Canon 1Ds has a
11.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Canon 1Ds MIII has a
21.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Canon 1Ds MIII's sensor provides 10MP more than Canon 1Ds's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Below you can see the 1Ds and 1Ds MIII sensor size comparison.
Canon 1Ds and Canon 1Ds MIII have almost the same sensor size, so neither of them has any significant advantage over the other in terms of providing control over depth of field when used with the same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Canon 1Ds and Canon 1Ds MIII sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that 1Ds MIII has a better overall score of 80, 17 points higher compared to 1Ds's score of 63.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Canon 1Ds |
63 |
21.8 bits |
11.0 Evs |
954 ISO |
Canon 1Ds MIII |
80 |
24.0 bits |
12.0 Evs |
1663 ISO |