The tonal range in this portrait of Rutgers' new head coach is fairly impressive. Stay tuned for our full lab test on the 1D X and we'll let you know just how accurate it's color is. Tech Specs: ISO 2500, 1/500 sec, f/5.6 Focal Length: 200mm (CLICK FOR FULL-RES). Dan Bracaglia
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_We decided to field-test Canon’s $6800 flagship EOS-1D X in the most appropriate venue we could think of: a college-level football game. Right off the bat, the camera’s 12fps burst rate makes it one of the fastest full-frame DSLR’s out there (comparatively, the Nikon D4 maxes out at 9fps). With the threat of rain looming, I set out on the field with an EF 70-200 f/2.8 L IS II USM lens affixed to the camera. All of the images that follow are unprocessed unless otherwise noted. Conversions from RAW to JPG and AdobeRGB to SRGB were made in Adobe Lightroom 4 (as were any edits)._ An exposure increase of +1 was made in Adobe Lightroom 4. This image was under-exposed due to rapidly changing cloud cover. You can see how bringing up the exposure in post affects the image quality. Tech Specs: ISO 400, 1/2500 sec, f/5.6 Focal Length: 165mm (CLICK FOR FULL-RES)Dan BracagliaAn exposure increase of +1.55 was made in Adobe Lightroom 4. Again, the original frame was a bit dark due to changing light and rapid shooting in manual mode. Here, the exposure is cranked up even more to show the effect. Tech Specs: ISO 400, 1/2500 sec, f/5.6 Focal Length: 70mm (CLICK FOR FULL-RES)Dan BracagliaThanks to the 12 fps burst rate, I have a solid 60 frames from this 30 yard run (I did not keep the shutter pressed for the entirety of it). The AF tracking tracked the player for the entire play. Tech Specs: ISO 500, 1/6400 sec, f/4 Focal Length: 200mm (CLICK FOR FULL-RES)Dan BracagliaWith Continuous AF selected on the center-most point, I did occasional have issues keeping very specific points in focus. In this frame, the ball is an example of that. Tech Specs: ISO 400, 1/2500 sec, f/5.6 Focal Length: 150mm (CLICK FOR FULL-RES)Dan BracagliaAt this point in the game, I switched from manual exposure to aperture priority mode. Tech Specs: ISO 500, 1/4000 sec, f/4 Focal Length: 200mm (CLICK FOR FULL-RES)Dan BracagliaThis photo was cropped in slightly and an exposure increase of +.2 was made in Adobe Lightroom 4. A good example of the 1D X’s AF quickness. I quickly moved my camera from the right side of the filed to the center to snap this catch. The first frame is out of focus, but this one (the second frame) is crystal clear. While the first frame is more preferable, the 12fps burst meant that the frame in focus is only slightly later in the action. Tech Specs: ISO 500, 1/6400 sec, f/4 Focal Length: 100mm (CLICK FOR FULL-RES)Dan BracagliaThe complex AF system has a steeper learning curve than most cameras, but the pay off is also more substantial. Tech Specs: ISO 500, 1/4000 sec, f/4 Focal Length: 200mm (CLICK FOR FULL-RES)Dan BracagliaAn exposure increase of +.55 was made in Adobe Lightroom 4. You really get a sense of the quality of detail the 18.1MP sensor is capable of in this frame. Tech Specs: ISO 500, 1/2500 sec, f/4 Focal Length: 200mm (CLICK FOR FULL-RES)Dan BracagliaThis photo was cropped in slightly. Again, a situation where many AF’s would trip up: I panned the camera over to the quarterback to make this image and was able to quickly get him right in focus. Tech Specs: ISO 1600, 1/800 sec, f/8 Focal Length: 200mm (CLICK FOR FULL-RES)Dan BracagliaThe tonal range in this portrait of Rutgers’ new head coach is fairly impressive. Stay tuned for our full lab test on the 1D X and we’ll let you know just how accurate it’s color is. Tech Specs: ISO 2500, 1/500 sec, f/5.6 Focal Length: 200mm (CLICK FOR FULL-RES)Dan Bracaglia
Dan Bracaglia, the News & Features editor at Popular Photography, has been covering imaging and camera technology for 13 years, with work appearing—both written and photographic—in publications including American Photo magazine, Digital Photography Review, Popular Science magazine, the Star-Ledger, Sound & Vision magazine, and of course, Popular Photography. Contact the author here.
