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Back to Full Canon EOS-1D Review
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As of midnight today (0:00 EST, 9/25/2001), Canon has announced their long-anticipated "professional" digital SLR, the EOS-1D. Given the significance of this announcement, we've taken the unusual step of preparing this extensive preview of its features for our readers. We'd hoped to get our hands on a physical sample prior to the announcement date, but events in New York the previous week prevented our doing so. (We still wouldn't have been able to show you sample photos from it, as the only unit currently in the US doesn't have its image processing into final production trim yet. We had hoped to be able to show more detailed product shots though, to illustrate our discussion of features, and perhaps to perform some of our own performance tests on the new device.)

Background
While many pros flocked to Canon's EOS-D30, announced last year, Canon made clear from the outset that it didn't consider the D30 to be a "professional" SLR. Despite its widespread acceptance among professional photographers, few argued that the D30 lacked both the ruggedness that they needed for hard usage, and the speed demanded by sports ,photojournalism, and other applications needing high frame rates. Despite these limitations though, the D30's compatibility with the extensive line of Canon lenses, its beautiful picture quality, and its surprisingly affordable price led to many units finding their way into professional gear kits around the world.

Now, Canon has finally dropped the other shoe, and announced their official "Pro" digital SLR. As we'll see, the EOS-1D advances the state of the art for pro SLRs in several areas, and in some cases, quite dramatically. They've also introduced a number of thoughtful features for image handling, color management, and data tracking that we think will be significant for professional workflows. We can't draw any conclusions on the camera until we have receive one for testing, but if Canon simply delivers their usual image quality and lives up to the published specs for the product, it looks like they'll have a runaway best seller.

Looking over the detailed specs Canon provided us before the release, we divided the features and improvements into six key areas: Speed, Image Quality, "General" (an admittedly catchall category), Color, Ruggedness, and Operating Details. First though, for those of you who want to dive right into the specs themselves, here's a link to a table showing the comparison between the 1D, the earlier D30, and Nikon's D1x and D1h.

Physical Views
We'll have a complete description of all the EOS-1D's controls and functions when we receive our review unit. In the meantime, here are some "Beauty Shots" to whet your appetite!

