Google Pixel 6 leaks are coming on thick and fast, with one UK retailer in particular unable to keep the cat in the bag over the weekend. Hot on the heels of that massive leak comes the disclosure of the Pixel Pass.
Shared on Twitter by tech news aficionado M. Brandon Lee of This Is Tech Today fame, Pixel Pass seems to be Google's answer to the Apple One subscription service.
Pixel Pass: This appears to be a blend of the iPhone upgrade plan where you can get a new phone every year and the Apple One Subscription.Contains YouTube Premium, Google One, Play Pass, extended warranty, and is associated with Google Fi.#pixel6 #teampixel pic.twitter.com/iU7VTc16vSOctober 10, 2021
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According to the tweet, opting to pay a flat monthly fee could net you not only the Google Pixel 6, but also an extended warranty and access to Google One, Play Pass and YouTube Premium. According to the screenshot shared on Twitter, Pixel Pass will also be likely associated with Google Fi, the company's telephony service that is still only available in the US.
We'd take this reveal with a pinch of salt, as it's unclear where the screenshot was obtained from. It reads like an internal document on how Google should handle Pixel Pass subscriptions.
As per the screenshot in the tweet, customers will have to purchase a Pixel device to take advantage of the subscription service. And if that information is to be believed, it opens the door to getting future device upgrades on a regular yearly schedule, which could be quite tempting.
Google is also seemingly making it easy to pick up a subscription, either via the Google Store or Google Fi. The latter, though, is restricted to US customers only, and Lee theorizes that the subscription service might also only be available to North American customers. However, if it's also going to be available via the Google Store, there's the possibility that a modified carrier-free version of the offer may come to other territories.
A Pixel Pass also makes a lot of sense for any Google fans who are currently paying separately for Play Pass and YouTube Premium. And Apple One, the iPhone-maker's similar all-in-one subscription service, doesn't offer a device upgrade, giving Google a distinct advantage.
The big question, of course, is how much Pixel Pass will cost subscribers; at this point, we don't have any specific details on plan pricing.
Google has already generated a lot of public interest in its upcoming flagships by officially announcing them a couple of months in advance without revealing anything important about the devices themselves.
Leaks around additional perks like the Pixel Pass are only adding to the buzz.
It's been previously rumored that Canon would be announcing the highly anticipated EOS R5 full-frame mirrorless flagship in early July, but no specific date was whispered through the grapevine.
Reliable leaker Canon Rumors, though, has been told by sources that the video powerhouse will officially be announced on July 9.
The online rumors and photography site has also published an image depicting Canon's upcoming products, with two new models leading the charge – the EOS R5 and the much-rumored EOS R6. And that could mean both snappers could be announced on the same day.
According to Canon Rumors, six new RF lenses will also be announced on July 9, alongside the two camera:
RF 50mm f/1.8 IS STM
RF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM
RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM
RF 100-500mm f/4-7.1L IS USM
RF 600mm f/11 DO IS STM
RF 800mm f/11 DO IS STM
As per a previous reveal by Canon Rumors, the 'DO' in the model names of the 600mm and 800mm primes stand for 'Diffractive Optics' which, according to Canon, are lens elements that "enable telephoto lenses to be lighter and more compact while maintaining a high level of performance".
That could make these two new telephoto lenses smaller and lighter than Canon has ever produced, and could rival the weight and dimensions of similar lenses made for micro four third-format cameras.
Two new teleconverters for the RF mount will also be revealed on the same day.
We'll have to wait a little longer to actually get our hands the EOS R5 or EOS R6, though, as the current global pandemic has thrown a spanner in the production lines. Canon Rumors suggests that the EOS R5 will only start shipping in September, while the EOS R6 could be available a month sooner in August.
Canon has been teasing some powerful video specs for its upcoming EOS R5 full-frame mirrorless flagship, but the Japanese camera-maker has been tight-lipped when it comes to the R5's rumored smaller sibling, the EOS R6.
