New EOS-1D Driver Software
EOS-1D images can be brought into a compatible Windows or Macintosh computer. Images can be transferred using either the camera built-in Firewire connector, or by removing the CF card and inserting it into a card reader. Canon software includes an entirely new TWAIN driver (Windows) and Macintosh Plug-in Module, which have extensive capabilities including the Remote Capture. The software will allow you to save your images onto you hard drive immediately as they are taken, and view them on the computer's monitor. Remote Capture software also includes timing controls for unmanned shooting, with intervals of up to 60 minutes between each shot possible.

Canon's EOS-1D marks the first professional digital SLR from Canon since the EOS-D2000 (introduced in March 1998 which was a collaborative effort with Kodak, also known as the Kodak DCS 520). Indeed, the EOS-1D is the first all Canon professional digital SLR.

The EOS-1D is based on the excellent EOS-1V professional film SLR. The 1D's body is almost identical as the EOS-1V. The big differences are the EOS-1D's battery and vertical grip have now become a moulded part of the camera body, and of course that the back of the camera hosts an LCD monitor with variety of digital controls and buttons.

Just like the EOS-1V the 1D is environmentally sealed, that means there are rubber O-rings around button controls and that compartment doors have rubber seals. In total the camera has no less than 90 environmental seal points (indicated in red in the skeleton image). The side of the 1D is identical to the 1V, all the controls for exposure mode, AF, ISO, drive, bracketing, metering, exposure compensation, FEL, AF points, AE lock etc. are in the same positions. The 1D is slightly thicker; the viewfinder eyecup protrudes further than the 1V, this helps to keep your face away from the LCD screen and helps to avoid 'nose smear'.

4.15 megapixels
The heart of the EOS-1D's image quality: one of the largest imaging sensors in a digital SLR. The EOS-1D's newly developed 4.48 million pixel CCD sensor (4.15 million effective pixels) is a full 28.7 x 19.1mm in size-with square pixels a full 11.5 x 11.5 microns in size. The other detail about the sensor is its size, it's larger (relatively speaking) than the CMOS sensor used in the EOS-D30 and reduces the focal length multiplier to 1.3x.

Body & Chassis
All body covers and most internal chassis components are constructed of magnesium alloy that minimizes weight and delivers exceptional rigidity. This alloy also serves as an effective electromagnetic shield, protecting internal mechanisms from electrical interference. Seventy-two points on the camera body are specifically gasketed and sealed to protect it even in the harshest conditions, and the NP-E3 battery pack is gasketed as well to protect the battery compartment. Even the lens mount has a protective rubber surface.

8 frames per second
8 fps - the fastest continuous shooting speed of any digital SLR camera. Until you experience the EOS-1D's total performance in your hands, its specs are just numbers. It's when you pick it up and feel its responsiveness…feel - but not hear it run through 21 consecutive frames 60% faster than any other competitive professional digital SLR that you know you're in the presence of something truly special.

45-Point Area Autofocus
The world's fastest AF system, covering the world's largest AF area. Forty-five AF points cover more of the picture area than any other digital SLR in the world, making focusing and composing of off-center subjects a one-step operation. It's a versatile system, allowing the photographer numerous methods to manually select an AF point, or allowing the EOS-1D to automatically select the AF point instead.

FireWire™ Interface
IEEE1394 interface: the ideal way to move large files quickly. Direct-connection to compatible Windows or Macintosh computers is via an IEEE1394 ("FireWire™") interface, giving you the best of both worlds - convenience and speed. IEEE1394 provides reliable plug-and-play operation, and is ideal for fast downloading of EOS-1D image files to the computer.

High-Speed Image Storage
With a generous buffer memory, the EOS-1D can fire up to 21 consecutive frames (at up to 8 fps) in its full-resolution, best-quality JPEG mode. That's at four million pixels per image. Even more impressively, if capturing both RAW and JPEG images simultaneously, you can still fire bursts of up to 16 frames (at full resolution, of course) at up to 8 fps.

EF Compatibility
Another benefit of the large CCD sensor in the EOS-1D is that the lens focal length factor is only 1.3x. This means more than ever, your wide-angle lenses will behave similarly to how they do on a 35mm SLR film camera, a huge benefit to photojournalists, commercial photographers, and many other professional shooters.

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Text and images Copyright (C) Canon Inc., Digital Photography Review (Copyright 2001 Phil Askey), Imaging Resource.