Canon EOS-1D X Pro Reviews

The Canon EOS-1D X is a great choice for sports shooters and photojournalists, but is likely an overkill for most shooters.

If you're looking for the ultimate in speed, image quality, and performance, as well as exceptional low light performance then the Canon EOS 1D X certainly delivers in abundance. With extremely high ISO settings available it's possible to shoot in low light situations hand-held where you would normally have to setup a tripod and timer, as long as you don't mind using these higher ISO settings. The high speed continuous shooting, focus, and ability to use ISO settings with high shutter speeds would ideally be suited to wildlife, sports, low-light or other areas where speed is paramount. The high price tag puts this camera firmly in the professional photographer market, or for those who have ample money to spend on the best available, and the weather sealed body certainly gives a high quality feel to the product. This should be re-assuring to those that invest in the camera, as well as the 2 year warranty provided by Canon. It's probably also a number one choice for any paparazzi photographer who needs to know they can get the shots regardless of lighting or weather conditions, although the maximum shooting speed we got out of the camera was 12fps. The Canon EOS 1D X gives the best low light high ISO performance of any full frame Digital SLR yet! One of the biggest negatives about this camera is the price, with the Canon EOS 1D X being one of the most expensive full frame Digital SLRs available, however, for those seeking the ultimate in speed, and low light performance, the price will be justified, assuming you have the budget for it.

If you're a 1D Mark IV owner in the market for a new professional DSLR, you probably already know you're buying the X. 1Ds Mark III shooters who spend most of their time in a studio may have less motivation to jump, however, considering the current street value of that camera and the benefits of the X when shooting in controlled lighting environments. If you don't own either camera now, but instead have a thick wad of cash burning a hole in your wallet, we can't imagine you'll be unhappy with the X -- just keep in mind its massive size, and figure how that may fit into your lifestyle. Canon's 5D Mark III is also a fantastic full-frame camera, and may ultimately be the better pick, unless you plan to snap away from your court seats at the Lakers game. If pure power is what you're after, and you need to have the absolute best, you'll want to get behind Canon's latest beast -- it doesn't get much more eXtreme than this.

What Canon has achieved with the EOS-1D X is remarkable and we have no hesitation in saying it's the best Canon DSLR we've ever used. The way it produces acceptable results even at ISO 12,800 and 25,600 is extremely impressive. We weren't hesitant at any stage to push above ISO 6400 by a stop or two for the fear of image noise severely degrading image quality in low light situations. Then there's of course the speed at which it shoots and records, which sets a new benchmark for pro-spec DSLRs. The way in which the pair of DIGIC 5+ processors work together in the way they do to provide such blazing processing speeds is astonishing. Canon has not only paid close attention to the features and performance, they've looked at the bigger picture and the finer details too. A good example of this is remodeled vertical grip to improve handling in the portrait orientation and even the neck strap features gold lettering and a high end feel. Yes it's expensive and for most people other than the professionals it's aimed at, it's going to take a lot of justification to spend this amount of money.Many professional photographers will be fortunate enough to have one supplied to them from their agencies at no personal expense and for everyone else it's a camera that many will aspire to own. We can happily say you're getting everything you could ever need with the Canon EOS-1D X. The old saying of good things come to those who wait certainly applies in regard to the EOS 1D X and a 93% score sees it pick up a Gold award.

Good things come to those who wait. And wait we did. Three years after the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, and more than a year after its initial reveal, the 1D X has lived up to its hype. It's a stormer of a DSLR that stomps all over its predecessors. There's little bad to say about this camera. Well, that might depend if you can afford it or not. If £5,000 for the body is way out of reach - and we suspect that it will be - then look to the 5D Mark III model which has a large number of the 1D X's features for a cut of the price. Although video lacks all the bells and whistles that it ought to, firmware 1.1.1 should have been the base operability from day one, and ergonomically we prefer the Nikon D4 - but existing Canon users with lenses are about as likely to go and sniff around the other camp as, well, you can finish that line with whichever inappropriate joke you fancy - on the stills front the 1D X is one impressive shooter that's perfect for studio, sports and low-light photography. This is no casual snapper; the Canon EOS 1D X is an incredible tool. It's super fast and that's its main selling point. But it's also strong, has a battery that more or less refuses to die per charge, and produces images with class leading dynamic range. You see where we're going with this: the 1D X is an astounding pro-spec DSLR worthy of all kinds of brilliant accolades.

The 1D X is all about speed, precision, durability - and of course, image quality. I find the Canon EOS 1D X to be a more revolutionary camera upgrade than I have seen for a while. As such, the Canon EOS 1D X will very likely remain very difficult to get when it first hits the streets, and I suspect it will remain so for many months beyond that time. I will post to the news page/feed when the retailers I follow begin accepting preorders and again when they have stock available. And of course, completion of a full Canon EOS 1D X review will be at the top of my todo list when production models become available.