http://www.digitalcameraworld.com APRIL 2020 DIGITAL CAMERA^115
or electronic shutter) using the full
20.1 million-pixel readout of the image
sensor, combined with the new Digic X
processor and an enormous 3,869
Dual Pixel CMOS AF points.
Digic X is a whole new family of
processors for Canon cameras. In the
case of the 1D X Mark III, the processor
is 380 times faster than the Mark II
at computational processing and 3.1
times faster at image processing.
This plays a big part in the 1D X Mark
III’s most talked-about party trick:
Deep Learning AF. Canon fed the
algorithm with millions of reference
images, enabling it to learn how to
recognise human figures, and to
prioritise the human head, regardless
of whether the face is looking the
other way or obscured by goggles or
helmets. The result is an AF that knows
the head is the primary point of focus.
The 1D X Mark III also adds HEIF
support to its raw and JPEG shooting.
The format has been around for a
while, but this is the first time it is
supported by a traditional camera.
HEIF offers superior fidelity to 8-bit
JPEGs, and you can capture images
with four times the amount of data
in the same file size.Build & handling
The EOS-1D X Mark III looks virtually
identical to the Mark II – and, indeed,
to most 1-series cameras ever
produced. Holding the camera
is like hugging an old friend.
That said, its new Smart Controller
is the future of AF point selection.
Traditional joysticks give you tactile
and granular control, but they’re slow
and clunky if you want to move your
AF point across the frame. The Smart
Controller, by contrast, moves your AF
point as fast as you move your thumb.
The idea will no doubt be adopted by
the entire camera industry before long.5Performance
While some might scoff at the Canon
EOS-1D X Mark III only having a 20.1MP
sensor, the proof is in the pictures.
While we can empirically say that
they’re not quite as sharp as those
produced by a 24MP sensor, they’re
certainly more than sharp enough.
And the beefy dynamic range and
ISO results in images with a lot of
play in them – even in the JPEGs, but
especially in the HEIF files. (Remember
that, for pro use, JPEG is far more
important than raw, as it is the
currency of agency shooting.)64Deep Learning AF enables the camera to
perform remarkable head tracking, even
when the subject’s face is is obscured.Canon EOS-1D X Mark III DSLR
3“ Holding the
camera is like
hugging an
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3
The Menu, Info, Q, play,
magnify, delete and
‘key’ buttons light
up at the touch of a
button. If only every
camera could do this!4
The rear LCD is a
touchscreen, but
it doesn’t tilt in
any direction.5
No need to worry about
the weather: every joint
has O-rings. Even the
tripod socket has one.6
While the body feels
almost exactly the
same in layout, the
magnesium alloy
chassis has been
re-engineered, with
some changed internal
components meaning
that it is structurally
more sound, yet lighter
than the Mark II.