arbitrage wrote:
As I said, ducks would tell me something but not as much as my swallows would. Gulls would tell me little because I never really struggled with getting long sequences sharp with 1DXII. I would probably get some idea of how the Zone and All-point modes look to be working (ie how the points stay or don't stay on the subject as the camera tracks) shooting gulls but once back at the computer, getting a string of sharp shots wouldn't say much if I already could get those with 1DXII.
If I was able to test a 1DXIII today, I would also have a little bit of a hard time doing a good evaluation against 1DXII because I haven't had the 1DXII for over a year and I lived in a different city then and haven't shot the 1DXII at locations I would now test the 1DXIII. I would be able to give a better comparison to my D500/850 and A9. But of course I did spend 3 years shooting 1DXII so I surely could give some general impressions....Show more →
Maybe i got a bit too excited. I'll have to wait a bit longer i guess. I now have planned the loaner for March but i'd rather even test it a bit later in May when i can shoot long-eared and little owls again. (Which might not be as difficult as your swallows, but i found them to be pretty though to shoot, especially in the low light they like to hunt).
No worries guys. I get the questions asked. Heck I still have questions and I actually used it . I did not realize the weather would be so crappy but it is what it is. The subjects were just not there. However. still have some great take aways and I feel this is a solid upgrade. Is it over the top vs the 1dx II, no. Where I feel the improvement is, if I do my job right then the camera does too now. As with the 1dx II now and then would mis and I know I did my part right. I like the AF smart controller, some may not. I actually missed shots because of it, it takes getting used to it. I still reach for the joystick out of habit. The live view is just spectacular and I think it means good things for the mirrorless going forward. The OVF Af seems improved, I do wish it went the full size like the LCD does. I am not getting the lag feel at all in the OVF or LCD either in ES or MS. I have not had any funky looking shots in live view silent shooting, I do now and then with the EOS R.
The camera goes back tomorrow so that is the end of my testing for now. I think it confirms enough for me that this is Canons best that I have used, perfect no but what system is. The speed to the CFExpress is insane btw, never even slowed down during any sort of burst. I am writing L jpeg and Raw to the same card.
I do have a few more pictures to go thru and I will post some. Ryan I know I have a few head on, they are just seagulls but many are in focus. They are in terrible sky lighting but the 1dx II did snuggle here, I am getting a much improved feeling with this AF system. I feel the more testing that goes on the more people will find the same. However you can still take a bad picture with this camera too
Rob and others - it's great to see and read about what the camera can do. Although I'm not in the market for a 1-series body, advances here bode well for the future of other Canon lines (including maybe that R5 if it comes to fruition).
There's only so much testing you can do in a short weekend of crappy weather, but as they said at the prom, 'ya gotta dance with the one you brung'.
Well I finally got a little pop of sun this afternoon. I really wanted to try the f11 AF performance with the 200-400mm 1.4x engaged with a 2x also. This works out to 1120mm. This only works in live view, the OVF goes back to AF of f8. It is a little slow but not bad at all, extremely actuate. I think guy guys with those f5.6 lenses my have another avenue now.
Lan11 wrote:
Thanks for posting. I’m mainly interested in the OVF AF performance. Do you have the face/head detection on or off? There may be a delta since the photo library doesn't contain any WL references.
squawk3000 wrote:
How is the transfer speed over USB to your computer to download the files?
I just received my reader which is a Thunderbolt 3 which is blazing fast. Prior to that I needed to use my iPad so it was a bit slow. The Canon utility is not working due to a known issue with the Mac version I have.
RobAmy wrote:
Well I finally got a little pop of sun this afternoon. I really wanted to try the f11 AF performance with the 200-400mm 1.4x engaged with a 2x also. This works out to 1120mm. This only works in live view, the OVF goes back to AF of f8. It is a little slow but not bad at all, extremely actuate. I think guy guys with those f5.6 lenses my have another avenue now.
Looks good at 1120. Nice to have the LV option to focus it. I used to do the old trick where you AF without the 1.4 engaged and then flick it in and take the shot. That worked but not all that practical unless you and subject are very still.
kosin wrote:
What I believe is that you are asking to see a series of shots showing that AF (tracking) stays on the subject.
That would be the only reason for me to consider buying one because the II fell short there.
