The follow-up to the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II may come in 2019 [CR2]

Oct 26, 2013
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I don't believe this. I doubt there will be any more DSLR leave alone 1dx. Really doubt. It is mirrorless now and all for good reasons.

Why would Canon deliberately lose all the birders, wildlife and sports photographers who almost unanimously agree that they don't want an EVF that would drain their batteries and fatigue their eyes when trying to look through the EVF for hours at a time?

I would imagine that we will see both an R and DSLR version of their "sports' camera before the 2020 Olympics. Canon can then look at the sales data for both in deciding what will happen after that. Just my opinion, of course.
 
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gmon750

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The 1dx2 is a great camera. Image quality is excellent, maybe better than 5d4. Video is great. Not sure how it feels "really ancient."

It's just rants from wannabe weekend shooters. They've never tried the 1DX line and these kind of people need something new and shiny every year to keep their attention span.

Meanwhile, pro-shooters continue on with what works best for them. The 1DX line is an incredible system. Sure... mirrorless will one day take over but that does not mean that suddenly those amazing 1DX shots are no longer useable.

Best to just ignore them.
 
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Mediabug

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If you really want to put a serious hurt on the competition get away from the useless PIXEL war. Currently the industry has enough PIXELS to choke anything. BUT give me 18 or 20 steps of gradient. Let me see into the shadows and stare at the sun!! Without some math trickery to artificially get there, this would stand the industry on its ear!!!
 
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Jul 28, 2015
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Why would Canon deliberately lose all the birders, wildlife and sports photographers who almost unanimously agree that they don't want an EVF that would drain their batteries and fatigue their eyes when trying to look through the EVF for hours at a time?

I would imagine that we will see both an R and DSLR version of their "sports' camera before the 2020 Olympics. Canon can then look at the sales data for both in deciding what will happen after that. Just my opinion, of course.
Well Andy Rouse has been very impressed with the EOS-R and decided to use 2of them as his primary cameras with a 1DX2 as back up and fast action only. 'Wildlife' clearly means different things to different people.
 
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Professionals rarely crop more than to adjust minor framing mishaps. Zoom lenses are made for those needs.. I’m not saying it NEVER happens, but there’s a very good reason why the top pro models have remained at about the same resolution for a long time,maven moving down.

That might be true for non-reach-limited shooters. People shooting wildlife, and a bunch of other use cases (some sports, etc.), never have the final framing in their viewfinder because their final framing is going to be cropped for further reach. My wife runs a wildlife magazine, and the crop ratio for cover photos is pretty extreme. This has gotten even more the case as internet use has become a primary medium. Because you don't get much benefit from resolution over 72 ppi, people are doing extremely heavy crops to get further reach - crops that would never stand up to print scrutiny.
 
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brad-man

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Why would Canon deliberately lose all the birders, wildlife and sports photographers who almost unanimously agree that they don't want an EVF that would drain their batteries and fatigue their eyes when trying to look through the EVF for hours at a time?

I would imagine that we will see both an R and DSLR version of their "sports' camera before the 2020 Olympics. Canon can then look at the sales data for both in deciding what will happen after that. Just my opinion, of course.

There will certainly be a 1DXlll, but shortly thereafter Canon will release a 1DR or whatever and by then there will be more fun RF lenses to play with and no one will care if a version 4 is in the pipeline.
 
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Maximilian

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This prognostication makes sense.

Entry level mirrorless camera
EOS R (mirrorless)
5D V then mirrorless version
5DS R/R Mirrorless
1D X then mirrorless version

The 5D and 1D X systems would likely require a sensor upgrade in order to produce the kind of performance needed to support a mirrorless system and the uses these cameras will have.
I go with almost all of your thoughts. Except for the highlighted one.
And though I would like to see a 5D V and believed in one until a few weeks ago, right now I suppose that this body as MILC would give the R system a great push and this might give Canon a big reason to go directly to a MILC version of a 5D IV successor.
If the EVF and the battery power were good enough then I suppose I would be part of its market.
 
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Aug 7, 2018
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Maybe I am old fashioned, but a real camera still needs a mirror and an optical viewfinder for me, that's lets you see reality with your own eyes instead of a digital copy of reality on an electronic viewfinder.

Weight is also important for me. A camera has to be heavy. As a rule of thumb I should be able to knock someone unconscious with my camera and the camera should still work after that. The 5D series are too light and small for my taste. You need attach a battery grip to them until they become real cameras.

The problem of Canon are neither the resolution, the autofocus or the frame rate, but the sensors. Canon sensors just show too much noise. Even at ISO 100 there is simply too much noise in dark areas, which becomes very visible if you try to recover detail from underexposed areas. The EOS R sensor even is a step back, because it introduces heavy banding in dark areas, that Canon DSLRs did not have.

If Canon solves the problems with sensor noise and adds IBIS to the 1D Mark III, that could already be the perfect camera for ten years or more to go.

