The new Canon EOS 1D X Mark II is an update to the 18 megapixel 1D X and the camera features an all-new 20.2 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor with dual pixel CMOS AF, as well as a built-in analogue to digital converter for improved readout speed, better dynamic range and noise performance. The camera features internal 4K video recording and a built-in heat-sink to allow recording up to 29 minutes. There are two memory card slots, with CompactFlash, plus high-speed CFast 2.0 to enable quicker write speeds and up to 170 raw shots at 16fps (in live view mode) or 14fps with AE/AF in normal high-speed continuous shooting mode.
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II Features
Canon has developed a new 20.2-megapixel sensor with dual pixel CMOS AF, for high dynamic range, and reduced noise at both high and low ISO settings. The new sensor has a built-in Analogue to Digital converter to improve readout speed, noise performance and dynamic range and this has allowed an ISO speed range from ISO50 to ISO409600 (extended).
The full-frame sensor has a heat pipe to draw heat away from the sensor so that the camera can shoot 4K video at 60fps up to the 29 minute, 59-second limit. Without the built-in heat pipe, overheating of the sensor might be an issue which would mean video length would be limited. You can also record high-speed FullHD video at 120fps / 100fps.
The use of CFast 2.0 means faster write speeds, with speeds up to 440MB/s compared to 150MB/s of CompactFlash. This allows up to 170 RAW shots to be taken in high speed continuous shooting mode. CFast 2.0 has recessed contacts making the card more robust and less likely to have problems with bent pins.
The EOS 1D X Mark II uses the same Mirror Vibration Control System as the 5DS and 5DS R in order to reduce vibration caused by the mirror moving up and down. Another feature found in the 5DS and 5DS R is the "Fine Detail" picture mode which prioritises gradations and detail capture. You can also adjust in-camera sharpening parameters such as threshold and fineness for JPEG files - meaning you should be able to get detailed and sharp JPEG images straight from the camera.
Focus is more sensitive than other Canon cameras such as the 5DS and 5DS R, able to focus down to -3EV (an improvement over -2EV), and the camera has an updated AI Servo + focus mode which uses the lens gyro sensors to predict camera movement and improve focus accuracy, for example when you are panning with the camera.
New features include a Hot pixel cleaning system built into the camera. There is also updated lens correction built in, with further correction options available in playback on the camera (Digital Lens Optimizer). The camera is weather-sealed, making it suitable for a wide variety of shooting conditions.
A new Canon WFT-E8 wireless file transmitter supports high-speed standard 802.11ac (5GHz band). The EOS 1D X Mark II is compatible with the existing WFT-E6 wireless adapter for the EOS-1D X, but the new WFT-E8 adapter offers faster-transmitting speeds. Using either compatible Canon WFT accessory enables remote operation using the Canon Camera Connect App (available for iOS and Android).
The closest competitor to the Canon EOS 1D X Mark II, is the Nikon D5, as well as the Leica SL, so we have provided a quick comparison showing the main differences between these three cameras:
| Canon EOS 1DX II | Nikon D5 | Leica SL |
| 20.2mp | 20.8mp | 24mp |
| 3.2inch, 1620K, Touch | 3.2inch, 2359K, Touch | 2.95inch, 1040K, Touch |
| 0.76x magnification | 0.72x magnification | 0.8x mag, 4.4m dots EVF |
| ISO409,600 max | ISO3,280,000 max | ISO50,000 max |
| 61 points, 41 cross, 21 support f/8 | 153 points, 99 cross, 15 support f/8 | 49 focus points |
| -3EV | -4EV | -4EV |
| 16fps (mirror lockup), 170 buffer | 14fps (mirror lockup), 200 buffer | 11fps, 75 buffer |
| 4K (CINE) video at 60fps, mono mic | 4K (UHD) at 30fps, stereo mic | 4K (CINE) at 24fps, stereo mic |
| 1210 shots | 3780 shots | 400 shots |
| GPS built in | Optional | Wi-Fi built in |
| 1340g | 1405g | 847g |
| £5199 May | £5199 March | £5050 body only |
We've also compared the EOS-1D X Mark II with the original EOS-1D X here. The Canon EOS-1D X Mark II and Leica SL both recording DCI CINE resolution 4K video at 4096x2160, compared to UHD resolution 4K video at 3840x2160 on the Nikon D5. The video length is also limited on the Nikon D5, whereas the EOS-1D X Mark II is limited to 29 minutes and 59 seconds.