That's my position, too, though I value Rob's efforts and reports, of course.
Out of interest, I just re-watched some videos published at the release of the 1 Dx II and there was the similar marketing speech with regard of the camera's AF claimed to be the greatest and never missing a key moment. In practice, I didn't see a big improvement over my 1Dx1 if it came to tracking and AF accuracy. I don't talk about the other improvements of the II over the I such as f/8 AF with converters, DR etc.
But I agree, that the photographs shown here, wouldn't be a challenge for the 1 Dx II, either, though they're nice of course. The decision to sell my 1Dx II and fork out an additional € 4000 for the 1 Dx III - (plus the additional costs for Cexpress Cards and around € 350.- to replace my modular RRS L- plate etc).- really comes down to the question if the tracking AF is vastly improved. As others have said, everybody will have to get a loaner from CPS to test by himself if the camera lives up to the announcements with regard to the specific tasks required.
As it seems, Canon has put a lot of efforts into face detection and "Deep learning" scenarios for the sports shooters the camera primarily is aimed at. Being a wildlife and bird shooter, I'm not so sure if Canon hereby has focused on the needs of the nature photogs, too, so that they equally benefit from DL, upgrade of the tracking AF etc. I think I'll have to wait for unbiased comparisons and get a loaner once the birds show up again after the winter.
arbitrage wrote:
Adobe still has to update DNG converter for the 1DXIII. They often do that earlier than updating ACR and LR.
Canon usually doesn't have the updated DPP out until right at release. Adobe is all over the map and could be a few months after release or before release depending on what other updates they are wanting to push for ACR/LR. Same for the other software like C1 etc. C1 sometimes is out before LR, sometimes after.
There is no secrecy as pre-release DPP was already given out to some people (including Jason on here) to edit RAWs.
What is the real piss off is DPR insists on using conversion in a beta version of Adobe Raw for all camera reviews. Adobe Raw beta is rarely close to acceptable for at least a year. That severely hobbled the colours and detail of their review of Canon products. If DPR has any integrity they would at least acknowledge they use Lr as a standard, but better conversions are available with Canon's admittedly clunky DPP.
WJaekel wrote:
That's my position, too, though I value Rob's efforts and reports, of course.
Out of interest, I just re-watched some videos published at the release of the 1 Dx II and there was the similar marketing speech with regard of the camera's AF claimed to be the greatest and never missing a key moment. In practice, I didn't see a big improvement over my 1Dx1 if it came to tracking and AF accuracy. I don't talk about the other improvements of the II over the I such as f/8 AF with converters, DR etc.
But I agree, that the photographs shown here, wouldn't be a challenge for the 1 Dx II, either, though they're nice of course. The decision to sell my 1Dx II and fork out an additional € 4000 for the 1 Dx III - (plus the additional costs for Cexpress Cards and around € 350.- to replace my modular RRS L- plate etc).- really comes down to the question if the tracking AF is vastly improved. As others have said, everybody will have to get a loaner from CPS to test by himself if the camera lives up to the announcements with regard to the specific tasks required.
As it seems, Canon has put a lot of efforts into face detection and "Deep learning" scenarios for the sports shooters the camera primarily is aimed at. Being a wildlife and bird shooter, I'm not so sure if Canon hereby has focused on the needs of the nature photogs, too, so that they equally benefit from DL, upgrade of the tracking AF etc. I think I'll have to wait for unbiased comparisons and get a loaner once the birds show up again after the winter.
I agree my pictures are fairly basic and my 1dx Mark II, heck even the R could get them. Due to the lighting and weather conditions I know my 1dx II would of had a heck of a time vs the AF of the 1dx Mark III. From all the marketing I seen I never thought the deep learning was for wildlife. I guess the best thing for everyone to do is to get one and show me what it can really do. If it works like promised by a few of the comments here, then I will prepare myself to be wowed.
I guess we can say that about all new releases is it worth it. That is up to the individual. My first 1dx I had can still take a good pictures but that does not mean do not buy a version II or III. I know you mentioned your do not talk about f8 focusing etc but to me this is what makes up the entire camera, that it what I base my needs/wants on.