I really do not want a small mirrorless camera which costs the same price as a large DSLR.

At least in medium format DSLRs may be around much longer, but to be honest I can not afford a medium format camera plus all the lenses needed.
 
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jolyonralph

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Number of new FD bodies that Canon launched after switching to EF mount: 0
Number of new 35mm SLR bodies that Canon launched after launching their first proper Digital camera (D30): 5 (but they were all minor incremental upgrades of the 30, 300 and 3000 lines. The flagship 35mm SLR, the EOS 1V, remained on sale unchanged for 17 and a half years.

The reality is that Canon will produce DSLRs as long as it remains profitable to do so. I think we'll see one more iteration of the 1DX series, possibly a 7D Mark III and possibly some minor updates to the lower end line but that will be it. Whatever DSLR models are available by the end of 2019 will continue to be produced until there's no more demand for DSLRs.

I think a 5D Mark V is unlikely (but not impossible).

We won't see any new exciting EF lens designs. Sorry, no 50mm f1.4 refresh! Only kit lens changes if any. Probably not even that.
 
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Professionals know that resolution isn’t very important, unless they’re photographing landscapes or architecture and printing very large, where the images can be viewed from close up.

Otherwise, 20-24MP is really enough. I suppose that the way things are going, higher resolutions will be had with the next generation. But I don’t see it jumping by very much. What for? If you do photograph landscapes or architecture you can get high resolution in cameras with lower speeds and less durability, which is fine for that.
Agreed, going from the 1dx2 to the R I notice only a tad higher res, and it only matters in my studioshots where conditions are optimal. Out and above iso 640 I would rather have the 20mp and cleaner shots as the iso increases. It was at least a full stop - one and a half stop better ...
 
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Ozarker

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Don't see how a 3 year old camera can be considered "long in the tooth". Some of "you peoples" photography skills and styles are far more long in the tooth. A new camera ain't gonna help you none. "Canon doesn't innovate." Well, you innovate even less. Please. There are not any innovators here; just complainers who couldn't do any better if they actually had what they say they want. Honestly, are there actually any working photographers here (making a profit and a living) that are actually upgrading every 3 years and feel pressure from customers to do so? I doubt it.
 
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AlanF

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Well Andy Rouse has been very impressed with the EOS-R and decided to use 2of them as his primary cameras with a 1DX2 as back up and fast action only. 'Wildlife' clearly means different things to different people.
My 5DSR gives better images of birds than my 5DIV, and the R has the same sensor as the IV and poorer tracking and FPS than the 5DSR and far worse than the 5DIV. No way would I trade in either my 5DIV or 5DSR for an EOS R for bird photography.
 
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Frankly, the Sony A9 is a pretty amazing sports/wildlife camera.

The AF of the Nikon D5 simply out performs the 1DX2. So many wildlife photographers are dumping Canon gear and switch to Nikon. And Canon does not have a camera body even comparable to the D850. Hopefully, Canon will at least close the gap if they lack the technology to take the lead.

I like my 1DX2 but the keeper rate for BIF is far below a D5.

I agree. I owned the 1DX and 5D4 then couldn't bring myself to get the 7D2 and went with the D500. That camera's AF was an eye opener and I hadn't realised how much Canon had fallen behind. I still couldn't bring myself to sell the 1DX even though I was using it a lot less. After getting getting feedback from some amazing bird photographers that had been using CAnon for a very long time and had all the good gear that had bought the A9, I couldn't resist when Sony had a huge sale. This was the final nail in the coffin for my 1DX. AF superior, silent shooting, zero blackout, 33% more pixels, better DR, very nice 4K and overall IQ and 600g lighter.

Nikon will be relasing the D6 next year and talk of much improved AF over the D5 which would make it damn impressive. Canon not only has to get the snesor up to speed, but their AF has long gone from being best around. It's still good, but no longer the best especially for fast action/birding.
 
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Frankly, the Sony A9 is a pretty amazing sports/wildlife camera.

The AF of the Nikon D5 simply out performs the 1DX2. So many wildlife photographers are dumping Canon gear and switch to Nikon. And Canon does not have a camera body even comparable to the D850. Hopefully, Canon will at least close the gap if they lack the technology to take the lead.

I like my 1DX2 but the keeper rate for BIF is far below a D5.

I've not heard of many Canon 1DXII to Nikon D5 swappers among my wildlife pro colleagues. Nikon really crapped on a lot of pros with the D4 lock up fiasco and there's not a lot of uk pros who currently trust Nikon as a stable brand. There are however a number of shooters who are predominantly Nikon photographers and when Nikon produce a pup (which happens more often than you'd think) they quietly move over to Canon for a few seasons. Once Nikon have something competitive again...then they rather vocally re-jump back to Nikon again. Some people are fan boys and buy what they like...it's a free country and it's their choice.

