Canon officially announces the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III

It's like . . . and bear in mind, I'm a 1DX-series spectator, but . . . the thing we hear over and over is that the processors in the 1DX line have to be "so powerful" in order to support the "massive amount of data" the camera is handling, and yet, the DIGIC X processor is pushing fewer MP/sec than a processor in a camera priced under 1K.

There's more to it than that.. the 1 series processes AF and AE information faster and probably more often, things like iTR need some umph as well.

RAW video requires a massive amount of data, as does oversampled 4K video.

consider the 1DX Mark II has DIGIC 4, and two DIGIC 6+'s and that's replaced by one DIGIC X and far FAR FAR less power drain with around 2x or more shots per battery, is freaking impressive.

Also MP/sec isn't everything. there's a top end to FPS with mechanical mirror assemblies and there's a difference between how hard it is to make a full frame sensor move data as quickly as an APS-C sensor.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
Upvote 0

Aussie shooter

https://brettguyphotography.picfair.com/
Dec 6, 2016
1,183
1,817
brettguyphotography.picfair.com
Well. I think there is little question that this will be the greatest DSLR ever made(within certain parameters and with the acknowledgement that it cannot cover all use cases). But the 'mirrorless' features it seems to be boasting are a major shot over Sonys bow. The features in a full mirrorless body(with real ergonomics unlike Sony gives) married to RF lenses would be truly exceptional (excepting the reality that an EVF will likely never beat an OVF for extended and persistent use)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Upvote 0
Back to the AF Spread...OVF is roughly the same as the mkii according to the white papers

This rather reinforces the notion - that some people conveniently ignored when the 6D2 came out and people complained about the extra AF points being 'bunched up' - that traditional AF points can't be placed too close to the edge of the frame for technical reasons (which is certainly true). But perhaps those same people will coninue to believe it's some kind of malign conspiracy...
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0
There's more to it than that.. the 1 series processes AF and AE information faster and probably more often, things like iTR need some umph as well.

RAW video requires a massive amount of data, as does oversampled 4K video.

consider the 1DX Mark II has DIGIC 4, and two DIGIC 6+'s and that's replaced by one DIGIC X and far FAR FAR less power drain with around 2x or more shots per battery, is freaking impressive.

Also MP/sec isn't everything. there's a top end to FPS with mechanical mirror assemblies and there's a difference between how hard it is to make a full frame sensor move data as quickly as an APS-C sensor.
You got that one abit wrong. It has one DIGIC X processor which replaces the two DIGIC 6+ ones, but there is still an additional DIGIC 8 dedicated for AF/AE. I'm personaly most happy to see things like new AF-ON button, head/face tracking via OVF (still dont quite know how this is done?) and built in wifi.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Upvote 0

koenkooi

CR Pro
Feb 25, 2015
3,575
4,111
The Netherlands
I would not get your hopes up. With each generation, the 1-series always gets the most stills throughput.

Last-gen:
1DX2 = 20 x 16 = 320 MP/s
5D4 = 30 x 7 = 210 MP/s​
6D2 = 26 x 6.5 = 169 MP/s​
5DS = 50 x 5 = 250 MP/s​

2 gens ago:
1DX1 = 18 x 14 = 252 MP/s
5D3 = 22 x 6 = 132 MP/s​
6D1 = 20 x 4.5 = 90 MP/s​

The idea that we can slice the max throughput of the line-leading model into attractive combos we'd rather own is what Sony and Nikon do. Historically, Canon doesn't.

Now, if there was a 1-series high res, I'd like to see that math. But Canon hasn't married high res + 1-series in.... what, 13 years? Not holding my breath.

- A
This gen:
M6II = 32.5 x 14 = 455 MP/s
1DX3 = 20 x 20 = 400MP/s
 
Upvote 0

SecureGSM

2 x 5D IV
Feb 26, 2017
2,360
1,231
Canon is a sinking ship. Sony has fired several torpedos at Canon and there is water rushing in which cannot be stopped but can only be slowed somewhat, such as with this model which comes in too late but still unusable as a video camera. Canon will eventually take enough water and sink to the bottom.
1Dx III is unusable as a video camera? This is nuts! Nice and simple. What are you Sony trolls are smoking? Do you even understand the level of absurdity of what you have just said? I guess, no...
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 users
Upvote 0

hne

Gear limits your creativity
Jan 8, 2016
331
53
I never saw where the notion that lots of data requires lots of processing power comes from. Sure, it needs to be compressed, but I would have thought Canon had figured out how to do that efficiently long ago.

Evaluation of the AF system, which in the 1DX III has a ton of information to process, is likely what requires the high end chips. And jn this instance, the massive video specs as well.

You'd have to do some sort of calculation per pixel. Even at one clock cycle per pixel you'd be looking at a full 1.2GHz CPU core at 5.5k60p, and believe me - you ain't implementing no compression algorithm with a single cycle per pixel!
20fps for 20Mpx stills is limited by something else.
On that note, here's what Canon apparently wants us to believe:

"
At the heart of the 1DX Mark III is a new Digic X chip, which Canon says will be the start of a new family of camera processors. These will apparently be tailored to each camera – you won't get the same Digic X in a Canon M series, for example – but they will all come under the umbrella name 'Digic X'.

It's tricky to say precisely how much of a leap this is from the current Digic 9, but compared to the dual processors in the 1DX Mark II, Canon says it can crunch computational data 380 times faster and process images three times quicker."

