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Canon's Response to me on the 1D mk lll

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Mark Boris130206

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I just emailed Canon's technical department this morning about the focus issues I have had for the last 30 days using the 1D mk lll shooting over 4000 photos. I had asked them if I should return the camera to the dealer (which was happy to take it back) or send it in for repair. This was their response:

Dear Mr. Boris:

Thank you for contacting Canon product support. We value you as a Canon
customer and appreciate the opportunity to assist you. We are sorry to
hear of the focusing difficulty you have experienced with your EOS 1D
Mark III.

We are currently investigating Internet reports regarding focus
concerns. If you feel that your EOS-1D Mark III is exhibiting
difficulties regarding focus tracking of moving or static subjects, we
request some information from you to better help us assess the
situation. We request that, if possible, you send us a sample sequence
of images that display the problem you are experiencing, burned to a CD.
Any updates to our investigation will be published on the Canon USA web
site .

Since this concern is still under investigation, we do not suggest
sending the camera in for service as little can be done until
clarification is received from Canon, Inc. in Japan.

For customers in the USA willing to provide Canon with sample images
please send your original images burned to a CD to the following
address:

EOS 1D Mark III Images
Canon ITS
850K Greenbrier Circle
Chesapeake, VA 23320

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. We value your
comments and look forward to assisting you in the future.

Thank you for choosing Canon.

Sincerely,

Chris
Technical Support Representative
 
Happy beta testing 1D MKIII owner.

Joke aside it is getting to be ridiculous that Canon has to have enough out of focus images from customers to do their evaluation on a faulty AF system. Couldn't they do themselves before they released a seriously flawed camera?

I am a Canon user and love everything I have including my 5D and lenses and I foolishly sold my 1D MKIIN hoping to replace it with the 1D MKIII which turns out to be a big disappointment until Canon can sort out and fix the AF issues.
--
Julius
http://www.pbase.com/jkovatch
 
A even bigger joke is they still have no clue why those reports show up. They are just telling people to hold on to their camera until they could figure something out? Say this process take a few months... Your warranty is shortened by a few months.

Bad QC management at minimum.
Julius said:
Happy beta testing 1D MKIII owner.
Joke aside it is getting to be ridiculous that Canon has to have
enough out of focus images from customers to do their evaluation on a
faulty AF system. Couldn't they do themselves before they released a
seriously flawed camera?
I am a Canon user and love everything I have including my 5D and
lenses and I foolishly sold my 1D MKIIN hoping to replace it with the
1D MKIII which turns out to be a big disappointment until Canon can
sort out and fix the AF issues.
--
Julius
http://www.pbase.com/jkovatch
Click to expand...
--

 
Yeah, that's the ticket. Our lack of universal health care keeps the population healthier genetically. Isn't that some kind of legitimate plus?

(sarcasm obviously)

Seriously, since this is a legitimate concern, there's no way Canon won't fix this with firmware or something. Maybe that's why I waited 6 months to get my 5D (lie, I waited because I didn't have the money - hell I bought the 300D day it came out).
 
Well, that is serious - looking at this response I would say that they do not have a clue, or at least it does not seem to be related to production tolerances or sheer software/firmware problems. This could mean that cameras will have to be returned and modified to solve the issue once it has been determined.

While I do not urgently need 100% accuracy in tracking myself, I would be forced to have the camera fixed during the warranty period to maintain its resale value (as future buyers will investigate this issue) and this would force me to get another body for that period of time. I think I will cancel my order and wait for this thing to be worked out properly. My 1DMkII (non-"n") is falling apart (shutter dying, but I cannot blame it) and I might get a second hand MkIIn to cover the time until the MkIII issues are resolved.

Thanks for posting this.

Cheers,
Uwe
 
Jose Gil said:
Seriously, since this is a legitimate concern, there's no way Canon
won't fix this with firmware or something. Maybe that's why I waited
6 months to get my 5D (lie, I waited because I didn't have the money
  • hell I bought the 300D day it came out).
Click to expand...
Canon's response:

We appreciate your undying brand loyalty. And thanks for cutting us some slack should we release a $4000 camera that's not quite ready for prime time. We'll actually charge $4500 for such a camera, as we'll need the extra $500 to cover the inevitable recall expenses. And oh, hey; if you could help us solve the 1DmkIII AF puzzle...that'd be GREAT!
 
If only it was AF tracking... I've got problems with the most basic single shot, static shots with mine!
TP
 
tissunique said:
If only it was AF tracking... I've got problems with the most basic
single shot, static shots with mine!
TP
Click to expand...
That sounds bad. Can you be more specific as to what the problems are, what camera settings and CF's you are using and which lenses. Have you used any other 1D before?

Colin
 
Julius said:
Happy beta testing 1D MKIII owner.
Joke aside it is getting to be ridiculous that Canon has to have
enough out of focus images from customers to do their evaluation on a
faulty AF system. Couldn't they do themselves before they released a
seriously flawed camera?
I am a Canon user and love everything I have including my 5D and
lenses and I foolishly sold my 1D MKIIN hoping to replace it with the
1D MKIII which turns out to be a big disappointment until Canon can
sort out and fix the AF issues.
--
Julius
http://www.pbase.com/jkovatch
Click to expand...
I agree that a little more testing should have been done on the AF system of this camera. I have had every 1 series Canon camera and have never had any issues like this before. Like you, I have my 5D to use until this problem gets sorted out. Unlike you, I had sold my 1D MKII N just before the announcement of the MKIII so now I have nothing to shoot sports with and that is what I mainly use the 1D for.
 
