1DX new all-time low-light king?

[LetTheRightLensIn]

Hard to tell from one test of the sort posted, but wow, the high iso looks impressive. It's shocking, but it might actually beat the 5D3 by a good 2/3 of a stop! I'm not sure if it is even possible to build one that would do better without radically different tech. This may be the best we ever get from any standard design. High ISO appears to be insanely good on it. At worst it ties the 5D3/D800/D4 but I think it almost certainly beats them all, some by a margin not even really thought to be entirely realistic. Some insane high iso!

I really don't see the D4 being able to match this level of performance (and it has 2 less MP), although I guess the difference won't be all that large, maybe a solid 1/3 stop behind? (again with 2 less MP though).

(The sad note, for the 5D3 users, is it seems proof that Canon did in fact reserve all of their new sensor fab for the 1DX only and decided to milk the old process one more time for the 5D3 sensor, figuring they could get away with it since they bumped up the body specs so much (but they also bumped up the price so much so.... hmm. Maybe it was all about insuring 5D3 had largest profit margin for a 5 series). Seeing the D800 sensor's quality I wonder if someone in Canon marketing is not ruing their decision.)
(That said the 5D3 is still one of the very best ever at high ISO, if not quite there. At low iso it's a pretty outdated sensor at this point though, at least if you ever shoot scenes with lots of dynamic range.)

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

the review said 1 full stop + not 2/3

Yeah but I was just going by my eye and what some others said he have even tried a little direct measurement on the samples.

Whatever the case it looks to be a stunning high iso performer, it's hard to imagine it (ever) being topped without doing something radical.

 

[bdunbar79]

Only time I'll need the high ISO performance is in indoor basketball and track, which I will be shooting this winter upwards of 2-3 nights per week (track once/weekly). But really, have I gone above ISO 3200 on the 1D Mark IV? No because I've never tried it. I have not shot indoor sports before officially. I really need to see a comparison in photos of 1D4 vs. 1DX. I'll still get the 1DX sure, but if 1D4 still performs well enough in low light then I'll bring both cameras to the events and shoot with both. Guess then I'll do my own comparison but it's just kind of cool to see it beforehand. 8)

 

[neuroanatomist]

1DX new all-time low-light king?

^^ One main reason I'm getting a 1D X. After needing to push my 5DII up to H2 earlier this month, I'll take all the improvement in ISO performance I can get.

 

[wickidwombat]

OK where is the REAL LTRLI and what have you done with him?!

 

[chrysek]

1DX new all-time low-light king?

^^ One main reason I'm getting a 1D X. After needing to push my 5DII up to H2 earlier this month, I'll take all the improvement in ISO performance I can get.

me too wish it had more megapixels but hey, cant have everything ))

 

[Drizzt321]

1DX new all-time low-light king?

^^ One main reason I'm getting a 1D X. After needing to push my 5DII up to H2 earlier this month, I'll take all the improvement in ISO performance I can get.

You're using H2? Holy crap! What the heck are you shooting?

 

[chrysek]

1DX new all-time low-light king?

^^ One main reason I'm getting a 1D X. After needing to push my 5DII up to H2 earlier this month, I'll take all the improvement in ISO performance I can get.

You're using H2? Holy crap! What the heck are you shooting?

Hey, how many times I did try to shoot without flash and there was not enough light for my 5d mark ii, so 51k iso or even H2 at times could mean huge difference in getting the shoot at all just amazed with the high iso, hope I can get my camera now finaly after waiting ethernity ))))

 

[Drizzt321]

1DX new all-time low-light king?

^^ One main reason I'm getting a 1D X. After needing to push my 5DII up to H2 earlier this month, I'll take all the improvement in ISO performance I can get.

You're using H2? Holy crap! What the heck are you shooting?

Hey, how many times I did try to shoot without flash and there was not enough light for my 5d mark ii, so 51k iso or even H2 at times could mean huge difference in getting the shoot at all just amazed with the high iso, hope I can get my camera now finaly after waiting ethernity ))))

I've been using 6400 regularly for shooting some live music performances where the lighting is actually decent (well, it's constant and doesn't really change, although it is mixed) to keep my shutter speed up to 1/80-1/120 and I still feel I'm losing a bit too much fine detail. Granted that's peeping at 1:1 or 1:2 (or is it 2:1 for 1/2 size?), but even outputting at 1200px long edge I'd like it to be a touch sharper.

