dSLR Dad

Canon has released a firmware update for the Canon EOS 1D Mark III dSLR Camera. According to Canon, this firmware update (Version 1.2.5) incorporates the following fixes:

1. Corrects a phenomenon in which a displayed image becomes pitch-black if it is zoomed in on during Live View shooting.
2. Corrects a phenomenon in which “busy” may continue to appear on the camera if the USB cable is disconnected during USB communication.
3. 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.

You can download firmware version 1.2.5 from Canon Global.

Does the Canon EOS-1D Mark III now offer reliable AI-SERVO autofocus?

Rob Galbraith has updated his endless odyssey on the Canon EOS 1D Mark III autofocus issues.  While this may be his final installment, the questions remain the same:

This entry in our ongoing analysis of EOS-1D Mark III autofocus recaps and updates our experience with the camera and firmware v1.1.3 loaded, compares that to the camera’s autofocus performance with firmware v1.2.3 installed and answers some of the most commonly-asked questions we’ve received in the past few months, including this one: after more than a year, three firmware updates and a hardware fix, does the Canon EOS-1D Mark III now offer reliable autofocus?

Click here to continue reading Rob Galbraith’s August update.

Canon U.S.A. has issued an update to the service note on the Canon EOS 1D Mark III (available at Amazon and B&H Photo).

After the AF mirror Adjustment, including the updated firmware version 1.1.3, the EOS 1D Mark III AF function performed better in our tests than all previous EOS camera models.

Canon strives at all times to continuously improve our products in order to provide our customers with the best performance and value.

We are aware that some customers have raised questions about the performance of the EOS 1D Mark III AF system under certain conditions. We will continue to investigate, and look for opportunities to improve, the performance of the AF system to ensure the satisfaction of all of our customers.

My take? Well, on one hand, this is the best performing autofocus EOS dSLR that Canon has ever made. On the other hand, it is still potentially faulty and Canon may not know how to keep it working flawlessly outside of the lab. Perhaps the statement could have read “we’re still working on it. Please don’t go out and buy a Nikon D3 before the Olympics begin.”

You can read Canon’s entire service notice here.

Rob Galbraith has updated his endless odyssey on the Canon EOS 1D Mark III (still available at Amazon and B & H Photo) autofocus issues. The latest coming out of the Australian Open where even the Canon storm troopers were deployed:

After being pointed to a story on a German website about EOS-1D Mark III autofocus difficulties being experienced by photographers at last month’s Australian Open, we followed up with a wire service photographer who covered the event. The photographer confirmed that representatives from Canon’s Japan headquarters did come to Melbourne in response to repeated complaints from EOS-1D Mark III shooters on site, and that they did more than just observe. Here’s what we’ve learned.

Click here to continue reading Rob Galbraith’s February 26, 2008 update

Rob Galbraith is reporting that Canon USA has started to inform key photographers of a new autofocus fix for the Canon EOS 1D Mark III (available at Amazon and B & H Photo). There are few details, but he reports that there will be a hardware and / or firmware update. Supposedly, Canon engineers in Japan are confident that they have identified the root cause of the problem. Hopefully, this would be the final hardware fix from Canon. If not, they will really begin losing market share to Nikon.

You can read Rob Galbraith’s 1D Mark III AF update here.

All you dSLR Dad readers out there have probably figured out that I prefer when camera reviews are conducted by photographers using photographs from real situations to judge a camera’s performance. While a resolution chart or a photo of a bottle and a box of crayons can tell you some things, it definitely should not be the end of all discussion. That’s why I really love this reviews like Rod Mar’s reaction to the Canon EOS 1D Mark III.

For you dSLR Dad regulars, Rod Mar is a Professional Sports Photographer for The Seattle Times. I’ve mentioned his articles on How to Freeze the Action on Friday Night Lights and Shooting Your Young Athletes Like a Pro tutorials. So when somebody who earns a living photographing the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday’s, posts a review of Canon’s latest Pro Fast Action Body, we should all listen:

There are many many great things about this new camera — improved imaging, a “live-view” option that lets the shooter see through the viewing window (like a point-and-shoot camera), and, very important to sports photographers — amazing ability to shoot in very low light…..

With the last version of the camera (the Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN), shooting at ISO 1600 was a tricky, and barely palatable solution. Pretty amazing, if you ask me…… The Mark III shot at ISO 3200 looks like the older cameras at ISO 1000.
So what’s not to like about the new camera?
Actually plenty.

You can read the rest of the Mark III Misses the Mark, Part I here.

Part II details his frustration maintaining sharpness during the Seattle vs. Pittsburgh NFL game last Sunday.