The EOS-1Ds Mark III incorporates Canon's newest CMOS sensor, which delivers approximately 21.1 effective megapixels (5,632 x 3,750 pixels). The recording area of the sensor is 36 x 24mm, which is equivalent to the full-frame size of the 35mm film format. The tremendous pixel count delivers high-resolution images of exacting precision, with Photoshop™ file sizes over 60MB for outstanding quality at large print sizes and post-processing cropping flexibility. Despite the higher pixel density, Canon CMOS sensor technology ensures exceptionally low noise and the widest usable ISO range* (from 50 to 3200, using ISO range extension).
* Standard output sensitivity. Recommended exposure index.
21.1 Megapixel Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
Highlight Tone Priority
Activated via a Custom Function on the EOS-1Ds Mark III, the unique Highlight Tone Priority feature takes full advantage of the camera's 14-bit per channel digital conversion to provide smoother gradations from the grays to the highlights and preserve greater detail in image highlight areas — a perennial problem for digital photographers, especially those who work in bright sunlight or contrasty studio lighting. Highlight Tone Priority expands the available range of capture in the highlights, yet it exacts no penalties in either shadow detail or other aspects of image capture.
Advanced 14-bit A/D Conversion
Whereas most other digital cameras use 12-bit A/D (analog-to-digital) converters, the EOS-1Ds Mark III employs superior 14-bit per channel converters to process the output of the imaging sensor. In each color channel, this means there are 16,384 distinct brightness steps from the darkest to brightest tone (vs. 4,096 previously). This ensures smoother tonal transitions and more natural gradations. RAW images are recorded at the full 14 bit, and once processed will preserve the entire range of tones when opened in Photoshop's 16-bit color space.
Image-Processing Sequence Diagram
"Picture Style" settings
With another great feature, Picture Style technology, photographers can recreate characteristics of their favorite films. Color, saturation, sharpness and contrast settings create noticeable variation in the saved image. In addition to six preset Picture Style settings (Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful and Monochrome), users can create three additional settings for their particular photographic style.
Picture Style settings are applied directly to JPEG images, giving tremendous flexibility to shooters who prefer the ease of JPEG files. If RAW images are processed in Canon's Digital Photo Professional software (v. 3.2 or higher) or RAW Image Task software, the versatile Picture Style settings can be modified or completely changed in the computer, without affecting the original file.
| Setting |
Description |
Saturation |
Sharpness |
| Standard (default setting) |
Vivid, sharp images; usable in a wide variety of conditions; optimal for direct printing without post-processing |
high |
slightly high |
| Portrait |
Warmer skin tones, with slight increases in contrast and sharpening. |
slightly high |
slightly low |
| Landscape |
Extremely bright, saturated and sharpened images, with emphasis on blue and green color saturation. |
high green-blue |
high |
| Neutral |
Low sharpening, contrast and saturation: the ideal starting point for image-editing in the computer. |
low |
none |
| Faithful |
Accurate reproduction of the subject's colors based on colorimetric data; assumes 5500K light source |
low |
none |
| Monochrome |
Black & White images; adjustable contrast, sharpening, as well as color toning and effects of traditional color filters. |
none (monochrome) |
slightly high |
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