Hire Canon EOS-1D X Mark II

Our thoughts

'The 1D X Mark II is a thoroughbred and former flagship model in Canon’s DSLR lineup. Its powerful performance and advanced features will appeal to users who call for an immediate response with no let up in speed. Capable of rattling out 170 raw files at up to 14fps (16fps in live view), it pairs fast continuous shooting with an incredibly sophisticated 61-point autofocus system. Every focus point is available down to f/8 when telephoto lenses and teleconverters are used, plus it has what seems like never-ending battery life and substantial handgrip that balances well with large lenses. All of the above are reasons why it’s highly regarded and still chosen ahead of mirrorless rivals by many.'  

The details

20.2 Megapixel Full Frame CMOS Sensor

A 20.2 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor with high latitude, developed and made by Canon, reduces noise at both high and low ISO speeds. This exceptional sensor features gapless microlenses to ensure high image quality under all shooting conditions. Gapless lenses mean that no light is lost between each pixel as all the light falling on the sensor is funneled into the pixels below. This improves light gathering capacity and increases the signal-to-noise ratio.

With increase in the number of recording pixels, compared to the EOS-1D X, the 20.2 MP in EOS-1D X Mark II enables more cropping abilities while still retaining exceptional level of detail. At the same time, the increased exposure latitude allows compositions to be over or under exposed without much loss of details.

High ISO Sensitivity

A high ISO range offers a wider range of shooting opportunities. Speed is of the essence in any professional situation, and greater ISO flexibility is particularly useful when shooting in low-light and near-dark locations. How high an ISO speed you can shoot at and yet still retain critical image quality has always been the big quest, which is where EOS-1D X Mark II scores. With a top native ISO speed of 51200, the EOS-1D X Mark II can be expanded further still to ISO 409600 for shooting in very dark locations. And flexibility doesn't stop there; even in Auto ISO mode shutter speeds up to 1/8000sec are possible, as is exposure compensation in Manual mode.

In-camera Lens Aberration Correction

When the original EOS-1D X launched, it included peripheral brightness correction and chromatic aberration correction functions, while a further distortion correction function was included in the EOS 7D Mark II. Evolving these in-camera processing options, the EOS-1D X Mark II includes these along with a new diffraction correction function that is applied to JPEG images during shooting. This function allows photographers to work at smaller apertures without any concerns over image quality degradation caused by diffraction.

In the past it was necessary to register lens correction data using EOS Utility software. In EOS-1D X Mark II, however, the peripheral brightness, chromatic aberration correction and distortion correction lens data is already stored in camera, removing the need to correct lens aberrations in JPEGs via a computer. This feature also accepts data from any future lenses that have aberration correction data built-in, making it unnecessary to register data using EOS Utility.

Built-in Digital Lens Optimizer

With the EOS-1D X, Canon’s Digital Photo Professional software provided solutions for correcting various lens and image aberrations. On the EOS-1D X Mark II, these correction functions are built into the camera with a dedicated Digital Lens Optimiser function.

Digital Lens Optimiser imitates lens performance, with a series of mathematical functions replicating each stage of the journey of light through the optical path. Using this information, the Digital Lens Optimiser can correct a range of typical optical aberrations and loss of resolution caused by a camera’s low pass filter, by applying an inverse function to each shot to take the image nearer to how the scene appears to the naked eye. This creates detailed, high-quality images providing photographers great flexibility of working with large or small apertures without worrying about aberrations and diffractions.

While the lens aberration corrections can be applied to JPEG files as the images are being shot, Digital Lens Optimiser is applied during in-camera RAW processing.

Fine Detail Picture Style

The ‘Fine Detail’ Picture Style originally developed for the EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R has been included in the EOS-1D X Mark II to maximise the amount of detail captured by the camera's 20.2 megapixel sensor. This setting prioritises gradation of tones and emphasises fine detail. Fine Detail is intended for images that will be used straight from the camera, without post-production.

Fine Detail Picture Style features three adjustable sharpening parameters, which give more control over the sharpening performed in-camera on JPEG files. The parameters are similar to those found in the Unsharp Mask filter in Adobe Photoshop and Canon’s DPP software.

The ‘Strength’ slider adjusts how much sharpening is applied to edges in the image. The ‘Fineness’ slider determines the size of the details that are sharpened, move it to the left to sharpen smaller details. The ‘Threshold’ slider specifies how much contrast there needs to be in a part of the picture before it is considered an edge and sharpened. At low settings even subtle edges can be sharpened.

AWB: Ambience Priority/White Priority

The EOS-1D X Mark II features a choice of Auto White Balance (AWB) settings that take a different approach to artificial light. ‘Ambience Priority’ aims to retain some of the warm colour tones from artificial light sources in order to preserve some of the atmosphere of a scene, similar to the conventional AWB setting on other EOS cameras, while ‘White Priority’ eliminates most of the warmth from tungsten lighting and tries to give colour-neutral images where possible.