The Legendary Canon EOS System Evolves To Meet The Demanding Needs Of Imaging Professionals With the Release of The World’s Fastest Digital SLR*, EF 16-35 mm f/2.8 L II USM Lens and Speedlite 580EX II Flash

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Scheduled for initial U.S. shipments in Spring, the estimated selling price of the EOS-1D Mark III Digital SLR will be similar to that of its predecessor, the EOS-1D Mark II N Digital SLR.  This makes the new camera a stunning bargain and a “must have” for most pro shooters on the basis of features, performance, reliability, ease of use and compatibility with the powerful Canon EOS system.

See the Whole Picture with a Live View LCDOne of the landmark functions of the EOS-1D Mark III Digital SLR is the introduction of a Live View shooting mode, tweaked to meet the needs of professional shooters.  Photographers who use point-and-shoot digital cameras are familiar with looking at the LCD screen on the back of the camera to compose their images.  Normally, a single lens reflex cannot do this because the mirror that lets you look through the lens is in the way.  With the EOS-1D Mark III Digital SLR, a photographer has several options in addition to conventional SLR through-the-lens viewing.  If the camera is going to be close at hand, the new Live View shooting mode lets the user focus and compose on the extra-large 3.0-inch LCD screen and magnify the image 5x or 10x, to achieve the optimal focus.  If a user is going to be several feet away from the camera, in a studio, for example, the camera can be connected to a computer with a USB 2.0 high-speed cable.  New software included with the camera, EOS Utility 2.0, lets you view what the camera is seeing in real time and control its operation.  If a professional photographer is going to be far away from the camera, say, on the other side of a racetrack or stadium, or if the camera is hidden or buried someplace  inaccessible, the EOS-1D Mark III Digital SLR can be operated wirelessly with the assistance of the new WFT- E2A Wireless File Transmitter.  This allows users to view images directly off the camera’s sensor in virtually real time with the ability to adjust many camera settings on the fly.  As a side benefit, Live View shooting mode helps to reduce vibration by lifting the reflex mirror out of the optical path well in advance of the exposure, improving image quality at slow shutter speeds.


Advanced Autofocus TechnologyThe brand-new autofocus system in the EOS-1D Mark III Digital SLR represents a complete reconsideration of professional AF.  Like previous EOS 1-Series Canon cameras, the EOS-1D Mark III Digital SLR has 45 AF points, but unlike its predecessors, 19 of them, rather than seven, are of the high-precision cross-type configuration.  In addition to the center point, the new array allows the other points to be divided into groups of nine inner and nine outer focusing points plus a center point, which makes picking an individual focusing point much faster and easier than going through all 45, as in the past.  During manual AF point selection, the AF point area is expandable.  At the request of sports and wildlife photographers, a new micro-adjustment feature allows for very fine changes in the AF point of focus for each lens type in use, along with the addition of adjustable focus-tracking sensitivity as another sophisticated new AF feature.  In addition to the AF sensor itself, other new components in the AF system include the reconfigured concave submirror and the secondary image formation lens, both products of Canon’s vast expertise in optical engineering.  Last but not least, the low-light sensitivity of the new AF sensor has been doubled to EV-1 for superior performance compared to earlier EOS digital SLRs.


The Canon Proprietary CMOS SensorThe all new, 10.1 megapixel CMOS sensor is designed and manufactured by Canon using semiconductor manufacturing equipment that is designed and manufactured by Canon, allowing synergies that are unique in all of photography.  The sensor is APS-H size, 28.1 by 18.7mm, significantly larger than the much more commonly found APS-C, usually about 23.5 by 15.5mm.  The lens magnification factor is 1.3x, rather than 1.5x or 1.6x.  The increased sensor size means that each pixel can be larger for a given resolution.  The pixels of the EOS-1D Mark III Digital SLR are 7.2 microns square.  A sensor with 10 megapixels in APS-C size would have pixels less than 6 microns square, smaller and therefore receiving less light, requiring more amplification and producing more noise.  The comparison is even more favorable to the EOS-1D Mark III Digital SLR because Canon’s intense involvement with sensor technology has enabled it to increase the proportion of each pixel that is sensitive to light, called the fill factor, so its pixels are not only bigger, but they are also more receptive to light.  Yet another improvement comes from the revised microlens array that collects light for the sensor.  The new unit has smaller gaps between the tiny lenses, meaning more light is gathered and less is lost.  All of this helps to explain the sensational low-light performance of the EOS-1D Mark III Digital SLR and the terrific quality of images shot at ISO 3200 and 6400.


The EOS-1D Mark III Digital SLR is the product of a “reset to zero” design process; absolutely everything was re-evaluated.  The result is a new and exceptionally easy to use set of controls.  The 1D Mark III Digital SLR uses a Main Dial, a Quick Control Dial, a Multi-controller, a SET button and several other buttons to select and set various functions.  In addition, the ISO speed button, AF Start (AF-ON) button, Picture Style button, and Memory selection/Image size/White balance function button have been newly added to make camera operation faster and easier than previous models.  This system follows the logic of the EOS family of cameras.  You use the Quick Control Dial to make the selection and press the SET button.  When you press a button, it remains active for a while so you can let it go and then turn a dial to set something.  You use the Quick Control Dial or the Main Dial to select any of the 19 cross-type AF points.  Answering the requests of many current EOS system users, information displays have also been improved.  For example, both the ISO speed and the metering pattern in use are now visible at all times, not only on the top LCD data panel, but in the viewfinder as well.

The Custom Functions and Personal Functions of previous EOS models have been merged to create an easier to manage set of 57 Custom Functions arranged in four groups according to categories such as exposure and autofocus.  Up to six frequently used menu options and Custom Functions can be registered in a new user-friendly feature, called “My Menu.”  Up to 10 sets of camera settings can now be saved to one recording medium and moved from one camera to another.  Up to five Personal white balance settings and five custom white balance data items can now be registered.

With the EOS-1D Mark III Digital SLR, if the card slot cover is opened during the writing operation, an alarm sounds and a warning message appears on the screen to indicate that writing is in progress.  The card writing continues even if the slot cover is opened.  Also, if you set the power switch to the “off” position during the card writing process, a message appears on the screen to indicate that writing is in progress.  After the writing is completed, the power turns off.


Speedlite 580EX II FlashThe popular Speedlite 580EX Flash is being replaced by the new Speedlite 580EX II Flash, which features a host of improvements, including a metal hot shoe with an improved locking mechanism for added durability, an external metering sensor for non-TTL automatic flash exposure control and a PC socket for use with non-dedicated slave triggers.  Fully compatible with all EOS SLRs, the new Speedlite 580EX II is gasketed for dust and moisture resistance, making it possible for users of EOS-1 class digital SLRs and many L-series EF lenses to use flash safely when shooting in dusty or wet environments.


Original Data Security Kit OSK-E3The newly developed Original Data Security Kit OSK-E3 enables independent verification of the authenticity of image data and metadata (including GPS data).  Additionally, the OSK-E3 Data Verification Kit features optional data encryption of EOS-1D Mark III Digital SLR files upon capture to prevent modification of image data or unauthorized interception of images during wireless transmission.


Canon will display and demonstrate the EOS-1D Mark III Digital SLR and its new accessories March 8 - 11 at the PMA trade show in Las Vegas.