There is still a lot that we don’t know about Canon’s latest flagship sport camera but I think it’s safe to say that its future is looking very promising now.
A little bird told me that 1DXIII has 28MP but I’m not sure if it’s a reliable bird. Anyway, since Sony has already disappointed us by not using their IMX435 sensor (36MP with 18 parallel ADC) in A9II, at least Canon is sitting in a very comfortable position now.
The exciting part is that 1DXIII can shoot 20FPS with AF/AE in the mirrorless mode, which indicates that Canon has a 20+FPS 20+MP full frame sensor. This is no longer shocking news nowadays because M6II has already proven that Canon may have some great leaps in the sensor department. I don’t have full details about M6II but it seems like it’s a 32MP 22FPS sensor with very sensational image quality and acceptable battery life. So it’s stepping into Samsung NX1’s game and might be better than anything being offered by Sony on the APS-C market right now (including the 26MP IMX571). Of course Sony still has a lot of tricks up their sleeves, but their sensors are only as good as what they are willing to offer us.
That being said, Canon’s new sensor is still nowhere near the one inside A9II, a 150FPS monster thanks to its novel architecture that disruptively changed the game. But that brings to Canon’s next innovation: 1DXIII is able to make it up (sort of) by using a full-frame sized mechanical shutter that runs at 20FPS! That’s a big push to the boundary. The 16FPS reflex mirror also sets a new record. If Sony is the king of sensors, then Canon is indisputably standing at the pinnacle of mechanical technologies now. I can’t help wondering how the 20FPS shutter sounds like. Should be giving me some orgasms.
Their marvelous and respectful achievement makes it possible for 1DXIII to go toe-to-toe with A9II now as a sport camera. In the mirrorless mode you don’t have the annoying blackout caused by the flapping mirror anymore, making framing during high speed burst shooting a much more enjoyable task. Although A9II still has the upper hand by providing 60FPS AF/AE/liveview, I wouldn’t really consider 20FPS slides show vs 60FPS liveview a difference between heaven and earth. 60FPS is a good thing to have for sure, but at least 1DXIII’s performance shouldn’t be a deal breaker for many people now.
In short, Canon is now using some crazy fast mechanical components to fight against Sony’s crazy fast stacked sensors. What we are witnessing now is a death duel between the fiercest warriors from the old empire and the rising prodigy of the new era.
So who will be the last one standing? A9II still has few important advantages. It probably does AF tracking better, because well, stacked sensors. You can easily carry your A9II around, which is enough to appeal a lot of rich amateurs and some professionals who needs more mobility. A9II can also be completely silent without any significant penalties. This has been proven to be a killer feature in the White House, the Royal weddings, the presidential debates, and a lot of other occasions. On the other hand, 1DXIII is also whipping Sony’s ass in the video department. The storage is faster and the lens selection is much wider, with some enticing options like the 200-400TC. The battery probably lasts longer for those who uses their cameras like a binocular.
So it’s actually quite difficult to tell which camera is better overall, and this is already good enough for Canon. We all know that the mechanical era is going to be ended very soon, but Canon has sent a loud and clear message with 1DXIII: NOT TODAY. It’s a camera that rebuilds Canon users’ faith and keeps them from switching side, and it just bought Canon few more years to prepare for the next round.
Photo Engineering 