HAVING FUN WITH THE 1DS MARK III’s COLOR

Within just a couple months of using the 1Ds Mark III, it was quickly evident the files could be pushed further than the 1Ds Mark II files. Pushing means (to me) editing in Photoshop and altering levels, increasing and or shifting saturation, shifting color balance and changing contrast. This can be highly destructive editing because the RGB values may be pushed outside of the color space. The main objective in “pushing” a file is to redistribute its dynamic range more towards the edges of the histogram. Reallocating dynamic range results in the upper mid-tones turning into intense highlights. Lower mid-tones become bolder deeper shadows. The relative contrast between the high and lows makes the image pop.

Pushing mid-range content possibly results in the upper highlights blowing out and the lower tones blocking up. Like squishing a tube of toothpaste in the middle, some toothpaste is going to spill out at the ends. Also, the mid-tones are shifted, compressed and stretched in every direction - so their gradients are compromised. The raised levels make noise more apparent and transitions can look abrupt if the editing is too severe. So this is delicate balancing act to add “pop” without turning the file into digital garbage.

With the original Canon 1Ds raws such editing was limited as the files quickly deteriorated. The 1Ds files had a great look in their default state, but pushing past those values was risky. With the 1Ds Mark II files could be pushed much further, thus opening up new frontiers in post processing. The 1Ds Mark II files were cleaner, so there was less noise bubbling to the surface. And the 1Ds2 sensor had more dynamic range than the 1Ds, so there was appreciably more flexibility in the highlights. After the 1Ds Mark II, I used the Phase One P25 - and again - those files could be pushed to a whole new level beyond what the 1Ds Mark II offered, especially in the shadows and lower mid-tones.

I can confidently say the Canon 1Ds Mark III files can be pushed well beyond what the 1Ds Mark II could handle. It may not be P25 territory, but it is close. The 1Ds Mark III shadows are not cleaner than the 1Ds Mark II’s at ISO 100; however, the 1Ds Mark III shadows stay clean as their levels are boosted. The 1Ds Mark III sensor has ~2/3 of a stop less dynamic range than the 1Ds Mark II’s sensor, so highlights are tricky. But the highlights that the 1Ds Mark III does capture, those highlights handle post processing nicely due to their gentle roll-offs. Also, somehow Canon added a “twinkle” to the very high tones. It is hard to explain, but the highlights have a sparkle or vibrancy.

THE CANON 1Ds MARK III’s COLOR PALETTE

The Canon 1Ds Mark II colors were slightly bolder - strong in the primary colors (red, green blue) and understated elsewhere. In contrast the Canon 1Ds Mark III colors have more nuance. The colors are not as polarized as the 1Ds Mark II’s colors. The 1Ds Mark III colors feel expanded - reds have added pinkish hues in the transitions; greens have more yellow undertones; blues (especially skies) pick up a baby blue transition; yellows have more golds; blacks have more color information; blown highlights tend to be only partially blown with one or two channels still holding data. The 1Ds Mark III still has a Canon color look, but width an added depth to the colors.

With Canon’s utilities a custom ICC profile can be created, upload into the 1Ds Mark III and then selected just like any other Picture Style. It is a cool function. If you do not like “Canon reds”, open up the PIcture Style in Canon’s Picture Style Editor app, edit the reds, save the newly edited style with a new name, and upload the new style to the 1Ds Mark III. The result? REDS FIXED! And that style goes with the 1Ds Mark III anywhere - just like any other Canon Picture Style. To use the newly created Picture Style, DPP must be used as the raw editor. JPEGs will be processed in-camera with the Picture Style automatically applied to the image.

To dial in my Picture Style colors, I purchased the X-Rite Colorchecker SG and took pictures in the studio with Phase One P25 digital back on white background under 5500 Kelvin lights. Then did the same with the 1Ds Mark III. By comparing those images and using the Canon Picture Style editor, I developed a studio profile to mimic the Phase One P25. Then I had my wife pose with the color chart indoors and outdoors. Long story short - I have 3 profiles which mimic the P25 in a variety of lighting conditions. It is not perfect, but it gives me some extra “personalities” to load into the 1Ds Mark III and/or DPP. The only drawback is having to use DPP for color styles to work on the raw images.