Canon Releases EOS-1D Mark III

[Matt Molnar]

Press Release:

TWENTY YEARS OF THE CANON EOS SYSTEM LEADS TO THIS MOMENT: CANON RELEASES THE EOS-1D MARK III DIGITAL SLR
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

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., February 21, 2007 – Canon, the worldwide market leader in digital cameras, celebrates the 20th anniversary of its top-selling EOS single lens reflex camera system by announcing the EOS-1D Mark III Digital SLR, the world's fastest digital SLR camera. At 10 frames per second, the 10.1 megapixel EOS-1D Mark III digital SLR can fire huge motor-driven bursts of 110 Large JPEGs or 30 RAW files because it employs the new Dual DIGIC III image processor engine, providing enough computational horsepower to do parallel processing at a rate unmatched by any other digital SLR. The all-new 10.1 megapixel, APS-H size CMOS sensor which is designed and manufactured by Canon, is the most light-sensitive and innovative sensor that Canon has developed to date. It features a new microlens array and a more efficient pixel structure for ultra-low noise, resulting in exceptional image quality and an amazing ISO range of 100 to 3200 with extensions to ISO 50 and a highly usable ISO 6400. Furthermore, Canon today unveils several new accessories, including the EF-16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Lens and the Speedlite 580EX II Flash.

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.

"The new EOS-1D Mark III Digital SLR is an essential tool for professional sports photographers and photojournalists because of its exceptional speed and durability and it will attract a broad range of other professional and advanced amateur photographers because of its superior image quality and improved low-light performance," said Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager of the Consumer Imaging Group at Canon U.S.A. Inc. "In designing the EOS-1D Mark III Digital SLR, Canon responded to the requests of its many professional customers by adding new features that cater to their demanding needs. But at the same time, we have once again raised the bar for digital SLR cameras by introducing new technologies that only Canon can offer with the legendary EOS System." Click for More w/pics...

Neato!

Some Features:
-10.1 megapixels
-Live LCD viewfinder
-Self cleaning sensor
-New autofocus system
-DUAL Digic III processors
-New CMOS sensor
-10 frames per second, bursts of up to 110 JPEGs or 30 RAWs at a time
-Price will be around the same as the Mark II N when it came out
-Ships this spring

[PhilDernerJr]

10 frames per second, bursts of up to 110 JPEGs or 30 RAWs at a time

Uh, WHAT?

[jran225]

Me. Want. That camera. :D

Greets,
-Omar S.

[nwafan20]

Awesome, but why only 10.1 MP?

[moose135]

Awesome, but why only 10.1 MP?

How many do you need? Don't get sucked in by the marketing hype - it's not all about the number of megapixels, there is a lot more that impacts the quality of your photos.

[SengaB]

So how much does this camera cost?
I should be in the market sometime within 2007 as Its time to upgrade from my 10D.
One of the main reaons I have been holding back has been sensor cleaning techology.
Senga

[Matt Molnar]

They say it will have a "similar selling price" to the previous version, the Mark II N. MSRP on the Mark II N is $3,999, B&H sells it for $3,397.

[Matt Molnar]

Awesome, but why only 10.1 MP?

How many do you need? Don't get sucked in by the marketing hype - it's not all about the number of megapixels, there is a lot more that impacts the quality of your photos.

Megapixels do matter somewhat when it comes to printing.

[SengaB]

$3,397...hm thats more than I am willing to pay for a body. I am in the Cannon 10, 20, 30 clan range :)
That all I need
Senga

[nwafan20]

Well, this summer Canon is supposed to come out with a new 30D-type camera (40D?), so you might want to wait.

Like stated, when printing large prints, MP do count, a lot! They went from 20MP on a previous version to 10.1MP, that's a pretty steep drop!

[Matt Molnar]

Yeah, the 40D should be coming out later this year. The new 1D was announced yesterday (along with several consumer-oriented models) in the run-up to a big camera trade show. Some rumor-ish sites speculated that the 40D would be announced in time for this show also, but since it hasn't been, I'm guessing they're probably saving it for the Christmas season.

[nwafan20]

By consumer-oriented models do you mean P+S or other DSLR's?

[Matt Molnar]

Another model they announced that I think is really cool is the PowerShot TX1. It's a compact 7.1MP point-and-shoot that also shoots 720p HD video, and it's only $500. It only crams about 13 mins of AVI-format HD onto a 4GB card so it's not that practical yet, but the price is pretty impressive, and as cards get bigger and cheaper it'll be more usable.

[Matt Molnar]

By consumer-oriented models do you mean P+S or other DSLR's?

P&S — ELPHs and PowerShots. The Mark III was the only new DSLR.

[pgengler]

Some rumor-ish sites speculated that the 40D would be announced in time for this show also, but since it hasn't been, I'm guessing they're probably saving it for the Christmas season.

Some people are speculating that Canon will announce a 40D ahead of the CeBIT show (which is a week or two after PMA, the photo show the 1DIII was announced ahead of).

If Canon keeps to its release cycles for the xxD series, though (18 months), there won't be a 40D until the fall. Lots of people were expecting one to be announced now, though, as plenty of people feel that the 30D wasn't really much of an upgrade over the 20D and isn't really competitive with Nikon's offerings in the same price range.

Personally, I hope a 40D comes out sooner rather than later. I want to upgrade from my 300D to a newer, better camera and I'd love for a 40D to come out and have the used market be flooded with used 30Ds.