Canon 1Ds Mark III focus fix
Canon has announced yet another fix for an AF problem, this time with the 21MP 1Ds Mark III as well as the 1D Mark III.
Kudos to Canon for stepping forward to fix the problem. I like Canon products and I’m not about to give up on them.
But wouldn’t it be better for Canon to test their products a little longer, rather than try to beat Nikon to the market? I already suffered through a previous “recall” with my Canon 1D Mark III last year. Now the 1Ds Mark III too? We’re on the 2nd or 3rd firmware update as well. As I postulated previously, Canon does it first, Nikon does it right. I was serious, but didn’t know I was prescient.
This latest AF issue follows on the heels of a Live View exposure problem with the Canon 5D Mark II. I think it’s fair so say that with 3 professional camera models with issues, this firmly establishes Canon as having a track record of not testing products adequately. And at the cost of customer time, hassle, and perhaps money.
I own a 1Ds Mark III, and will sell it at some point. Any potential buyer will want to know if my camera has “the problem” (not to my knowledge). So I have little choice but to send the camera into Canon for service to test for and/or fix the issue, or at least to get a statement that it’s A-OK. Even so, buyer FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) effectively reduces the value of my 1Ds Mark III, which is why I think Canon needs to do more for customers than a check/repair— an extra year of warranty would be one reasonable approach.