Canon 1DX Mark III

Hypothetically speaking, anyone can make a RX-100 size camera with a decent zoom for about $500 - it could even be a dual-triple lens/sensor model like any mobile device - but, to me, the entire photo-video industry is looking at itself as doomed to extinction and just trying to squeeze out the last dollar of profit before it goes bust.

A related development will be taking place in your neck of the woods next month - the Mobile World Congress. Judging from the early leaks, smartphones will deliver higher resolution than the medium format cameras. And zoom. And 8K.

It's weird to see the slow death of still, hybrid and eventually most pro digital cinema cameras too right before our eyes. In three years, will those of us not working on a feature or TV series be shooting on phones of some sort? Seems inconceivable today but things change
and ten years ago, if you would have told me I would be using a $1,300.00 mirrorless hybrid for fairly higher end work, I would have said no way.
 
The video related rumors were a bit off. DPAF is available in RAW at up to 30fps, full frame 4K at up to 30fps, and cropped 4k at up to 60fps. To me, this also confirms that the full frame 4k will be using a supersampled full sensor readout to produce image.

Now, if they could just throw this thing into a lighter RF body, we would have a pretty good hybrid camera.
 

OK, whew! DPAF when shooting RAW up to 30p is perfectly acceptable. I'm back on board with this camera (pending reviews, of course).

For me, the only drawback the Mark III has is that it still has the 30-minute video recording time limit. Why, Canon? WHY?! I know it's about taxes on video cameras that can record more than 30 minutes at a time, but I'm happy to pay extra to have this limitation removed to use it for shooting events. Heck, make it a "send it in to have this feature installed" and I'd be OK paying a few hundred dollars extra.

If it wasn't for that, the 1DX III would be my ideal hybrid stills/video camera. But even without it, it's looking mighty good. I have a lot of thinking to do now...
 
a couple of questions...

- can i assume that my Cfast cards from my 1DXmkII will "NOT" work in the CFExpress slots?

- does the face detect work for photos as well as video?

- for the 1DXmkII i had to buy the wireless connecter forget the model number but it cost around $700. i only used it to connect the camera to my iPad for some remote focusing and control. will the internal wireless built into the 1DXmkIII at least do that much and is the new connector only for higher speed transfers but not necessary for my application?

am i understanding that if i want 422 10bit i have to use Canon Log? will 422 10 bit work in non log settings?

are the focus sensor points spread out further for photos as well as video shooting?

thanks!
david
 
- Your CFast cards will definitely not work in the CFExpress slots.

- The face-detect AF should work equally well for photos as long as you're using LiveView (so not through the optical viewfinder).

- Good question about the WFT adapter. I assume you won't need to buy the new one with this camera, as it has WiFi built in, but we'll have to wait for official confirmation to see if the WFT adapter is needed for external wireless camera control with an iPad.

- I would assume you don't have to shoot Log if you want 10-bit 4:2:2. If it forced you to do that, it would be really dumb (though I wouldn't put it past Canon).

- No idea about the focus points spread.
 
Double-check everything, but IMO:

- Probably not.
- Yes, but eye-AF is even better.
- IDK.
- Most likely C-Log only, but wait until the support manual is released.
- Yes; more coverage but it also depends on the mode too. But probably will be the best AF camera from Canon up to this point in life.
 
One question which matters a lot to me: Can you record video to both CFExpress cards simultaneously? I want to have a backup in case one card fails.
 
30 min recording limit should be internal only ... external recorder for those times you want longer recording, zebras or false color, and articulated
screen.

DP Review has a photo centric video preview out ... video pre coming later but there is a short filmed on the preproduction camera on their site.
 
It's weird to see the slow death of still, hybrid and eventually most pro digital cinema cameras too right before our eyes. In three years, will those of us not working on a feature or TV series be shooting on phones of some sort? Seems inconceivable today but things change and ten years ago, if you would have told me I would be using a $1,300.00 mirrorless hybrid for fairly higher end work, I would have said no way.
Exactly. It goes like this, "No way, are you crazy?" to "Only if you want to get that smartphone look" to "It will never replace ARRI" to "Oh, WTF, just do it".

PS. I assume you have seen all those iPhone ads that tout its video capabilities. For most viewers, it's enough.

... Now, if they could just throw this thing into a lighter RF body, we would have a pretty good hybrid camera.
Nikon announced D780 today, which is basically Z6 in the DSLR body and the F-mount.

And it's $600 more than Z6!

PureDrifting had a bit on the C500 MKII thread about the camera design and whether the engineers just toss a new sensor into the same body with the same electronics and just go home after that. I think everyone agrees that is not the case. But, there's certainly a lot of redundancies in basic electronic blocks. In case of 1D MKIII, I don't see its twin in the RF mount for the next few years but I bet there's a whole C100 MKIII within 1DX MKIII already. Take away some stills features, reroute the processing power toward video, change the body a little and voila.

PS. It's nice to see that some AF in Raw and 5K is enabled. The camera has AI/Machine Learning aided AF, so its accuracy ought to be quite high.

Video. It's a preproduction unit, I assume.

 
Probably not, but maybe. But I think the Adorama write-up on the last page I linked to would have mentioned it (or one from another site).
 
In case of 1D MKIII, I don't see its twin in the RF mount for the next few years but I bet there's a whole C100 MKIII within 1DX MKIII already.

The pro R body is rumored to be released this year. The original R was basically a 5D IV clone with a few updates, many of which were video centric. The pro R body could just be the original R with a slightly faster burst rate and two card slots, but Canon really needs to release a camera that warrants the purchase of its new lenses
 
i know the EOS 1DX mk3 is expensive and heavy and too big, but i bet it a great tool to have.

i'm not too much of a gotta-have guy, but if i were this camera and a beach house would be right up there on the list (behind such mundane items as health, love and time!)

i'll head to b&h and play with the demo model.

a guy can have a vice, can't he?

(and sadly, gear is ONE of my vices!)

thumbs up.

rob
smalltalk productions/nyc
 
The pro R body is rumored to be released this year. The original R was basically a 5D IV clone with a few updates, many of which were video centric. The pro R body could just be the original R with a slightly faster burst rate and two card slots, but Canon really needs to release a camera that warrants the purchase of its new lenses

We can only hope the 5DR is a version of this 1DXIII Happy to see Canon trying to compete. When they try, they do well. BUT, for me to dive back into Canon for video tools, I would need these two things:

1) XLR Audio adapter for 24bit uncompressed audio a la the GH series unit.

2) No 30 min. record limit. It is just stupid now in 2020. Ok if RAW generates too much heat but for compressed recording, come on...

10bit mp4 would be great as well.

NOTE to CANON: If you are going to compete, Stop limiting choices! If you offer RAW recording, don't make everything else 8bit etc... It is like a habit you need to break :) Charge more for the video options separately if you need to but at this stage in the game 'almost there' is old.

I write this with the expectation that the 5DR will have some limitations. No problem if they are technical in nature but quite frankly, I want you to win my business back but the trust faded.
 
For all the high fidelity codec options the Canon 1Dx mkIII offers, I think people will be surprised how well the ’measly’ 4K FF, 10bit Canon Log, HEVC IPB @170 Mbit/s will hold up.
Recording this format up to 30 fps will get you 70 minutes on a 64GB card. With DPAF.

As data rates get lower, HEVC gets comparatively stronger. So if I filter the above down to:

4K DCI full frame, Canon Log 10bit, DPAF and 70 minutes on a 64GB card...
 
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