I have a Canon 1Ds Mark III and would like to know what is BEST customs settings to have the camera on?

I was kind of looking for a guide to it.....or somewhere to start!

I was kind of looking for a guide to it.....or somewhere to start!

If you shoot RAW there should be no serious problem afterwards. Just browse through the custom settings and set it the way you think fit best to you or don't do anything and just start shooting - what i want to say is there is no need to be "afraid" its tool like every other camera and will need some time to getting used to it like everyone else.

Like sharply i prefer less AF-points but its always a matter of personal style and workflow. I really would simply starting shooting and adjust the settings i feel to do, you can shoot right out of the box without any problems.

I dunno about the MkIII, but I always have NR on with my MKII. Maybe there's a glitch with the MkIII? If so, perhaps there's a firmware update for it.

Metering mode is largely redundant on dSLRs. Keep it on the default, shoot in aperture mode and use the big black dial to adjust exposure to suit your preferences. It'll sometimes take a couple of shots to get the exposure right, but once you have it you're home-free. One aspect of exposure that camera manufacturers have yet to clue-in on is "exposing to the right". Or maybe I'm wrong, and the newest models can do this. If so, that's the exposure mode you want to be in.

Selectable AF points are a feature that I don't use with this camera. The only time I used it was with my 1D MkII when I shot sports. I prefer the old-fashioned focus-first-then-frame method rather than framing and selecting the focus point by pressing buttons and twiddling dials. In trickier situations, I focus first, then switch the lens to manual focus before framing the shot.