From: https://www.techradar.com/reviews/canon-1dx-mark-iii

Reading between the lines of the marketing mumbojumbo, I get the impression that the Digic X has not only a hardware implementation of jpeg compression, but also at least one TPU for the head detection. Face detection seems to be implemented on the Digic8 with a "handover" to head detection made by the Digic X. Having a shorter buffer with HEIF indicates that the processor can't keep up with 20fps for that format.

Still, this looks like an absurdly power efficient image processing pipeline, definitely purpose-built. Kudos to the Canon engineers!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Upvote 0

Roo

CR Pro
Sep 12, 2013
1,003
338
Melbourne
I had a short hands on with it today and that thumb touch to move focus points is awesome. It is so fluid to move points around the screen. When in landscape orientation, the button on the grip doesn't activate until the camera is rotated through over 45 degrees to prevent accidental point movement through contact with your palm.

I can't think of a time I would shoot sports in live view but 20fps silent using the electronic shutter is impressive - the only way you can tell it's shooting is the quick flickering of the focus points.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0

Aussie shooter

https://brettguyphotography.picfair.com/
Dec 6, 2016
1,183
1,817
brettguyphotography.picfair.com
Canon is a sinking ship. Sony has fired several torpedos at Canon and there is water rushing in which cannot be stopped but can only be slowed somewhat, such as with this model which comes in too late but still unusable as a video camera. Canon will eventually take enough water and sink to the bottom.
Wow. Are you a flat earther too?
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: 4 users
Upvote 0
1Dx III is unusable as a video camera? This is nuts! Nice and simple. What are you Sony trolls are smoking? Do you even understand the level of absurdity of what you have just said? I guess, no...
People who want to shoot serious video won't buy this camera. Those who buy this won't be using it as a video camera. Packing this particular model with video features is a PR move from Canon aimed at showing Canon is not behind in video technology , which they are.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0
Dec 13, 2010
4,932
1,608
People who want to shoot serious video won't buy this camera. Those who buy this won't be using it as a video camera. Packing this particular model with video features is a PR move from Canon aimed at showing Canon is not behind in video technology , which they are.
Yes, of course you’re right, that’s why the 5d mkII was used in Avengers among other high end movies.
A Norwegian, excellent, tv-series called “Dag” was filmed exclusively with the 5d2 and 1d4 and I’ve always thought it looked amazing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Upvote 0
People who want to shoot serious video won't buy this camera. Those who buy this won't be using it as a video camera. Packing this particular model with video features is a PR move from Canon aimed at showing Canon is not behind in video technology , which they are.

So they make the most advanced SLR ever made for video just to show they are not behind in technology, but they really are behind?? That makes a lot of sense. I guess I will remove this from my list. Thanks for the public service.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: 6 users
Upvote 0

Warrenl

CR Pro
Jul 15, 2012
57
42
It has a Digic X, as it does 2600 Mbps in 4K60 raw.

This camera will be exceptional for video. It is a 5.5K oversampled down to 4K Full Frame video camera with high bit rates. Yes, Sony and Fuji do 4K as well, however they are at 1/3 of the data rate. This allows a lot more push and pull of the video file without it degrading all the way from 1080p to 4K60. The amount of time I save with my Canon files from my 1DX2, or R compared to working with files from my other shooters who use Sony puts a smile on my face all the time.

Look at these data rates:

By the way, I have pre-ordered the DX111, and are number 2 on the list at my store. My other DX11 will be replaced shortly. And yes, I do use my cameras for both video and sports. Each of my bodies has over 1.3 million actuations.
 

Attachments

  • 1DX3 data rate.png
    1DX3 data rate.png
    587.4 KB · Views: 128
  • Wow
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Upvote 0

SecureGSM

2 x 5D IV
Feb 26, 2017
2,360
1,231
People who want to shoot serious video won't buy this camera. Those who buy this won't be using it as a video camera. Packing this particular model with video features is a PR move from Canon aimed at showing Canon is not behind in video technology , which they are.
What in your opinion makes this camea unusable for taking serious videos? Have you seen the surf video taken with 1Dx III that Canon has just posted?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0

rbielefeld

CR Pro
Apr 22, 2015
179
414
What in your opinion makes this camea unusable for taking serious videos? Have you seen the surf video taken with 1Dx III that Canon has just posted?
I will not say it will be unusable for video, but it sure is a lot harder to track fast moving subjects when you can't look through the viewfinder. This is where mirrorless shines IMO. I have shot video with my 5DIV and 1DxII and with a Sony a9 and a9II. Being able to track through the viewfinder while employing awesome continuous AF using 200-600mm of focal length is a wonderful thing. I am looking forward to Canon's fast action pro mirrorless, hoping it will meet or beat the Sony a9II. There is no way I could capture video like this using the back LCD screen. Link to video:
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Upvote 0

ahsanford

Particular Member
Aug 16, 2012
8,620
1,651
This is a big reason I sold the 1dx2 and bought the R. The freedom that AF systems give for composition has completely transformed how I shoot for the better.

100%. If you want more AF spread, pitch the mirror. The leap to DPAF spread should easily surpass whatever tiny spread improvements are still possible with EF + OVF in 2020.

- A
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0
CanoKnight said:
Canon is a sinking ship. Sony has fired several torpedos at Canon and there is water rushing in which cannot be stopped but can only be slowed somewhat, such as with this model which comes in too late but still unusable as a video camera. Canon will eventually take enough water and sink to the bottom.

1Dx III is unusable as a video camera? This is nuts! Nice and simple. What are you Sony trolls are smoking? Do you even understand the level of absurdity of what you have just said? I guess, no...

121n5f.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0