Despite the expectation that it will be a more affordable option, new reports today suggest the R6 won't be a slouch either. According to reliable revealer Canon Rumors, the EOS R6 will feature 5K oversampled video capture, plus 4K recording at up to 60fps and support for Canon Log for those interested in post-production.
While that may not match the 8K video prowess of the R5, and it's rumored that the R6 won't have the ability to shoot RAW video, 5K oversampling in itself is a huge deal for a camera that's reportedly aimed at enthusiasts. While there's no word on whether this high-resolution video will be downsampled to 4K when saving to a memory card, it does mean the R6 should have respectable-enough video skills to keep many pros happy.
Canon did a marvelous job with the autofocus system in the EOS 1D X Mark III and we know the R5 will feature a new animal-recognition autofocus algorithm. Seems like the camera-maker isn't going to stop there, with Canon Rumors suggesting that the R6 will share the same AF system as its more expensive sibling, with both head- and animal-detection onboard.
The report also suggests that the R6 will share the same high-res 5-million dot electronic viewfinder (EVF) that's used on the R5, and will integrate dual card slots as well.
These new details, along with previous rumors of 12fps and 20fps bursts with the mechanical and electronic shutters respectively, suggest that the R6 could become one of the best full-frame mirrorless cameras to date.
That said, Canon hasn't yet acknowledged the existence of the EOS R6, which may not even be the snapper's official moniker. It's rumored to be announced in early July, alongside the EOS R5, so we'll just have to wait and see if any of this comes to pass.
Remember when 140 was an important number for Twitter users? Well, that number is making a comeback. This time it's not the maximum number of characters in a tweet, but the duration of how long an 'audio tweet' can be.
Twitter has announced – via Twitter of course – that audio clips of up to 140 seconds in duration can be recorded and attached to tweets being posted to the platform. This new way of tweeting is currently rolling out only to iOS users, starting with a select few and followed by all iOS users "in the coming weeks".
There's no word on when the feature will be rolled out to Android users.
According to Twitter's blog post, "sometimes 280 characters aren’t enough" and so audio tweets are being tested to "add a more human touch to the way we use Twitter" and so that "some conversational nuances [aren't] lost in translation".
To find out if you can yell into the void, tap the 'feather' icon on the bottom right-hand corner of the Twitter timeline to compose a new tweet. If you see a waveform icon beside the camera, then you're one of the lucky ones.
To record a message, tap the waveform icon, followed by the big 'record' button. Allow Twitter to access your microphone (if notified to) and speak for up to 140 seconds. Then tap 'Done' on the top right corner of the pane.
If you have more to say and keep speaking longer than 140 seconds, Twitter will automatically create a thread.
Your Twitter profile picture will be "added as a static image on your audio attachment and will not refresh if you update your profile photo", something that may not be to everyone's liking.
To listen to audio tweets in your timeline, simply hit the play button on the profile picture of the account holder. Twitter says "playback will start in a new window docked at the bottom of your timeline" and will continue playing in the background even if you navigate away from the social media app.
The voice feature is currently available for new posts only – users will not be able to reply or retweet with an audio clip, most likely to check the spread of abuse and harassment.
That app is now ready and available to download from Apple's App Store and the Google Play Store, although only a few Android handsets are supported at launch, namely the latest Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel and OnePlus phones.
Despite its name, Photoshop Camera has very little to do with the image editing platform. Instead, it uses Adobe's Sensei technology to identify scenes in a photo (like the sky) and apply suitable filters to add a splash of creativity to your smartphone snaps.
All you have to do is aim your camera at your subject (or the scene you're shooting) and choose a filter. When aimed at the sky, for instance, the app automatically adds a filter to change the look of your image, including moving elements likes shooting stars.
The app also works for images saved on your handset's photo library, automatically applying filters it presumes are appropriate.
