AWSPhotography - well if you don't mind a grey-import then UK is not more expensive....
I figure the chances of Pro Canon equipment going wrong within warranty is pretty unlikely, plus all their equipment is made in a handful of locations in Asia. If you want full warranty, fair enough. I've bought three 2nd hand 1D series bodies without issues, so I figure grey import is less risk.
I've used procamera in the uk (no affiliation), and their price compares well to Adorama / B&H / Amazon.
Like you I am considering a 1Dx or MK III, but really want to wait and see if the new bodies have (even) better noise handling (I do nature, travel & landscapes), so need a mix of capabilities....
Unless the new body replaces the 1DX, it's not going to have better noise handling. No chance, zero. And of course if it did replace the 1DX, the price.
They certainly could have better noise handling at a low frame rate. FF High ISO IQ is certainly one of the attractions of the 1D X, but frame rate, AF system, and metering system are really more important ones, IMO. I could easily see a megapixel monster getting better IQ, both at high and low ISO along with a DR boost, at a much lower frame rate with a more basic AF system (although not as basic as the 6D).
Right. But not a 7D Mark II. It would be a very high-end FF camera to do that.
I don't believe that
must be the case. Canon has repeatedly said that they will introduce some "revolutionary" new technology with the 7D II. The 7D line is an inferior line to the 1D X for a multitude of reasons. If the 7D II gets a better sensor, that doesn't invalidate the 1D X. For one, even if Canon manages to increase Q.E. with either a BSI sensor, or maybe a sensor with LighPipe tech, the smaller pixel size will intrinsically limit full well capacity. The 1D X has an FWC of over 90K, while the 7D has 20K. Even if they managed to double the Q.E. of the 7D, and achieve ~40k FWC, the 1D X will still be a superior high ISO sensor, will still have a faster frame rate, will still have a superior AF system, will still have the superior build and greater battery capacity.
Sensor, as I've said in the past, is not the sole factor in determining the quality of a
camera. It is one of many, and I would put frame rate as well as AF system ahead of sensor as the primary factors that determine IQ in most cases, except in the few cases where your subject is static (i.e. landscapes.)