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II Key Features
- 20.2 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor
- 3.2inch touch-screen, 1.62m dots (touch-screen only active in live view or movie shooting)
- Intelligent optical Viewfinder II, 100% field of view, electronic overlay, 0.76x magnification
- Dual DIGIC 6+ processors
- 61 point AF system with 41 cross-type points
- AI Servo AF III +, focuses down to -3EV
- Supports f/8 AF with all 61 points with extenders and telephoto lenses
- 360K RGB+IR metering sensor
- Flicker Detection for artificial lighting
- Minimal Mirror Vibration Mirror Drive System
- 14fps continuous shooting with AF/AE Tracking (RAW)
- 16fps continuous shooting in Live View (Mirror lock up, AF locked first frame)
- Unlimited JPEGs or 170 RAW images with CFast 2.0
- ISO100 to 51200, expands to ISO50 up to ISO409600
- Built in GPS, Geotag information, Logging function
- CFast 2.0 / CompactFlash (UDMA7 Type I) slots
- USB 3.0, built in Ethernet
- 1210 shot battery life
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II Video Features:
- 4K video up to 60/50p, 4096x2160, approx. 800MBps, 30, 25, 24p approx. 500MBps
- 8.8mp photos extractable in-camera from 4K footage
- 4K records internally to CFast 2.0, in DCI 4K standard: 4096x2160 (17:9)
- Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology (covers 80% of sensor area)
- Movie Servo Auto Focus, can select focus point with touch-screen
- FullHD video up to 120/100fps
- ISO100 to ISO204800 available depending on mode
- Clean HDMI output at Full HD resolution, 4.2.2 8-bit colour sampling
- Mono microphone built in
- Mic / Headphone sockets
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II Handling
The Canon EOS 1D X Mark II has improved handling with a redesigned handgrip, as well as a deeper portrait grip. The buttons around the lens have been redesigned as well to make them easier to use when wearing gloves. However, the controls and buttons will be familiar to anyone who has used the previous version of this camera, with almost all of the buttons and controls matching. One noticeable change can be seen in the live view switch, which now matches other Canon EOS cameras, letting you switch between photo and video modes. The joysticks have also been improved, with a slightly larger area to grip on to.
As Canon's top of the range Digital SLR, the camera feels extremely well built, and very solid. If you've used other full-frame cameras, such as the Canon EOS 6D, then the size of the 1D X Mark II may come as a bit of a shock to you as it's definitely one of the larger DSLRs available.
The camera weighs the same as the 1D X at 1340g but is slightly larger at 158 x 167.6 x 82.6mm. GPS is built in and this now means there is a slightly raised bump on top of the camera. There is now USB3.0 built in, and the remote control socket has been moved to the other side of the camera to make room for the updated ports on the left-hand side of the camera.
With a touch-screen on the back of the camera, you might have expected to be able to changes settings and go through the menus using the touch-screen however, the touch-screen is only active in live view photo mode, or in the video mode. The optical viewfinder is large and clear and gives a good view of the scene, as well as useful shooting information, without the need to take the camera away from your eye.
There are 61 focus points, with 41 cross-type and 5 dual cross-type AF points. You can select any of the 61 focus points individually, and these cover a fairly wide area of the centre of the frame. If you switch to live view shooting you can select from any area of the screen, and the AF tracking will cover the whole frame.
Whilst the camera has built-in help that will give you guidance as to what each option is for, close studying of the Canon manual is recommended so that you are familiar with the multitude of focusing options.
The optical viewfinder is large and bright and can be customised to show a number of useful things, including a dual-axis electronic level and shooting settings. The screen looks very good with a high resolution and very good viewing angles.
The camera menus have a vast range of options and are neatly arranged into colour coded sections making it easier to find the settings you want to change. You can also customise the "MyMenu" menus with your favourite settings and these can be renamed so that you can setup certain menus for specific shooting scenarios. Unfortunately, you can't use the touchscreen to scroll through the menu options.
The Canon EOS 1D X Mark II can shoot high speed, FullHD video at 120 or 100fps depending on whether you're recording NTSC or PAL video, as well as shooting 4K video at 60 or 50fps. From the 4K video, you can extract 8.8 megapixel JPEG images, and this is possible on the camera.
The EOS 1D X Mark II can shoot at 16fps in Live View mode, with exposure and focus locked on the first shot and the mirror locked up. In normal shooting mode, you can shoot at 14fps with auto exposure and continuous focus active (shown above), and videos showing the camera shooting at different speeds can be found on the ePHOTOzine YouTube channel.
The Canon EOS 1D X Mark II features dual card slots, one is CompactFlash, and the other is CFast 2.0, and to take advantage of 4K video recording a CFast 2.0 memory card is recommended. These are currently around £82 for a 32GB Lexar CFast 2.0 card, compared to around £42 for a 32GB Lexar CompactFlash card. The camera uses a rechargeable Li-ion battery (LP-E19) which gives 1210 shots according to CIPA test standards, which is an improvement over the 1120 shots of the 1D X.