Photoshop Camera has clearly been designed for the social media generation and selfie taker. The filters and custom lenses are elaborate and some of them are incredibly impressive, rivaling some of the best camera effects on Instagram and Snapchat.
It's not just about adding filters to your photos; some basic editing options are also available on board, like the ability to adjust exposure, contrast and saturation. However, it's clear from the get-go that the app was designed more to add effects than make small edits to your images.
The moment you open the app, Photoshop Camera analyses the scene and instantly adds enhancements (like adjusting dynamic range and tonality) while you're still framing the shot, doing the same for existing images you've got saved on your phone.
Photoshop Camera's aim, according to Adobe, is to offer easy-to-use products to people who find editing software like Photoshop and Lightroom intimidating, then gradually giving them the confidence to move to the company's paid apps.
There's no doubt the app is a lot of fun, even though there are only a handful of filters to choose from at launch. Adobe says more effects will be added over time, including some made in collaboration with other artists (like the Billie Eilish one already available on the app).
UPDATE: Canon has announced that its EOS Webcam Utility Beta software is now available for macOS as well, allowing more customers to use their Canon camera as a webcam. We've updated our original article to reflect these changes.
In April, Canon USA released a new software to help some users overcome the global webcam shortage caused by an increase in demand due to Covid-19. Our dependency on video calls for work or personal reasons made us realise that not all webcams are made equal, with video quality not always being up to scratch, particularly when the lighting is poor.
While it's possible to set up a camera you own to double as a webcam, it does require additional hardware and, in some cases, third-party software that you'll need to pay for.
However, if you're a Canon user, you may be in luck as the camera maker's new EOS Webcam Utility Beta may be an easy-to-use, plug-and-play, free alternative.
As the name suggests, the software is still in beta and, at launch in April, would only work on PCs running the 64-bit version of Windows 10. Now, though, Canon has released the macOS version as well, also in beta.
EOS Webcam Utility Beta is only able to convert some Canon cameras – DSLRs, mirrorless and PowerShot compacts – into webcams for video conferencing.
While the software was only available to Canon users in the US a month ago, it's now possible to install it no matter where you are. The software is still only hosted on Canon USA's website but there doesn't seem to be any geoblocking. We were able to download and install the package on a MacBook Pro in Australia (although we are yet to test it).
List of supported Canon cameras
How to get Canon's EOS Webcam Utility Beta
Downloading the software is easy: plug your camera into a Windows PC or a MacBook with a USB cable, then head to the dedicated page on Canon USA's website. Scroll down to the list of supported cameras on that page and select the model you own. Then head to the Drivers & Downloads tab.
Your operating system will likely be detected automatically and you will be presented with a list of available software and drivers for the model you've selected, with EOS Webcam Utility sitting right on top. If your OS isn't detected, then select 'Software', followed by the operating system you are currently running. Then click on the 'select' button beside EOS Webcam Utility Beta and your download will start automatically.
Follow the prompts to install and that's it: it will be business as usual with high quality video (be sure to change your camera settings to suit your needs, though, in case you're livestreaming in low-light conditions).
Since the software is still in beta, Canon is asking users for feedback and has set up dedicated community forums for Mac users and one for Windows for just that purpose.
This offer is for lovers of big sound – big, powerful Sonos sound.
Admittedly, its usual AU$749 retail price is pretty expensive, but even without the substantial discount featured below, the Sonos Play:5 is worth every penny.
It's impressively loud – so loud that you won't feel the need to pair it with another speaker for stereo sound, although you do have the ability to do so if you wish. That said, just place a single Play:5 horizontally and it will automatically play stereo sound. Even at top volume the sound is crystal clear.
Of course, you'll need a bit of space for it as it's bigger than its siblings. After all, it does house five Class-D amplifiers, three tweeters, three mid-woofers and a phased speaker array that separates sound into its three channels.
There's AirPlay 2 support for wireless streaming from iOS devices, or you can plug in a turntable or phone via the 3.5mm audio line-in for easy listening. And you'll also get support for major music streaming services, like Spotify, on board.
