Canon EOS 1D X Mark III

The EOS 1D X Mark III is a full frame DSLR released by Canon in 2020, built around the EF lens mount. It pairs an optical pentaprism viewfinder with a touchscreen rear display, so you can shoot through the finder or in live view as the moment demands.

Its blend of a 20fps maximum burst rate, 191 autofocus points and weather sealing makes it a natural fit for sports, wildlife and news photography, where days run long and conditions are rarely ideal.

The body measures 158 x 168 x 83mm. Its full-size DSLR design suits a working kit bag, while travellers who want a smaller setup will need to allow space for the body and EF lenses.

The 20.1 megapixel full frame CMOS sensor works with the Digic X processor. That resolution is modest, which limits heavy cropping, though it keeps file sizes and frame counts manageable on long shoots.

Pace is the defining strength here. The maximum burst rate reaches 20 frames per second, though that figure is a peak rating rather than a promise of sustained shooting. A top shutter speed of 1/8000s helps freeze rapid motion, and 191 autofocus points give the system plenty of positions to work with.

There is no in-body stabilisation, so steady handheld work in low light depends on stabilised EF lenses or careful technique. With fast shutter speeds or a tripod, the omission matters little, and the ISO range of 100 to 102400 leaves room to keep shutter speeds up when the light drops.

The optics score of 74 is good, and the camera sits in the top 17% of cameras in our database for Optics.

Video is a genuine strength, with a section score of 91 rated very good. Recording tops out at 4K resolution, and the maximum frame rate reaches 120fps. These are separate limits, so the highest resolution and the highest frame rate may not be recordable together.

Those high frame rates open up slow-motion work. You can film a golfer's swing or a sprinter's stride and study the movement at reduced playback speed.

Files record in either MPEG-4 or MOV, giving two format options for your footage.

A built-in timelapse mode handles interval shooting on its own, letting you turn slow scenes, such as clouds crossing a stadium, into moving sequences without extra kit.

The 3.2-inch TFT LCD carries 2.1 million dots and responds to touch, which makes menu diving and focus placement quick during a shoot. Live view is on hand for framing when the optical finder is impractical, though the screen is fixed and will not tilt for overhead or ground-level angles.

Weather sealing protects against dust and moisture in the field, which suits outdoor sports and wildlife work, though it does not make the camera waterproof. GPS tags each frame with location data, a real help for travel and documentary photographers sorting thousands of files later.

Wi-Fi is built in for a wireless connection. There is no built-in flash, but the camera supports external flash units when extra light is needed. External flash support also leaves room for more controlled lighting when available light is insufficient.

Storage and battery performance is exceptional, scoring 87. Two CFexpress Type B slots let you carry spare card capacity across a long assignment, so a full card does not end the shoot.

The LP-E19 battery is rated at 2,850 shots. That gives a useful planning figure for stills sessions, while a charged spare can reduce downtime during long assignments.

There is no USB charging, so the battery must go back in its charger between sessions. Anyone building a kit around this body should budget for a spare LP-E19 and a supply of CFexpress cards rather than assuming USB power is available in the field.