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Peerless paparazzi DSLR? Canon's new EOS-1Dx impresses but was ditching the APS-H format right?
Tags canon, eos-1dx, paparrazzi
X stands for ten and it's ten years since Canon introduced the very first EOS-1D, resplendent with its four megapixel APS-H (CCD) sensor and 8 frames per second shooting capability. Earlier that year I was part of a large party of European journalists who were invited to Japan in order to preview a new professional camera from Canon. The camera was pulled at the last minute but the press trip still went ahead. The rumour was that Canon's new CMOS sensor technology was proving problematic and might explain why the 1D was launched with a conventional CCD sensor.
Now we have the EOS-1Dx, it can shoot HD video as well as stills at a rate of up to 14fps. But put the original 1D next to the new 1DX and you will be hard pressed to work out, at a glance, which is which. Canon's evocative EOS-1 styling cues, with the curved pentaprism cover and sloping shoulders, have survived for 22 years, since Canon launched the first EOS-1 film pro SLR in 1989.
I find it slightly amusing that the 1DX, which we hear will only start to ship next Spring, does not yet have an official specification for its weight. All EOS-1D camera bodies are built like tanks and feel as heavy too. The EOS-1D Mark IV, which precedes the IDx, was a whopping 1.2kg without a lens attached.
The new 1Dx certainly impresses on paper:
- 18.1 MP full frame CMOS sensor
- Up to 12fps and 14fps shooting
- 100-51200 ISO, up to H:204800
- 61 point AF system
- 100,000 pixel RGB AE metering with DIGIC 4
- Full HD 1080p EOS movie
- Dual “DIGIC 5+” processors
- Clear View II 8.11 cm (3.2”) 1040K-dot LCD
- Ethernet port
One aspect of the 1Dx that I'm less sure about is the switch from APS-H sensor format to full frame. This instantly blunts the reach of a paparazzi telephoto lens by nearly 20 percent, and blurs the distinction between the 1D and 1Ds, the latter having been full frame from the start. It will be interesting to hear what the pros, who will be using the 1Dx, think about this move.
The 1Dx will also sustain the debate among professional photographers concerning which platform is best - Canon or Nikon? It's been a while since Nikon updated their professional line up. But I'm sure the relentless cycle of development will mean that Nikon will have its own answer sooner or later.
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