I guess it is just true, a shot you wouldn't otherwise have gotten is a good shot even if it's noisy or not as much detail. Heck, I should try going to 12800 or 25600 tonight and just convert to B&W, might give me some interesting shots. Although I don't really need to be at >=1/200 since she's not a wild crazy rock performer. Singer/piano player, so pretty static most of the time.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I'd like to see a apples to apples comparison with the Nikon D3s, which is the current best low light DSLR.
It is certainly very good, and at least 1/2 stop better than the 5D MK III, which is what we expected. At the very highest ISO's, it does pull away, in the same manner that the 5D MK III pulls ahead the MK II at ISO 25600.
I'm also interested in DR. After buying a D800 and seeing the DR at low ISO, it makes a very noticible difference in challenging light situations, I really was suprised at the difference. However, at very high ISO, it loses out to the 5D MK III on DR.

 

[wickidwombat]

if you are shooting with the intention of converting to black and white 25600 is perfectly fine on the 5Dmk3
it looks very film like as long as you leave the noise in there looks quite ASA1600 like

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

OK where is the REAL LTRLI and what have you done with him?!

Haha, still here as always. I simply call it like I see it for good or bad. In this particular scenario, 1DX at high iso, VERY much for the good.

The 1DX high ISO performance, at least from what I can guess at from those samples, appears to be stunning, likely the best ever seen in the history of DSLRs. I'm kinda stunned actually. Never thought they'd pull a solid 2/3rds or more stops better than 5D3 there.

If this holds up it's gonna rock at high ISOs.

(I still think the D800 will easily beat it at ISO100-400 though, but I'm no longer sure the D4 will, perhaps they tie but 1DX with more MP nudges it for the win?)

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

Pretty nuts to think that shooting ISO4000 on this might be vaguely like shooting ISO1600 on 5D2.
(and better than shooting ISO2500 on the 5D3 )
whoa

 

[gary samples]

After going back to the review and looking at the 100% crops I see a 2/3 of a stop improvement on the mark III !!

 

[chrysek]

Pretty nuts to think that shooting ISO4000 on this might be vaguely like shooting ISO1600 on 5D2.
(and better than shooting ISO2500 on the 5D3 )
whoa

thats good enough for me )))

 

[RLPhoto]

1 stop better ISO than 5d3
2 stops better ISO than 5d2
4 stops better ISO than 7D.

Canon, after all the previous disappointments, the 1DX is the best of the best again.

Canon has some newer tech that will trickle down in the next Gen from 1Dx.

 

[ddashti]

If that is indeed the case of the high ISO performance level, the 1D X will definitely be somewhat of the sole pride of Canon. There is much unannounced stuff, though. Let's see how that will fair against the 1D X.

 

[awinphoto]

Then again for 2x the price, i would HOPE the 1dx would have a better sensor/high ISO than the 5d3... but but but, any quesses on DR LetTheRightLensIn?

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

Then again for 2x the price, i would HOPE the 1dx would have a better sensor/high ISO than the 5d3... but but but, any quesses on DR LetTheRightLensIn?

I'd be surprised if it can match D800 DR. I doubt that is possible.

Other than that it's hard to say but the fact that it appears, assuming that guys test with the flower shots didn't have any hidden gotchas, that the high iso is so amazing that they must be using something totally new for the 1DX sensor so I think it's now certainly quite possible that it could be say a solid 1.5 stops better DR than the 5D2 and somewhere around D4 level DR, i.e. no match for any Exmor, but a nice step up from anything Canon has done before and match for the best non-Exmor DR. But who knows. Anyway I'd be slightly surprised if it it is not within the range of 0.5 to 2 stops better DR than the 5D2, at this point.

People have posted raw frames, but all anyone posts is supr high iso raws so I have nothing but guesses to go on.

 

[briansquibb]

Then again for 2x the price, i would HOPE the 1dx would have a better sensor/high ISO than the 5d3... but but but, any quesses on DR LetTheRightLensIn?

I'd be surprised if it can match D800 DR. I doubt that is possible.

Other than that it's hard to say but the fact that it appears, assuming that guys test with the flower shots didn't have any hidden gotchas, that the high iso is so amazing that they must be using something totally new for the 1DX sensor so I think it's now certainly quite possible that it could be say a solid 1.5 stops better DR than the 5D2 and somewhere around D4 level DR, i.e. no match for any Exmor, but a nice step up from anything Canon has done before and match for the best non-Exmor DR. But who knows. Anyway I'd be slightly surprised if it it is not within the range of 0.5 to 2 stops better DR than the 5D2, at this point.

People have posted raw frames, but all anyone posts is supr high iso raws so I have nothing but guesses to go on.

You are right - the D800 will always beat the 5DIII DR figure fromDxO because of the way they calculate it, where mps plays a significant part