Canon 1D Mark III Comparison Review

The Canon EOS-1D Mark III is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was announced in February 2007 and is equipped with an APS-H sensor. It offers a resolution of 10.1 megapixel.

Is the Canon 1D Mark III a good camera? The 1D Mark III has a Camera Elo of 1519. This rating puts the 1D Mark III below average of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the 1D Mark III also ranks below average. – Well, the Canon 1D Mark III is more than 14 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2007.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Canon 1D Mark III vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Canon 1D Mark III alongside a set of comparators. If you want to review a camera pair side-by-side, just select a right-side comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)		Street Price
1.		Canon 1D Mark III	156 mm	157 mm	80 mm	1155 g	2200	Y	Feb 2007	4,499
2.		Canon 5DS R	152 mm	116 mm	76 mm	930 g	700	Y	Feb 2015	3,699
3.		Canon 5D Mark III	152 mm	116 mm	76 mm	950 g	950	Y	Mar 2012	3,499
4.		Canon 1D Mark IV	156 mm	157 mm	80 mm	1230 g	1500	Y	Oct 2009	4,999
5.		Canon 5D Mark II	152 mm	114 mm	75 mm	850 g	850	Y	Sep 2008	3,499
6.		Canon 1Ds Mark III	150 mm	160 mm	80 mm	1385 g	1800	Y	Aug 2007	7,999
7.		Canon 1D Mark II N	156 mm	158 mm	80 mm	1565 g	1200	Y	Aug 2005	3,999
8.		Canon 1D Mark II	156 mm	158 mm	80 mm	1535 g	1200	Y	Jan 2004	4,499
9.		Canon 1Ds	156 mm	158 mm	80 mm	1265 g	600	Y	Sep 2002	8,999
10.		Nikon D3	160 mm	157 mm	88 mm	1300 g	4300	Y	Aug 2007	4,999
11.		Nikon D2Xs	158 mm	150 mm	86 mm	1252 g	3800	Y	Jun 2006	4,699
Notes: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Canon 1D Mark III was launched in the US market at a price of $4,499. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Canon 1D Mark III features an APS-H sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.3. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Canon 1D Mark III among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of alternative cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports		DXO Overall
1.		Canon 1D Mark III	APS-H	10.1	3888	2592	none	22.7	11.7	1078		71
2.		Canon 5DS R	Full Frame	50.3	8688	5792	1080/30p	24.6	12.4	2308		86
3.		Canon 5D Mark III	Full Frame	22.1	5760	3840	1080/30p	24.0	11.7	2293		81
4.		Canon 1D Mark IV	APS-H	16.0	4896	3264	1080/30p	22.8	12.0	1320		74
5.		Canon 5D Mark II	Full Frame	21.0	5616	3744	1080/30p	23.7	11.9	1815		79
6.		Canon 1Ds Mark III	Full Frame	21.0	5616	3744	none	24.0	12.0	1663		80
7.		Canon 1D Mark II N	APS-H	8.2	3504	2336	none	22.3	11.2	975		66
8.		Canon 1D Mark II	APS-H	8.2	3504	2336	none	22.3	11.1	1003		66
9.		Canon 1Ds	Full Frame	11.0	4064	2704	none	21.8	11.0	954		63
10.		Nikon D3	Full Frame	12.1	4256	2832	none	23.5	12.2	2290		81
11.		Nikon D2Xs	APS-C	12.2	4288	2848	none	22.2	10.9	489		59

It should be noted that unlike many modern cameras, the 1D Mark III does not provide the possibility to capture videos.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the 1D Mark III has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.58x. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Canon 1D Mark III in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Size (inch)	LCD Resolution (000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Mech Shutter Speed	Shutter Flaps (1/sec)	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Canon 1D Mark III	optical	Y	3.0	230	fixed	n	1/8000s	10.0	n	n
2.		Canon 5DS R	optical	Y	3.2	1040	fixed	n	1/8000s	5.0	n	n
3.		Canon 5D Mark III	optical	Y	3.2	1040	fixed	n	1/8000s	6.0	n	n
4.		Canon 1D Mark IV	optical	Y	3.0	920	fixed	n	1/8000s	10.0	n	n
5.		Canon 5D Mark II	optical	Y	3.0	920	fixed	n	1/8000s	3.9	n	n
6.		Canon 1Ds Mark III	optical	Y	3.0	230	fixed	n	1/8000s	5.0	n	n
7.		Canon 1D Mark II N	optical	Y	2.5	230	fixed	n	1/8000s	8.5	n	n
8.		Canon 1D Mark II	optical	Y	2.0	230	fixed	n	1/8000s	8.3	n	n
9.		Canon 1Ds	optical	Y	2.0	120	fixed	n	1/8000s	3.0	n	n
10.		Nikon D3	optical	Y	3.0	922	fixed	n	1/8000s	11.0	n	n
11.		Nikon D2Xs	optical	Y	2.5	230	fixed	n	1/8000s	5.0	n	n

One useful feature of the 1D Mark III is a presence of a top-level LCD. While being, of course, smaller than the rear screen, the control panel conveys some of the essential shooting information and can be convenient for quick and easy settings verification.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Canon EOS-1D Mark III and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Microphone	Internal Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Canon 1D Mark III	Y	-	-	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Canon 5DS R	Y	mono	mono	Y	-	mini	3.0	-	-	-
3.		Canon 5D Mark III	Y	mono	mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	-	-	-
4.		Canon 1D Mark IV	Y	stereo	-	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Canon 5D Mark II	Y	mono	mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Canon 1Ds Mark III	Y	mono	-	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Canon 1D Mark II N	Y	-	-	-	-	-	1.1	-	-	-
8.		Canon 1D Mark II	Y	-	-	-	-	-	1.1	-	-	-
9.		Canon 1Ds	Y	-	-	-	-	-	FW	-	-	-
10.		Nikon D3	Y	-	-	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Nikon D2Xs	Y	-	-	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-

Expert reviews

While the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the 1D Mark III. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is where reviews by experts come in. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)			Street Price
1.		Canon 1D Mark III	..	..	..	..	..	Feb 2007	4,499
2.		Canon 5DS R	5/5	+	83/100	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	3,699
3.		Canon 5D Mark III	..	+ +	82/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2012	3,499
4.		Canon 1D Mark IV	5/5	..	89/100	..	..	Oct 2009	4,999
5.		Canon 5D Mark II	4/5	91/100	79/100	4/5	..	Sep 2008	3,499
6.		Canon 1Ds Mark III	..	..	+ +	4.5/5	..	Aug 2007	7,999
7.		Canon 1D Mark II N	..	..	..	..	..	Aug 2005	3,999
8.		Canon 1D Mark II	..	..	+ +	..	..	Jan 2004	4,499
9.		Canon 1Ds	..	..	+ +	..	..	Sep 2002	8,999
10.		Nikon D3	..	..	+ +	5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2007	4,999
11.		Nikon D2Xs	..	..	..	..	..	Jun 2006	4,699
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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