Front

Back

Left	Right

Top

Bottom

Full Kit Contents

General
Model Name:	Canon EOS-1D
Model Number:	1D
Camera Format:	Pro SLR
Currently Manufactured:	No
Retail Price:	$6000.00
Street Price:
Price Update Date:	2007-02-27
Date Available:	2001-12-31
Remote Control:	Yes
Remote Control Type:	Wired
Tripod Mount:	Yes
Tripod Mount Material:	Metal
Operating System:
Weight:	55.9 oz (1,585 g)
Weight With Batteries?	checked
Size:	6.1 x 6.2 x 3.1 in. (156 x 158 x 80 mm)
Warranty in Months:
Waterproof:	No
Image Capture
Image Resolution:	2496x1662, 2464x1648, 1232x824
Movie Resolution:
Aspect Ratio:	3:2
CCD Sensor (Megapixels):	4.15
CCD Size (inches):	APS-H
CCD Filter Type:	RGBG
CCD Manufacturer:	Unknown
Focal Length Multiplier:	1.30
Movie Audio:
Quality Levels:
Lens
Focal Length (35mm equivalent):
Zoom Ratio:
Digital Zoom:	No
Digital Zoom Values:	n/a
Auto Focus:	Yes
Auto Focus Type:	TTL-AREA-SIR with CMOS phase difference sensor, 45 points
Auto Focus Assist Light?	No
Auto Focus Min Illum:
Auto Focus Step:
Manual Focus:	Yes
Manual Focus Steps:
Normal Focus Range:
Macro Focus Range:
Min Macro Area:
Min Aperture:
Max Aperture:
Aperture Range Description:	Varies with lens
Aperture Step Size:
Lens Thread:
Lens Thread Type:	Lens Threads
Display
Optical Viewfinder:	Yes
Optical VF Type:	SLR type, eye-level pentaprism
Optical VF Accuracy:	99%
LCD Viewfinder:	No
LCD VF Accuracy:	n/a
LCD Size (inches):	2.0
LCD Resolution:	120,000 dots
OLED Screen:
Touchscreen:
Max Playback Zoom:
Exposure
ISO Settings:	100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
ISO Rating Max:	3200
Number of White Balance Settings:	10
White Balance Settings:	Auto, Daylight, Shade, Overcast, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash, Custom, Manual (degrees K), Personal
Manual White Balance:	Yes
Longest Shutter Time:	30
Shortest Shutter Time:	1/16000
Exp Adj Range:	3.0 EV
Exp Adj Step Size:	0.33 EV
Metering Modes:	Centerweighted averaging, Center Spot, AF-linked Spot, Multi-Spot
Spot Metering:	Yes
Aperture Priority:	Yes
Shutter Priority:	Yes
Full Manual Exposure:	Yes
Self Timer:	2 or 10
Flash
Internal Flash:	No
No of Flash Modes:	n/a
Flash Modes:	n/a
Flash Guide Number (Meters):	n/a
Flash Range Default ISO (meters):	n/a
Flash Range Description:	n/a
No of Flash "Pops":	n/a
Ext Flash:	Yes
Ext Flash Connection:	Hotshoe (Speedlight EX), PC terminal
Image Storage
Usable Memory Types:	CompactFlash Type 1, CompactFlash Type 2
Other Memory Types:	Microdrive
Memory Included (MB):
Uncompressed Format:	RAW
CCD Raw Format:	Yes
Compressed Format:	JPEG, WAV
Movie File Format:
Connectivity
Video Out:	No
Video Mode Switchable:	n/a
Video Usable as Viewfinder:	n/a
External Connections:	Serial, Firewire
Other Connection:	DC In, Speedlight hotshoe, PC terminal
Included Software:
OS Compatibility:
Performance Timing
Startup Time:	0.910 seconds
Shutdown Time:	0.530 seconds
Play -> Record:	0.220 seconds
Record -> Play (max res):	0.900 seconds
Record -> Play (min res):	0.900 seconds
Shutter Lag (auto focus) WIDE:	0.201 seconds
Shutter Lag (auto focus) TELE:	0.201 seconds
Shutter Lag, Man. Focus:	0.054 seconds
Shutter Lag, Prefocus:	0.039 seconds
Cycle Time Uncompressed Format:	0.200 seconds
Cycle Time Max Res:	0.200 seconds
Cycle Time Min Res:	0.200 seconds
Buffer Frames, Max Res:	21
Continuous Mode Rate (Frames/Sec):	7.700
Movie Mode Rate (Frames/Sec):
Movie Sec @ Max Res:
Movie Sec @ Min Res:
Download speed, KB/second:	920.00
Power
Battery Form Factor:	NP-E3
Usable Battery Types:	NiMH
Batteries Included:	1 x Proprietary NP-E3 NiMH rechargeable
Battery Charger Included:	Yes
More Information
Notes & Features:	More in-depth details and coverage of Canon's official US announcement can be found here.
Review URL:	Review
Test Shots URL:	Test Shots
Photo Gallery URL:
Device Forum URL:	Forum
Manufacturer URL:	Mfr. Website

Specification Comparison
Many of our readers will be interested in comparing the features and capabilities of the EOS-1D against other current professional SLR digicams. To aid in that end, here's a chart comparing the EOS-1D to the earlier EOS-D30, Nikon's D1H, D1X, and the original D1, and Kodak's DCS-760.

Features: Speed

Frame Rate
It's very clear that Canon expended great effort to make the EOS-1D as fast a camera as possible. And, they have apparently succeeded in that quest, with the eight frames-per-second speed of the 1D just a shade off the ten frames-per-second speed that the EOS-1V offers. They've also managed this feat without resorting to the "pellicle" mirror used in the earlier ultra high-speed EOS-1N RS model, where a partially-transparent mirror is used to divert light to the viewfinder. This design results in exceptional speed, since the camera doesn't have to wait for the mirror to flip up and out of the way before tripping the shutter each time. However, the downside is that almost half of the available light is lost, amounting to an effective loss of lens speed (or ISO sensitivity, depending on how you look at it) of a full f-stop. The eight frames-per-second speed can be maintained for burst lengths of as many as 21 sequential frames with the camera capturing in JPEG mode, or 16 frames in RAW mode. (In RAW mode, the camera records all the data captured by the CCD, without loss due to image compression.) Assuming you're using high enough shutter speeds (the eight frames-per-second figure requires shutter speeds of 1/500-second or faster), the only camera function that lowers this performance is the ISO bracketing option, which slows the speed to 2.7 frames-per-second.