You should send them another e-mail asking them to send your official Canon Beta-Tester ID card. Also, send them a bill for your efforts in testing their camera for them.

Personally, I'd return the camera for a refund and find something that worked properly. Only a chump would spend that kind of money on something that didn't work correctly and then have to wait to get it resolved. Until they fix it, they'll tell you the problem is you.
--
Visit me at

http://www.have-camera-will-travel.com/
 
Radio Denver said:
Personally, I'd return the camera for a refund and find something
that worked properly. Only a chump would spend that kind of money on
something that didn't work correctly and then have to wait to get it
resolved. Until they fix it, they'll tell you the problem is you.
--
Click to expand...
Not sure if you have ever used a 1 series camera before but it is not like any other camera that Canon makes, at least to me. You say I should find something else that works properly but I know of nothing else that focuses as fast and tracks as well and shoots 8-10 fps like a 1D. My 1D MKII N was incredible for shooting wake-boardiing, skate-boarding, basketball, etc. I bought the original 1D when it came out in late 2001. I have been shooting sports with all of the 1D's since then. I also had the 1Ds and 1Ds MKII and did not like either for sports or high speed action as they were just too pokey for me. I was constantly having to wait for the buffer to clear as the files were very big and the processor was slow to write to the card. I replaced the 1Ds's with the 5D. Great camera with great photo quality and use the 1D for sports and action.

I will be shooting with my 5D, Pro 1 and S80 until they get this MKIII thing worked out.

I am not a pro photographer at all. I just shoot photos for fun when I am with friends and family. Regardless, I expect a camera to work properly as advertised.

My dealer, Precision Camera in Texas, has informed me that I can return the camera for full credit or just wait until Canon finds a solution and get a new one. I am going to do neither at this time. I am perfectly happy with just sending it in to Canon's Service Center after they come up with a fix unless it is just a firmware upgrade which would be nice. My options are open to me and I am not in any hurry. After using the MKIII, it is beyond what I expected it to be and better than the MKII N which I had thought was the best camera I had ever shot with, ever. Now when I get it fixed or replaced and can get more than 50% of my photos in focus, I will be the happy camper again.

I do not feel I am a "chump" for spending that kind of money on a camera only to find out it does not work properly. Things happen. I know a lot of people are really upset about this and I think they should be because it is how they make their money. This is not the case for me. I have bought and used over 17 canon digital cameras since 1998 (Pro 70 was my first) and this is the first time, ever, I had a problem with any one of them. Maybe it is because I keep cameras for only a year or two at the most (except for the Pro 1 which I will never sell unless they update it but that is highly unlikely) but I feel Canon makes a great digital camera line and awesome lenses and this has gotten me back into photography again after being out of it for 30 years or so.
 
FWIW I have never has a problem with any of my Canon Cameras.

I have 4 Canon DSLR's: 300D, 350XT, 20D & 1Ds Mark II

and 3 Canon SLR's: 2 of the Elan 7N and one EOS 1-V.

I use them every day, one or the other, sometimes 2 and sometimes 3 cameras at a time, sometimes 4 cameras during a shoot.

I just traded a G7 for a 300D (had one 2 years ago but exchanged it for 20D) I like it somuch I wanted another. So now I can use 5 cameras in a shoot. I save my 2 Elans for filming event work as they have E-TTL 2, but my 1-V does not. Then again my film 1-V shoot's 10fps and has the same 45 point AF as my 1Ds Mark II.
--
Artist Eyes
 
Good attitude Mark. Don't pay too much attention to the "You're a stiff for acting as a Beta tester" stuff. We are all beta testers when we buy a new product, be it a car or a toaster. Remember the pathetic original iPod? Or any version of a Microsoft Windows product before Service Pack I?

Personally, for everyone experiencing problems with the AF, I think the fact that Canon is investigating is very good news. You're not going to come up with a solution if you don't recognize there is a problem. It may take a bit but 90% of solving problems like this is identifying what the problem is. The fix is usually easier.

If the AF doesn't kill the camera for you, you'll be able to enjoy it in the meantime. If this isn't the case, and you suggest it isn't, I'd wonder about taking your dealer's offer and returning it until they fix what ails you. If you can't use it then I'm not sure why you'd want it sitting in the closet.

Just a thought.
 
Hey Donald,

Thanks for the kind words. You are right, we are sort of beta testers on many things.

I am in the major appliance industry (factory warranty service) and I can tell you, half the stuff that leaves the factory I swear has never been tested more than a day!

Unfortunately I cannot use the camera at all because it is not only the AI servo that is not working but one shot focus is also hit and miss but I am not worried about this like I said before. This is just a hobby of mine so I will just wait to see what Canon will do. After thinking about what you said, though, maybe I should just pack up the camera and send it back to the dealer and have him send me a new one once Canon figures out the problem. I guess I am just hoping that this will happen real soon and I can just send it in to get it repaired as that will not take as long as waiting for new, improved models to arrive here in the states.
 
Hey Mark,

I thought about keeping mine. There were alot of items I liked about the camera. At first I didn't see an issue with focus as I was mainly manually focusing on the jobs I was working on at the time. After a week of testing it I did see issues that were not pressant on my 1D MKIIn or 5D.

I returned the camera for the following reason. If Canon gets an influx of returned cameras they will work very hard to come up with a fix. This is my opinion of course. They don't want to see alot of cameras returned.

I hope it works out for you and for Canon. I believe it will be an amazing camera in the end.

All the best,
John
--
http://www.pbase.com/jhp
 
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