OFFICIAL: Canon 1D X announced

Thanks GadgetGuy, for the info from FM. Now I'm REALLY excited!

Regards,
Jim

agedbriar wrote in post #13310940
OMG!

" However, as Rick Berk, Technical Specialist in Canon USA's Pro Engineering and Solutions Division says: 'there's more to image quality than just resolution'. "

And he's right, of course. There is more to image quality than just resolution.

Of course, what he fails to mention is that resolution can be traded off to get most of those other image quality properties.

Which is to say, except for the hit on speed and file size, higher resolution isn't actually detrimental to image quality as long as you're doing a proper apples to apples comparison.

At worst, higher resolution gives you more options. There is a point where more resolution buys you nothing at all, and that's when there's no more detail in the lens' image circle left to be recorded. But that is always a moving target, since lenses get better over time in terms of resolving power, and therefore it's better to have too much resolution (since it can always be downsized) than not enough.

So nobody thinks the IQ of the 1DX has been optimized for the new MkII primes? Really...?

I have a hunch there will be jaws on the floor by July.

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #13312136
So nobody thinks the IQ of the 1DX has been optimized for the new MkII primes? Really...?

I have a hunch there will be jaws on the floor by July.

+ 1!!

Gadget-Guy, why must you give such a glowing review/report? Bah, now I want it even more. If it wasn't for the fact that I've got my credit card numbers memorized, I'd be cutting it up just about now.

Must... resist.

kcbrown wrote in post #13312070
And he's right, of course. There is more to image quality than just resolution.

... and therefore it's better to have too much resolution (since it can always be downsized) than not enough.

Seems like you are not truly convinced that there is more to image quality than just resolution .

jorkata wrote in post #13313417
Seems like you are not truly convinced that there is more to image quality than just resolution .

LOL!

Well, I know there is more to it than that. If you get more resolution, but when printing to the same size as some other camera you get worse image quality, then that would be a step backwards. I would not be happy about that.

But if downsizing yields at least the same image quality as what you'd get from a camera with the native resolution of the downsized image, then the extra resolution isn't hurting you (at least in the image quality department) and it gives you more flexibility, because it lets you, and not the camera manufacturer, decide where on the resolution versus image quality curve you want to be.

If we wanted to be limited by our cameras, we'd be using point'n'shoots. Resolution should be just another creative parameter to tweak, like the aperture or shutter speed, so long as that added flexibility doesn't get you worse image quality at a given print size.

I can just see KCBrown measurbating the 7D and 1D X IQ comparisons. I have no doubt that the X will destroy the 7D in this dept. You made your point not to splurge $7k on a potential pos.

Gadget-Guy wrote in post #13311338
Reposting this from here http://www.fredmiranda​.com/forum/topic/10552​38

I got to handle 3 seperate 1D-X models today, at Canon Pro Solutions, for a decent bit of time. However, we were not allowed to insert our own memory cards, and so I have no sample images to share - the door was taped over. I'm approaching this from the viewpoint of a 1Ds3 person, not a 1DIV person.

My thoughts are as follows, in no particular order. Hopefully they should prove interesting to some people.

- Feel: The feel in either orientation is fantastic, the buttons are very natural and the addition of a second joystick for portrait orientation is excellent. The dedicated live-view button is a nice touch, there's also a quick menu button of questionable worth. The near-lens mount customisable button is suprisingly usable, I was expecting to dislike it but it functions quite well.

- Autofocus: A complete joy. My opportunities to try tracking with servo were limited, but the autofocus seemed to fit my two main criteria: be fast and lock accurately. Point selection is great including expansion to surrounding points in either cross or square box type. Servo seemed to be perfectly accurate to me, but there was no fast motion near me to test. Their presentation made a big deal over the new servo algorithms & design, and I've no reason to doubt.

- Metering: A quick test of pointing the cameras into varied lighting conditions says that the new 250 odd zone system seems to be bang on, at worst about 1/3 or 2/3 stops off, no complaints whatsoever.

- Viewfinder: The electronic level & overlay displays are fantastic! I really love it. The old FEL button is now M. Fn1 instead, which by default is electronic level. Unfortunately, the customising of M. Fn 1 & 2 are limited - for example you can't set them to bring up WB Shift, which is something I use a lot. I forgot to check if they allow you to set MLU using them or not though.

- ISO Performance: Unsurpringly, at ISO 204,800 there is noise. I am judging this from the max magnified view on the back of the LCD, and no, it is not clean. It is not clean at iso 50,000 either, but markedly better. I did a fair bit of testing at iso 800-1600, and honestly, it does seem remarkably clean.

- Menu system: Excellent, I really like it. You can hold down info for an explanation of everything on the fly, and it's clear and well organised.