While the EOS-1D's frame rate is by far the highest of any current (September, 2001) digital SLR, its buffer size is only average, at 21 full-resolution frames. Nikon's D1h has a buffer size of some 40+ frames, allowing it to shoot sequences nearly twice as long. It remains to be seen though, just how long a shooting sequence is really necessary. Even at eight frames-per-second, 21 frames is nearly three seconds of elapsed time. We're not familiar enough with the demands of sports, photojournalism, and fashion shooting to say whether the 40 frames of the D1h would constitute a significant advantage, but 21 frames certainly sounds like a lot to us.

Active Mirror Technology
The EOS-1D is incredibly fast, faster than many film cameras. It turns out that in the normal course of things, even the bounce of the mirror as it settles back into position after each shot would prevent frame rates this high. To overcome this, Canon developed "Active Mirror" technology for the EOS-1v model, which uses active drive electronics to damp out mirror vibrations in half the time that would be required otherwise. The sheer shot-to-shot speed of Active Mirror technology is only part of the equation though–because the mirror moves so fast, the viewfinder blackout time between exposures is reduced to only 45 milliseconds. We'll have to take Canon's word for that, but will give a subjective report of this aspect of viewfinder performance when we actually get our hands on a test sample.

Autofocus Performance
Of course, blazing frame rates are only part of the story. With rapidly moving subjects, a zillion frames per second won't do you any good if the camera can't focus on the subject. Slow autofocus speed was one of the primary complaints among pros about the EOS-D30. Its roughly three frames-per-second frame rate was slow (though manageable) for many applications, but its AF just wasn't up to the task of capturing fast-paced sports and other very active subjects. To provide a state of the art autofocus mechanism, the EOS-1D inherits the 45-zone, servo-tracking autofocus technology developed for the EOS-1v. Canon claims full AF servo tracking at the maximum eight frames-per-second shooting speed. If true, this will immediately earn the 1D a place in many sports photographers’ bags.

Shutter Lag: Faster by a whisker
In the consumer world, shutter lag (the delay between pressing the shutter button and the actual release of the shutter) is the bane of many users’ existence. In the professional world, slow shutter response simply isn't acceptable. At only 55 milliseconds (0.055 seconds), the shutter lag on the EOS-1D does appear to be the lowest on the planet for a digital SLR, at least as of this writing in late September, 2001. The original Nikon D1 had a lag of only 58 milliseconds, so Canon's edge relative to that product is fairly slim. (Oddly though, when we tested the new Nikon D1x model, we consistently measured its shutter delay at 72 milliseconds, a noticeable increase.) We're amused that a scant three milliseconds is all it takes to give Canon "top dog" bragging rights for shutter delay, but regardless of the margin, the 1D should have a very responsive shutter. (Again, stay tuned, we'll test the 1D's shutter lag in our own lab and report the real-world results.

CCD Shutter for ultra-high shutter speeds
We'll talk more about the EOS-1D's CCD technology in the next section below, but Canon chose to go with an interline-transfer CCD design. This design gives up some light-gathering area to achieve higher readout speeds and a simpler manufacturing process. As a side effect, the CCD itself can be electronically gated, to provide extremely short minimum shutter times. In the case of the EOS-1D, the minimum shutter time is only 1/16,000-second. (Flash "x" sync is also at a speedy 1/500-second.) We'll have to wait for the arrival of our test unit to know for sure, but if the CCD is indeed acting as the shutter on a full-frame basis, it will provide another subtle side benefit as well–no focal-plane distortion! Focal-plane distortion is visible in images of objects crossing the camera’s field of view very quickly. The distortion appears as a slanting of the moving subject, caused by the fact that different portions of the frame are exposed at different times, as the slit in the focal plane curtain moves across the surface of the film (or sensor.) With the "electronic shutter" offered by an interline-transfer CCD, the entire array can be gated on and off simultaneously, eliminating this distortion. Perhaps not an issue for anyone but race car photographers, but we suspect it'll be welcome there.