Battery life - Battery life is rated at 1120 shots according to Canon / CIPA test results, which is very good, although we able to shoot far more than this and the number of shots possible will depend on your shooting style and drive mode.
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II Performance
The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
Speed - We took a number of shots to test the camera's responsiveness, from switch on to first photo, shot to shot, focusing speed etc. We take a number of shots and then use the average to ensure accurate and consistent tests, making it easy to compare with other cameras.
| Shutter Response | <0.05secs |
| Wide - Focus / Shutter Response | 0.15secs |
| Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response | 0.15secs |
| Switch on Time to Taking a Photo | 0.38secs |
| Shot to Shot without Flash | 0.2secs |
| Shot to Shot with Flash | N/A |
| Continuous Shooting - JPEG (shots before slow down) |
14fps (~ shots) 16fps live-view (~ shots) |
| Continuous Shooting - Flash | N/A |
| Continuous Shooting - RAW | 12fps (54 shots, CF) 14fps live-view (54 shots, CF) |
Shutter response is very good and focus speeds are very fast as well. Continuous shooting is very impressive shooting at 14fps with AF/AE and 16fps with the mirror up in live view mode. The camera can shoot up to 170 raw images when using a CFast 2.0 card, less when using a CompactFlash card, and unlimited JPEG images.
Canon EOS 1D X Mark II Sample Photos
Sample Photos - Exposure is reliable and colour is very good, with the camera producing pleasing images straight from the camera. With a number of different Picture Styles that can be customised, you can setup image output so that they are to your own personal tastes. Portraits taken with the camera are excellent, with pleasing skin tones and good levels of detail.
There are a number of Picture Styles available and you can customise the sharpness (strength, fineness, threshold), contrast, saturation and colour tone. Dynamic range is very good, with the camera producing excellent results straight from the camera. There are Auto Lighting Optimizer options of Off, Low, Standard and High which will increase the shadows and highlights to record more dynamic range in images and we have left this switched off for our images. To shoot HDR images, you can shoot raw and process the images, or shoot with the auto-exposure bracketing option but there is no built-in auto HDR creation.
Canon EOS 1D X Mark II Lens test images
Lens Performance - Image quality from the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens is very good, with the lens performing well at the wide-angle and telephoto end of the lens and there is a wide range of Canon lenses available. There are a number of lens correction options in the camera to get the best out of your lenses and the options include peripheral illumination correction (vignetting), which we switched on, chromatic aberration correction (off), distortion correction (off), and diffraction correction (on). The lens is quite resistant to flare unless you're shooting with the sun in the frame.
Canon EOS 1D X Mark II ISO test images
ISO Noise Performance - The Canon's ISO range goes from ISO50 (Extended), all the way to ISO409600 (Extended). We took these shots with the default noise reduction settings, and auto white balance set to "White" results. High ISO speed NR settings are Disable (off), low, standard (default), and high.
The big question is how the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II performs compared to the Nikon D5 for noise at higher ISO speeds. From ISO50 to ISO3200 there's not much difference between the two cameras. At ISO6400, there's a slight difference, with stronger noise reduction on the Nikon D5, which results in slightly more detail in the Canon image. At ISO12800, there's a slight drop in colour saturation on the Canon, with slightly coarser (larger) noise visible, compared to the D5 image. This is continued at ISO25600 with the Nikon D5 producing an image with less noise that is finer and images have better colour saturation. At ISO51200 noise increases for both cameras, and colour saturation drops. At ISO102400 noise gets a little uglier on the Canon, but colour saturation remains quite good, whereas it suffers on the D5, particularly the darker colours. ISO102400 may still be usable on the Canon but above this noise becomes quite ugly and it'd be best to avoid using an ISO setting above ISO102400. ISO204800 looks better on the Nikon D5 and whilst you wouldn't want to use ISO409600 on either camera, the results from the Nikon D5 are better with more definition in details.
Ultimately, both cameras produce results that can be used happily up to ISO25600, or processed further at higher ISO settings, with reasonable fairly results up to ISO102400. Processing the raw files, or resizing images for use on the web would also reduce noise levels.
Canon EOS 1D X Mark II White-balance test images
White Balance Performance - The Canon EOS-1D X Mark II has two different options for auto white balance, with default giving a warm result, and capturing the atmosphere of the scene, and alternatively you can select the "White" option, which will give a more accurate result. This is particularly useful if you plan on using the camera for product shots. This option is designed to work under Tungsten, but it also works under fluorescent and mixed lighting. This makes it possible to get good results in a variety of lighting conditions and means you shouldn't need to use the white balance presets. It also makes it possible to take pleasing portrait shots with warmer skin tones.
