A Quick Color & Noise Comparison: Canon EOS-1D X vs Canon EOS 5D Mark III

[Canon Rumors Guy]

<div name="googleone_share_1" style="position:relative;z-index:5;float: right; /*margin: 70px 0 0 0;*/ top:70px; right:120px; width:0;"><g:plusone size="tall" count="1" href="http://www.canonrumors.com/?p=11372"></g:plusone></div><div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin:0 0 70px 70px;"><a class="tm_button" rel="&style=normal&b=2" href="http://www.canonrumors.com/?p=11372"></a></div>
<strong>A big difference</strong>


A reader sent in a quick comparison between the Canon EOS-1D X and Canon EOS 5D Mark III showing a very different color rendition as well as a significant difference in noise performance at ISO 25,600.</p>
<p><strong>The Quick Test


</strong>The following test was conducted at sunset. This is the reason for the white balance setting, which on my 5d3 most closely approximated the warm tone of the light. Both files were dialed in at 8000k, +15 magenta. Both use the exact same lens, and were shot within 1 minute of each other. Both files are DNG 7.1, process version PV2012, and use the camera calibration setting “Camera Neutral.” All other settings including sharpening, noise reduction, tone curve, etc are all zero’d out for consistency. I’m using the latest version of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom available as of this writing, which is 4.1.</p>
<div id="attachment_11373" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 208px"><a href="http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/5d3-vs-1dx-no-NR1.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-11373" title="5d3-vs-1dx-no-NR1" src="http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/5d3-vs-1dx-no-NR1-198x575.jpeg" alt="" width="198" height="575" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The Test with 100% Crops | Click for Larger</p></div>
<p><strong>Canon EOS-1D X at <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/827036-REG/Canon_5253B002_EOS_1D_X_EOS_Digital.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296" target="_blank">B&H</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005Y3T1AI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005Y3T1AI&linkCode=as2&tag=canorumo-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.adorama.com/ICA1DX.html?kbid=64393" target="_blank">Adorama</a> | Canon EOS 5D Mark III at <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/886948-REG/Canon_EOS_5D_Mark_III.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296" target="_blank">B&H</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007FGYZFI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007FGYZFI&linkCode=as2&tag=canorumo-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.adorama.com/ICA5DM3.html?kbid=64393" target="_blank">Adorama</a></strong></p>
<p>Source: [<a href="http://protogtech.com/cameras/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-vs-eos-1d-x-low-light-high-iso/" target="_blank">PPT</a>]</p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">c</span>r</strong></p>

 

[kevl]

The 1Dx is a high ISO monster! Perhaps I need to remortgage the house so I can upgrade from the 5D3 to the 1Dx.

Frankly, the 5D3 did an amazing job in that photo too. Color shift doesn't bother me too much because I always play with that in post even if it looks good as shot. So no color shift wouldn't even save me on workflow.

 

[quartzie]

IMHO, there is a noticeable difference in lighting color - as evidenced by the reflection in the windshield.
One minute can make a huge difference during sunset, and given that the shots aren't perfectly aligned, I'd wager that each camera measured the light somewhere else.

The difference between their high ISO performance is vast, but I'd prefer to see a slightly more reasonable exposure. Pulling 1/6400s just to be able to use ISO 25600 during the day seems a bit outlandish and quite unlikely in most settings.

 

[pharding]

I was at the WFX 2012 Trade Show and our booth was immediately next to Canon's large booth. I spent a fair amount of time chatting with their camera representatives. They stated for normal situations the 1DX and 5D Mark III perform equally well. For low light/high ISO situations the 1DX performs better.

 

[tron]

The difference is obvious but ... the difference in cost is even higher!

 

[pedro]

I was at the WFX 2012 Trade Show and our booth was immediately next to Canon's large booth. I spent a fair amount of time chatting with their camera representatives. They stated for normal situations the 1DX and 5D Mark III perform equally well. For low light/high ISO situations the 1DX performs better.

Due to it specs it must not perform differently than this! So I am happy for the PJs and everyone who can afford this cam. The 5D3 for me is plenty of camera, though. At almost half of the price. Coming from a 30D, ISO 25k is awesome...I even dare to go up as high as ISO 51kk and 102 k for b/w.
It's taking me back to my Contax 139 Quartz days some 30 years ago 8) 102k look similar to Tri-X pan pushed to ISO 3200 ;D Cheers, Pedro
102k
http://www.flickr.com/photos/guatitamasluz/7925050234/#in/photostream
51k
http://www.flickr.com/photos/guatitamasluz/7925036148/#in/photostream

 

[bdunbar79]

In using both I can tell you the 1DX will always auto ISO at 1/3 lower than the 5D Mark III. I've done indoor controlled tests and auto ISO on the 1DX always gave 5000 with 5D3 at 6400, etc. Every ISO setting. So when you say the metering is different, that is certainly correct.