Features: Image Quality

In talking about the EOS-1D, Canon also touts several features and design elements relating to image quality. In this section, we'll discuss a couple of these, relating to resolution and image noise, leaving color-related issues for a later section.

Large Sensor
One of the first things that leaps out of the EOS-1D's specs is the unusually low focal length multiplier of 1.3 (It's actually closer to 1.25, we're not sure why Canon chose to round it up to 1.3 in their literature.) At 28.7 x 19.1 millimeters, the CCD in the EOS-1D is a good bit larger than most. Spreading its roughly four million pixels out across that area results in a pixel size of 11.5 microns. This is larger than most current pro digicams, which should translate into lower noise levels than those found in some of the competition. We'll definitely have to wait to see a test sample though, since there are a lot of factors that can affect noise apart from the pixel size. (By way of example, Nikon completely surprised us by reducing the noise in the D1x relative to that of the earlier D1, while simultaneously cutting the pixel size in half.) Canon seems to have learned a lot about noise reduction in their consumer digicam line over the past year, and we're told that all of that technology will appear in the EOS-1D as well.

Noise Reduction
Speaking of noise reduction, the specs from Canon indicate that the EOS-1D will (optionally) use dark-frame subtraction to reduce fixed-pattern noise from the CCD for any exposures longer than 1/15-second. (Dark-frame subtraction is a technique whereby a second "exposure" is taken immediately following the photograph of the subject, only with the shutter closed. This basically produces a "picture" of the fixed-pattern noise of the sensor. Subtracting this noise pattern from the just-captured photo of the subject can dramatically reduce noise levels in the final image.) We find this interesting, because we've only seen dark-frame subtraction applied to much longer exposures in the past. Most manufacturers using this technique generally only apply it to exposures longer of one second and longer. The fact that Canon is choosing to apply it to exposures as short as 1/15-second implies to us that the random noise of their sensor and signal-processing chain is very low indeed. Again, we'll have to wait until we can get a sample of the EOS-1D into our lab, but our reading between the lines of Canon's specs and marketing literature leads us to expect great things from the 1D in the noise arena.

No CMOS?
One of the biggest surprises in the EOS-1D is that Canon abandoned the CMOS sensor technology that was so successful in the EOS-D30. The reason apparently has to do with speed. There was simply no way Canon could get the image data off a four-megapixel CMOS array fast enough to keep up with an eight frames-per-second frame rate. It'll be very interesting to see what the EOS-1D's images look like, because one of the hallmark characteristics of the EOS-D30's images was their exceptional smoothness, and almost total lack of noise. (Apparently a result of Canon's active-pixel CMOS technology.)

New approach to low-pass filtering
A persistent bugaboo in digital camera design is the need for an optical "low pass filter" between the camera lens and the sensor. These filters blur the image slightly, to prevent too-abrupt brightness transitions from creating color artifacts in the final image. (To understand, consider this simplified explanation. Individual Red, Green, and Blue sensor pixels are used to make up the final, full-color image pixels. If a sharp white/black transition occurred on the image such that the red and green pixels of a trio were illuminated, but the corresponding blue pixel was not, the camera would think it was seeing a bright yellow pixel, rather than the intermediate gray that should result from a transition between black and white.) Once color artifacts like this appear in the final image, they're very difficult to get rid of in software without also compromising fine image detail. The problem though, is that the low pass filters frequently produce visibly soft images, effectively throwing away some of the potential resolution of the sensor.

Some manufacturers (Kodak) have taken the approach of making the low pass filters removable, allowing the user to remove them (replacing them with a simple IR filter) if they want. This is a risky proposition though, potentially exposing the sensor to dirt and damage when the filter is changed.

With the EOS-1D, Canon claims to be taking a slightly different approach, combining a weaker optical low pass filter with new image-processing algorithms to reduce the impact of color aliasing. We admit we're a little skeptical about this, since it's axiomatic that once bad data (aliasing) has crept into your image information, there's little you can do to get rid of it. (At least, without also risking throwing away part of the image information as well.) Again, we'll see what we see when we get a test unit in our lab, but Canon seems to think they have something up their corporate sleeves in this area. Stay tuned...