Video - If you want to record hand-held video with the camera, then the use of a lens with optical image stabilisation (IS) is recommended, alternatively the use of a tripod or solid surface is recommended to keep video stable. There are headphone and microphone sockets on the side of the camera and you'll need to use an external microphone if you want to record stereo audio, as there is only a mono microphone built in.
You have the choice of MOV or MP4 video options and the following compression options:
- DCI 4K 4096x2160 17:9, 60/50/25/24fps, MJPEG, approx. 800MBps (60/50fps), approx. 500MBps (30/25/24fps)
- FullHD, 50/25/24fps, ALL-I or IPB / IPB Light (MP4)
- High frame rate, FullHD, 120/100fps, ALL-I, audio is not recorded
If you are going to be recording 4K video, then a large high-speed memory card is definitely recommended, as a 9-second video at 50fps creates a 900MB video file. There are options for timecode settings, silent control, and you can select clean HDMI output as well (Full HD resolution, 4.2.2 8-bit colour sampling). The ISO range can be manually set from ISO100 to ISO204800 (H2) for movie recording depending on mode, and there is a note in the 4K frame rate option on the camera telling you the maximum ISO is ISO12800 for Auto ISO (if you press the Info button). The maximum ISO speed for FullHD video is ISO25600 for Auto ISO. Shown below is the crop area recorded when recording 4K video, compared to FullHD video.
8.8-megapixel photos are extractable in-camera from the 4K video footage. You can record 4K video internally and we used a CompactFlash card. High-speed video can be recorded in FullHD resolution up to 120fps (NTSC) or 100fps (PAL). Movie Servo Auto Focus is rapid and you can select the focus point with the touch-screen, with the Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology covering 80% of the sensor area.
Additional videos can be found on the ePHOTOzine YouTube Channel, including 4K (50fps) video, high-speed FullHD (100fps) video, and FullHD video recorded in low-light.
Value For Money
The Canon EOS-1D X Mark II is available for £5199 body only, which makes it quite an investment, but a similar price to the Nikon D5. Alternatives to look at include the following full-frame cameras:
Nikon D5, 20mp, 12-14fps, 4K video (UHD), £5199 body only (XQD version comes with 32GB XQD card)
Nikon D4s, 16mp, 11fps, £3499 body only if you can still find it for sale
Canon EOS 1D X, 18mp, 12-14fps (JPEG), £3999 body only (if you can find it)
Leica SL, 24mp, 11fps, 4K video (CINE), £5050 body only
Have a look at more DSLR options in our Top 10 Best FF DSLRs. You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II Verdict
The Canon EOS-1D X Mark II is the fastest shooting full-frame Digital SLR available, offering a rapid 14fps continuous shooting with AF/AE tracking, or an even quicker 16fps when shooting in live view mode with the mirror up and fixed AF. This would simply be a numbers game if the camera wasn't able to deliver excellent image quality to go with it and thankfully, the 1D X Mark II provides this in abundance. Canon has made improvements to white balance performance and noise performance is excellent, even at high ISO settings. With Canon's Picture Control you can set-up image quality options to your own liking and with excellent colour, it's possible to take some very high-quality images.
The 1D X Mark II offers a wide range of 4K video recording options, as well as high-speed FullHD video, and the video capabilities of this Digital SLR are the best you will find in a consumer level interchangeable lens camera, better than most other cameras, with the ability to record full CINE resolution 4K video at 60/50fps, whilst others only offer 4K video at 30/25/24fps. The use of a built-in heat pipe allows recording up to 29 minutes and 59 seconds without the sensor over-heating. The only other full-frame camera with 4K CINE (DCI resolution) recording and high-speed continuous shooting, the Leica SL, offers 24fps 4K video and 11fps continuous shooting, making the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II the fastest shooting full-frame camera available, quicker even than the Nikon D5.
If you have the finances available and want the best performing Canon EOS Digital SLR available, then the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II performs exceptionally well, delivering excellent image quality with excellent noise performance. The camera goes beyond what is expected in terms of a full-frame Digital SLR, giving the quickest continuing shooting speed available, as well as the highest frame rates available for 4K DCI video recording.
Built-in GPS will be of interest to those shooting news, reportage or sports photography, where accurate time and location information will be particularly useful. There will be those that will have preferred to have Wi-Fi built-in and the inclusion of a mono microphone disappoints considering the high specification video recording abilities. However, for those serious about video, an external microphone will be preferable anyway.
The Canon EOS-1D X Mark II sets a new standard in terms of what a top of the range professional Digital SLR should provide and this makes the high price quite justifiable, for those that need the best. For the rest of us, we've now got a new Digital SLR to lust after.
The Canon EOS-1D X Mark II sets a new standard for top of the range Digital SLRs and is a camera to lust after.