All said and done, once you hear a Sonos Play:5 speaker you won't want anything else. But you don't need to pay full price for the speaker when shopping at The Good Guys. If you use the checkout code SONOS150 on either the black or the white Play:5, you can score one of the best wireless speakers for just AU$599. It's unclear when this offer will end, so we'd suggest you get a wriggle on if you'd like to get your hands on this remarkable audio kit.
Netflix's past record for parental controls has been lackadaisical at best. While the streaming platform added PINs to keep kids away from certain shows in 2018, it was applied to all the profiles on that account and adults would have to constantly unlock their profiles each time they wanted to stream something.
That has now changed, with Netflix rolling out another batch of parental control updates. This time, individual profiles can be locked down with the use of PIN codes, keeping not just kids away from adult shows but also keeping other adults' (like your roommates, perhaps) prying eyes from your Netflix profile.
Adding a PIN to your profile has two advantages, according to Netflix: it will stop the platform's algorithm from recommending content based on someone else's viewing choices in case you're all using the same profile, and you'll be able to pick up where you left off if you've left watching an episode or movie midway.
Setting up a PIN for individual profiles is easy, although there are a few steps you'll need to follow to get it done. You can also only set this up via the Netflix streaming site on a browser – you cannot do this through the mobile app (Android or iOS), at least for now.
You will also need to remember your account password to get this done. To set up a PIN:
Sign in to your Netflix account
Select the profile you want to lock down
Click 'Account' from the dropdown menu under the profile in the top right-hand corner
Scroll down to the Profile & Parental Controls section and select the appropriate profile
Click 'Change' beside 'Profile Lock' and this will take you to a different page
Enter your account password
Check the 'Lock this profile by creating a 4-digit pin' box
Enter your PIN and save
Fine filter
Adding a PIN for individual accounts isn't the only update Netflix has rolled out to improve parental controls – parents will now be able to apply filters for age-inappropriate content based on country ratings.
This allows users to remove series and films individually from the Netflix Kids experience – so your five-year-old won't accidentally watch a John Wick flick or an episode of The Witcher, or even shows like Stranger Things which push the boundaries a little.
You'll also be able to keep tabs on what your kids have been watching via their own profiles, and turn off auto-play videos as well. All this is also available in the Profile & Parental Controls section.
With the world practically in lockdown, many of us have found ourselves working and learning from home on possibly unsecure networks. Cybercriminals and scammers are taking advantage of this situation and targeting devices left vulnerable to cyber attacks.
However, a Norton subscription isn’t always cheap, and you could find yourself out of pocket each year by a couple of hundred dollars, depending on which product you opt for. You’re in luck, though, as Norton has just kicked off its Easter sale in Australia and New Zealand, with up to 60% off its entire 2020 antivirus solution line-up.
In Australia, the basic solution – Norton AntiVirus Plus – is now available with a very significant 57% discount, while if you happen to be in New Zealand, you’ll be able to save a whopping 60%. These offers are available only for a limited time, so protect your devices for less by getting an antivirus package by April 17.
Why choose Norton
We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Norton’s antivirus solutions to you: the company has a long and clean history of protecting users online. Even it’s basic solution, the AntiVirus Plus, is more than enough for most users, ranking very high in our picks of the best antivirus packages available today.
That said, Norton is definitely one of the more expensive options out there, but these deep discounts make sure you’re getting the best value for your money.
Apple and Amazon seem to have made nice, with the Prime Video app on iOS, iPadOS and tvOS now supporting in-app purchases. Apple device users, be it an iPhone, iPad or Apple TV, will now be able to rent or purchase anything from the Prime Video library directly from the app.
Previously, to skirt around Apple's exorbitant 30% cut on in-app purchases, Amazon would direct customers away from the app – i.e. take them to a browser page – whenever they wanted to get something from the Prime Video content store.