Features: General

This is really a catchall category, covering things that didn't fit well into the five other main categories we identified to classify Canon's innovations into. The idea here is that these are areas in which Canon has increased the basic performance of the camera in important ways over that of the earlier EOS-D30. All of the items here affect performance or workflow. We've addressed some performance-related issues in other sections of this preview, so will touch on them only briefly here. Others that haven't been discussed yet will receive a more complete treatment.

Here's a list of the key performance-related enhancements in the EOS-D30:

• 4.1 million effective pixels
• True professional-grade autofocus (sheet six of color brochure)
• Super-fast shutter speeds: 1/16,000 max shutter speed, 1/500 flash sync - no FP distortion
• Dual JPEG/RAW save mode
• Large sensor, only 1.3x focal-length multiplier
• True 100 percent viewfinder coverage
• HUGE battery capacity (19.8 watt-hours)
• "Flash metered manual" exposure function for closeups.
• IPTC data annotation
• Full System Compatibility

4.1 million effective pixels
Not a lot to say about this–clearly a boost from the D-30, but a good bit shy of the roughly six million pixels of the Nikon D1x and Kodak 760. Canon's position on the somewhat lower resolution is that photojournalists and sports photographers for the most part don't need six megapixels of resolution, given the lower-grade print media their photos are being reproduced on. Hmm. Possibly true, but we're sure those users would be happy to have a full six megapixels if other parameters could meet their needs. (We suspect Canon's correct though, in that these uses will probably be happy to trade away 30 percent or so of the resolution, in exchange for an eight frames-per-second frame rate.)

True professional-grade autofocus
As we mentioned before, this was one of the most glaring omissions from the D30's capabilities. Canon is known for advanced autofocus technology in the film world, but the D30 fell woefully short in this respect. With the 1D, Canon has brought over the exceptional autofocus technology of the EOS-1v from the film world, and made it available to digital photographers.

A full discussion of the EOS-1D's autofocus system is probably beyond the scope of this preview, but we'll take a swing at it anyway. It really does seem to offer a significant extension of AF technology for the digicam world.

At the heart of Canon's advanced AF is an unusually large AF frame. (The region over which the AF system can look to determine focus.) As in the EOS-1v, no fewer than 45 autofocus points cover a large portion of the overall field of view. As shown in the diagram at right, seven of these are "cross" sensors, sensitive to both horizontal and vertical detail, while the remaining 38 respond to texture in the horizontal axis only. The EOS-1D can select the specific AF point automatically (based on the closest subject with reliable autofocus characteristics), or the user can select a specific AF point manually. The AI Servo AF system can also track moving subjects anywhere in the AF frame if they're initially locked-in via the central AF area.

In the Manual/45-point mode, you can select any one of the 45 AF points manually, and the camera will use that point exclusively in its focus determinations. Selection is made by using both the front and back command dials.

No two ways about it, 45 focus points are probably a lot more than you need for manual selection, and choosing just one of them could be more time-consuming than you'd like, particularly in a fast-paced shooting situation. Custom Function menu item 13-2 simplifies the AF choice, reducing the number of available AF points to 11, arranged in a cross pattern. Selection is again made using both front and back command dials.

When speed is really the issue, custom function menu option 13-3 further reduces the available AF points to just nine, located around the periphery of the AF frame area. This has the advantage that only the Quick Control dial is needed to select an AF point, rotating the selection point around the edge of the AF area as it is rotated. This makes for a much faster selection, and is useful for situations where the photographer is dealing with an off-center subject.

Sometimes, you may want to use more than one focusing point, if your subject is fast-moving, low-contrast, or if you're working in low light conditions. For these situations, Canon has provided the Focus Point Expansion option, available as Custom Function menu items 17-1 and 17-2. In these modes, you still manually select a single focus point, but the camera then looks at up to six surrounding points to determine focus. Only the selected point lights up in the viewfinder, but as many as six other points are used to determine focus.

Overall, the AF technology Canon has brought to bear in the EOS-1D is very impressive. (Basing our opinion at this point on the EOS-1v's much-vaunted implementation of the same technology.) It's both flexible and very fast, well-suited to the demands of sports shooters and photojournalists.

Super-fast shutter speeds: 1/16,000-second max shutter speed, 1/500-second flash sync - no FP distortion
We already covered this feature in detail, but mention it again here for clarity. (*Dang* that's fast!)

