Does the Canon 1DX represent a step backwards?
Canon's newly announced professional flagship camera, the EOS 1DX, will replace both the 1D mk IV and the 1DS mk III.
Since 2002, Canon has had two professional models to address the different needs of the market when the 1DS was first announced. The current 1DS mark III with a full-frame sensor has been the tool of choice for studio, product, portrait and landscape photographers, whereas the speed demon 1D mark IV has been the first choice of press, sports and nature photographers, given its 1.3x crop sensor and burst mode of 10 frames per second.
The new Canon 1DX has an amazing specification and ups the ante of both pro camera lines in most respects. But there are two specifications that haven't been improved upon by the newest model. The first is resolution. The 1DX boasts a resolution of 18.1 megapixels, down from the 21 megapixels of the 1DS mk III. This sounds like a backward step and that's because we have been conditioned into thinking that more is always better, thanks to marketers, until you realize that we have a plethora of pixels already! Increasing the number of pixels further just means we need to have higher capacity memory cards and larger disc drives.
Some consider, the switch from 21 to 18.1 megapixels a good move on Canon's part. Fewer pixels means that each pixel is physically larger than before, and bigger pixels means more light per surface area offering the advantage of lower noise. The new Canon 1DX can practically see in the dark using a sensitivity setting of up to ISO 51200 as standard, and up to ISO 204800 in its extended range.
The other backwards step cannot be considered an advantage to any photographer, however. This is the specification that restricts autofocus to only work with f/5.6 lens combinations. In all likelihood, this limitation probably won't affect the majority of the camera's potential customers, but nature and some sports photographers are not feeling Canon's love with the announcement of the 1DX.
The crop factor
These are the photographers who use really long, expensive white lenses. While they love the speed of the new model with its 1.3x crop sensor and burst mode of 10 frames per second, and consider the pro-spec waterproofing a real advantage given the weather they are out in, the problem comes in the 'reach' of the new model!
When you're photographing a small skittish bird, for example, the longer the lens, the better. A crop, or magnification, factor is a bonus. The 1D mk IV had the lens multiplication factor of 1.3x and that was a real advantage for some users.
Sadly, that's not the end of the story as all the previous 'pro' cameras would autofocus with lens arrangements with apertures down to a maximum of f/8.0. Not that many lenses have an f/8.0 maximum aperture, but that's where the 2 and 1.4x teleconverters or extenders come into play as they effectively reduce the maximum aperture.
A 1.4x teleconverter reduces the maximum aperture by 1 stop, and a 2x extender reduces it by two stops. This means that a 500mm or 600mm f/4.0 lens with a 2x teleconverter effectively has a maximum aperture of f/8.0. Until now, this lens combination has always been able to autofocus on a Canon pro camera, but with the 1DX and this lens, a 1.4x converter is all that can be used if the autofocus is to function.
An EOS-1Dmk IV (1.3x magnification factor) with 600 mm and 2x teleconverter will autofocus:
- 1.3 x 600 x 2 = EFL 1560 mm (Effective Focal Length) with AF
An EOS-1DX with 600 mm and 1.4x teleconverter will autofocus:
- 1 x 600 x 1.4 = EFL 840 mm
Canon has said that the AF performance of the 1DX will work effectively in less light than previous generations, and to support those sensitivity figures they need to! So why have they restricted the AF to only working with f/5.6 lens combinations more characteristic of amateur cameras? Who knows?
It's possible that Canon will relent and come out with a fix for the problem. After all, this would probably only require a firmware change on their part.
The other possibility is that Canon could return to making two pro camera models to satisfy those photographers who need the extra reach. Many professional wildlife and sports photographers would love a pro camera with a 1.6x or 2x crop factor. It would be hard to imagine Canon ignoring the needs of this segment of the photographic community for long.
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