Here a press release about the new Canon EOS-1D X. I’m still sticking to my old and ageing Canon 30D. Being a hobbyist, I don’t really want to splurge and upgrade all the time. Mainly, if I can continue to take good photos with my existing photography equipment, there is no hurry to change unless my current equipment goes kaput such as my last couple of digital compact cameras.

Going for this pro DSLR, with its huge 18.1 megapixel full frame sensor, your photo size would be very large especially if you store them in RAW format. If you plan on doing serious photography or need really high quality photos for sale, then that is the way to go. For simple pleasures for your own hobby portfolio or family album, such huge sizes are overkill.

Still there are power photographers just as there are power users for digital gadgets and computers for those who want to squeeze out every bit of feature from their equipment. So this would be it I suppose!

Canon EOS-1D X

Canon has announced a completely new model in its DSLR range – called the EOS-1D X, it a professional DSLR with an 18.1-megapixel full-frame sensor.

The EOS-1D X features a myriad of new features optimised for high speed and low noise at high ISO settings. Inside, the EOS-1D X sports the new Dual Digic 5+ processor, which offers more advanced image processing at a higher speed – up to seventeen times faster than the older Digic 4 processor.

Because of advances in the image processsing speed, the camera can perform a number of features in real time, such as real-time chromatic aberration correction, in-camera RAW processing and lens distortion correction.

The EOS-1D X also features a wide ISO range from ISO 100 to ISO 51,200 and Canon claims that noise in images shot at ISO 51,200 on the EOS-1D X are comparable to ISO 12,800 images shot with the EOS-1D Mark IV.

The EOS 1D X can shoot at up to 12-frames-per-second (fps) with full autofocus and metering, and can go up to 14fps if the camera’s mirror is locked up and recording JPEGs only.

The autofocus system of the EOS-1D X has also been completely redesigned from its EOS-1 series predecessors, and now sports a 61-point high-density reticular autofocus system with 41 of those being cross-type AF sensors.

Movie mode has also been improved thanks to the Dual Digic 5+ processor and the camera is capable of shooting up to 1080p HD video at 29.97fps or at 720p at 59.9fps using the H.264 codec, with SMTPE-compliant time code embedding.

Like all EOS-1 series DSLRs, the EOS-1D X is made of a robust weather-sealed magnesium alloy body and features a completely new shutter blade design that utilises carbon fibre, which is said to last at least up to 400,000 cycles.

The EOS-1D X has dual CompactFlash slots, and apart from HDMI and USB connectors, also comes built-in with a standard RJ45 Gigabit LAN port. The camera is expected to hit the stores in March 2012. No local prices have been set yet.