Dual JPEG/RAW save mode
Many cameras these days offer the choice between fully-processed JPEG images and so-called "Raw" files that capture every bit of information coming from the sensor. Raw files have the advantage of preserving all the original image data, making them ideal for subsequent manipulation. Postprocessing Raw image files can correct for even fairly significant under- or overexposure, and also opens the possibility of applying more sophisticated image processing techniques to enhance detail and resolution. The problem is, you generally have to choose between a Raw or JPEG workflow at the time of exposure. Using Raw files imposes significant penalties of time and complexity on post-exposure processing, while JPEG can be limiting in terms of quality and flexibility.

Canon's solved this problem in the EOS-1D by providing capture modes that record both JPEG and Raw versions of every exposure simultaneously. Their literature doesn't say it, but we suspect there may be some penalty in frame rate associated with this, but the benefits are compelling. You can have the ease of "finished-file" JPEG images, yet always have access to the "digital negative," in the form of the associated Raw file at any time. This looks to us like a really great idea, and is a mode we expect many pros to use as a default. (Memory card manufactures are going to love this one! The storage requirements quickly become prodigious!)

Large sensor, only 1.3x focal-length multiplier
Again, we mentioned this earlier, but included it here for completeness as we suspect this will be a popular characteristic. We've often heard commercial photographers bemoan the difficulty of shooting really wide-angle shots digitally, because the high focal length multipliers of many digital SLRs shift wide-angle lenses toward "normal" focal lengths.

True 100 percent viewfinder coverage
A small point, but an important one for a professional SLR. We're big fans of being able to see *exactly* what we're going to take a picture of. It's hard to imagine why a pro wouldn't want a 100 percent accurate viewfinder.

HUGE battery capacity (19.8 watt-hours)
Wow, this is a lot of power for a digicam battery! 12 volts at 1,650mAh. Canon says it should be good for 350 shots between charges, a figure that actually sounds low to us. Still, that's a lot of photos. Big kudos on this point!

ISO Bracketing
We're less certain of the utility of this feature than some of the others we've described, but the EOS-1D lets you fix both shutter speed and aperture settings and then bracket the exposure by varying the camera's ISO setting.

"Flash metered manual" exposure function for closeups
This strikes us as an interesting option. It amounts to an "exposure lock" option for flash shots. You set the camera in either Manual or Av (Aperture Priority) mode, select your desired lens aperture, select the central AF point, aim the camera at a gray card, and press the FE lock button. The flash fires, the camera measures the flash exposure level required, and locks it into memory. Compose your shot and snap the shutter, and the camera and flash unit will use the previously-computed flash exposure to take the shot. This function will work with the 550EX, MR-14EX Ring Lite, or new Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX speedlights.

IPTC data annotation
Great news for press photographers & photo editors! The International Press Telecommunication Council has standardized the data recorded for photo captions by the newspaper industry. This data usually includes the photographer's name, date, file number, color/black & white, image size, and resolution. In their software utility, Canon includes the ability to set and load this data into the camera, so it will be automatically attached to every image the photographer shoots. Very handy in a busy newsroom, sorting out who shot what and when, after the fact.

Broad compatibility
It probably goes without saying, but deserves noting that the EOS-1D is a full-fledged member of the Canon EOS professional SLR family. As such, it works seamlessly with an incredibly broad range of lenses and accessories. The system chart shown here gives you some idea of the range of what's available. (Click on the image to see a larger view.)

Features: Color

Five color modes
Color management is another area where Canon has devoted unusual attention in the design of the EOS-1D. Color space has always been somewhat of an open issue in the digicam world. For a long while, there was no agreed-upon standard. Then Microsoft and HP imposed the sRGB color space more or less by fiat. Things were standardized, but some would argue that the limitations of sRGB are so bad that we'd be better off without it. Now, manufacturers are beginning to step outside the constraints of sRGB, while at the same time acknowledging its importance for image portability.

Canon has taken the approach of offering multiple color space options (or "color matrices" in their parlance) with the 1D. No fewer than five options are available, four of which are based on sRGB, one of which is based on the Adobe RGB 1998 standard, which offers a much broader color gamut.

