New Canon 1DX Mark III Has 5.5K Raw Video and Powerful AF
Canon has officially announced the highly anticipated Canon EOS-1D X Mark III camera – bringing some impressive upgrades since its successor, the 1D X Mark II, was introduced four years ago.
The company’s flagship DSLR has been engineered and designed with extensive feedback from professional sports, photojournalist, wildlife and wildlife photographers in mind.
“When engineering and designing the new flagship camera, Canon’s top priority was collecting and implementing extensive feedback from a variety of professionals,” said Kazuto Ogawa, President and COO at Canon USA. “In the end, the outcome is at first glance a familiar tool, but in reality, so much more; a camera unlike anything the company has introduced before. Canon is eagerly waiting to see what timeless memories professional image makers capture with this new camera.”
Sensor and processor
At the core of the camera is Canon’s newly developed 20.1 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, a High Detail Low-Pass Filter, and the DIGIC X image processor.
These features will help to provide professional photographers to capture images with a greater resolution, higher sensitivity, reduced moiré and improved image quality in higher ISO ranges with reduced noise.
Canon says that the Digic X boosts image processing speeds by three times compared to the Mark II, and boosts Dual Pixel AF processing by 380 times. There’s also now a dedicated Digic 8 processor for autofocus and metering through the viewfinder.
The new powerful image processor also allows for an ISO range of 100-102,400 (expandable up to 50-819,200), providing users with higher clarity images and quality in various shooting situations.
Video capabilities
The EOS-1D X Mark III camera also provides users with equally impressive video features, with the ability to internally record 5.5K raw video and uncropped 4K 60p derived from the original 5.5K readout in Canon Log at 10-bit 4:2:2, which Canon says will deliver 12 stops of dynamic range.
The camera has 3.5mm mic and headphone sockets along with a mini HDMI port.
Autofocus system
Canon has put a heavy emphasis on designing and installing a completely overhauled and comprehensive Auto Focus system for the user with the need for speed.
The new 191-point AF system with 155-point all cross-type points helps users to quickly and smoothly track a subject and maintain focusing accuracy during a variety of shooting situations, such as tracking a motorcar circling around the race track, or a leopard bolting across the plains.
In Live View shooting, the EOS-1D X Mark III’s AF system supports face, head and eye detection AF tracking. Eye detection AF provides high-precision tracking by locking in on and following the eye of a moving subject.
When in Live View, AF/AE tracking is supported during high-speed burst shooting, with the ability to capture up to 20 fps in both RAW and RAW + JPEG file format.
Frame rate and performance
Using the traditional optical viewfinder, the camera has the ability to capture up to an extraordinary 16 fps with reduced time lag and image blackout, greatly increasing your chances to track moving subjects and never miss a shot.
Regardless of the method of shooting, the EOS-1D X Mark III can shoot over 1000 images in a burst using the dual CF express cards.
Networking and connectivity
It’s now also easier to get your shots off the camera too, thanks to an updated communications system and dedicated Network tab in the menu.
You can now much more easily set up network functions, such as connections via built-in Ethernet, Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth connectivity and destinations such as FTP servers, EOS Utility, or Browser Remote functions.
Purchasing and pre-order
The EOS-1D X Mark III will be available in mid-February for $6499.
Initially the camera will come bundled with a 64GB SanDisk CF express card and matching card reader, for a limited time and is available for pre-order now.