Many app makers, like Spotify, offset that high fee by increasing the cost of subscriptions or purchases, although it seems Amazon hasn't raised the price of its Prime Video offerings. Instead, as per a statement issued by Apple, the e-commerce giant is taking advantage of "an established program for premium video subscription providers to offer a variety of consumer benefits".
Amazon, however, has not made any announcements, but the update has begun rolling out and Apple users logging into the Prime Video app can see a banner advertising the change on the homepage.
The updated Prime Video app now includes a new Store tab from where Apple users can either rent or purchase content, including in-cinema and early digital releases of movies like Pixar's Onward.
It appears that Apple has allowed Amazon to bill customers directly using the payment method that has been saved to an Amazon account.
The updated app doesn't seem to be available globally... at least not yet. TechRadar's Australian team were unable to see the changes, while TechCrunch has been told that the in-app purchases are currently available only in the US, UK and Germany. We're hoping the changes will be rolled out to other markets in the coming weeks.
Whether the deal the two companies have reached flows both ways is as yet uncertain, with the Apple TV app on Amazon's Fire TV platform still not supporting in-app purchases.
San Francisco-based company Peak Design began life on Kickstarter, and quickly gained a massive fan following. And no wonder: it has some beautifully designed bags that can be customized to suit any purpose, and the company’s clips and straps go a long way in making that happen.
Every aspect of Peak Design bags are well thought-out – construction, material, functionality and usability. The bags are then tested thoroughly before they go on sale. Every bag in the Peak Design catalog can go from boardroom to holiday, with the ability to carry laptops, clothes or camera gear with just a few sturdy clips.
The bags aren’t cheap, though, so for those who’ve been lusting after a Peak Design carrier, this might be a good chance to snag yourself an Everyday Backpack or an Everyday Messenger, and pocket some savings in the process.
Note that the 40% discount is on the original V1 options of the bags, although there is 20% off on all other Peak Design products, except its travel tripod. The sale ends April 6.
Canon fans have a lot to look forward to in April, with the camera maker announcing a major live stream event to be held on April 20 at 1pm EDT (that would be 6pm on the same date in the UK and April 21 at 3am AEST in Australia).
There's no mention of what the event is for exactly, except to say it's to "[introduce] new products and technologies". We're hoping that would include the highly anticipated EOS R5 full-frame mirrorless flagship and it's much-rumored entry-level EOS R6 sibling.
This announcement comes less than 24 hours after online publication Canon Rumors reported that the company was not planning on delaying the launch of both mirrorless cameras.
What makes it even more exciting is that the company has managed to work through these challenging times, despite reports that Canon would delay either the launch of the cameras or the their shipping date after the spread of the Covid-19 virus led to the temporary closure of some of Canon's Japanese factories.
However, Canon USA has listed the live stream event under the 'Professional Video Solutions' section of its website, which could imply the manufacturer might reveal new broadcast and cinema equipment – i.e. the products Canon would have announced at the canceled 2020 NAB Show in Las Vegas.
Don't take our word for it though – we're just speculating and eagerly awaiting the reveal on April 20, be it a new cinema shooter or the 8K marvel that is the EOS R5 that we got to ogle at recently.
Zoom has removed the data-sharing code from the app, telling Motherboard in a statement that the 'Login with Facebook' feature was implemented "in order to provide our users with another convenient way to access our platform".
That login feature – found on several apps – is applied by using a Facebook SDK (software development kit) that connects users of the app to Facebook's Graph API (Application Programming Interface) when the app is launched. The SDK can then share information with third parties, even if a user doesn't have a social media account with Facebook.
Facebook requires app makers to share this information with users in privacy policies, however Zoom's made no explicit mention that the social media company would have access to user data if there was no linked account.
Zoom says it was "recently made aware that the Facebook SDK was collecting unnecessary device data" and has since removed the code and an updated version of the iOS app is now available on the App Store.