We've maintained for a long time now that there's no reason why a given digital camera can't offer multiple color-rendering options. While you can always manipulate the color after the fact on the computer, having multiple color options available in the computer is akin to film-based photographers switching from Kodachrome to Velvia to achieve a different "look" to their photos.

Canon’s five different Color Matrix options do just that. The default Color Matrix 1 is based on sRGB, and offers "natural" coloring, while Color Matrix 2 has its hue and saturation optimized for skin tones. Color Matrix 3 is likewise based on sRGB, but has its saturation boosted, similar to high-saturation color film. Color Matrix 4 is based on the Adobe RGB color space, providing much wider color gamut with lower saturation. (Matrix 4 would be the natural choice for people working in calibrated workflows.) Finally, Color Matrix 5 is again sRGB-based, but apparently with reduced saturation to permit greater post-exposure manipulation without losing data.

As digital continues to evolve for the professional photographer, we expect to see multiple color options become a commonplace feature on high-end equipment. We view the options offered by the EOS-1D to be an important step in that direction.

10 white balance modes (list, fourth page of color brochure)
To accompany its unusual color space flexibility, the EOS-1D also provides no fewer than 10 different white balance modes. The available modes include:

• Auto (see below for information on Canon's unusual "Hybrid Auto" white balance)
• Daylight - Balanced for sunlight, approximately 5,200K
• Shade - Balanced for open shade on sunny days, approximately 7,000K
• Overcast - Balanced for cloudy skies or dusk, approximately 6,000K
• Tungsten - Set up for professional tungsten studio lighting, approximately 3,200K
• Fluorescent - "Typical" fluorescent (is there such a thing?), about 4,000K
• Flash - Set to match EOS speedlights, approximately 5,600K
• Custom - The usual custom or "manual" white balance option, which bases the white balance adjustment on a shot of a white or gray reference card. The EOS-1D can accommodate a range of roughly 2,000 - 10,000K in this mode. (Wow! - That's a very wide white balance range.)
• Manual Color Temperature Setting - This is an unusual mode we suspect will be very popular with photographers. You can specify the color temperature for neutral white balance directly in 100-degree increments from 2,800 to 10,000K. Very nice, a feature we're surprised isn't widespread. (Why not extend it all the way down to the 2,000K that the Custom option can handle, though?)
• Personal White Balance Settings (As many as three) - You can use Canon's software to create up to three custom white balance settings on the computer, and then upload them to the camera. These settings will then appear as options in the 1D's menu system. (This strikes us as potentially very useful for news organizations or other situations where you'd have multiple shooters working an event, and wanted to insure color consistency between them.)

Hybrid Auto White Balance
Here's a feature we've been expecting to turn up in a digicam for a while now–white balance determination that's independent of subject color! Normally, digicams compute white balance by analyzing the image captured by the sensor. This is fine if the subject has no predominant coloration of its own, but fails miserably for subjects with dominant color casts. (For instance, a model wearing a red dress against a maroon background would trick the camera into thinking the scene lighting was very reddish. The result would be an inappropriate cyan correction being applied to the image, to counterbalance the red.)

In the EOS-1D, Canon has integrated an incident-illumination sensor on the front of the camera into the white balance system. This gives the camera additional information about the lighting, unaffected by subject coloration. We'll be interested to see how this innovation works out in practice, but we applaud the basic concept.

White Balance bracketing
White balance bracketing is another useful feature that Canon included in the EOS-1D. You can set the camera to shoot three images at the same exposure level, varying the white balance setting between shots by up to +/- three steps, each step being equivalent to 5 Mireds (Micro-reciprocal degrees). Mireds are a bit of an arcane measurement, but represent the units most directly applicable to the mathematics of color adjustment, the main benefit in their favor being that they're additive. - A filter that shifts 3200K light by 100K will produce a much different shift in 7000K light, hence the use of mireds to describe the shift, rather than degrees Kelvin. (For example, 5 mireds at 3200K is a shift of only 52K, while 5 mireds at 7000K is a shift of about 257K.) This is all a little convoluted for the uninitiated, but pro photographers are used to working with mireds in calculating filter factors, and professional color meters generally offer a mired scale for calculating filter corrections.)

