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Canon 1D X MIII vs Nikon D6 Comparison

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Camera to replace
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Canon 1D X III

20 MP | Full frame (36 x 24 mm) CMOS Sensor

Canon 1D X III
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Nikon D6

21 MP | Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

Nikon D6
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Canon 1D X III vs Nikon D6 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing 1D X MIII and D6, two Pro DSLR cameras from Canon and Nikon. Canon 1D X III was introduced to market in January 2020 and Nikon D6 was launched in February 2020. There is only 1 months difference between 1D X MIII and D6 so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

We can expect this to be a close match up because both models are ranked amongst the best in Pro DSLR cameras. Out of 36 cameras in this class, Canon 1D X III is ranked #2 with an overall score of 82 and Nikon D6 is ranked #1 with an overall score of 83.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Canon 1D X III and Nikon D6 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Canon 1D X III Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2020-01-07
  • 20MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 102400 ( expands to 50 - 819200)
  • Canon EF Mount
  • 3.20" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 20.0fps continuous shooting
  • 5.5K - 5472 x 2886 video resolution
  • 120fps High-Speed Video
  • Built-in Wireless
  • Built-in GPS
  • 1440g. 158 x 168 x 83 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Canon EOS-1D X Mark II Compare

Nikon D6 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2020-02-11
  • 21MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 102400 ( expands to 50 - 3280000)
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 3.20" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 14.0fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 1270g. 160 x 163 x 92 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Nikon D5 Compare

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Canon 1D X III and Nikon D6 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose Canon EOS-1D X Mark III over Nikon D6
Viewfinder Magnification
0.76x vs 0.72x Larger Viewfinder
Number of Focus Points
191 vs 105 86 more focus points
Number of Cross Type Focus Points
155 vs 105 50 more cross type focus points
Continuous Shooting
20.0fps vs 14.0fps 6 fps faster
Max Video Resolution
5472 x 2886 vs 3840 x 2160 Higher Resolution Video
Shutter Life Expectancy
500000 cycles vs 400000 cycles Longer use without changing the shutter mechanism
Autofocus at f/8 aperture
191 point vs 15 point Autofocus with teleconverters
Webcam Function
Yes vs No Use your camera as a Webcam
CHECK 1D X MIII PRICE


Reasons to choose Nikon D6 over Canon EOS-1D X Mark III
Max Sensor Resolution
21 MP vs 20 MP 5% more pixels
LCD Screen Resolution
2.359k dots vs 2.100k dots 12% higher resolution screen
Battery Life
3580 shots vs 2850 shots 730 more frames with a single charge
Weight
1270 g vs 1440 g 170 g lighter
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs No creative shooting
AE Bracketing Range
±5 EV vs ±3 EV Wide Bracketing range is useful for HDR
Bluetooth
Yes vs No Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Focus Bracketing
Yes vs No Take multiple photos shifting focus point
CHECK D6 PRICE

Common Strengths of Canon EOS-1D X Mark III and Nikon D6
Wireless Connection
Yes vs Yes Better connectivity
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Touch Screen
Yes vs Yes Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder
Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Optical) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Resolution
20 MP vs 21 MP Bigger prints and more details
LCD Screen Size
3.20" vs 3.20" Large display
LCD Screen Resolution
2.100k dots vs 2.359k dots High resolution screens
Continuous Shooting
20.0fps vs 14.0fps Fast shooting speeds
Microphone Port
Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port
Yes vs Yes better video control
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs Yes shoot at tough conditions
Top LCD Display
Yes vs Yes Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs Yes Connect off-camera flash
Shutter Life Expectancy
500000 cycles vs 400000 cycles High Shutter Rating
Illuminated Buttons
Yes vs Yes Find the buttons easily in dark
Storage Slot
2 vs 2 Extra Storage Slot
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs Yes Remote control your camera with a smartphone
CFexpress Card Support
Type B vs Type B Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds
Anti_flicker
Yes vs Yes Reduced uneven color and exposure under flickering light
Common Weaknesses of Canon EOS-1D X Mark III and Nikon D6
In-body Image Stabilization
No vs No No Built-in stabilization
Fixed Screen
Fixed Type vs No No flexible viewing angles
Built-in Flash
No vs No Require external flash
Canon 1D X III vs Nikon D6: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Canon 1D X III and Nikon D6 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Canon 1D X III has external dimensions of 158 x 168 x 83 mm (6.22 x 6.61 x 3.27″) and weighs 1440 g (3.17 lb / 50.79 oz) (including batteries). Nikon D6 has external dimensions of 160 x 163 x 92 mm (6.3 x 6.42 x 3.62″) and weighs 1270 g (2.80 lb / 44.80 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon 1D X III and Nikon D6. Canon 1D X III is 2mm narrower and 9mm thinner than Nikon D6 but it is also 5mm taller.

Canon 1D X III vs Nikon D6 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Canon 1D X III and Nikon D6 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Canon 1D X III and Nikon D6.

Canon 1D X III vs Nikon D6 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Canon 1D X III and Nikon D6 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Canon 1D X III and Nikon D6.
Canon 1D X III vs Nikon D6 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Canon 1D X III and Nikon D6 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon D6 is 170g lighter than the Canon 1D X III but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since both Canon 1D X III and Nikon D6 have the same Full frame sized sensor, their lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will be similar in size and weight.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

1D X MIII
D6
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

1D X MIII
D6
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Both 1D X MIII and D6 have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Canon 1D X III and Nikon D6's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.20".

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Canon 1D X III vs Nikon D6: Sensor Comparison

Canon 1D X III has a 20.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic X processor. On the other hand, Nikon D6 has a 21.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 6 processor.

Below you can see the 1D X MIII and D6 sensor size comparison.

