Michael Daniel Ho
The Wildlife Ho-tographer
Ever since the introduction of the Canon EOS-1 series camera in 1989, I have made this body my main piece of equipment and have upgraded to almost every new model through the decades. I am not the type who craves the 'latest and greatest' gear but once in a while, a new camera introduction can fill a gap in my equipment lineup. So when the EOS-1D X was announced, it seems to be the camera I am looking for so I placed my order and anxiously waited for the delivery. It's finally here and I have put it through some real world, wildlife photo shoots in Alaska and Canada using the Lexar 1000X UDMA 7 memory cards to take full advantage of the 12-14 fps burst rate. My review will not have charts and graphs and this article will not cover all the camera's features, just the major new improvements, and assumes the reader is already familiar with the functionality of the current 1D cameras. It is intended to help those trying to decide whether to upgrade their present 1D bodies by sharing my impression of the new camera from the stand point of a wildlife and travel photographer out in the field. I will be using the 1D MK IV as a reference point. Below are the major features and functionalities of the new camera.
Canon EOS-1D X Features :
Canon EOS-1D X Features :
- Full Frame 18-megapixel CMOS image sensor
- New mechanical shutter rated up to 400,000 cycles thanks to carbon fiber blades and new drive motor
- Dual DIGIC 5+ imaging processors
- 2nd Gen EOS Integrated Cleaning System
- Third DIGIC 4 processor for RGB Metering
- 100,000 Pixel RGB metering sensor
- Sensitivity settings from ISO 100 - 51,200; expansion available with Low (50), Hi 1 (102,400) and Hi 2 (204,800)
- Advanced new 61-point High Density Reticular Phase Detection AF system with 21 cross-type focusing points in the center of the frame; 5 of which are diagonal cross-type sensors for smaller apertures
- New intelligent EOS iTR AF Tracking and Recognition options
- Burst shooting at 12fps with AF (JPEG and RAW), or up to 14fps with no AF (JPEG only)
- Full 1080p HD video with new ALL-I and IPB compression format options
- Automatic video file splitting when 4GB is reached; video keeps rolling, while new files is created
- 3.2-inch wide LCD with 1,040,000 dots
- Subject Recognition system (AF, Exposure, Auto Lighting Control, AUto Picture Style)
- Optical Correction functions for peripheral illumination, Distortion correction, and CA correction
- Enhanced intelligent OVF with 100% frame coverage, .76x magnification, 20mm eye-point, and expanded ISO indicator; now 5 digits
- Built-in USB 3.0 and gigabit Ethernet ports
- New WFT-E6 Wi-Fi unit (802.11 a/b/g/n)
- New GP-E1 GPS unit
- Dual CF (Compact Flash) card slots
- New Li-ion battery pack
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