Customize image processing from computer.
This isn't a new feature, as it was available with the D30 as well, but it probably deserves mention anyway. Using the Canon software, you can set up fairly complex custom image adjustments on your computer, and then download those settings to the EOS-1D where they can be used as a standard preset. Very handy, if you find yourself wanting to affect the camera's default behavior in some way.

Features: Ruggedness

Environmental Sealing
When Canon announced their top-of-the-line film SLR, the EOS-1v, they called a lot of attention to the lengths to which they'd gone to make the camera rugged and relatively impervious to the elements. Carrying many of those same features over to the EOS-1D, Canon is again making a lot of noise about the camera's ruggedness. As well they should: While the Nikon D1 series of cameras sports a similarly rugged magnesium-alloy body, the EOS-1D incorporates an unprecedented level of dust and moisture sealing, with no fewer than 70 individual seals. Pushbuttons and switches are sealed with silicone rubber covers or boots, rotating parts (dials and levers) have O-ring or sheet seals, the edges of the CF slot and battery compartment cover are lined with silicone rubber packing, external cover seams are sealed internally with a variety of materials and techniques, and external electrical interfaces are sealed with elastomer caps. Some of Canon's newer lenses also have enhanced environmental sealing as well, making a very water- and dust-resistant system when combined with the EOS-1D body.

We think this is a pretty significant development. While you still probably wouldn't want to dunk an EOS-1D under water, it would have to be a relief to a lot of sports and outdoor shooter to not have to worry if their $6K camera body happens to get rained on. - And it isn't just about water: The sealing works to keep dust out as well, potentially even more lethal to fine optical equipment than water.

Shutter Life
Shutter durability and operating life is a parameter that doesn't get a lot of air time in the press, as the tendency is to perhaps think that the numbers published for most pro equipment are way beyond what photographer would be likely to encounter, or that would be a serious issue. (While it'd be nice for a shutter to last forever, most folks would understand if their camera finally gave up the ghost after 10years of hard usage.)

With digital cameras though, and particularly fast digitals like the EOS-1D, we think shutter life is going to become a much more commonplace issue. With the EOS-1D, you can burn off the equivalent of a half-roll of pictures in a couple-second burst. You can do that with film cameras too, but processing cost and the need to wait to see what you've captured means that you're less likely to do it frequently. With the EOS-1D, you can burn 20 frames, check to see what you've got, and then burn another 20 to try again. Again and again. It's not at all inconceivable that you could run through a thousand exposures in a single day's shooting (that's only fifty 20-frame burns, after all). In light of this, shutter life becomes pretty important. We confess that we haven't paid much attention to this parameter ourselves in the past, but we think it's going to become increasingly important. With a projected life of 150,000 exposures, the EOS-1D's shutter system is one of the more reliable out there.

Operating Details

We'll of course have our usual exhaustive rundown on all the controls, menu screens, and operating modes of the EOS-1D in our full review of it in a few weeks. In the meantime, we thought our readers would be interested in the following information, which will give some further idea of the camera's functions and capabilities.

LCD Data Readouts
The EOS-1D uses two monochrome LCD data readouts to report camera status, and provide a visual user interface to the various knobs, dials, and buttons. As with the D30, you can actually control quite a bit of the camera's operation, without venturing into the menu system on the color LCD screen. This not only saves power (by avoiding the hefty drain of the large LCD screen), but makes the camera much quicker to operate. Here are the details of the information provided by the two LCD readouts, on the top and back of the camera:

Viewfinder Display
The optical viewfinder has data readouts in it identical to those in the EOS-1v film camera. Here's the information they provide:

Custom & Personal Menu Systems
The EOS-1D has a wealth of control available via it's "Custom" and "Personal" menu systems. Here's the settings these systems control:

Flash! First sample pictures from the EOS-1D are now online!
Click here.
(Allow a while to load, lots of large thumbnails)

Summary

We'll obviously know a lot more once we receive our demo unit for testing, but it certainly seems that Canon is paying attention to all the key areas that contribute to making a really usable pro digital SLR. The speed and ruggedness of the EOS-1D promise to be unparalleled. A lot of the EOS-1D's final reception will clearly depend on how well the final product performs in the areas of color rendition and image noise. We'll have that part of the story for you in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned!

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