Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III - Field Test Run
I just got back from 1 month of hiking in the Alps with the Eos 1Ds Mark III and a 40 D as a backup. I used to use a 1Ds Mark II and a 1D Mark II, but the 1Ds Mark II was stolen (it was insured) and I didn’t want to lug the extra weight of a separate Mark II body without the compatibility of battery systems. Buying a 2nd Mark III wasn’t in the budget, thus the lighter 40D. My primary purpose of shooting is for a book I am researching on the best treks in the world. I have a report on the treks (not edited yet) and some small photos on http://www.greattreks.com/greattreks/TopTen/TopTen01.asp. Go to Tour de Mont Blanc and the Haute Route for the photostory. Pics are small, I will provide slightly large images on links below. My photographs were more documantarian than usual, but I was focused on my book rather than straight artistic style.
I was very interested to see how the Mark III would stack up to the Mark II and if the 40D sacrifice was a mistake. Here’s my anecdotal report.
The Mark III was a tank. I hike almost 400 kilometers and climbed a total of 20,000 vertical meters. It was 23 days of hiking of which 4 were horrific weather wise. I would say I had the Mark III out of my bag 95% of the time. The exceptions being one time during really hard rain and a few times where I was concerned for my wife or my own safety. It was a tank. With that said I had 0 dust on the sensor problems. This is a huge advantage over my previous experience with the Mark II. When trekking one doesn’t have the luxury to check how clean one’s images are. I was amazed that I had no issues whatsoever …. full article.