BLOG 2013
CANON EOS 1DX REVIEW
18/09/2013
So after having the pairing of the Canon 1d Mark 4 and 5D Mark 3 I looked in to the 1DX, Canon's top of the range professional camera and the replacement for the 1DMK4, although now the camera is full frame and incorporates the new Digic 5+ processor. I had a pairing of 1D's prior to the 5D Mk 3 purchase last year and loved having two solid bullet proof cameras, so after looking at various reviews decided to change the 5D MK 3 for the 1DX, the reviews I read and professional photographers that I spoke to were all singing the virtues of the 1DX, build, high ISO performance, even faster autofocusing then the 1D MK4 and the full frame sensors overall picture quality.
The 5D Mark 3 is an incredible camera, ISO performance is amazing, auto white balance is usually spot on saving time in post), build and the LCD screen is superb so the 1DX would need to have all of these virtues and more taking in to account its hefty price tag. After just a few days with the camera it is in my opinion better in all aspects, obviously build is superb and like 1D's before it will stand up to a lot of hard work from pro's in whatever field they cover. Picture quality is amazing, from the initial files I have taken the images prior to post production are clean, sharp and colour reproduction is spot on, even in an office environment with a variety of natural and artificial lighting going on. The ISO performance is incredible, the file shown here was taken with the 100mm macro lens at 25,600 and is clean sharp (un processed) and needs no alteration with any noise cancelling software. Looking forward to testing this even more over the next few days with a mix of education photography in Suffolk, some for photography and a charity sleep out in the precincts of Canterbury Cathedral in aid of the charity Porchlight.
The menu system mimics the 5D Mark 3's so switching between the two is easy, and with Canon's new info details on each menu it gives you a brief explanation of what each setting does, quite handy with the in depth auto focus system which is even more involved then ever before. Spec wise the camera has an 18.1 CMOS sensor, down on the 5D Mk 3 but still more then ample enough, as the saying goes quality not quantity and I am glad that Canon have adopted this stance rather then doubling the pixels and not retaining the quality. Their is also a high speed mode which in JPeg will shoot up to 14 frames per second, although the standard 12 fps will do me just fine! The auto focus system is 61 points and after speaking to a wildlife professional it doesn't miss a shot, and ISO's up to 51200 (or expanded 204800). Their are now two compact flash card slots rather then CF & SD, personally the CF cards have that more rugged feel about them which I prefer.
The 5D Mark 3 is an incredible camera, ISO performance is amazing, auto white balance is usually spot on saving time in post), build and the LCD screen is superb so the 1DX would need to have all of these virtues and more taking in to account its hefty price tag. After just a few days with the camera it is in my opinion better in all aspects, obviously build is superb and like 1D's before it will stand up to a lot of hard work from pro's in whatever field they cover. Picture quality is amazing, from the initial files I have taken the images prior to post production are clean, sharp and colour reproduction is spot on, even in an office environment with a variety of natural and artificial lighting going on. The ISO performance is incredible, the file shown here was taken with the 100mm macro lens at 25,600 and is clean sharp (un processed) and needs no alteration with any noise cancelling software. Looking forward to testing this even more over the next few days with a mix of education photography in Suffolk, some for photography and a charity sleep out in the precincts of Canterbury Cathedral in aid of the charity Porchlight.
The menu system mimics the 5D Mark 3's so switching between the two is easy, and with Canon's new info details on each menu it gives you a brief explanation of what each setting does, quite handy with the in depth auto focus system which is even more involved then ever before. Spec wise the camera has an 18.1 CMOS sensor, down on the 5D Mk 3 but still more then ample enough, as the saying goes quality not quantity and I am glad that Canon have adopted this stance rather then doubling the pixels and not retaining the quality. Their is also a high speed mode which in JPeg will shoot up to 14 frames per second, although the standard 12 fps will do me just fine! The auto focus system is 61 points and after speaking to a wildlife professional it doesn't miss a shot, and ISO's up to 51200 (or expanded 204800). Their are now two compact flash card slots rather then CF & SD, personally the CF cards have that more rugged feel about them which I prefer.
