Canon announces development of EOS-1D X Mark III

The EOS-1D X Mark III shown with the EF24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens. (Source: Canon.)

Anticipated in the lead-in to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III is being engineered and designed using feedback from the worldwide community of EOS-1D X and EOS-1D X Mark II photographers. The camera’s magnesium alloy body will offer the durability expected from Canon’s EOS-1D cameras. High-quality weather-sealing enables it to withstand harsh conditions, including wind, rain and humidity. Illuminated buttons will allow for precision operation in challenging, dark and dimly lit conditions. The camera will also offer a new additional control for selecting AF points, built into the AF-ON button, allowing photographers to change AF points on-the-fly. Dramatically improved battery life – with the same LP-E19 battery – will allow professionals to shoot for longer periods of time, without having to change batteries.
The  EOS-1D X Mark III will support a new, Canon-developed, CMOS sensor and DIGIC processor, that will deliver greater image quality at even higher ISO settings, with the ability to capture stills in 10-bit using the HEIF (High Efficiency Image File) file format, which produces wider dynamic range and greater color representation compared to JPEG. 4K video capabilities include 4K60p with 10-bit 4:2:2 Canon Log internal recording.
The enhanced autofocus system will deliver dramatically improved still and video image quality and communication with faster speeds for the increasingly fast-paced industry. Deep Learning Technology and adaptations to help facilitate accurate focus tracking are behind the camera’s new autofocus algorithm, which will improve stability and tracking when using both the Optical Viewfinder and in Live View shooting mode.

For the optical viewfinder, the camera will use a new autofocus sensor with approximately 28 times the resolution in the centre of the EOS-1D X Mark II, enabling the camera to autofocus in even brighter and darker situations than before and with greater precision. In Live View mode, users will be able to make use of 525 AF areas with the Dual Pixel CMOS AF system, which cover approximately 90-100 percent of the image sensor. The new camera will support significantly faster frame rates with full AF and AE, using either the optical viewfinder (up to approximately 16fps mechanical shutter) or Live View (up to approximately 20fps mechanical or electronic shutter). Dual CFexpress card slots will enable more than five times the RAW burst depth of its predecessor.
Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth low-energy connectivity in addition to GPS technology will enable professional photographers to transfer data at more than twicei the speed of the EOS-1D X Mark II when using the built-in Ethernet connection, or the new optional wireless file transmitter – the WFT-E9. A simple network setup will greatly enhance professional workflows.

The EOS-1D X Mark III will be on display as a reference exhibit at the Canon booth during PHOTOPLUS, the largest annual photography event in the U.S., held from October 24 to 26, 2019 in New York City. To sign up to be the first to hear more about Canon’s new camera when available, click here.