord
  • modeling flash:
    • you can fire the modeling flash by pressing the camera's DOF preview button & the flash will fire for 1sec.
    • If you fire modeling flash 10 consecutive times or normal flash 20 times, you must wait 10min to let flash cool down and avoid damaging the flash head. Overheating protection function will change recycling time from 8 to 20secs, if this occurs rest flash for 15min.
    • you can change CFn-02 to 1 to enable activation via test button (pilot) instead of DOF preview on the camera
    • you can change CFn-02 to 2 to enable activation via test button (pilot) as well as DOF preview on the camera
  • high speed flash mode:
    • this gotcha applies to all flashes using high speed flash mode, not just Canon
    • the guide number is cut in half each time the shutter speed is quadrupled - I assume this holds true for the 580EXII as there is no mention of what happens in the manual.
    •  
  • using old style Auto mode using the flash's sensor to control its own output:
    • get your manual out again and look up External Flash Metering
    • 1st make sure flash is not set to wireless SLAVE mode
    • set the flash Custom Function to C.Fn-05-2 by holding down the C.Fn button until C.Fn is displayed
    • turn the dial to C.Fn then press central button of dial and C.Fn No will blink
    • turn the dial to set C.Fn to desired number then press central button of dial to set it
    • press the MODE button to exit C.Fn settings, and CFn will display
    • you now have two options:
      • use the default Auto External Metering (“E”) where flash will set the camera's ISO & aperture, and will adjust according to flash exposure compensation setting on the camera and FEB.
      • use Manual External Metering (“E M)”
        • choose C.Fn-05-3 instead of C.Fn-05-2 as in the above & E and M will display
        • press central button in dial to select ISO and use dial to change it
        • press central button in dial again to select aperture and use dial to change it
    • the camera is ready to shoot.
    • if you half-press the camera shutter button, the effective flash distance range will be displayed on the flash.
    • to go back to ETTL mode, go into CFn again and change it to 05-0 
    • this has got to be the most complicated process for setting AUTO mode on any flash, for comparison:
      • Metz 45CL-4 flash just set the ISO and aperture on the dial
      • Olympus FL-50R flash just set mode to Auto and depending on your default Mode option it will either:
        • automatically detect camera ISO and aperture, or,
        • allow you to enter an ISO and aperture and has a dedicated dial for each setting
        • NB. and at least the mode options on the Olympus are icons and not C.Fn numbers that you must remember.
        • and AUTO mode still works in wireless
• metered manual mode when using Canon 1D camera series:
  • OK, this is pretty cool for a manual type of guy like me, although only works when flash is connected to camera obviously.
  • set flash to Manual
  • set camera to Manual or Av exposure modes
  • focus and place spot metering circle on subject (or preferably a 18% gray card placed in that position)
  • press FEL button on camera and a pre-flash will fire and the exposure will be displayed in the viewfinder as a darkened block in the far right vertical series of blocks.
  • as you change the camera aperture or the flash manual power output, this darkened block will move up or down until you are at the desired exposure
  • then take the photo
  • BUT does not work in wireless manual mode.

• RAW files are 13.0-17.5MB (3,888 x 2,592)
• L jpeg at default compression of 8 are about 4.4Mb (boosting quality to compression setting of 10 - the least compression gives a file size of about 5.7Mb)
• the camera has a potentially nice feature in that you can save images simultaneously to both the CF card and SD card.
• you must install the software that comes with the camera to be able to use the camera and transfer images correctly on a PC
  • Canon's ZoomBrowser EX will allow viewing, transfer and RAW processing (albeit very basic) - I was never a big fan of this program but I guess it does a job for beginners.
  • perhaps the most efficient way is to select Canon EOS utility and click download images and all the images will be automatically transferred to your default folder in its preferences and then the folder is displayed in Canon's Digital Photo Professional program which allows some RAW processing via clicking on the TOOL icon.
  • hmm.. there is an option when you connect to use Canon CameraWindow software but you get an error message saying the camera is not compatible (even though the software came with the camera and you are running its required ZoomBrowser EX).
• you CAN just plug the USB cable into a PC then bypass Canon's software by going to My Computer and there will be a folder named Canon 1D or the like which you can browse and indeed transfer the jpegs to your computer
  • BUT THERE IS ONE BIG GOTCHA
    • the RAW files will be shown as having the same Mb size as a jpg and will not have the usual CR2 file extension and when these are copied to the computer using this mechanism, they are copied across as jpg files with a jpg file extension and viewable as a jpg but not as a RAW file.
    • if like me you didn't notice this and you then deleted all the images on your camera, you have just LOST all your RAW files.
    • this means that if you forget your USB reader and you have to download your images onto a PC which does not have Canon software installed, you CANNOT download your RAW files.
    • Workarounds:
      • remove the CF card from the camera and use a USB reader, or,
      • use Canon's software

