1D X IQ and ISO Charts

[Steph]

The 5D III wins on the resolution chart, yes... but what did you expect? Being a 7D owner, I more impressed by the 7D vs 1DX resolution chart because there, there is sensor resolution advantage but still the 1DX images look quite sharper.

What's also very nice IMHO is the noise chart. If one does the following, click on 5D III 12800 ISO, click on the 1DX and click on the 1D IV, there will be a little band in the middle where you can appreciate the improvement. For me, knowing that's unprocessed, it's pretty good.

I'm looking forward to having the complete review by Brian.

Cheers,
S.

[neuroanatomist]

I was wondering how the 1DX would stack up against the 5D2...

I did a few test shots comparing the 1D X, 5DII, and 7D. First one compares noise, second compares colors (and noise). Clicking on the tiny images takes you to the Flickr page, Actions > Show All Sizes gets you to the original size downloads (>10 MB).

[Vern]

Humm.... Looking at the ISO resolution comparison if seems to me that the 5DMKIII is only marginally better than the 1DX, while the 1DX has 1-2 stops of ISO noise advantage over the 5DMKII (and I assume MKIII as these two seem identical). As I'm no expert at these distinctions, I'll be interested to hear what Bryan and others think. The ISO advantage might make the 1DX more tempting to those (like me) who don't necessarily drool over 12 fps etc... I find the noise with the 5D's to be unacceptable around the 1600-3200 range depending on the subject. An extra usable f-stop is worth a lot (just look what is costs in a lens - especially a supertele).

[neuroanatomist]

IMO, the 1D X has about a 1.5-stop advantage in ISO noise performance over the 5DII. Plus, the quality of the noise seems smoother and more homogeneous with the 1D X. I preferred not going over ISO 3200 on the 5DII, I am ok with ISO 12800 on the 1D X - to me, that's a great capability!

[Jonathan Huyer]

Thanks for all this --- it's a very good comparison. In wildlife photography I am always fighting shutter speed vs. ISO noise. I used to consider ISO 3200 on my 1D3 as an emergency setpoint, when there isn't enough light and there's no other choice. (I'm guessing that the 1D3 is pretty similar to the 7D in noise). Now I can happily cruise to 6400 without being bothered, and make 12800 the emergency setting. That's definitely a massive jump. I've already noticed that my shots at ISO 400 are glass-smooth, not needing any noise reduction at all.

[Richard Lane]

John,

Thanks for all of the time-consuming testing!

I agree, it looks like the 1DX is about 1.5 stops better than the 5DII, and that the 5DII is about 1 stop better than the 7D. The 1Dx noise does look cleaner than the 5DII and 7D noise. I have to say that for those that would like the extra reach and don't plan on going above ISO 3200, or ISO 6400 with NR in post, the 7D still appears quite capable for the money.

The 1D MKIV, can shoot nicely at around ISO 6400, and up to about 12,800 with some NR in post. It looks like the 1DX can comfortably shoot at 12,800 or a whole stop better than the MKIV, and up to approximately 25,600 with some NR applied.

All 3 cameras seem to handle the color noise better than the shadow noise.

Rich

[HDNitehawk]

IMO, the 1D X has about a 1.5-stop advantage in ISO noise performance over the 5DII. Plus, the quality of the noise seems smoother and more homogeneous with the 1D X. I preferred not going over ISO 3200 on the 5DII, I am ok with ISO 12800 on the 1D X - to me, that's a great capability!

John; thanks for the samples. What is your thoughts on how much headroom you have to work with in post processing. For instance I have noticed that out of the camera the 1D IV and the 5D II have about the same noise. But the 1D IV noise can be improved more in PP. Same thing with highlights, with the files from the 1D IV it is much easier to recover highlights than the 5D II.

I guess the question is this, how much of the 1D X improvement appears to be in camera file improvement, compared to overall improvement with the picture file you get? Do you think that 1.5 stop advantage is carried all the way through post?

Rick

[Steph]

Thanks for this. I'm almost surprised by the 7D results. I'm normally quite disappointed by my pictures at 6400 and even sometimes at 3200. But here, looking at them without looking at the ISO, I found the 3200 and 6400 not so bad. You didn't apply any noise reduction right? Of course I'm looking at that on my laptop so it might explain...

[neuroanatomist]

@Steph - correct, no NR applied.

Do you think that 1.5 stop advantage is carried all the way through post?

Actually, I think it gets a little better. With NR, it's more like 2 full stops better. On the 5DII, I kept it to ISO 3200 with 6400 used only if absolutely necessary. With the 1D X, those values are ISO 12800 and 25600, respectively.