Canon EOS 1DsM3 — detail galore

To balance Wednesday’s entry on the noise and color of the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, what excites many people are those 21 megapixels, which offer a fantastic amount of detail, provided that top-performing optics are used, such as the Zeiss ZF 50/1.4 Planar used in the image below (or even better, the Coastal Optics 60/4 APO macro).

I predict that most of the Zeiss ZF line will “deliver the goods” to around the 36 megapixel mark, so I consider them a worthwhile investment for today and tomorrow. A 36-megapixel camera would offer an image of about 7350 X 4900 pixels using 4.9-micron pixels. 36 megapixels is not so far-fetched with Sony’s 24MP sensor on the horizon (D3X?). Per-pixel quality is not likely to impress at such high pixel densities, but the resolution will have its applications. Keep in mind that such a camera will be diffraction limited around f/4 or so, so forget about “f/8 and be there”. Even today at 21MP, it can readily be seen that the Coastal Optics 60/4 APO macro peaks at f/5.6 due to diffraction; a 36MP camera will drop that another stop or so, depending on the sensor design.

The EOS 1DsM3 offers unprecedented image detail from a DSLR, and only a drum scanner with the finest-grain slide film could hope to offer more usable detail. The Nikon D3 simply cannot approach this level of detail, so if resolution is what floats your boat, then the EOS 1DsM3 is your camera. But the overall visual impact (color, contrast and lifelike rendition) simply does not match that of the Nikon D3. Still, there’s no denying the vicarious pleasure of seeing more after taking the picture than being there in person. Call it the “handheld surveillance camera”.

A typical San Francisco street
Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III ISO 400 + Zeiss ZF 50/1.4 Planar 1/1000 @ ~f/5.6, handheld

Actual pixels
(click for more)

Black and white shooters won’t find color or noise to be troubling at ISO 1600, in fact the results are very nice indeed. These images were converted straight from Canon’s Digital Photo Professional, using the “Monochrome” Picture Style. For this style of shooting, I love how the Zeiss ZF Lenses render the out of focus areas. The 35/2 Distagon offers particularly lovely results.

Victorian bathroom
(Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III + Zeiss ZF 35/2 Distagon @ ~/f4)

Victorian era cookstove
(Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III + Zeiss ZF 35/2 Distagon @ ~/f2)

Cable car sheaves
(Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III + Zeiss ZF 50/1.4 Planar @ ~/f11)