Canon EOS-1Ds MkIII vs Nikon D3: The ultimate pro DSLR head to head showdown...
Over the last decade the megapixel battle for digital dominance between Nikon’s and Canon’s professional range of cameras has at times seemed almost an unequal struggle. When I reviewed the EOS-1Ds MkII head to head with the Nikon D2X in November 2005, the D2X was a better camera in terms of design and ease of use, but the EOS-1Ds MkII was simply the better performer. However, Canon and Nikon have been playing catch-up over the past few years, each addressing its own pros and cons in order to release the EOS-1Ds MkIII and the D3, respectively.
The Nikon D3 has grabbed most headlines - not least because at last it boasts an FX-format, full-frame sensor. Canon’s EOS-1Ds MkIII has responded with a phenomenal 21-megapixel sensor, almost double that of the D3. So, one of the first big questions to answer in terms of resolution is – does size matter?
Resolution
In order to compare the resolving power of the two cameras it is essential to ensure a level playing field, ideally using equivalent lenses. The only similar lenses available for this test were a 24-70 f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor and a 28-70mm f/2.8L USM from Canon. Resolving power was tested across the ISO range in various situations. All images were shot as Raw files, the MkIII’s measuring 5616x3744 pixels (total 21-megapixel), whilst the D3’s are 4256x2832 pixels (total 12.1-megapixels).
I opened them in Photoshop CS3 using the latest raw plug-in and saved them as unsharpened TIFFs. The D3’s images were then interpolated to 5616x3737 pixels (the nearest equivalent given the FX sensor is marginally shorter than the Canon’s) before a mid-tone area was cropped into for comparison.
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 Canon EOS-1Ds MKIII | |
This test was a close run thing, both cameras preserving phenomenal detail, but overall I am inclined to give the D3 my top vote in this particular scenario, which is amazing considering its pixel handicap. In particular, as the ISO increased so the D3 seemed to increase its lead in terms of clean, crisp images exhibiting excellent noise suppression, with or without noise reduction.
Extended ISO range
The D3 has an incredible ISO 100-25,600 range (200-6400 in standard mode). At the upper limit of ISO 25,600, I got a passable image from the D3, but not surprisingly, there is significant chrominance noise.
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 Nikon D3 at ISO 25,600 |
At ISO 3200 with no noise reduction or sharpening, the Nikon D3 produced a crisper image than the Canon 1Ds MkIII. It has much less chrominance noise and considerably more shadow detail.
However, in another very low-light image, with the D3’s ISO at the maximum 25,600, banding was very noticeable across an almost black sky. Noise reduction in camera made no discernable difference. This banding in the sky was still visible in images of the scene taken at ISO 12,800 but entirely absent by ISO 6400. Needless to say, images of the same scene taken with either the D3 or MkIII showed very smooth gradation from shadows to highlights at all ISO settings up to 3200, with no evidence of banding. On the D3 ‘High ISO noise reduction’ kicks in at a low level by default for all settings above 2000. Of course, at extremely high ISOs banding will always be a hazard in images with large areas of dark tones, so it is interesting to note its absence in the more high-key tower test image.
Features
Both the Canon 1Ds mkIII and Nikon D3 are built to the robust standards we have come to expect from these manufacturers.
I used SanDisk Extreme IV UDMA (Ultra Direct Memory Access) CF cards capable of read and write speeds up to 40MB/second, equivalent to a rating of 266x. Both the MkIII and D3 support the UDMA protocol. The MkIII’s Raw files ranged from around 20-26.5MB in size, and the D3’s NEFs from around 14-19MB.
Each camera offers a comprehensive choice of combinations of file types and sizes, but goes about things slightly differently. The Canon 1Ds MkIII offers options of 14-bit Raw and sRaw files. This latter format (standing for small Raw) is approximately a quarter of the size of the normal Raw file (5.2-megapixel). Four JPEG sizes with 10 increments of compression rate are also available. The Nikon D3 offers 12 or 14-bit images and three aspect ratios: FX, 5:4 (to produce 10x8 images without additional cropping) and DX format. In each format three sizes of NEF (Raw) image are available, plus three compressions rates for these and JPEGs, as well as 8-bit TIFFs (RGB). Unlike the MkIII, which is incompatible with EF-S lenses, the D3 will accept both FX and DX lenses and auto adjusts the image crop accordingly.
Both cameras have three-inch TFT screens with ample brightness adjustment. The Nikon D3 has high definition, with 922,000 pixels - more than four times the Canon 1Ds MkIII’s. In low light I found the D3’s top LCD easier to read than the MkIII’s, though mainly because it’s larger and uses a bigger font.
I much preferred the way the Nikon D3 has kept the majority of the most regularly used functions in the Shooting menu bank - Picture Control, High ISO & Long Exposure noise reduction, Active-D lighting etc – whilst the Canon 1Ds MKIII spreads these between the Shooting menu and Custom functions.
Both cameras incorporate a Live View mode, but whilst the D3 preserves full autofocus, this is limited to manual focus in the MkIII.
Mirror lock-up, another very useful facility, can be selected via the menu in the MkIII. On the D3, it’s more easily accessed via the camera’s release-mode dial. By default, a four-second sensor cleaning mode is triggered every time the MkIII is switched on or off; it can also be manually selected and disabled in the menus. Although a similar feature has been included in the Nikon D300, it’s been omitted in the D3 and users are advised to leave this to a technician at a professional service centre. This is a serious omission.
Canon and Nikon have both significantly improved options for in-camera tuning of images. A prominent new feature is the addition of Highlight Tone Priority and Active D-Lighting in the MkIII and D3 respectively. Both attempt to control dynamic range, with Highlight Tone Priority expanding the dynamic range from 18 per cent grey to highlights and Active D-Lighting effectively reducing the exposure slightly to increase highlight detail while adjusting shadow and mid-tones at the same time.
