CANON EOS-1D X MARK III
James Artaius asks, is this the most advanced camera in the world? This hybrid DSLR/mirrorless for pros is a glimpse into the future of digital photography
Is this the most advanced camera in the world?
The Canon EOS-1D X Mark III had a lot to live up to when it was released. While the world of professional sports photography is still dominated by DSLRs (70 per cent of pros at last year’s Rugby World
Cup used Canon DSLRs), mirrorless cameras have now come very far indeed.
With the Sony A9 II reigning as the best camera for pros, Canon really had to pull something special out of the bag with its new flagship DSLR. Fortunately, it has succeeded in delivering a true hybrid DSLR/mirrorless camera that ushers in a number of new features and technologies.
While you would expect Sony’s top dog mirrorless camera to be the one with the latest tricks, it’s actually Canon’s DSLR that packs the bleeding-edge technology, from a new image format and memory standard to a truly innovative new control input, which will almost certainly become the new norm for cameras that shoot action.
This hybrid DSLR/mirrorless camera ushers in a number of industry-standard features and technologies. While the 1D X Mark III is brimming with the latest technology, it’s built around one fundamental piece of throwback hardware: an optical viewfinder, with which it can shoot 16 frames per second (mechanical shutter) in conjunction with a dedicated DIGIC 8 processor, with 191 AF points (155 of which are cross-type). When switched to Live View, the camera can shoot 20 frames per second (mechanical or electronic shutter) using the full 20.1MP readout of the image sensor, combined with the new DIGIC X processor and a huge 3,869 Dual Pixel CMOS AF points.
DIGIC X is a whole new family of processor for Canon cameras. In the case of the 1D X Mark III, the processor is 380 times faster than the Mark II at computational processing, and 3.1 times faster at image processing.
This plays a big part in the 1D X Mark III’s most talked-about party trick: deep learning AF. Canon fed the algorithm with millions of reference images, enabling it to learn how to recognise human figures and prioritise the human head, regardless of whether the face is looking the other way or obscured by goggles or helmets. The result is an AF that knows the head is the primary point of focus.
The 1D X Mark III also adds HEIF support to its RAW and JPEG shooting. The format has been around for a while, but this is the first time it’s supported by a traditional camera. HEIF offers superior fidelity to 8-bit JPEGs, and you can capture images with four times the amount of data in the same file size.
In terms of build and handling, the EOS-1D X Mark III looks virtually identical to the Mark II – and, indeed, to most of the 1-series cameras ever produced. Holding the camera is like hugging an old friend. That said, its new Smart Controller (see over the page) is the future of AF point selection, and the idea will no doubt be adopted by the entire camera industry before long.
While some might scoff at the Canon EOS1D X Mark III only having a 20.1MP sensor, the proof is in the pictures. We can empirically say that they’re not quite as sharp as those produced by a 24MP sensor, but they’re more than sharp enough. The beefy dynamic range and ISO results in images with a lot of play
in them – even in the JPEGs, but especially in the HEIF files (for pro use, JPEG is more important than RAW, as the currency of agency shooting.)
The 4K video is crisp and clean, and we’re happy that Canon has finally cracked the fullframe cropping problem. The lack of image stabilisation is a significant factor when it comes to video, but this isn’t a run-and-gun vlogging camera. Mounted on a tripod, and combined with electronic stabilisation (which introduces a crop), the video is pretty pristine.
Shooting video reveals the strength of the new deep learning AF, which really does make a difference. When filming cars zipping around a track, we saw the speed of focus acquisition, and the camera knew to prioritise the drivers’ helmets rather than the cars.
Canon has its own reasons for not rolling out IBIS yet, and is still proclaiming that lens-based IS is superior. That may well be true, but when you’re using a huge L-series lens that isn’t stabilised, or recording video with a giant hunk of glass mounted and trying to get a cool angle using a screen that doesn’t tilt, you might wish for such things.
The EOS-1D X Mark III is every bit the professional powerhouse you would expect it to be. Canon has combined the advantages of DSLR and mirrorless to produce a hybrid body that can shoot according to what the situation demands. This one doesn’t hold back, and it introduces some serious next-gen technology that will fundamentally improve your shooting experience, your images, and your workflow.