canon eos-1d X mk ii
The Mk II edition of Canon’s powerhouse camera has double the X factor, with incredible speed and low-light performance
The 1D X was a force to be reckoned with but the Mk II is a real powerhouse of a camera. Canon’s latest and greatest flagship DSLR, it’s physically imposing with the usual built-in vertical grip and duplicated shooting controls, literally towering above the other cameras on test. But it’s beneath the tough, sturdy exterior that the excitement lies.
Upgrades include a newgeneration image sensor with Dual Pixel AF and on-board digital-toanalogue conversion, dual DIGIC 6+ image processors, and a huge sensitivity range of ISO100-51200, rising to a monstrous ISO409,600 in expanded mode. The camera isn’t just a speed demon in terms of sensitivity. The continuous drive mode reaches a rapid-fire 14fps, even with autofocus and metering between successive frames, rising to 16fps in Live View with autofocus and metering fixed before the first shot. It’s backed up by a cavernous memory buffer, able to accommodate up to 170 Raw files without flinching.
Build and handling
The 1D X Mk II certainly isn’t the only top-flight, pro-grade camera in the world to feature a built-in vertical grip. What makes it such a joy to use, however, is that the shooting controls are duplicated in a way that makes the camera feel every bit as intuitive and natural in both portrait and landscape orientation shooting.
Handling is further refined and operation simplified by the addition of a touchscreen around the back. Like the autofocus system, the ultra-high-res touchscreen has since been inherited by the 5D Mk
IV, along with the ability to capture 4K ultra-high definition movies. A notable difference is that while both cameras feature Canon’s new RGB+IR metering system, the 1D X Mk II’S metering module has more than twice the pixel count, although it’s divided into 216 zones instead of 252. And while both cameras feature GPS, the 1D X Mk II omits Wi-fi and NFC, limiting its connections to wired Ethernet and USB 3.0. The 5D Mk IV’S SDHC/XC and CF dual card slots are replaced by dual CF and Cfast slots.
Performance
The autofocus and metering systems are hard to fool, delivering excellent accuracy and consistency, even in ultra-high-speed stills capture. 4K UHD movies are also available with a fast frame rate of 50/60fps, double that of the 5D Mk IV, and with a less savage 1.3x crop factor. However, while the 1D X Mk II is astonishingly fast, the megapixel count of just 20.2Mp will be disappointing to many.
If you don’t need to shoot at more than 7fps, the 5D Mk IV is a more attractive proposition, with its 30.4Mp image resolution. Then again, the 1D X Mk II delivers silky-smooth, noise-free image quality all the way up to ISO51,200, at the top end of its standard sensitivity range.