According to Zoom's statement to Motherboard, the app did not share any sensitive information, like user names, emails and phone numbers, but "included data about users’ devices such as the mobile OS type and version, the device time zone, device OS, device model and carrier, screen size, processor cores, and disk space". This coincides with Motherboard's findings from last week.
Motherboard has since tried out the updated iOS app and found that Zoom has, indeed, stopped sending data to Facebook when the app is launched.
In the 'What's New' section of the app, Zoom says that, despite the Facebook SDK being removed, users will still be able to log in with their Facebook accounts if they have one. Users have been recommended to update the app to enable the changes.
Zoom has issued an apology for the "oversight" and the company says it "takes its users’ privacy extremely seriously".
Zoom's video calling service has been available for a while now but the unprecedented number of people working from home during the coronavirus pandemic has skyrocketed the app's popularity.
However, research conducted by Vice's tech branch, Motherboard, has revealed that Zoom's iOS app has been secretly sharing analytical data with Facebook, even if the user doesn't have an account on the social media platform.
The data being shared includes time the app is launched, device and location information, phone carrier, and analytical data that can be used to create targeted ads.
The reason Zoom is able to share user data with Facebook, even if there's no linked social media account, is because the video calling app uses Facebook's software development kits (SDKs). So, when Zoom is downloaded and launched, it immediately connects to the Facebook Graph API.
This is not a new practice: developers have long used Facebook SDKs to add features to their apps, although Facebook's terms of use require app makers to inform users of these data sharing practices.
While Zoom's privacy policy mentions that the app may collect data related to a user's Facebook profile which may then be shared with third parties – although Facebook is not explicitly mentioned as a third party – there's no clear indication it will be doing the same for users who do not have a Facebook account.
Not the first time
Zoom does have a history of privacy issues. In 2019, a security researcher unearthed a bug that allowed webcams of Zoom users to be hacked without their knowledge, although the company has said that the issue has been resolved.
Other recent news related to video chat security involves a man exposing himself in front of children on a video call after he was able to "guess" the link to the call. While this was not on a Zoom call (instead on an app called Whereby), TechCrunch reported last year that it was possible to hijack a Zoom meeting by "cycling through different permutations of meeting IDs in bulk". This was possible as the meetings weren't protected by a passcode.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) recently explained how a host on a Zoom call can monitor the activities of participants while screen-sharing. If users record the video call, then Zoom administrators are able to "access the contents of that recorded call, including video, audio, transcript, and chat files, as well as access to sharing, analytics, and cloud management privileges".
While the old security issues have since been resolved by Zoom, this new discovery highlights how simple technological solutions can sometimes come at the cost of privacy.
Canon releases a 1-series body every four years to coincide with the Olympics. They’re built for speed and performance, and those four years are put towards perfecting the next generation pro-level sports shooter. And perfected it is exactly what Canon has done, with the EOS 1D X Mark III one of the best cameras currently available – be it mirrorless or DSLR.
And the 1D X Mark III is a bit of both – while it’s a DSLR at heart, the 1D X Mark III delivers spectacular results with the mirror locked up. In fact, if Canon had decided to forgo the mirror completely, the 1D X Mark III would have been one heck of a mirrorless marvel. So much so that we found ourselves comparing it with Sony's latest sports camera, the Alpha A9 II.
That’s the direction cameras are going in any case – the future of photography is mirrorless and it’s highly likely that the Mark III will be Canon’s last flagship DSLR.
If that turns out to be true, then Canon's DSLRs are going out with a bang. The 1D X Mark III has some interesting tech under the hood that gives us a glimpse into the future of Canon’s cameras – starting with the new Digic X sensor. This chip, currently found only in the 1D X Mark III, is so fast that you can watch the focus box lock onto a subject and track it in real time, with practically no lag. With most other cameras, Canon’s own EOS R included, you’ll always find that the focus box needs a little bit of time to catch up with the subject. Not so with the 1D X, and that helps keep the autofocus in, well, focus.