• Version 1.0.10 (July 2007):
  • Improves the look of images when enlarged on the LCD monitor.
    • Applies a slightly stronger sharpness setting to the LCD monitor when images are enlarged.
  • Countermeasures for Main Dial response errors (Main, Quick Control, Vertical-grip Main).
    • Fixes a rare response error in the Main Dials in which they either did not respond when rotated or would change several clicks' worth even if only clicked once.
  • Improves the consistency of AI Servo AF under certain conditions.
    • Reduces the tendency of the camera to autofocus on high-contrast backgrounds when shooting in conditions where AF detection is difficult, such as when the main subject is not completely covered by the AF frames or if the main subject's contrast is low.
    • BUT see http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-8740-9006#july20
  • Corrects errors in the Italian and Simplified Chinese menu screens
• Version 1.1.3 (Nov 2007):
  • increases read/write speed to high-speed SD cards
  • improves AF tracking when shooting outdoors in bright environments
  • improves AF tracking when shooting low contrast subjects
  • fixes a phenomenon of not being able to release the shutter in rare cases related to timing of AF-ON button & shutter release button being pressed.
  • corrects errors in Spanish & Korean menu screens
  • see http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eos1dm3/firmware.html 
• Version 1.2.3 (May 2008):
  • C.FnIII-9 changed to add options 3-5 which allow you to use the multipoint selector to choose an AF point
    • Direct selection of AF points by the Multi-controller is added to C.Fn III-9. Settings 3, 4, and 5 of C.Fn III-9 allow the user to select AF points directly with the M ulti-controller instead of the Quick Control Dial or Main Dial. In setting 3, you can select from all 19 points with the Multi-controller. In setting 4, your selection is limited to the 9 inner points with the Multi-controller. In setting 5, your selection is limited to the 9 outer points with the Multi-controller.
  • C.FnIV-3 changed to add options 3 & 4 which allow switching of exposure compensation with either AF pt button or ISO btn.
    • Settings 3 and 4 of C.Fn IV-3 allow the user to control Exposure compensation when using the Quick Control Dial to control AF Point Selection or ISO Speed selection. In setting 3, AF point selection is controlled by the Quick Control Dial while metering is active. Additionally, the functions of the Exposure compensation/Aperture button and AF Point selection button are reversed, allowing easy access to Exposure compensation through the Quick Control Dial. In setting 4, ISO speed selection is controlled by the Quick Control Dial while metering is active. Additionally, the functions of the Exposure compensation/Aperture button and ISO speed set buttons are reversed, allowing easy access to Exposure compensation it while holding the camera.
  • With the camera’s External Speedlite control menu, Flash function settings can be used to set the Wireless setting and Zoom.
  • Improves the stability of AF accuracy in AI servo AF when shooting extremely low-contrast subjects continuously.
  • see http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eos1dm3/firmware.html 
  • see http://web.canon.jp/imaging/dc/PDF/mk3-newfeaturesib-efs.pdf 
• Version 1.2.5 (Mar 2009):
  • Corrects a phenomenon in which a displayed image becomes pitch-black if it is zoomed in on during Live View shooting.
  • Corrects a phenomenon in which “busy” may continue to appear on the camera if the USB cable is disconnected during USB communication.
  • Changes the error indications that are displayed on the camera. The error indications are further clarified to make the causes of errors easier to identify, and so that adequate support can be provided to our customers.
  • see http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eos1dm3/firmware.html 
  • there is also a new AF fix in addition to the previous mirror box fix of 2008 that requires return of camera to Canon to service.

• improving the playback sharpness of RAW files on the LCD:
  • although Firmware 1.0.10 improves appearance of Jpegs but not RAW files, so here is a tip from the net:
  • set camera to record RAW files to CF card and M1 jpegs to a SD card with max. sharpening & contrast and compression set to max. quality or a notch under.
    • M1 size jpegs are the best compromise for file size and LCD screen playback details.
  • if SD card is 1/4 the size of the CF card then you will fit both file types nicely
  • set camera to playback the SD files
  • SD card can then be put into laptop for quick review and erased if jpegs no longer needed without affecting the RAW files
  • although you could just shoot RAW and set Picture Style to sharp, the playback reads the embedded jpeg in the RAW file which seems to be only M2 size and does not give as good a detail on the LCD screen.

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