It's Not All Bad For Canon: EOS 1DX Gets Solid Review

TechRadar, a solid website with good reviews, has posted its early review of the Canon EOS 1DX. This is, as far as I know, the first review for the new Canon. TechRadar is significant because they are usually the first publication that posts signal/noise charts and dynamic range charts for cameras. They were the first to show the Olympus E-M5's significant improvement in DR over earlier M4/3 cameras and the first to show that the Sony NEX-7 was indeed going to be a monster.

Unlike the EOS 5D Mark III, this camera is not a total disappointment. Its performance seems to be on par with the Nikon D4, with the D4 producing better stuff at low ISO, but significantly for a pro camera aimed at high-speed environments, the 1DX produces significantly better stuff at high-ISO. This is a pretty significant knock against the D4, since anyone interested in slow, low-ISO work will obviously choose the D800.

Oh yes. The D800. Sitting on the sidelines like some kind of bugbear. Its very existence made the D4 seem pointless, and it has a similar effect on the 1DX. When the D4 is $6,000, and the 1DX is a wallet-destroying $6,800, the limitations of the D800, at less than half the price, don't seem quite so big.

One thing that I can say for the EOS 1DX over the D4, though, is its speed: 12fps. It costs a lot, but that speed is truly impressive. But even here, the 1DX will not have this advantage for long, since all of Sony's upcoming Full Frame cameras will have equal speeds or higher.

The sheer price of the camera, combined with the existence of the D800 and Sony's upcoming cameras, make this a non-starter for a pro looking to enter a system. It also, again, reveals Canon's arrogance. When so much competition exists, and even more competition is soon-to-come, this would be the time to lower prices and push out new products. Canon isn't doing that.