Customer service?

[fdfd]

I've had one prior experience with Canon customer service, and it was terrible.  I thought they'd never be able to match it, but now I can't contact them by phone at all, and their email form won't let me click the "submit" button to send communications that way either.  Is there any way at all to get a customer service rep?

I've got more than $20,000 in Canon gear, one would think they'd provide some support.  

[fdfd]

Thanks to all.  I'll go run the camera on a few different metering modes to see how those work out under similar conditions.

[ebiggs1]

"I think Evaluative Metering is better than people may give it credit."

This is the solution and spot metering is your problem.  Auto ISO doesn't help either. It is usually, no always, a bad idea to let the camera have two auto settings to decide.  Let the camera have one auto setting and you set all the others.

[wq9nsc]

In addition to Ernie's suggestion about the owner's manual, also take a look at the white paper Canon issued when this model was introduced because it provides additional info on the 400,000 pixel exposure metering sensor.  An important note from the white paper:

Spot metering only covers 1.5% of the image area (default is center of image but it can also be linked to the active AF point but in either case it is incredibly small) so it really is a horrible choice for moving subjects because the odds of keeping proper exposure is very poor.  It is an excellent mode if you want exact metering for a specific item in a static scene or if you want to use the camera as a very awkward substitute for a handheld light meter in setting up studio strobes.

If evaluative or center weighted doesn't meet the situational needs, then partial has worked well for me with some difficult sports shooting situations.  Partial still only covers 6.2% of the area which isn't much BUT it is four times the area covered by spot metering greatly increasing the odds that the camera will be metering off what you want instead of a random flash of sunlight or dark background.  As you move from spot to partial, center weighted, and ultimately evaluative you are reducing the weight of any one part of the image in exposure calculation. 

Evaluative metering has become "smarter" on every generation of Canon and it now does a good job of avoiding problems with backlit subjects and allows the smart algorithm in the camera to choose a suitable exposure setting to best handle the combination of blown highlights and shadow noise that occur in high dynamic range environments. 

1DX III white paper link:  https://downloads.canon.com/nw/camera/products/eos/1d-x-mark-iii/resources/Canon_EOS_1DX_Mark_III_St...

Rodger

[fdfd]

Heck, I read the manual and the white paper before I ever bought the camera. 🙂  

I've used spot metering on sports for years, for literally hundreds of games, and have no problems with it at all.  I love it for sports and it remains my default.  It gives me great results.  The only issue I've got is the Auto ISO blowing some shots along the way, and only during daylight.  Indoors it does fine, even with lighter and darker portions of the court.  It's not uncommon in some of these gyms to see the auto ISO wander from 6400 to 12800 depeding on a number of factors, but it never blows exposures like when I'm shooting outdoors.  Spot metering in conjunction with Auto ISO may be the issue, so I'll try a few other modes when using that feature.

Prior to that particular game I used I tried several other methods because with spot and Auto ISO this camera tends to underexpost just a slight bit.  I figured one of the other metering modes might do a bit better.  While shooting warmpups I switched around to some other metering modes but the ones I tried all overexposed things, so I went back to spot.

I'll dig a little deeper on the combinations and see if one of the others produces less variation.

[ebiggs1]

"I'll dig a little deeper on the combinations and see if one of the others produces less variation."

Sounds like a plan. I urge you to try another metering method and see if it cures it up.  Also I never let the camera make two automatic decisions.  Limit that to just one. I know the auto ISO is popular in M mode but Tv and Av or P mode I don't like it.

Good luck.

[Waddizzle]

"It's not uncommon in some of these gyms to see the auto ISO wander from 6400 to 12800 depeding on a number of factors, but it never blows exposures like when I'm shooting outdoors."

There is typiclly far more dyanmic range outdoors, than there is indoors.  Heed the advice to limit the camera to controlling only one leg of the exposure triangle.

[ebiggs1]

"...I can't contact them by phone at all, ..."

I have heard this from several people lately.  I suspect it is a function of the COVID outbreak.  Canon usually has outstanding CS as compared to other companies.  Monday's and Friday's are bad days to call.  Try mid-week time periods.

BTW, I suggest you get the full user manual on the 1DX Mk III and get up close and personal with it.