Canon 1D X III vs Nikon D6 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 1D X III and Nikon D6 Cameras


Canon 1D X III and Nikon D6 have almost the same sensor size so none of them has any significant advantage over other in providing control over depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.

Canon 1D X III vs Nikon D6 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Nikon D6 has an advantage over Canon 1D X III There are 316 lenses for Nikon D6's Nikon F mount, on the other hand there are only 257 lenses for Canon 1D X III's Canon EF lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 77 lenses for Canon EF mount and 107 lenses for Nikon F mount with IS.

Lens Type # of Canon 1D X III Lenses # of Nikon D6 Lenses
Standard Zoom 22 (22 Full Frame) 33 (17 Full Frame)
Standard Prime 19 (19 Full Frame) 22 (19 Full Frame)
Wideangle Zoom 20 (20 Full Frame) 33 (17 Full Frame)
Wideangle Prime 48 (48 Full Frame) 50 (48 Full Frame)
Telephoto Zoom 51 (51 Full Frame) 54 (44 Full Frame)
Telephoto Prime 44 (44 Full Frame) 46 (45 Full Frame)
SuperZoom 9 (9 Full Frame) 30 (6 Full Frame)
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 3 (3 Full Frame) 8 (3 Full Frame)
Macro Prime 24 (24 Full Frame) 26 (23 Full Frame)
Perspective Control Prime 16 (16 Full Frame) 11 (11 Full Frame)
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a 1 (0 Full Frame)
TOTAL 257 (256 Full Frame) 316 (233 Full Frame)


Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Canon 1D X III and Nikon D6 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Canon 24-70mm f2.8L II USM Lens Canon 24-70mm f2.8L II USM
24 - 70mm 805gr 2245gr 113mm Amazon B&H Photo
Nikon 24-70mm F2.8E ED VR Lens Nikon 24-70mm F2.8E ED VR
24 - 70mm 1070gr 2340gr 155mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Canon EF 70-200 F2.8L IS III USM Lens Canon EF 70-200 F2.8L IS III USM
70 - 200mm 1440gr 2880gr 199mm Amazon B&H Photo
Nikon AF-S 70-200mm F2.8E FL ED VR Lens Nikon AF-S 70-200mm F2.8E FL ED VR
70 - 200mm 1430gr 2700gr 203mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Canon 50mm f1.4 USM Lens Canon 50mm f1.4 USM
50mm 290gr 1730gr 51mm Amazon B&H Photo
Nikon 50mm f1.4G Lens Nikon 50mm f1.4G
50mm 290gr 1560gr 54mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Canon 16-35mm F2.8L III Lens Canon 16-35mm F2.8L III
16 - 35mm 790gr 2230gr 128mm Amazon B&H Photo
Nikon 17-35mm f2.8D ED-IF Lens Nikon 17-35mm f2.8D ED-IF
17 - 35mm 745gr 2015gr 106mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Canon 24-105mm f4L IS USM Lens Canon 24-105mm f4L IS USM
24 - 105mm 670gr 2110gr 107mm Amazon B&H Photo
Nikon 24-120mm f4G ED VR Lens Nikon 24-120mm f4G ED VR
24 - 120mm 710gr 1980gr 104mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM C Lens Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM C
150 - 600mm 1930gr 3370gr 290mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM C Lens Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM C
150 - 600mm 1930gr 3200gr 290mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Canon 1D X III and Nikon D6 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Canon 1D X III and Nikon D6 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Canon 1D X III for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Nikon D6 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 21.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Canon 1D X III for Street Photography

GOOD

Nikon D6 for Street Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details
Large Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Canon 1D X III for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT

Nikon D6 for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 20.0fps
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
155 Cross Type Focus sensors
191 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 2850 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 14.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
105 Cross Type Focus sensors
105 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 3580 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Anti Flicker feature
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Canon 1D X III for Daily Photography

GOOD

Nikon D6 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
1440g
Body Thickness 83mm
Read the details
Large Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Anti Flicker feature
Large Body
1270g
Body Thickness 92mm
Read the details

Canon 1D X III for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D6 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Built-in GPS
Read the details
Large Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 21.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Canon 1D X III vs Nikon D6: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Canon 1D X III and Nikon D6, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Canon 1D X III and Nikon D6 scores compare:

Canon 1D X III
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #2 out of 36 in Large SLR cameras
Ranked #44 out of 1244 in all Cameras
Nikon D6
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #1 out of 36 in Large SLR cameras
Ranked #42 out of 1244 in all Cameras

Nikon D6 has a higher Overall Score than the Canon 1D X III and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Canon 1D X III
Canon 1D X III
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Nikon D6
Nikon D6
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Nikon D6 vs Canon 1D X III Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Canon EOS-1D X Mark III Nikon D6
Brand Canon Nikon
Announced 2020-01-07 2020-02-11
Body Type Large SLR Large SLR
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size Full frame Full frame
Dimensions 36 x 24 mm 35.9 x 23.9 mm
Area 864.00mm2 858.01mm2
Megapixels 20 megapixels 21 megapixels
Max Resolution 5472 x 3648 5568 x 3712
Max Native Light sensitivity 102,400 ISO 102,400 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 819200 ISO 3280000 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity 50 ISO 50 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 191 105
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Canon EF Nikon F
Number of Available Lenses 257 316
Screen
Type Fixed type Fixed type
Size 3.20" 3.20"
Resolution 2,100k dots 2,359k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.76x 0.72x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization No No
Built-in Flash
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 20.0 fps 14.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 5472 x 2886 3840 x 2160
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264, H.265 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 1440g 1270g
Dimensions 158 x 168 x 83mm 160 x 163 x 92mm
Battery Life 2850 shots 3580 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS Built-in Built-in
DxO Sensor Scores
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