Canon launches the EOS-1D X

Singapore – Canon today unveiled the EOS-1D X, combining high image quality and high continuous shooting speeds, two crucial points of photography traditionally kept separate. The new EOS-1D X is being touted as the ultimate professional DSLR camera, and takes a giant technological leap forward from the EOS-1Ds Mark III and EOS-1D Mark IV.

Marrying and improving on the class-leading features of its twin sources of inspiration, the EOS-1D X sports a full-frame 35mm 18.1-megapixel CMOS sensor with a shooting speed of up to 14 frames per second (fps), powered by the brand new Dual DIGIC 5+ image processor, which is 17 times faster than the DIGIC 4 processor used in the current EOS series.

The EOS-1D X’s new 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor has approximately 18.1 effective megapixels featuring a superior signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio and a larger pixel size of 6.95μm square pixels, as compared to the EOS-1D Mark IV’s 5.7μm square pixels.

“For the longest time, professional photographers worked with two differently built cameras that emphasize individually on shooting speed or image quality,” said Andrew Koh, senior director and general manager, Consumer Imaging and Information Group, Canon Singapore. “It has long been an ideal to have both speed and quality in a single form, and today Canon is proud to announce that with the launch of the EOS-1D X, we have finally realized this vision.”

Canon has yet to announce an official release date and MSRP for the EOS-1D X, but said it will be available in the first half of 2012.

Already highly regarded for its high-quality images, low noise and cinematic look, EOS Movie technology takes another leap forward in the EOS-1D X. With the new Dual DIGIC 5+ processor, color artifacts and moiré that appear in scenes (with fine horizontal lines) are drastically reduced, producing industry-grade images with low noise, even at high ISO speeds.

New EOS Movie features in the EOS-1D X include SMTPE-compliant time code embedding, manually adjustable audio recording level settings and recording in P, Av, Tv and Manual modes. Immediate recording is also possible through the use of user-customizable function buttons on the EOS-1D X.

Users are also able to select between ALL-I and IPB compression methods to suit their preferred post-production workflows. ALL-I compression results in larger file sizes but is ideal for speedy conversion during the editing process as individual frames are not linked to each other. IPB compression not only offers higher compression for smaller file sizes, it also offers image quality similar to previous versions of EOS Movie.

To meet professional demand for long takes and synchronizing multiple videos, video file sizes that exceed 4GB (FAT specifications) are automatically split. A new file is automatically created while recording continues without any interruption.