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Canon EOS-1D Mark III Digital SLR

Newly-Developed, 63-Zone Light Metering

The EOS-1D Mark III incorporates a newly-developed, 63-zone metering sensor linked to the 19 AF points. The metering sensor is located at the rear of the pentaprism. The 19 AF points in the Area AF are a highly favorable match for the metering sensor's zones. The metering range is EV 0 to EV 20 (at 23°C/73°F, EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens, ISO 100).

The new evaluative metering algorithm is based on the algorithm for the previous 21-zone and 35-zone metering systems. With the optimized 63-zone metering sensor and improved algorithm, more consistent and correct ambient and flash exposures are obtained with less influence by the subject. The basic concepts for the evaluative metering algorithm are:

1. Metering is weighted on the linked AF point
2. If there is a very bright object in the picture, the exposure will be increased
3. In backlit scenes, the exposure will be increased. With dark backgrounds, the exposure will be reduced

Metering Modes

The following shooting modes are provided: P, Tv, Av, M, and Bulb (the same as the EOS-1D Mark II N). A convenient and helpful ISO speed safety shift is provided via C.Fn I -8-2. If the correct exposure cannot be obtained with the P, Tv, or Av mode, the ISO speed is automatically shifted within ISO 100 - 3200 to obtain the correct exposure.

Safety Shift

E-TTL II Flash Exposure Control

Flash photography with the EOS-1D Mark III also benefits from Canon's extraordinary exposure control technology. E-TTL (Evaluative Through-The-Lens) and E-TTL II autoflash systems work in combination with the camera's newly-developed 63-zone metering sensor to take the guesswork out of flash photography. The camera performs instantaneous calculations based on readings from the preflash, ambient lighting conditions, and assessment of subject location to determine the optimum flash output and exposure settings.

With E-TTL II, the calculations additionally incorporate distance information from compatible EF lenses, enabling the system to better handle dark, light and highly-reflective subjects. Your photographs will have the perfect balance between ambient light and flash illumination, even in complicated lighting situations and compositions.

Though still compatible with all EX-series Speedlites, the "smarter" E-TTL II captures the subject as a "plane" and ensures that images containing various colors and levels of reflection are captured accurately and optimally. The system compares the ambient light with the reflected pre-flash off the subject reported in all 17 metering zones and selects the areas with a small difference to be weighted for flash exposure calculation.

This system also eliminates or under weights areas with large difference recognizing them as an extremely reflective object in the background or as a highly reflective subject, smartly ensuring it by considering the distance information data provided from compatible EF lenses. The system similarly prevents over-exposure when photographers lock focus and recompose the shot by considering the flash output level calculated according to the broader distance. The camera also allows users to select an average metering pattern by using its customs function settings.

The E-TTL II autoflash algorithm, while based on the previous algorithm which weighted the metering based on the preflash reading, this algorithm has been further improved to obtain consistent flash exposures. The major improvements are:

1. Correct flash exposures are obtained even with off-center subjects.
2. The incorporation of lens distance information has been optimized to obtain more accurate flash exposures even with highly reflective backgrounds.

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