This month's Technical Report presents an overview of the EOS-1D, the finest quality professional digital AF SLR camera (kit price: 750 thousand yen before tax), which was announced on September 25, 2001 and will be released in mid-December in Japan.
Concept of development
The EOS-1D (see Photo 1) is the top-of-the-line digital AF SLR camera developed as "the flagship of the EOS-series” looking forward to an era progressing from competition between to harmonized coexistence of film-based and digital photography.
The EOS-1D is designed primarily for press and sports photographers, but it is also intended for studio photographers. The concepts behind its development are as follows:
The top-of-the-line digital AF SLR camera for professionals, with both high image quality and operability
| Professional-level image quality | |
| • | Large CCD sensor (28.7x19.1mm) with about 4.15 million pixels |
| • | Entirely new high-speed "imaging engine" signal processor for precise, natural-looking color reproduction |
| Outstanding performance / Quick response and High speed | |
| • | High-speed continuous AF at up to 8 fps (21 consecutive frames) |
| • | Same release time lag (55ms) and viewfinder blackout time (87ms) as the EOS-1V |
| • | Ultra-fast shutter speed of 1/16,000 sec. and X-sync at 1/500 sec |
| Excellent reliability / Functionality for professionals in the digital era | |
| • | Same functionality, performance and operability as the EOS-1V |
| • | Same moisture and dust protection and durability as the EOS-1V |
| • | Magnesium alloy body and external covers |
| • | Shooting-priority design |
| • | Customizing features (Custom Functions and Personal Functions) |
In the following section, features of the EOS-1D are described individually.
Major Features of the EOS-1D
Major features of the EOS-1D are listed first, and then the details of each item are explained.
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| Feature 2: Compatible with all Canon EF lenses All of the more than 50 Canon EF lenses, ranging from the 14mm super wide lens to the 1,200mm super telephoto lens, can be used with the EOS-1D. Because the CCD sensor is smaller than the 35mm format (see Fig. 1), the angle of view of the EOS-1D is equivalent to the field of a lens having approximately 1.3 times the indicated focal length. |
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Feature 3: Entirely new high-speed "imaging engine" signal processor for precise, natural color reproduction
High-performance imaging engine and resolution-oriented image processing
The high-performance imaging engine (see Photo 3) was developed by Canon for the EOS-1D. This imaging engine has a dual-engine structure for high-speed processing (see Fig. 2) with parallel reading of signals from the CCD. It forms the heart of the EOS-1D’s digital image processing system designed to meet professional photographers’ needs such as resolution-oriented high-speed, precision image processing, natural color reproduction, false color suppression, and simultaneous recoding of RAW and JPEG images.
| Built-in hybrid infrared cut and low-pass filters Although the digital camera requires a low-pass filter to suppress false colors resulting from moiré, the resolution-oriented EOS-1D uses weaker filters and depends on the imaging engine to minimize false colors. The infrared cut filter and infrared absorption filter are installed on the lens side and CCD side of the low-pass filter respectively in the hybrid structure (see Fig. 3). This hybrid filter eliminates both the biased (overlapping) color attributable to infrared light and the ghosts caused by reflections from the lens and CCD surfaces. |
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Feature 4: Five color matrix settings for preferred hue, chroma, and color gamut
The color matrix enables the user to select the preferred hue, chroma, and color gamut (color space; range of reproducible colors). The color matrix corresponds to color film characteristics in a 35mm camera.
The EOS-1D features five color matrix settings (see Table 1), which provide a choice of two color spaces and four variations in color characteristics for sRGB for a wide variety of photographic purposes or preferences, like portrait shooting and images for commercial printing.
Table 1 Five color matrix settings
| Setting No | Description |
| 1 | Sets a natural-looking hue and chroma. Effective for bringing out the subject’s natural color tone. |
| 2 | Sets a hue and chroma suitable for portraits. Effective for rendering nice skin tones. |
| 3 | Sets a hue and chroma similar to high-chroma slide film. Effective for making clear colors. |
| 4 | An image corresponding to Adobe RGB color space is created. It is useful for profile conversion to Adobe RGB or fine-tuning of chroma, because the color reproduction range is much wider than the standard sRGB setting. Adobe RGB must be selected for profile conversion, because the ICC profile is not attached to the images shot by this camera. Also, chroma adjustment is required as chroma is lowered under sRGB circumstance. |
| 5 | Sets low chroma. Effective for making moderate color tones. |
Feature 5: Three processing parameters
The processing parameters define the processing characteristics for a captured image. Besides the standard settings, parameter settings such as tone curve, sharpness level, target pattern type, and JPEG quality can be combined in up to three sets (see Table 2) to be selected when shooting. Based on the selected parameter set, JPEG images are automatically processed inside the camera when captured, while RAW images are processed later on the computer.
The processing parameter settings are recorded with the computer using the bundled TWAIN driver (Windows) or plug-in module (Macintosh).