No matter what you need to capture, the Canon EOS 1D X Mark III can do it really well | Canon EOS 1D X Mark III + Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM; 1/200 sec at f/2.8, ISO 250
We were lucky enough to spend an extended period of time with the new DSLR and were able to test it in different scenarios – from indoor tennis to beachside surf shoots in the rain, and even in bright sunshine at the zoo. We even tried still life. No matter what we threw at it, the 1D X Mark III produced fabulous results.
Stay focused
When used as a DSLR, that is with the mirror down, there are 191 AF points to choose from. And like any DSLR, those points are all clustered around the center. Lock the mirror up and use the 1D X Mark III as a mirrorless camera and there’s so many more selectable points. They’re spread through the entire frame, so if your subject ends up at the edge of a frame (as will be the case for many sports) you’ll still be able to capture images that focus squarely on the face.
As a mirrorless, there are focus points at the edges of the frame to keep your subject sharp as tack | Canon EOS 1D X Mark III + Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM; 1/5000 sec at f/2.8, ISO 5000
That’s also because, as a mirrorless camera, it tracks moving subjects almost seamlessly in real time. We say ‘almost’ as it’s not absolutely perfect. As you’re tracking and others (be it posts, umpires or other athletes) get in the way, the camera does lose the subject, but it’s pretty much always for only a very short time. Tracking with the 1D X Mark III is a breeze, and we’d go so far as to say it performs better than Sony’s tracking on the Alpha A9 II.
That’s not to say we’re complaining about the Sony’s tracking and autofocus performance – the A9 II takes a tad longer to find the lost subject again, while the Canon does so just that much quicker. And in the competitive arena of sports photography, it could be that split second that makes all the difference to capturing a winning moment. It’s by far the best tracking performance from a Canon shooter yet.
The 1D X Mark III can keep subjects in focus even when something else crossed their path | Canon EOS 1D X Mark III + Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM; 1/4000 sec at f/2.8, ISO 5000
Where the Sony A9 II excels, though, is eye AF. It’s almost always spot-on, while Canon’s face and head detection works a charm. Eye AF, however, isn't as important in sports photography as in portraiture.
Another factor that makes the 1D X Mark III’s AF performance a winner is the new Smart Controller. This optical, touch-sensitive pointer is much quicker to use than the traditional joystick on any modern camera. In fact, it’s also much faster than using the Mn-F touch bar that Canon has on its current EOS R flagship. The lightest touch and the smallest movement of the thumb is all that’s needed to move the focus point around. If it’s too sensitive for you, there are options in the menu system to change that.
In fact, Canon’s autofocus tech on the 1D X Mark III is good enough to not even need the Smart Controller. More often than not, the camera locks on to the correct subject, unless there’s too many things happening within the frame and that’s not something we can complain about. It’s a shame that Canon has not carried the Smart Controller over to the upcoming EOS R5 mirrorless camera but we’re expecting the AF system on the next full-frame mirrorless flagship to be just as good as the 1D X Mark III’s.
When the head or face isn't visible, the 1D X Mark III will lock on to the body | Canon EOS 1D X Mark III + Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x; 1/2000 sec at f/6.3, ISO 800
Of course, it’s hardly fair to talk about autofocus performance without taking into account which lens you’re using. Older lenses – like the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x (launched in 2013) that we used during a surfing competition in Sydney – can be comparatively slower than newer ones like the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM (released in 2018). Despite that, the camera is able to cope and you will get plenty of great shots, no matter what lens you’re using – particularly since there are so many superb native options to choose from.
Light it up
The Digic X is not the only processor under the hood here. The 1D X Mark III also has a Digic 8 engine that it utilizes for exposure metering when using the camera’s optical viewfinder (OVF). There’s also a new 216-zone 400,000-dot RGB+IR metering sensor (up from the 1D X Mark II's 370,000-dot variant), while Live View utilizes 384-zone metering system.
