Having had many adventures with our beloved 7D, we have compared the pros and cons of Canon’s various DSLR offerings and decided that, all considered we are happy continuing to work our present camera – that nothing else has really emerged to justify sending it to the eBay scrap heap. Yep the 5DMKII has the full frame sensor. And the swivel viewfinder on the 60 is pretty sweet if you dont already have another way of monitoring. And sure, the Rebel T2i has all the brains, if only half the braun but at half the price.
Now though, Canon has made it a lot harder to just hold our ground: with the announcement of the EOS-1D X, they have added some important hardware and software features that have made us take pause.
The 1D X still focuses on the stills photog, but with a newly improved CMOS sensor that is not only more sensitive to light but, in combination with intraframe compression better avoids Moiré issues and shaking movements, we can’t argue that we are in the same category as we were before. Additionally, the 1D X helps prevent dropped frames as it has eliminated the 4GB barrier and offers two compact flash slots for recording across multiple 4GB CF cards. It still shoots 18MP RAW, but at an astonishing 12 frames per second.
Perhaps the most significant new feature for the filmmaker is the inclusion, at last, of manual audio controls! Add to that the fact that it offers real SMPTE-compliant Rec Run and Free Run timecode for syncing across various cameras or audio, ISO’s up to 51,200 and an overhauled and improved autofocus system and there is no question that the 1D X is the camera to beat.
Having said that, the MSRP is US$6800.00, and with that, we comfortably retire to our blog about the beautiful thing that is the 7D – a perfect balance between functionality and affordability, a camera that could likely withstand the most arduous shooting conditions while delivering the goods. Here is hoping that some of these new features trickle down into what may one day be the Canon EOS 7D MK II.
Happy shooting friends.
Learn more about the Canon EOS-1D X at the official Canon site.
