Canon EOS 7D vs Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS 7D and the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon EOS 7D was introduced in November 2009 and Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III was introduced in August 2008. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS 7D over Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III over Canon EOS 7D.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon EOS 7D and Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III have 3.0" Fixed screens with 920k dot and 230k dot resolutions respectively.

Viewfinder

Cameras have built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinders. They both have 100% coverage.

Canon EOS 7D features a 18.0 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 22.3 x 14.9 mm and a total area of 332.3 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400 and expands to 100 - 12,800 in boosted mode. Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III features a 21.1 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 36 x 24 mm and a total area of 576 mm². Its native ISO range is 50 - 3,200.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Canon EOS 7D is equipped with Dual DIGIC 4 processor and can take pictures up to 5184 x 3456 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 5184 x 3456, 3888 x 2592, 3456 x 2304, 2592 x 1728 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III can take pictures up to 5616 x 3744 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4992 x 3328, 4080 x 2720, 2784 x 1856 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS 7D has Canon EF/EF-S lens mount and Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III has Canon EF lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor in Canon EOS 7D its crop factor is equal to 1.6x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.6. Due to Full Frame sensor in Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Canon EOS 7D it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III nothing can be done. On Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS 7D nothing can be done.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS 7D comes with LP-E6 battery pack with battery life of 800 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS 7D has a single CompactFlash (Type I/II, UDMA 7) card slot. Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III has two card slots - one for SD and one for CompactFlash (Type I/II).

Shutter

Canon EOS 7D has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III has Electronically Controlled Vertical-travel Mechanical Focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS 7D, and up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III. Canon EOS 7D can shoot continuously up to 8.0 fps. Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Canon EOS 7D and Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III range from +1 to +20 EV and 0 to +20 EV respectively and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Canon EOS 7D and ±3 EV range on Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS 7D and exposure lock and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III.

Flash

Canon EOS 7D has a built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal or Wireless Speedlite EX. Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on both cameras.

Canon EOS 7D body has dimensions of 148 x 111 x 74 mm (5.83 x 4.37 x 2.91") and Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III body has dimensions of 150 x 160 x 80 mm (5.91 x 6.3 x 3.15"). Canon EOS 7D weighs 860 g (1.90 lb / 30.34 oz) and Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III weighs 1385 g (3.05 lb / 48.85 oz).

Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

148 mm

111 mm

150 mm

160 mm

111 mm

160 mm

74 mm

80 mm