Table 2 Processing parameter settings
| Parameter | Description | Setting | Effect |
| Tone curve | Adjusts the image brightness and color properties. | Tone curve | The image brightness and color balance can be changed as desired. |
| Sharpness | Adjusts the sharpness level. | 1 2 3 4 5 | A higher number gives a sharper image. |
| Selects the pattern type to be sharpened. | Rough | "Rough" will sharpen the rough patterns of the image. "Fine" will sharpen the fine patterns of the image. |
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| Moderately rough | |||
| Standard | |||
| Moderately fine | |||
| Fine | |||
| JPEG quality |  Sets the image quality of the (Fine) mode. |
6 7 8 9 10 | A higher number will result in higher image quality. |
 Sets the image quality of the (Normal) mode. |
1 2 3 4 5 |
Feature 6: Precision white balance
White balance settings
The hybrid automatic white balance uses the CCD imaging element and an external sensor on the left shoulder to set accurate automatic color temperature.
The EOS-1D offers white balance presets for six light sources as shown in the Fig. 4, for optimum white balance under any condition. In addition, there are three custom white balance settings available: manual white balance adjustment, direct setting of the color temperature by color-meter in Kelvin and white balance setting specified on the computer.
White balance bracketing
The EOS-1D has white balance bracketing that takes three consecutive bracketed shots. The bracketing sequence starts with the standard color temperature followed by minus (warmer) and plus (cooler) bracketed either side of the current white balance. This function gives fine color correction varying the white balance setting up to +/-3 steps in 1 step increments, with each step equal to 5 mireds (as provided by a color conversion filter).
Feature 7: High ISO sensitivity - ISO 200 to 1600, and ISO 100 or 3200
ISO speed range
Normally, the ISO speed can be set from ISO 200 to 1600 in 1/3-stop increments. Moreover, with the custom function, the exposure can be set to the equivalent of ISO100 or 3200.
Automatic noise reduction
When turned on with the menu settings on the LCD monitor located on the back, noise reduction is automatically executed during shooting at shutter speeds slower than 1/15 sec. (including bulb exposures), minimizing noise and obtaining high image quality even during longer exposures.
ISO bracketing
The EOS-1D is equipped with a brand-new ISO bracketing function that performs AEB shooting without changing the aperture/shutter speed combination and thus retaining the photographer’s desired effects. Bracketing is possible in 1/3-stop increments up to +/-3 stops in the ISO range of 200-1600.
Note: If the ISO speed setting exceeds the ISO range, images can be still captured but exposure compensation is not possible. Pay attention to the standard ISO speed setting.
Feature 8: Compatible with Type I and II CF Cards as its recording media
The EOS-1D records images on a CF Card. The card slot is compatible with Type I and II CF Cards including the large-capacity IBM Microdrive. As an example, Table 3 shows the image file size and CF Card capacity according to image-recording quality with a 128-MB CF Card.
Table 3 Image file size and CF card capacity by image quality
| Image-recording quality |
Image size (Pixels) |
Format | Compression rate |
Image file size (Approx.) |
Max. capacity (Approx.) |
 Large / Fine |
2,464 x 1,648 (Approx. 4.06 million) |
JPEG | Low | 2.4 MB | 47 images |
 Large / Normal |
High | 1.3 MB | 89 images | ||
 Small / Fine |
1,232 x 824 (Approx. 1 million) |
Low | 1.1 MB | 109 images | |
 Raw |
2,496 x 1,662 (Approx. 4.15 million) |
Lossless RAW | 4.8 MB | 22 images | |
| + |
- | RAW + JPEG | 7.2 MB | 13 images | |
| + |
6.1 MB | 16 images | |||
| + |
5.9 MB | 17 images | |||
Feature 9: High-speed continuous shooting at up to about 8 fps for 21 consecutive frames
The EOS-1D incorporates high-speed sequence control for the shutter and mirror charging mechanism as in the EOS-1V, as well as the imaging engine offering high-speed parallel reading and image processing of the CCD data. These functions enable the camera to achieve the world’s fastest* digital AF SLR continuous shooting speed of about 8 fps (JPEG: 21 consecutive frames; RAW or RAW+JPEG: 16 consecutive frames). This continuous shooting speed is possible regardless of image quality, image size, or AF mode (one-shot or servo AF).
* As of September 2001
Feature 10: Capable of recording RAW and JPEG images simultaneously
The EOS-1D can record simultaneously both a RAW image, for optimum processing without image degradation on a computer, and a JPEG image developed inside the camera for quick access.
Simultaneous recording is possible even when shooting at to the maximum 8 fps. This feature is introduced to meet the strong demand from professional photographers who need instant transmission of JPEG files while storing high-quality RAW images for later processing.
(To be continued in the next issue)
Clockwise from top left; DC coupler kit DCK-E1 (set) / EOS-1D and Ni-MH battery pack NP-E3 / Software CD-ROMs (2 disks: EOS Digital Solutions Disk, Adobe Photoshop LE Disk) / Ni-MH battery charger NC-E2 / IEEE1394 cable IFC-200D6 / Neck strap L4 / Hand strap E1 and 2 instructions books (not pictured)
The EOS-1D kit with all the above items is priced at 750 thousand yen excluding tax in Japan.