A blight on Canon 1D Mark III's record
So far, most of the reviews of Canon's high-end EOS-1D Mark III digital SLR have been highly favorable, as befits a $4,500 camera from the leader of the pack. But this week, Rob Galbraith, one of the privileged few to get an early look at the camera, issued a scathing review of its autofocus abilities.
Canon's EOS-1D Mark III
(Credit: Canon)In a Tuesday post, Galbraith said that under some circumstances, the 1D Mark III's autofocus can have trouble focusing initially on a subject, doesn't track moving subjects well and can lose focus. The problems cropped up when the weather was warm and the light was especially bright, he said. It afflicted one preproduction model, two production models and a third production model is "giving off the same vibe."
"We don't know whether it's the light, the heat or both that's causing the problem we've encountered, but we're leaning towards both being the culprits somehow," Galbraith said. The predecessor 1D Mark II N has better autofocus, he added.
Not everybody is having trouble. CNET's review rated the camera as "spectacular." And freelance photographer Allen Rockwell, had no problems taking pictures at the Paris Air Show. "I have not had a single problem with my Mark III," he said. "I picked it up a day before my trip and I have shot about 4,000 images since then and I could not be happier with my new toy."
However, in an update Thursday, Galbraith said he's received more than 200 e-mails corroborating his complaint.
Stephen Shankland covers Google, Yahoo, search, online advertising, portals, digital photography, and related subjects. He joined CNET News in 1998 and since then also has covered servers, supercomputing, open-source software, and science. E-mail Stephen.
What's most bothersome is the fact that to date, I still cannot get any useful information on when it will come..
Shame on Canon for the way that they have handled this one.
Howard
Canon has a lot of fixing to do with their top-of-the-line series if they want to keep Nikon on bay. Nikon's new digital line is now nipping on the heels of Canon.
And no... I am a Canon DSLR person myself, I traded my Nikon 35mm film gear in to go digital.