Purchased the Mark III in September 2007. Over one year later this camera still continues to amaze me! The controls are laid out perfectly and the camera feels like it's just the right size in my hands.

Others have complained about the price, but believe me, you get what you pay for!! I purchased this camera to take professional portraits, weddings special events. This camera was an upgrade from the Canon 20d and 30d cameras I previously owned.

Some of my favorite features are the auto - ISO feature. This mode allows you to set the camera in shutter or aperture priority, and if the camera cannot compensate for the exposure, it automatically increases the ISO. Great feature that allows the photographer more creative control of the picture while getting that perfect shot every time.

Another nice feature is the live view shooting. This mode allows you to take long pictures, or pictures in awkward angles without requirig you to look into the viewfinder. You still have to manually focus.

Another feature I like is the ability for the camera to record on multiple media targets. You can set the camera up to record raw on one card and jpeg on another. Or, you can set the camera up to jump to the other card when one is full. This is very convenient for me since I shoot in RAW.

Another feature is the limits, configuration, and file handling settings. You can set the minimum and maximum ISO, shutter, aperture settings, fast shutter speed, slow shutter speed, and the camera will compensate within your set parameters and deliver results.

One last feature worth noting is the microadjustment. This camera allows you to micro adjust for each of your lenses. This is especially useful if you have a front focusing lens that appears to be just a little off. You can adjust the camera so when you attach that lens, the camera automatically adjusts for that particular lens.

Sure, this camera costs a few dollars more, but the payback in the pictures is nothing short of amazing.. This is a TRUE professional camera and as such requires the photographer to have a significant knowledge of photography.

The battery life is phenomenal! Not only does the camera provide you with a battery meter, it has a menu setting that actually tells you what percentage of battery life you have left and the number of shutter actuations since the last charge. I routinely manage over 2000 (and once over 3000) actuations on a single charge. This is something that NO other digital camera can do! Significant upgrade over the 1dMarkII series cameras where the battery was larger, heavier, and lasted for at most 700 actuations. I thought of purchasing a backup battery, but haven't brought myself to do so because of the longevity of this battery.

This camera has been a very important compliment to my existing L series lenses.

Overall, I would recommend this camera for the professional photographer that is SERIOUS about the business of photography and needs proven professional equipment to deliver results to the customer. I have been considering purchasing a second Mark III as a backup to the one I own. My 5d is currently my backup camera (great, but not at the same level as the EOS-1 series).

You can check out some of my pictures at www.eubankphoto.com

Definite FIVE STARS!!! I am a Canon girl all the way. I've had the S3 IS, the SD630, the SD900, the Rebel XTi, the Rebel XSi, and now the 1D Mark III. I can't believe the difference between the XSi and the 1D Mark III. From the overall feel of the body, to the shutter sound, to the quality of the photos. The dual processors make a huge difference. Combined with the extensive line of Canon lenses, this is a phenomenal camera. I am sold on the professional line, though the XSi will now become my back-up body for when I shoot weddings, etc.

After reading bad reviews on the focus problems with this camera I waited a while to pull the trigger. I shoot sports, equestrian (some indoors), and stage dance. I bought this camera for low light useage, and the superior focus speed. I have not been dissapointed. I use 3200iso when necessary without any worries. My mark3 came from Canon with the latest firmware update already installed. The battery life is incredible, shot 1700 images and still had 40% left. The wait was worth it.

I've had this camera now for 6 months. I heard all the hype about it's "faults" etc so was a little concerned. But, then I really started to read, and found that most of the issue was hype. Only some photographers in some specific conditions had the problem. Then Canon announced some hardware and firmware fixes.

This camera is just stunning. The quick and accurate AF is brilliant. It can lock on and track the target very well. It's clearly sharper for centre focus but also does brilliant for landscape images and still portraits.

The fps and burst rate is second to none. It's a beast when you set it off. I shoot mostly sport, so a nice burst can be the difference between capturing and missing that image.

The body is great. Not too heavy for what it does, and it's balanced very well. The construction and weather sealing are great.

I could go on and on about just how good this camera is. It is well worth having a look at. So, go to your local store, feel the camera, fire off a burst and then there's no going back.

This is an amazing camera, a big jump from 1D MkII. Better in every practical aspect. Most improvement is the lower noise level.

I've been reading about what a great camera this is, but it seemed like a big chunk of money to plunk down when I was pretty happy with my 30D. Boy was I surprised. I bought the mark III because I wanted a pro body - one reason being that I knew my recently purchased Canon 500 mm f/4 IS would not autofocus with 2X teleconverter. The Mark III will autofocus down to f/8.0. I'm mostly a budding bird photographer, and after making a few images I saw the great color reproduction. The camera is balzingly fast from it's AF to it's 10FPS mode. It will take me fair bit of time to explore all of the custom settings avaialble - so many ways to set it up to your personal liking. Plus it has "My Menu" which allows quick access to the items that you use a lot, e.g. format, autofocus options, etc. My 30D, which is a fine camera, feels more like a toy in my hands. The mark III fits your hand like a glove, feels solid and performs wonderfully. This is more camera than I'll ever need, but I'm certain with practice I'll grow into it. Buy this camera if you want the very best!!