Most pros are looking for a return on their camera investment over a 6 year run and the lenses are usually a 10 year run. So for a pair of 1DXII's and 600mm f4 LIS II....that's a LOT of coin over a 6/10 year working life. Most pros are still selling work from 5 years ago and making a good living off those photos taken with "inferior" kit. After all...having state of the art kit doesn't directly relate to photographic or sell-able content.

Most pros don't have the cash to swap entire systems / lens catalogs because a different brand has a camera with a slightly better AF system (not that I've ever found the 1DXII lacking in any area). What makes Canon superior is their complete system. Their repair network is the best, their equipment is far more robust than other brands and their lens portfolio is vastly superior to any other brand.
 
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It's probably a reasonable expectation that Canon would release a 1DX3 prior to the 2020 Olympic games. If dual DIGIC 8+ processors can yield 50% more throughput than the dual DIGIC 6+ processors in the 1DX2 (I'm assuming that's not a stretch), then it's possible for the 1DX3 to sport a 30MP sensor at the same 16fps of the 1DX2 - I think the bump in resolution and improved noise management at high ISO would be welcome additions in the wake of an increasingly competitive full-frame market.

My personal wishlist for some new features on such a camera would be:
  • 30MP DPAF sensor
  • CR3 & C-RAW support
  • IBIS (hybrid OIS/IBIS mode) & high-res pixel-shift mode
  • Articulating touchscreen
  • Unlimited RAW buffer (using C-RAW)
  • Dual CF-Express card slots
  • Uncropped 4k/60fps & 1080p/240fps
  • Zebra, focus peaking, and waveform monitoring
  • XLR jack for integrated high-quality audio
  • Full cross-type phase-detection AF array
The 1DX2 is already one hell of a camera. But if Canon tossed in some of the above features on a new model, then they I'll probably refinance my house and pre-order one :)
Usually there's a 1.4x bump in data throughput between Digic generations. This is only a guideline as Canon can over clock and create "+" and other dual variants. But generally it's a 1.4x bump. So 16fps @20mp = 320 mb/s throughput. If we assume Canon opt for the same frame rate then 1.4x 320 mb/s = 448 mb/s. Divide this lump by the frame rate 448/16=28mp. So if Canon mated this processor and shutter unit to a 28mp sensor....these figures would work well for a 1DXIII
 
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There is so much wrong with the 1dx II, its REALY time for an upgrade. Compared to the 5d iv it feels realy ancient (though it is incredible fast). It just lacks basic stuff without any reason... intervallometer, a working touchscreen, at least a bit of advanced video options...

'Ancient' ? - perhaps for your application but for wildlife photography and especially moments of action the 1Dx II is one of the best systems out there. Some might argue the D5 has slightly better autofocus but frankly having used it extensively in the field in both African and India I don't think there is any situation in which the 1Dx II is lacking.

Most wildlife photographers I know aren't going to jump to mirrorless unless it's been proven in the field. Sure, the Sony A9 looks promising but I'll give it a few years before I trust it. We need rugged bodies which can withstand the dust, the heat and the rain. The battery life needs to be solid and AF has to work in critical situations. The 1Dx II has all these areas covered plus it has some of the best wildlife super telephotos lens ever made.

Oh and if you need an intervallometer for astrophotography or timelapse or anything serious you can always buy an external one. Most pro's would probably already have one and it can last for years. The touch screen is perhaps a good point, that should be improved on the 1dx III...and as far as video the 1dx II has some of the best files on any dslr -- very few people who use it for video are complaining about it.

Bottom line, the 1dx II is an amazing camera, and for wildlife I don't think there are many that beat it. I would expect Canon know the III will need to exceed the current one in all aspects so if that means continuing the DSLR for another generation i'm ok with that.
 
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Del Paso

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Why would Canon deliberately lose all the birders, wildlife and sports photographers who almost unanimously agree that they don't want an EVF that would drain their batteries and fatigue their eyes when trying to look through the EVF for hours at a time?

I would imagine that we will see both an R and DSLR version of their "sports' camera before the 2020 Olympics. Canon can then look at the sales data for both in deciding what will happen after that. Just my opinion, of course.
Even though I like my EOR R (bought for using vintage lenses), I'm still convinced that an optical viewfinder is a better solution for many uses.
So, I'm also hoping Canon will introduce in a close future a successor to the EOS 5 D 4. One gets quickly tired peeking through an electronic viewfinder, so, for wildlife photography, nothing beats the OVF. Video? I don't care, and if I did, would buy a video camera.
 
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Reading many comments here i am asking myself, how I can be so happy with my 5DIV and 1DXII.
I also had the pleasure to use other cameras (Fuji, APS-C and medium Format, Sonys), but never thought jumping ship.
Reasons: glasses, reliability, image quality, service, GPS
And I really hope, there will be OVFs in the future
 
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