The two heavyweights of the DSLR world, Canon and Nikon, have both announced new professional bodies to be ready in time for the London 2012 Olympics. But, which one is better? We take a look at how the specs sheets compare in this head to head.
Canon's 1DX pips the D4 with 18.1 million effective pixels, compared with 16.2 million effective pixels, but both are full-frame.
Users of the Canon 1D Mark IV may miss the 1.3x crop factor which helps get closer to wildlife and sporting action, however Nikon's D4 offers the choice to shoot in DX crop, offering more flexibility when photographing distant subjects. Obviously, as it's a crop, it reduces the pixel count though.How does the Nikon D4 stack up against the Canon EOS 1DX
Sensor
Canon's 1DX pips the D4 with 18.1 million effective pixels, compared with 16.2 million effective pixels, but both are full-frame.Users of the Canon 1D Mark IV may miss the 1.3x crop factor which helps get closer to wildlife and sporting action, however Nikon's D4 offers the choice to shoot in DX crop, offering more flexibility when photographing distant subjects. Obviously, as it's a crop, it reduces the pixel count though.
Autofocus capability
Featuring a massive 61 autofocus points, the 1DX again just beats the D4, which has 51. However, again appealing to sports and wildlife photographers, the AF sensors on board the D4 are compatible with apertures down to f/8, meaning that teleconverters which restrict the maximum aperture can still be used with autofocus. Canon's 1DX meanwhile, only works down to f/5.6, meaning many long lenses will not be able to autofocus when used with teleconverters .Layout
Both cameras have undergone some changes to make the body more ergonomically friendly, with both manufacturers claiming to have consulted professional photographers during the design process.Canon has redesigned the menu system to make it easier to use, while an extra mini-joystick controller has been added. Nikon, meanwhile, has added two mini-joysticks and made the D4's key control layout identical when it's used in either portrait or landscape orientation. Nikon has also added other nifty features such as button illumination for using the camera in low-light situations.
ISO range
We're used to seeing big numbers when it comes to the ISO stakes of big pro cameras.
The standard range of the D4 is 100-12,800, while the Canon's standard range is 100-51,200. Both are expandable up to a whopping 204,800 and interestingly, both the cameras also have the option to expand downwards, to ISO 50, which should appeal to landscape photographers and those looking to use slower shutter speeds.
It seems in this respect, the cameras are pretty much equal.
Video recording
Of course, both cameras are equipped with full HD video recording, and Nikon will always be the company that introduced video to DSLR (it all started with the D90). However, it's Canon that seems to have really taken off in the DSLR video stakes, especially with the introduction of the 5D Mark II.Significant improvements have been made to both cameras in comparison with their predecessors, but Nikon has some interesting features in its D4 video offering. The choice of different formats means that the same lens can be used to produce three different crops and depth of field effects.
Canon claims that the new Digic 5 processor on board the 1DX helps to reduce noise from video, while the camera is now capable of automatically creating a new file once 4GB of video recording has been surpassed.
Memory cards
Both cameras are compatible with high-speed UDMA 7 Compact Flash cards, with the 1DX coming with two slots. This is good news for photographers with an existing stash of CF cards, however, the D4 has introduced a slot for the new XDC card format, announced at the end of 2011.
The superfast memory card format boasts speeds up to 125MB/second, and while new cards are at expensive at the moment, the price is likely to go down as time goes on, so it would seem that the D4 is perhaps more "future proof" in this respect than the 1DX.
Shooting speed
Aiming the cameras squarely at sports photographers shooting the Olympics, speed is of course the essence. It's the 1DX that wins in the shooting speed stakes, offering a maximum of 14fps on the Super High-speed setting. The D4 meanwhile can shoot at up to 11fps. It's possible that 14fps could make all the difference when attempting to photograph split-second action.