This camera should be on a league of it's own. Although Nikon D3 is it's competitor, in my opinon it does not compare. There have been numerous of test stating that 1dMk3 is better than the D3 and vice versa, but the real reason I think this camera really shines are Canon's Lenses, especially the L-series lens. Canon has had years of making their own cmos sensors for their digital camera line compaired to other camera compines. However, taking great pictures does not matter which camera a person has, but on the photographer it's self.

Ok, it's time for me to stop promoting Canon, and start explaining why this camera is great. I had this camera for almost half a year now. At first the autofocus wasn't it's best, but I was able to live with it. I don't really do sports photography, nor am I a pro photographer, and that's probably the main reasons why the autofocus didn't really bother me. However, after I took the camera to the shop (I was lucky because the Irvine Canon factory isn't far from me) and got my 1dMk3 fixed for the autofocus problem and other problems, I have noticed a big difference in performance when I received my camera back. My camera focuses faster and the majority of the shot I've took were useable, comparied to before.

This camera does live up to it's hype and expectations. The picture quality is great even if you're using a non L-series lens. If you use a regular Canon lens compaired to a L-series Canon lens, it's like compairing 720p vs. 1080p on your HD Tv. It's not really noticeable, unless you have a great eye for detail.

I was dissappointed at first that the camera had one cf and one sd drive, instead of two cf drives. Since the sd drive does take sdhc and it's cheaper. I have no problems having one cf drive and sd drive.

Anther great thing is it's new battery. The battery does last longer. I still have one of Canon's old camera and I needed to have at least 2 back up batteries. So far I only need one with this camera, but my plan is to buy a second one soon.

To top off everything, if you do live close by the Canon factory, they do clean the cmos sensor for free if you don't mind waiting. Well the Irvine factory does clean it for free. Also, the people at the Canon factory did state that it will take about 3 weeks to get my camera back after all the repairs are done, but instead I had received my camera back in about 1 1/2 weeks. So far I've been getting great service from the people at Canon.

I'm a sports photographer. I've been using this camera for a while now. I decided to give it a good testing before even writing any remarks.

There seems to be a lot of hype about the focus issue. Personally, I've never experienced the problem, and I bet the majority of photographers haven't either. Some people need to do research before blaming the camera. There are many user faults, causing the camera to seem as if it is not focusing. They also need to check their lenses.

I shoot different sports, from rugby to show jumping, polo and horse racing. So, tracking a fast moving object (person or horse) is very important. Out of about 100 images, maybe 2 would be out of focus. Those I would more blame on myself than the camera. People really need to RTFM. There are so many custom settings, especially for focus, to enable you to use the camera to it's full potential, for whatever you use it for.

The camera is pure quality. I don't deny that there are some focus issues, but again, these are under specific circumstances. The body is solid and sturdy. It is good to hold and not too heavy. The battery life is brilliant (nearly 3,000 shots per charge). The fps is stunning. I've had to limit my burst rate to 25 frames, just so I don't fill my memory cards too quickly. :-) I did give it a good workout, using the full fps and burst rate at an event, and I was stunned.

There are just so many custom functions, that allow you to setup the camera depending on what you are doing. That is brilliant for me, since some events are at night under lights, while others are during the day, either cloudy or bright. Different saved setting sets allow me to quickly change to suit my circumstances.

For those who need a fast, reliable pro camera, this would very much be my camera of choice.

I had semi-switched from Nikon to Canon with the purchase of this camera. Despite reports over focusing issues, I haven't had any real problems with it. The frame rate and high ISO on it is phenomenal. Anyone whose wanting a pro-caliber camera, this unit and the Nikon D3 are, in my opinion, ought to be the top 2 choices. Having used both cameras, I have to give Nikon the nod because of its 9-fps burst at FULL frame, slightly lower noise level at high ISO, and a more accurate auto white balance. Nevertheless, the Mark III is a fantastic camera. Shooting with both Canon & Nikon is like dating a blonde & brunette at the same time. :o)

I had this camera for about 5 weeks and so far no problems. I shot 3 weddings and 1 engagement in India plus numerous other events, family portraits, etc etc with this camera. One of the complaints (by other reviewer's) was that the AL Servo do not function in hot weather. I can assure you that it is hot and humid in India and the camera works just fine. I was the official track photographer for a local school district athletic meet last week and I had the opportunity to test the AL Servo function. Wow, pictures were amazing.

I can only tell you how satisfied I am with this camera based on my experiences with it. So far (thousands of pictures to credit) the camera is working flawlessly under some extreme (hot and dusty so far)conditions. I am a event photographer and I travel throughout the world. I started my photgraphy career with a Minolta Film 35 mm (manual) camera at age 10. I had many cameras after that (including D200 and EOS 30D) I've been photgraphing pictures for over 23 years and still trying to get that dream shot :) But for now I have a great camera to work with to get that shot.

My advice is to go to a camera shop and test this camera and see for yourself. If you are some what an experienced photographer, you won't be dissappointed.