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IX. CONCLUSION 37
When it was introduced, Canon, with complete justification, called the EOS-1Ds Mark II
“The Absolute Pinnacle of DSLR Design and Performance.” Now the pinnacle has been
raised. Technological advances have continued to come at a furious rate, even as the
digital age of photography has matured, and it should surprise no one that Canon is
able to build a better flagship than it did a few years ago. Nonetheless, there are many
aspects of the EOS-1Ds Mark III that are astonishing. For example, the 16.7-megapixel,
4 fps EOS-1Ds Mark II it succeeds is still the leader in its class. On the same full-size
sensor plate, Canon now has 21.1 megapixels that, although they are smaller than
those of the EOS-1Ds Mark II, record a finer image with 14-bit depth and vastly greater
control possibilities. At 5 fps, the EOS-1Ds Mark III fires off its enormous image files as
fast as most 10 megapixel cameras can make 12-bit files. This is one camera that can
excel in studios, sporting venues, and the farthest and most remote reaches of the
earth. Its files can generate prints and magazine layouts equally remarkable for their
great size and superlative quality. No other camera can make such a claim credibly.
Viewed in terms of its resolution alone, the EOS-1Ds Mark III seems to compete with the
medium format digital backs that cost somewhere between more and much more. At
this point, many even have less resolution than the EOS-1Ds Mark III. But their cumber-
some handling and their very limited and expensive systems, especially in comparison
with the Canon EOS System, mean that they are capable of functioning in just a very
small portion of all the photographic situations in which the EOS-1Ds Mark III excels.
Consider, too, the question of continuity, a matter of considerable relevance when the
purchase of an $8,000-or- more camera is on the table. Where the EOS-1Ds Mark III is
completely compatible with virtually all of the vast EOS System, and can be expected to
remain compatible—and supported—for decades to come (note the current software
support for the D6000 and D2000), today’s medium format digital backs often do not fit
even recent products from the same manufacturer. Will a newly-purchased component
be compatible with same-brand software and hardware in the not-too-distant future?
Betting on, and investing in, the EOS-1Ds Mark III is a sure thing.
When Canon shows a diagram of its DSLR family, it has co-equals at the top of the
range, the EOS-1D Mark III with a 1.3x sensor, 10.1 megapixels and a breathtaking 10
fps, matched with the EOS-1Ds Mark III, with its full-frame sensor, 21.1 amazing
megapixels and a not-to-be-believed 5 fps for that file size. Both have Live View
Function, the Self Cleaning Sensor Unit, the endless control and customization options,
the high ISOs and low noise and the super-rugged construction. Both epitomize profes-
sional hardware. Choosing between them is really a matter of degree. Both have extraor-
IX. CONCLUSION