 

[Woody]

Regardless of how good the 1DX sensor is, it is still slightly behind the Nikon D4:
http://www.juzaphoto.com/article.php?l=en&article=113

"The performance of the two cameras is similar, but from ISO 6400 upwards the Nikon D4 is the winner by a little margin: I'd say that it has about 0.5 stop better high ISO performance than the 1DX; the D4 shows a little more noise and it has a more easy to remove, fine granulated noise."

 

[DB]

Regardless of how good the 1DX sensor is, it is still slightly behind the Nikon D4:
http://www.juzaphoto.com/article.php?l=en&article=113

"The performance of the two cameras is similar, but from ISO 6400 upwards the Nikon D4 is the winner by a little margin: I'd say that it has about 0.5 stop better high ISO performance than the 1DX; the D4 shows a little more noise and it has a more easy to remove, fine granulated noise."

The 1DX exposure is darker in every shot vs the D4 (look at light flare and sunlight reflections as well as more color saturation in the 1DX pictures).

Perhaps, as Brett has said, there is also a metering differential between the 1DX and the Nikon D4 or the gap between the actual observed ISO and nominally quoted ISO vary between the 2 models.

I prefer the 1DX photos and fail to see hardly any difference in ISO performance (especially at say 12,800)

 

[bdunbar79]

Regardless of how good the 1DX sensor is, it is still slightly behind the Nikon D4:
http://www.juzaphoto.com/article.php?l=en&article=113

"The performance of the two cameras is similar, but from ISO 6400 upwards the Nikon D4 is the winner by a little margin: I'd say that it has about 0.5 stop better high ISO performance than the 1DX; the D4 shows a little more noise and it has a more easy to remove, fine granulated noise."

I'd love to see keepers from a football game at ISO 25,600 from a D4, especially printed out 8 x 10. The overall performance of the two cameras aren't the same either. This of course coming from actual real-life users who shoot every weekend at night games and not an article on the internet.

 

[westr70]

The difference is obvious but ... the difference in cost is even higher!

+1 Right on.

 

[emag]

WOW!!! Someone doesn't know how to park!
Oh......yeah........both cameras are wonderful, choose one and enjoy. You won't be disappointed.

 

[tron]

WOW!!! Someone doesn't know how to park!
Oh......yeah........both cameras are wonderful, choose one and enjoy. You won't be disappointed.

+1 (on both comments) ;D

 

[tron]

A big difference

A bid difference maybe but at ISO 25K. How about 12800 and 6400?

 

[bdunbar79]

A big difference

A bid difference maybe but at ISO 25K. How about 12800 and 6400?

I did a test there and the difference from ISO 6400 to 12800 seems to flatten out and the difference doesn't seem to change at all.

 

[jebrady03]

IMHO, there is a noticeable difference in lighting color - as evidenced by the reflection in the windshield.
One minute can make a huge difference during sunset

Completely agree.

 

[mrsfotografie]

IMHO, there is a noticeable difference in lighting color - as evidenced by the reflection in the windshield.
One minute can make a huge difference during sunset

Completely agree.

+1. Not a scientific test

 

[Sony]

Regardless of how good the 1DX sensor is, it is still slightly behind the Nikon D4:
http://www.juzaphoto.com/article.php?l=en&article=113

"The performance of the two cameras is similar, but from ISO 6400 upwards the Nikon D4 is the winner by a little margin: I'd say that it has about 0.5 stop better high ISO performance than the 1DX; the D4 shows a little more noise and it has a more easy to remove, fine granulated noise."

Take another look at http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/COMPS01.HTM
We'll see that at high ISO the black in Nikon's images shift to red while Canon's maintain.
But it's not a big deal as rarely high ISOs are used. It's just a technical fact.

 

[clicstudio]

Glad I own a 1D X.
But then again the noise and color accuracy are fixable.
You can't fix the price difference. :
Still, I must say the settings are kind of ridiculous.
1/6400 at F2.2?
My best friend has a 5D III. I will try to do a comparison too to see how they perform with the new 24-70 II

 

[cervantes]

Since it doesn't seem to be possible to post on the website of the tester I'd like to post here:

Due to the fact that the 5D3 pictures are brighter than the 1DX it appears to me that Canon used a little trick to "improve" the 1DX's noise performance, which is that the Camera displays ISO 25,600 but in fact it uses just ISO 20,000 or so. If both cameras were using the same ISO-speed the brightness should match in my opinion. Of course the 1DX is supposed to have better noise performance at ISO 20,000 than the 5D3 on 25,600.

So i think that a second comparison should be done using exactly the same brightness (which means the same ACTUALLY ISO-speed) while disregarding displayed ISO numbers. This should show the real difference in noise between the two cameras.

I'd love to see that comparison!