EOS-1D X Mark III review

I know. Boring, eh? Not a Sony, not even a mirrorless...who gonna buy it


Canon EOS-1D X Mark III review


"We do find, however, that despite just how capable the autofocus system is, competitors such as Sony's a9-series and Nikon's D5 both have an edge when it comes to subject tracking through the viewfinder (we received a Nikon D6 too recently to include it in our side-by-side testing for this review). In live view, though, the EOS-1D X III closes the gap – it easily tracked a cyclist's head in our autofocus testing, despite his face being completely obscured "

Actually, I think Canon did a good job on the 1Dx III unlike Nikon on the D6 which should have, at best, been a D5S. Neither are for me (low pixel count and WAY too heavy). I've seen a number of tests that show it to be highly capable not only as a DSLR but also as a mirrorless camera.

Looks like a solid update. Not that I shoot Canon, or have any intention of ever lugging a brick like that again, but it's good to hear about the LiveView shooting performance as it'll put the pressure on Sony.

Weird that the dynamic range drops when shooting with the electronic shutter...

I can't help but think, after seeing how well the live view AF is on the 1DxMarkIII, that the soon to be announced R5 will serve Sony notice that their mirrorless dominance might be at an end. Canon could release a bunch of DO super telephotos and it would be quite the system. That assumes the R5 delivers, of course.
Canon's menu system, raw file formats and lack of operation hiccups that Sony has(like not being able to access menu items when writing to card) are strong pluses as well.

Scott Fairbairn wrote:I can't help but think, after seeing how well the live view AF is on the 1DxMarkIII, that the soon to be announced R5 will serve Sony notice that their mirrorless dominance might be at an end. Canon could release a bunch of DO super telephotos and it would be quite the system. That assumes the R5 delivers, of course.
Canon's menu system, raw file formats and lack of operation hiccups that Sony has(like not being able to access menu items when writing to card) are strong pluses as well.

It probably depends more on the sensor than anything else for the core nature photography constituency of the super high rez camera bodies.  The a7R4 will find way more homes in a landscape photography bag than a wildlife photography bag where dynamic range and resolution are king and AF performance is mostly a don't care as long as it does focus and the other things you mentioned are nuisances that landscapers are willing to put up with for the resolution and the dynamic range.  If only Sony got out a focus stacking FW update...  But if Canon does finally perform on the sensor front, than yes, it is definitely game on!

E.J. Peiker wrote:Weird that the dynamic range drops when shooting with the electronic shutter...

Indeed weird. I wonder why this is.

But encouraging what they write at the end:
" class-leading dynamic range"

It seems that Canon sensors are indeed getting better.

Markus Jais wrote:

E.J. Peiker wrote:Weird that the dynamic range drops when shooting with the electronic shutter...

Indeed weird. I wonder why this is.

But encouraging what they write at the end:
" class-leading dynamic range"

It seems that Canon sensors are indeed getting better.

Only two cameras in the class, this and the D6 and the D6/D5 are Nikon's worst FF cameras for DR.  But it's at least encouraging that it is at or better than the D6.

E.J. Peiker wrote:

Markus Jais wrote:

E.J. Peiker wrote:Weird that the dynamic range drops when shooting with the electronic shutter...

Indeed weird. I wonder why this is.

But encouraging what they write at the end:
" class-leading dynamic range"

It seems that Canon sensors are indeed getting better.

Only two cameras in the class, this and the D6 and the D6/D5 are Nikon's worst FF cameras for DR.  But it's at least encouraging that it is at or better than the D6.

I thought the comparison included the A9 II. Maybe I was too optimistic for Canon

But if this comparison is any good, the 1DX III can hold it's own against the A9 II.

https://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/ ... 20ILCE-9M2

I still own the older 1DX where the dynamic range is OK for me but certainly not very impressive.
I will not get the new 1DX III, though. Too heavy and expensive. But an impressive beast.

I think they mean the big sports oriented DSLRs as a class.  The a9 still has better dynamic range at the ISOs these cameras usually shoot at but at base ISO, the Canon does really well...

https://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/PDR.htm#Canon%20EOS%201D%20X%20Mark%20III,Canon%20EOS%201D%20X%20Mark%20III(ES),Nikon%20D6,Sony%20ILCE-9M2

DXO admits faulty data caused lower rating in initial review:

https://petapixel.com/2020/07/09/dxomar ... ii-review/

https://www.dxomark.com/canon-eos-1d-x-mark-iii-sensor-review/

Joe