Canon EOS-1D X Mark II Black

I've had it for about 8 hours so far today. If you already have a 1D X it is surprisingly much of the same. The transition from 1D iii to 1D iv and 1D iv to 1D X were truly monumental upgrades especially in terms of polish, but here I feel like the 1DX had everything right and this is just a minor tweak.But it's more than a tweak. I don't own a CFAST card yet, but when I do, I'm certain this camera is going to blow my old 1DX out of the water when it comes to rapid fire sports photography. The raw files appear to be about twice as big as the raws from my 1D X. Shooting at the highest iso settings still renders garbage, but its higher iso than the 1D X and so far all the lower iso stuff seems better (but I've only really investigated the highest iso setting to see what it can do).The battery is new, but the old batteries go into the new body and seem to work just fine. I'm really sad it doesn't have two CF slots. I really liked having two CF slots on the 1D X. Eventually I'm sure I'll be sad it doesn't have dual CFAST slots... I still miss the SD slot of the 1D iv, not because I admit to owning any of those stupid little cards, but because other people did, and I could pop their card into my 1D iv and take their picture for them.The bottom line, of course, is do you really need a $6k full frame camera? The test is simple: if you have a lens that costs more than the camera, then you need the camera. Deep down, that $6k is buying you mostly speed and durability. Fast autofocus, fast shutter clicks, fast card writing. If I go out and take a thousand pictures of a rugby game I'll come home expecting just about a thousand of those pictures to be perfectly in focus no matter what was happening on the field.Update: I'm closing in on having it an entire day now.The menus still have a couple of items that are just baffling to me. The location of settable min/max ISO for instance. Mirror lock up still doesn't have a button, but it is easier to find than when it used to be hidden in a custom function.The polish is looking a little more polished to me. The information you get from pressing the "info" key in particular seems more polished to me.Another Update: I'm starting to think that this new camera does have a lot more polish to it than I thought it just. It's just hidden away more. For instance, my 1D X had a level built in. It was accessed via the LCD on back. I went to use the level today, and this new camera has a four access LCD level indicator hidden inside the viewfinder. It's very nice.I like how quiet and crisp the shutter sounds compared to the older model. I have yet to try it on full auto though.So, a few days into owership, I'm even happier with it than I was when I first got it.

So a lot of people looking at this camera are probably wondering just like I was if this or the Sony A7sii was the camera to get. I had the Sony A7sii for a year before I switched to Cannon and the 1dx and absolutely loved it. Personally, I loved the colors on it and new it like the back of my hand, but at the end of the day, the Cannon dx Markii is still king when it comes to video.Pros of Canon 1dx Markii compared to Sony A7sii:Video quality is hands down better ( once you shoot with it you will tell that image is much more detailed)Dual pixel autofocus, it is very amazing and allows me to keep my aperture super low without going out of focus on a subject.Lens choices (but Sony is slowly turning that around)4k 60 frames - I use this for a lot of my shoots and love itPros of Sony A7siiRight out of the gate the Sony A7sii is reasonably a lot cheaper and not only with the camera itself but there are other things you have to consider the cards are more expensive especially if you want to shoot 4k 60 you will need a C-fast card and a quality 128GB and cost $500.00 and up. Batteries are more expensive as well and you will also need a Card reader to transfer the footage to your computer.Next weight, now I know a lot of people love a heavier weight because it feels like its holding something solid but you have to think about the equipment you use with your camera. With the 1dx Mark ii you will need a better tripod, also it's a little bit trickier to find the right stabilizer to hold the size of the camera, I recommend the Zhiyun Crane 2 + Gravity plate.Lastly the biggest negative is that there is no in camera stabilization. Just like how people who don't have dual pixel autofocus on their Sony A7sii don't know what they are missing same goes with Canon owners and the internal stabilization. Handheld shots are not as smooth even when you using the trick of using your strap on the back of your neckAll in all what I will end with is this if you want the Canon 1dx Markii the quality is there but be prepared to invest more and have to think out how you do things a little bit more then with the Sony. I personally think its worth it and have seen my videos improve majorly but if you want to save some money the Sony A7sii is probably the way to go. I love both cameras a lot and have things that I respect about both. Both will get the job doneAlso when I walk through the airports with my 1dx mark ii I have never gotten so many compliments in my life about my camera, this never happened with my Sony and it's funny because most of the people who come up to me don't strike me as people who know anything about cameras. I assume they think big camera = good camera.

I've had mine for about a week. I shoot amateur Mixed Martial Arts, a fast paced sport that happens in bad lighting. For the past 5 years, I have been shooting with the Canon 1dMkIV, which has been a great camera for the purpose. I didn't move to the 1Dx classic, because it just wasn't a big enough step, not with a camera in hand that worked well. The MkII was a bigger step, and I took it.I am not going to repeat all the stats and figures. Those are great and they are all over the internet. I shot an event saturday night, and I have some images to share, if this site shows them accurately. The autofocus is accurate and fast, the color is great, and it works like a charm in the dark, through a chain link fence.These images were shot at ISO 5,000-8,000, 1/500th, f3.2 or f3.5 processed in lightroom, pretty much the same way I always process fight images. There is some noise reduction, but it's not terribly strong. I wasn't making lab test images, these are real production images. This is what a flagship camera does, how it is really used.update: Time has passed, I am still shooting fights with my markII, it's still a fantastic camera. The controls are basically the same as the earlier flagship canon I own, but there are differences. The menus are different and as with any camera, it takes time to learn to get the most out of it. I'm getting there. I have added some new fight images as well as some from a raptor photoshoot.