Got to test the 1DMKIII today!

[Michael Mouravi]

This is exactly my problem with the 1D3: When I used it for a day last week, the absence of the X button (assist) was a serious deficit to my shooting, which you described in the "Getting most of your 1D cameras" article as the "Wedding" mode: back wheel goes around the outer AF points, X button goes to center. Now you have to press the joystick to get to the center - try doing that in vertical mode. Also, the joystick actually toggles between the registered (center) AF point and the last one, which may seem like a small issue but it can be really confusing.

Since the AF-ON button can be programmed to many things, the lack of a mode where it works like the X button used to seems like a huge oversight to me.

Stan, I agree 100%, as this is how I mostly use my cameras. If this is indeed the case (and we are not missing something in the description), hopefully this can be addressed through firmware.

Otherwise the Mark III would require quite a change in my shooting habits

 

[Stan Jirman]

There is a * button in both orientations, so is the AF-ON and focus point selector button. Basically, it's the same as on the old 1D series, except the X (registered point) button is replaced by the AF-ON button - and it can't be programmed to do the same as the X button used to do. Grr.