It's worth noting here that exposure and focusing is locked with the first frame on both cameras at the highest shooting rates.
opinion from another
Canon & Nikon Heavyweights
The Specs
Resolution
Both bodies are now full frame with Canon’s 18.1 megapixel edging out Nikon’s 16.2 megapixel. Having said that image quality (IQ) is where it is all at and proof is yet to be determined. As a Canon shooter I have to say I like the 1.3x crop of the 1D4 body for my wildlife shooting.Winner: Canon 1D4 (but has to prove IQ)
Shooting
Let’s call these machines what they are… speed demons. Both are FAST and designed as such for sports and wildlife photographers. At their fastest settings the 1Dx delivers a blistering fast rate of 14 frames per second vs. D4′s 11 fps. It should be noted that this speed is achieved by maintaining the initial focus and exposure from the first frame. During this rapid fire sequence the mirror remains in the upright position.Winner: Canon 1D4
ISO range
Remember the days when shooting ISO 800 on film was treading on dangerous grainy territory? In the digital world these concerns are gone, with the D4′s standard range of 100-12,800 and 1Dx’s range of 100-51,200 it’s difficult to really say which is better although at the standard ISO range Canon does have a full 2 stop of light advantage. Only when we are able to get our hands images from real life shooting will we really be able to say which has a cleaner image in terms of digital noise.Winner: Canon 1Dx (but could be called a Tie as how many shooters are really shooting over 12,800?)
AutoFocus capability
Many shooters use multiple auto focus points when shooting in fast action environments. In shooting wildlife I typically only use 1 focus point and will move it around in the viewfinder for compositional purposes. The 1Dx has 61 AF points whereas the D4 has 51. One would immediately think that the 1Dx has this one won, however Canon in its infinite wisdom decided that autofocus would only work with lenses with a maximum aperture of f/5.6 vs. f/8.0 for Nikon. Why does this matter? Well, as soon as you put your 1.4x or 2.0x teleconverter on your 100-400mm f/4.5 – 5.6 lens you will no longer have autofocus.Winner: Draw (Canon for 61 AF points; Nikon for maximum aperture focusing)
Ergonomics
This is one area that comes right down to personal preference. Both cameras have some nice features added that you’ll like. I’ve often told people when they are looking to buy their first DSLR they should hold the camera in their hand and get a feel for the camera, which one feels natural to them to use. Check out the menu, buttons, dials, displays, etc.Canon has redesigned the menu system in the 1Dx and finally (Thank you) added an additional mini-joystick controller (for vertical shooting). Nikon has added two mini-joysticks and button illumination for using the camera in low-light situations (oh yah).
Winner: You choose!
Video
This is an area that Canon has excelled at since the release of the 5D Mark II. Canon also has great video in their 7D, 60D and 1D4 bodies. Nikon clearly had to catch up in the Video department. It’s surprising just how quickly video has become important to the pro photographer’s overall arsenal of tools.While Canon excelled at video with the 5D Mark II, Nikon has one upped it with some interesting features in the D4 by offering different formats with the same lens for different crops and depth of field effects.
Canon has a new Digic 5 processor on board to reduce noise from video. At the same time the camera is now capable of automatically creating separate files once 4GB of video has been recorded.
Winner: Tie (mostly because I’m a still photographer first, I’ll let the video guys debate this one but either body will be awesome HD cameras)
Memory Cards
About the time Canon finally decides to put two CF cards in their pro line body, Nikon goes in a different direction by going away from two CF cards to having one CF card and one Sony XQD card. While the XQD card is faster and smaller than the CF card, one has to wonder where it will lead to (Remember the Sony Beta tape?)While I personally like the size of the CF cards over that of the SD cards I have to admit I can see why camera manufacturers like the smaller SD cards over that of the much larger CF cards. Only time will tell the success of XQD cards, but it does look like the overall industry is in favour of them.
Winner: Who knows? But thank you Canon for finally putting two CF cards in the body and eliminating the one SD card slot has gone mostly empty by most pros. Nikon, thank you for taking a leading edge approach to camera design and not afraid to take a chance.
Summary
It’s difficult to say at this point which camera will truly come out on top. Canon has the image resolution, frame rate edge over Nikon, however Nikon has always excelled with unique little features (memory cards) that make it a very attractive offering.Nikon has a suggested retail price coming in lower than Canon and with an earlier delivery by 1 month (likely not enough to dissuade a buyer from Canon over Nikon). In the end I tell every user “pick the body you like for the reasons you like… you truly can’t go wrong with either!”
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