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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Canon's EOS-1D
Powers Up Sports, Event Photographers
With the Speed They Need

TEXT AND IMAGES BY HELENE DELILLO

I found it very easy and pleasant to use.

THE SETUP
As soon as the camera arrived, I began my test drive. I was able to set it up and install the software easily and quickly. The Canon software we tested most extensively was the plug-in for Adobe Photoshop 7.0. The 1D's controls will seem comfortably familiar to current Canon shooters and the digital menus are easy to navigate. I would suggest you read the manual so you can master the many precise controls there for you to enjoy.

One of these controls is the color temperature settings. The 1D's color temperature range starts at 2800 degrees Kelvin and goes to 10,000 degrees Kelvin. I had a lot of fun with this feature because it lets you adjust for inaccurate exposures and create some special effects with color. I really love the creativity this feature gives you.

CCD IMAGING SENSOR
The EOS-1D has a CCD sensor, which is a full 28.7 x 19.1mm in size (4.48 million pixels). The pixels are 11.5 microns square. As pixels on a digital imaging sensor become larger, they become more sensitive to light. This is a good thing: it means less digital noise, superior highlight and shadow tonalities, and a wider range of contrast.

Tonal range and color rendition were great across the board, even in mixed-lighting situations. In the early days of digital photography when a digital camera offered fast shooting speeds, it meant that great tonal range and color quality were not possible. Today, CCD advances have gotten to a place where it is no longer a challenge. The color quality of the EOS-1D is very cool and true to the fabrics and clothes I shot on the models.

LENS COMPATIBILITY
The 1D works with more than 50 of the Canon EF lenses and has a lens focal length factor of only 1.3x. This means that wide-angle lenses will behave similarly to how they do on a 35mm SLR film camera. Nonetheless, Canon has also just introduced a new wide-angle lens, which is ideal for digital cameras. I tested the following lenses: 17-35mm, 28-80mm, 70-200mm, and my 90mm tilt shift lens. Happily, I had no problems or incompatibilities with the 1D using my older lenses. I love that Canon supports their loyal followers by making their new technology compatible with older lenses.

HIGH-VELOCITY SHOOTING
The Canon EOS-1D's shutter's response worked really well for me while I was shooting The Figure Skating in Harlem event a few weeks ago (www.figureskatinginharlem.org). Despite the fact the lighting in the rink was terrible and the action was fast, the 1D worked well, letting me capture the fast-moving figure skating. The camera's 8 fps speed is possible both in the One-Shot AF and when tracking a moving subject in AI Servo AF.

Another factor that determines speed of shooting in using digital cameras is the type of storage media you capture to. Lexar Media has customized a CompactFlash card for the 1D. A controller in the card moves the data from the chip to the card in an optimized manner. Lexar also tests each card before shipping. I was shooting with the 1D 16x Lexar Media card and it was noticeably faster than all my other CF cards—even other Lexar cards I've used. Definitely worth the investment.

Among the other advances in Canon's 1D are the 1/16,000-second shutter speed and 1/500-second X-sync. Think of the possibilities. Canon also claims their advancements in mirror speed technology—learned during development of the 35mm EOS-1v—contributes to the EOS-1D's velocity.

OTHER KEY FEATURES
Canon uses a 12 volt NiMH battery. My experience with the battery life was very good. As with all pro-quality digital cameras, I recommend purchasing a second battery.

The color LCD display on the back of the camera is very clear and allows you different views, including histogram and multiple image thumbnails of different sizes, all of which can be customized.

The display has five different brightness settings, and illumination is provided for the top and rear LCD panels, so you can read them in the dark.

For more information on the Canon EOS-1D, visit www.usa.canon.com.