Canon’s been pretty busy lately, but their announcement of the EOS-1DX full-frame 18-megapixel DSLR, will most likely cause the greatest buzz amongst photographers and camera enthusiasts alike. So here it is at a glance, and I must say, it looks pretty amazing.
This new flagship product is dubbed as the “camera with three brains”, featuring dual Digic 5+ image processors and a dedicated DIGIC 4 for metering and AF. This improvement in processing speed allows the EOS-1DX to perform complex actions such as in-camera chromatic abberration correction, supposedly eliminating the need to fix it in post-prod software. The DIGIC 4 on the other hand, is aimed at improving AF performance, which Canon has placed significant focus on in this latest DSLR.
The EOS-1DX is equipped with a 3.2-inch LCD at 1.04 million dots, and shoots video at 1920 x 1080/30p or 1280 x720/60p. It also promises to perform well in low light, with a standard ISO range of 100-51,200. Interestingly, it has special additional settings for specific situations that require a more extreme ISO (i.e. ISO 50 for in-studio applications, 204,800 at H2 for law enforcement/surveillance, etc.).
The EOS-1DX also has a new 100,000 pixel RGB metering sensors for enhanced exposure calculation as well as a new 61-point (41 cross-type) High Density Reticular AF system. It also touts a new Electronic First Curtain mode in live-view, which reduces camera vibration during critical exposures, since there is no mirror slap and no mechanical shutter movement.
But wait, here’s the amazing tidbit. Remember our post about the Wi-Fi/Ethernet patent? Well, the EOS-1DX includes a built-in Gigabit Ethernet port for quick tethered shooting. If you want Wi-Fi however, you will still have to grab an add-on: the WFT-E6A, which is designed specifically for the EOS-1DX, and supports Bluetooth as well. Additionally, a GP-E1 GPS Receiver is also going to be available, which tracks location data and camera direction.
The EOS-1DX is officially available in March 2012 at a hefty, but reasonable, $6,800 (approx. Php 294,000) although you can reserve one for yourself by pre-ordering.