Bryan Carnathan's 1D X Review Is Finished

[drjlo]

I read it earlier today. He seems enthusiastic about it, but its also obvious that the 5D MK III will suffice for many of us. He does tell us what works well, and what doesn't.

The 5DIII vs. 1DX (res'd to 5DIII) resolution chart comparisons look to me sharper with more details with 5DIII, while the high ISO noise looks a little better with 1DX. I suppose that's the similar line of comparison when D800 resolution is compared to 5DIII, but with even larger resolution difference.

I do appreciate that 5DIII can become more portable with (optional) battery grip off for those more casual outings.

 

[pwp]

I have been waiting to see this review and read it eagerly today. After reading it, and summing up what I need in a camera, I opted for a used 1dMk4 + 5D3 as my combo.

Since the 5DIII shipped, I have been VERY happy with the 1D4 & 5DIII combo. Where the 5DIII eats the Mk4 for breakfast is low light AF. Still, if my business strings together another couple of strong months a 1DX will be irresistible. As much as I like the 5DIII files, low light AF, high iso etc, the 1-Series body is my primary "go-to" camera. Hell, I'd like two 1DX bodies!

PW

 

[briansquibb]

There has been much focus on low light/high iso for the 1DX

I haven't been able to see much reporting on high light/low iso yet.

 

[wickidwombat]

I have discovered that if I put a kenko extension tube between the lens and extender it reports no aperture change and AF works fine obviously this is of limited use though

 

[expatinasia]

I really enjoyed the review, it is well written, easy to understand, and must have taken him quite some time to put together.

I was amazed by the 26 shot burst at 12fps he put together. Makes deciding which picture to use all that harder!

One thing I was surprised about is in the summary where he lists the pros and cons. Is there really no headphone jack on the 1D X?

 

[canon816]

I have always been disappointed with the AF system and the slow burst rate of 3FPS...

5DII is 4 fps
5Dc is 3fps

Actually the 5DII is 3.9 FPS.... but I wasn't really splitting hairs with my statement. Just pointing out that it was slllooooowwwwww.

 

[bdunbar79]

There has been much focus on low light/high iso for the 1DX

I haven't been able to see much reporting on high light/low iso yet.

Brian,

Let's do this. This weekend I'll shoot at ISO 50 on the 1DX and 1Ds3. With a tripod of course.

 

[briansquibb]

There has been much focus on low light/high iso for the 1DX

I haven't been able to see much reporting on high light/low iso yet.

Brian,

Let's do this. This weekend I'll shoot at ISO 50 on the 1DX and 1Ds3. With a tripod of course.

;D ;D ;D

 

[ScottyP]

and it appears that he tries to avoid being overly critical.

He's not always so nice, just depends on which reviews you look at:
Sigma 20mm f/1.8
"Unfortunately, I consider the Sigma 20mm f/1.8 EX DG Lens to be unusable at f/1.8 unless you are looking for a soft-focus effect. This lens is one of the softest I've seen wide open.
In conclusion, I recommend not buying the Sigma 20mm f/1.8 EX DG Lens. Sorry Sigma, this one is a dud."

It's not just sigma:
EF 80-200
"The Canon EF 80-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II Lens is a very small, very light and very cheap telephoto zoom lens.
There is no sticker shock when checking the price on this lens. But, as often is the case, you get what you pay for.
With the Canon EF 80-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II Lens, you also get very cheap build quality.
Optically, the Canon EF 80-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II Lens is disappointing.
Basically, the Canon EF 80-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II Lens is a very cheap telephoto zoom lens with performance relative to its cost."

Sure, with the L lenses and 1-series bodies he's not going to be too negative, but even in the 1DX review he says things like:
"...but first, I want to point out a potential downside for 1D Mark IV body owners looking to upgrade to the 1D X... This is of course disappointing to many extender users... The largest group of photographers affected by this change are, probably, bird photographers (such as Arthur Morris) - who have been dealt a double blow with the 1D X. Bird photography typically needs the most reach possible - through both lens focal length and sensor density. Increasing focal length via extenders has now been limited (for autofocus to function) and the 1D X has a less-dense sensor than either of the previous 1-Series models...
This is, perhaps, the end of that era. I have to admit that I'm surprised by this design decision. "

He sounds almost British here, being polite as possible about a change for the worse when you can really tell he's annoyed by the no f/8 and knows a lot of others are too.