To me over the 1dx II the III improves on
AF in my opinion is better
Full touch screen, so much nicer than the 1dx II
Having 2 of the same media cards vs 2 different kinds
Having the ability to shoot full silent
Ability to focus at f11
Having the increased focusing area in Live View
Tons of video features that I will not get into here
AF smart controller I really like but the joystick works very well too but still a new feature
Built in wifi for the times I would like to remotely control it without buying the additional wifi unit ( I have not tried it yet)
The increased frame rate is nice, not a huge difference over the 1dx II but noticeable
Buffer is just insane
This just names a few of my likes over the 1dx II, is the 1dx II still a very good camera yes it is and my wife still has one.
This just names a few of my thoughts of my if it is worth the upgrade, sure are there negatives of course like the cost of new media, another L plate, the cost of the camera itself. This is just my opinion and each must make their own. I do feel it is a solid upgrade.
This loaner camera is packed up now and having to go back to CPS. Once I get mine I still want to test many things against the 1dx Mark II like AF speed with the 2x being used. I will be able to do side by side comparisons with using the 400mm DO II which could be a fun test. I ran out of time. Overall I am glad I tried it out and it confirms to keep my preorder.
RobAmy wrote:
I agree my pictures are fairly basic and my 1dx Mark II, heck even the R could get them. Due to the lighting and weather conditions I know my 1dx II would of had a heck of a time vs the AF of the 1dx Mark III. From all the marketing I seen I never thought the deep learning was for wildlife. I guess the best thing for everyone to do is to get one and show me what it can really do. If it works like promised by a few of the comments here, then I will prepare myself to be wowed.
I guess we can say that about all new releases is it worth it. That is up to the individual. My first 1dx I had can still take a good pictures but that does not mean do not buy a version II or III. I know you mentioned your do not talk about f8 focusing etc but to me this is what makes up the entire camera, that it what I base my needs/wants on.
To me over the 1dx II the III improves on
AF in my opinion is better
Full touch screen, so much nicer than the 1dx II
Having 2 of the same media cards vs 2 different kinds
Having the ability to shoot full silent
Ability to focus at f11
Having the increased focusing area in Live View
Tons of video features that I will not get into here
AF smart controller I really like but the joystick works very well too but still a new feature
Built in wifi for the times I would like to remotely control it without buying the additional wifi unit ( I have not tried it yet)
The increased frame rate is nice, not a huge difference over the 1dx II but noticeable
Buffer is just insane
This just names a few of my likes over the 1dx II, is the 1dx II still a very good camera yes it is and my wife still has one.
This just names a few of my thoughts of my if it is worth the upgrade, sure are there negatives of course like the cost of new media, another L plate, the cost of the camera itself. This is just my opinion and each must make their own. I do feel it is a solid upgrade.
This loaner camera is packed up now and having to go back to CPS. Once I get mine I still want to test many things against the 1dx Mark II like AF speed with the 2x being used. I will be able to do side by side comparisons with using the 400mm DO II which could be a fun test. I ran out of time. Overall I am glad I tried it out and it confirms to keep my preorder.
I agree with the benefit of most of the new features and improvements you listed above. If they're worth the upgrade costs of € 4000 to € 5000 (incl accessoires) for those already owning the 1Dx II and cannot deduct the costs, is a very tough question, - all the more so since there's evidentally not a big difference in IQ either. As you mentioned above, everybody has to come to a conclusion by himself. At least for me, the decision would be easier if the tracking AF which is THE key point for many wildlife and birdshooters has been noticably improved, too. The jury is still out here, I think. That said, I'm looking forward in your comparisons once you've got the 1Dx III and I will ask the CPS for a loaner by myself, of course. Anyways, thank you again for all your efforts and reports so far.
. I did not realize the weather would be so crappy but it is what it is. The subjects were just not there. However. still have some great take aways and I feel this is a solid upgrade. Is it over the top vs the 1dx II, no. Where I feel the improvement is, if I do my job right then the camera does too now. As with the 1dx II now and then would mis and I know I did my part right. I like the AF smart controller, some may not. I actually missed shots because of it, it takes getting used to it. I still reach for the joystick out of habit. The live view is just spectacular and I think it means good things for the mirrorless going forward. The OVF Af seems improved, I do wish it went the full size like the LCD does. I am not getting the lag feel at all in the OVF or LCD either in ES or MS. I have not had any funky looking shots in live view silent shooting, I do now and then with the EOS R. 
