To Users of the EOS-1D Mark III and EOS-1Ds Mark III Digital SLR Cameras

Thank you for using Canon products.

We have discovered that images taken by some EOS-1D Mark III and EOS-1Ds Mark III digital SLR cameras may exhibit ring-shaped spots. We would like to convey the details and our service policy.

We offer our most sincere apologies to customers using these products who have been inconvenienced by this issue. Going forward, we will spare no effort in our quality management to make sure our customers can use our products with confidence. We hope our efforts will earn your understanding.

Phenomenon
Images taken may exhibit large ring-shaped spots.

Cause
These ring-shaped spots are the images of oil lubricant on the surface of the low pass filter (LPF), which is located in front of the CMOS sensor.

This oil is used inside the Mirror Box to lubricate some of the camera's moving parts. If the oil is applied too liberally when the camera is manufactured, it can become scattered onto the surface of the LPF through normal camera operation.

The image above shows the top of the mirror box when the main mirror is flipped up. The white spots in the red circles are excess lubricant oil.

Affected Products
EOS-1D Mark III and EOS-1Ds Mark III digital SLR cameras

Support
We ask that customers who are encountering this phenomenon or, who have noticed that oil is visible on the surface of the back side of the mirror, please contact our service centers. To prevent oil from scattering, which may seriously affect images, we will offer free cleaning of the mirror box to affected customer to remove the excess oil.

Oil Lubricant Used in Cameras
Measures are being implemented to control the amount of lubricant applied during manufacture in order to reduce the occurrence of oil spots. However, because this lubricant is required to ensure proper operation of the camera’s precision mechanical parts, it is impossible to eliminate all instances of oil scattering. If you require CMOS sensor cleaning, please contact our service centers.