Canon 5D MIII has a
22.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 5+ processor. On the other hand, Canon 1D X has a
18.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Dual Digic 5+ processor.
Below you can see the 5D MIII and 1D X sensor size comparison.
Canon 5D MIII and Canon 1D X have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture. On the other hand, since Canon 1D X has 23% larger pixel area (48.21µm2 vs 39.06µm2) compared to Canon 5D MIII, it has larger pixel area to collect light hence potential to have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Canon 5D MIII and Canon 1D X sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that 1D X has a better overall score of 82, 1 points higher compared to 5D MIII's score of 81.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Canon 5D MIII |
81 |
24.0 bits |
11.7 Evs |
2293 ISO |
Canon 1D X |
82 |
23.8 bits |
11.8 Evs |
2786 ISO |