The metering sensor does a good job, while the HEIF files can retrieve details if you don't shoot in RAW | Canon EOS 1D X Mark III + Canon EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM; 1/200 sec at f/8.0, ISO 100
The upgrades go a long way in making sure you’re able to expose correctly for different scenarios. When capturing dark subjects against a light background, for example, it can be difficult to capture details in shadows. However, choosing the right ISO and opting to use Spot metering for individual subjects makes easy work of it all.
Add to that the ability to capture HEIF images means there’s plenty of details you can retrieve during post processing, as we did with the chimpanzee image above. While the chimp's face was perfectly exposed despite the sun being too bright behind the animal, the rest of her body was lost in shadow, and there was no trace of the sexual swelling this female had in the original file. Some minor tweaks with a basic photo editing app (in our case Apple’s Photos app on a Mac) was enough to bring out the lost details.
There's no trace of noise at high ISOs | Canon EOS 1D X Mark III + Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM; 1/4000 sec at f/3.2, ISO 8000
Shooting at high ISO values (for example, ISO 8000 in the case of the image above) is also not a huge problem for the Canon 1D X Mark III. There’s no evidence of noise at ISO 8000, although go up to sensitivities as high as ISO 21,800 and the Sony does a tad better. That said, the current low-light king is still the Nikon D5, and we’re expecting the D6 to perform just as well, if not better, in those situations.
Even mistakes like this overexposed flower has a pleasing effect | Canon EOS 1D X Mark III + Canon EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM; 1/250 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100
The need for speed
The 1D X Mark III’s speed is also something that sets it apart from mirrorless cameras like the Sony A9 II. Both cameras top off at 20fps bursts, but the Canon can do so in mirrorless mode when using its mechanical shutter. On the other hand, the A9 II is capable of 10fps continuous shooting with its mechanical shutter. In silent mode, the Sony can manage 12-frame bursts, but hits 20fps only if you’re willing to capture compressed RAW files. The Canon achieves that speed by spitting out full-res RAW files.
And then there’s the buffer depth, which is just shy of unlimited (while the Sony A9 II is rated for 361 JPEGs). Add to that the adoption of CFexpress memory cards for the 1D X Mark III and you’re saving hundreds of images almost instantaneously.
We will admit that, at one point during the ATP Cup tennis finals in Sydney, we got distracted and had the shutter pressed for longer than we wanted and/or needed and ended up with upwards of 2,000 RAW + JPEG files… the Mark III barely blinked before it was ready for use again, and all files saved to card. We would never recommend doing something like that, unless you were testing the feature, but that one mistake gave us a very good idea of how quickly the camera processes files.
You'd think that many of the images captured during that long burst would have resulted in the vast majority being out of focus – we were genuinely surprised to find that the vast majority were on point, with only about 50 shots out of focus, and even they were usable if you didn't crop in to zoom into the subject. Goes to show that the 1D X Mark III just carries on with the job at hand without needing too much from you.
While the anti-flicker feature keeps most lighting issues at bay, there is some banding on LED displays | Canon EOS 1D X Mark III + Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM; 1/5000 sec at f/2.8, ISO 5000
Do what you will
The 1D X Mark III is a large beast. It’s not a traveling companion and it’s not cheap. While it’s very tempting to recommend the camera to practically any advanced photographer, it does need more than some spare change to purchase. That said, it’s a camera that will let you do anything, even if you aren’t a sports or press photographer.
You may not need intelligent autofocus that’s fast and precise as a landscape photographer, and you likely won’t need 20fps bursts as a wedding or wildlife photographer, but the fact is the 1D X Mark III can handle it all. Even video.
For a company that shied away from offering 4K video at a time when the competition had made it the norm – and, when it did arrive, it wasn’t using the full sensor – the Mark III’s video capabilities impress. The 1D line was never designed to be used as hybrid cameras – they were historically meant for stills – but Canon has shown that it can keep up with the times, and we’re looking forward to seeing what the EOS R5 can do.
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