- Drive speed: 14fps brings a funny smile to your lips. You have to enable it via a menu, then you can select it via the normal drive button - there's no need to set MLU each time or anything like that. It works, though you lose the ability to shoot RAW & the viewfinder is black, even though it comes back afterwards. It will focus for the first frame, but after that focus and exposure are locked. With regards to the buffer, I have no idea what speed of CF card was in there, but I held down the shutter and it went and went and went. I didn't bother making a formal test of it, because of my next point.

- Banding. We were explicitly told that one of the 2 models on the table in the demo presentation had a significant banding problem. The key reason we weren't allowed to use our own CF cards yet is simple: the camera is NOT finished yet. These are very early samples, and there is a good reason it's 5 months until they're for sale - they have a lot to clear up. They will do open days for cps people to make an evaluation shoot later on, when the camera is ready.

All in, in terms of features, it's damn near perfect. The only things I could wish for were perhaps a 0.78x viewfinder and inbuilt flash ettl radio triggering ala pocketwizard. To those like me who rarely shoot above ISO 800 and 5fps is enough yet print large, and are uncomfortable with the resolution: Frankly we are in a minority. I can't tell you if the images coming out of it interpolated to 21mpix at iso 200 beat the 1Ds3, or make any evaluation of the image quality because the camera isn't finished. For that we have to wait and see. All I can tell you is about the features, which are simply excellent.

Addendum: I couldn't help but overhear a conversation between two Canon employees, and there were comments strongly hinting about something during the presentation regarding the November announcement. I really don't think it's my place to give out information that wasn't explicitly given to me, but I think a decent number of people are going to be rather happy.

^^ Added edit: A disclaimer: This may be completely wrong, and I may be misinterpreting things. I don't want to give too much weight to this at the expense of detracting from the main focus of the 1D-X.

Great write up....thanks for that. Sadly, I couldn't get to the show this year. Looking forward to the next announcement with bated breath.

The review was written by Daniel K not myself and although i love some of the features of the camera its not worth the £3000 i would have to pay to upgrade including part exchanging my under 2 year old MKIV.I don't earn my living from photography and as much as i love having the latest gadgets it won't improve my sports photography or suddenly start making me money any more than the MKIV did so i will starting saving for the 1DXI

jwcdds wrote in post #13312496
Gadget-Guy, why must you give such a glowing review/report? Bah, now I want it even more. If it wasn't for the fact that I've got my credit card numbers memorized, I'd be cutting it up just about now.

Must... resist.

Booking flights, hire car and accommodation at least once a week means I have 2 different cards memorised and another almost memorised. Very hard to resist when the impulse to buy strikes.

jdizzle wrote in post #13313701
I can just see KCBrown measurbating the 7D and 1D X IQ comparisons. I have no doubt that the X will destroy the 7D in this dept. You made your point not to splurge $7k on a potential pos.

I have no doubt of that either. The 1DX will have a 1.3 stop advantage due to the sensor size alone, plus another stop (roughly) due to technological advancement. And it'll have the same resolution, so apples-to-apples comparisons are going to be trivial. So call it a 2.5 stop advantage in favor of the 1DX. That 1.3 stop sensor size advantage will be across the board, from low ISO (meaning, creamy smooth tones!) to high ISO. How much of the technological advantage comes into play depends on what Canon did, but I expect that some of that will come through at low ISOs as well.

Bottom line: the comparison won't be pretty. As good as the 7D may be, it'll look like a point'n'shoot in comparison to the 1DX in terms of the resulting image.

I'll just have to stroke my 7D with affection and tell it that I still love it.

you'd hope so given the step in price

... somewhere, it's like a big disappointment that only jpg will get better high iso !!!! does it mean the 1Dx sensor is not really better than 1DMKIV ? and just processing with DIGIC V.
It's even not clear that new A/N converters can make a 2EV step, I imagine RAW files would get significant improvement too if sensor was more efficient ?

Canon is really playing with fire ! a big backward step with MPixels and not more than a rather small step in processing, (that can is more or less available on raw files with more parameters in post processing).

It will be long before getting answers !! till march ? because actually all samples we see are more or less useless to get a answer.

Yeah, how about that Jay, plus the many other IIs that may be hitting the market soon.

I tell you I am not interested in this new body as the 1D4 and 1D3 is way more than enough for my needs, but I'd love to get one of those 400 2.8II. Sell the 300 2.8 and maybe the 5D2 and to subsidize that purchase; may get me 1/2 way there. Hell if I found a MkI at a decent price I'd consider it, but the weight oh the weight.

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #13312136
So nobody thinks the IQ of the 1DX has been optimized for the new MkII primes? Really...?

I have a hunch there will be jaws on the floor by July.