You just have to read between the lines a bit when reading his reviews, to tell which lenses/bodies he loves and which ones not so much...

I like his reviews, and his site, and his lens comparison tool is fantastic (and unique I think!) so don't get me wrong here. I am a fan. So don't take the following as criticism of his character or the value of his reviews, or the effort he puts in.

But saying he trashed a Sigma lens and sniffed at a few hapless non-L Canon lenses is missing the point. My one niggle with Bryan's reviews is that sometimes it feels like he's never met a red-ring lens he didn't love (unless it has just been replaced with a new more expensive red-ringed mk2 lens), and he never gives the same kind of unqualified praise to any 3rd-party lenses.

I don't call it a "bias" because that word has negative connotations, and he does it with great intentions. I just think it is a point-of-view he brings to it.

 

[JR]

There has been much focus on low light/high iso for the 1DX

I haven't been able to see much reporting on high light/low iso yet.

Well by no mean I am not a reference here but I am VERY impressed with the low ISO performnace of the 1DX. The amount of details is incredible. My only comparable point of reference would be the Nikon D4 since I already sold the 5D mkII and I have no experience with previous Canon 1D product.

That said, while I believe the Nikon D4 still has a higher DR at low ISO, I find the 1DX at ISO 100 to produce more impressive image. As well, anything shot below ISO 500 is unbielevably good for me anyway.

The first image below is ISO 250 while the second one is ISO 400.

 

[JR]

And here are two ISO portraits...

 

[briansquibb]

@jr - many thanks - looks very promising

 

[bdunbar79]

Looks like the 1D X's faux manual mode is exactly the same as the 1D Mark IV. There is a minimum shutter speed you can set in the main menu, however, the fastest in that menu is 1/250s.

If ISO Safety Shift, Min shutter speed to 1/500 or 1/1000, with auto ISO and EC set to whatever you wish. I would have liked if you can set Min shutter to 1/640 or 1/800. I can't remember if you can on the 1D4 but I don't think you could; I think it jumped from 1/500 to 1/1000 if I remember correctly.

 

[briansquibb]

Looks like the 1D X's faux manual mode is exactly the same as the 1D Mark IV. There is a minimum shutter speed you can set in the main menu, however, the fastest in that menu is 1/250s.

If ISO Safety Shift, Min shutter speed to 1/500 or 1/1000, with auto ISO and EC set to whatever you wish. I would have liked if you can set Min shutter to 1/640 or 1/800. I can't remember if you can on the 1D4 but I don't think you could; I think it jumped from 1/500 to 1/1000 if I remember correctly.

The 1D4 goes 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000 as well

I am very happy with that - most of the time I use 1/250 or 1/500 by default.

 

[bdunbar79]

I am happy with it too, but you know how it is, when you get something new you maybe hope it may do the 1/3 stops of 1/640 and 1/800 8)

 

[briansquibb]

I am happy with it too, but you know how it is, when you get something new you maybe hope it may do the 1/3 stops of 1/640 and 1/800 8)

It is only a minimum - so in bright light I am often much faster

Dont forget you can dial in min/max ISO too - again full stops. My 1D4 is set for L/6400

Another alternative is to set the Safety shift to TV/AV and shoot on TV

In Tv mode, the Tv/Av Safety Shift behaves the same way only changing the shutter speed instead. For a required exposure of f/1.4 at 1/250th with a lens that can only open up to f/2.8, Safety Shift would cause the camera to drop the shutter speed to 1/60th to insure a proper exposure. Alternatively, an exposure that required an aperture smaller than the lens could produce would result in shortening the shutter speed until the exposure was correct. With Autoiso set then this only shifts when the ISO limit is reached.

This gives you the fine control over the shutter speed