Archive notice: This article was originally published on October 18, 2011. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Canon today presented the new 1D X to selected press representatives – and, at least judging by the key specifications, the 1D will continue to dominate the professional league. A full-frame 18-megapixel sensor is used, with an ISO of up to 204,800. Add to that 12fps RAW, 3 Digic image processors and a Giganet Ethernet port. For a price of 6,800 US dollars (so far no information on the European price), the 1D X replaces both the 1D Mark IV and the 1Ds Mark III.
Pixels
One of the genuine innovations is the sensor – advertised as the sensor with the "largest pixels ever", 18 million pixels are captured at 6.95µ, which is half a µ larger than the pixels of the 5D Mark II. The sensor is built in a micro-lens architecture that fills the entire surface of the sensor without gaps.
No fewer than two of the new "Digic 5+" image processors handle the transfer of the impulses and their conversion; according to Canon, they are three times as fast as the conventional Digic 5 and seventeen times faster than the Digic 4. With two processors, it is now also possible to handle the volumes of data from 12 frames per second in RAW, or 124 frames in JPEG.
Video
Videos are recorded in Full HD 1,080p via the full-frame sensor, at 1,920 x 1,080: 30 (29.97), 25, 24 (23.976) fps. The sound can be monitored, and at the 30-minute / 4GB limit the 1D X stops, according to the manufacturer, and simply creates a new file immediately in order to continue recording – which also moves the 1D X into the solid working domain of reportage and television filmmakers.
The audio signal can be monitored via the LCD monitor. A new intra-frame video codec limits compression of the image data so that enough raw material will also be available for postproduction.
Using the Gigabit Ethernet connection, you can thus go directly into the various converters or straight into postproduction (the camera then acts as an FTP server for the PC). In addition, Canon is presenting the "WFT-E6" transfer module, which can be connected via the IEEE 802.11n WLAN standard as well as Bluetooth GPS.
And for anyone who can no longer wait: the Canon is expected to be available here in March 2012.
Further links:
- http://bit.ly/rhiGXG (Canon release announcement)
