PJs' assignments run the gamut, though, don't they? Some are out on a conflict/war assignment in some faraway land, while others are buried in a highly repeatable scrum every day with elected officials.
It's hard for me to peg what they do / don't tend to use because, well, just like many of us, what they are trying to capture might be quite different than what we expect.
- A
The equipment is actually seems to be the same (or very similar) for both.
Mostly a 1DX II (or maybe one on each side) with one of the f/2.8 zoom lenses (or the 24-105 f/4 and 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 come after that in terms of popularity).
The second most popular camera is the D5, but it is far less common. Then it is 5D III or 5D IV, etc.
They have started using Sony A9 or similar smaller mirrorless cameras in some places (some even use Leica M cameras), but it is few and far between at this stage. And yes, there are press pictures taken with smartphones as well, because timing is everything.
I guess it is brand-related, so it will be interesting to see if the EOS R5 is going to be utilised in these types of environments instead of the 1DX II
As all things considered, it is probably nowhere near as tough as a 1DX
Same thing with lenses like the RF 70-200 f/2.8, which also can't take as much beating as an EF 70-200 f/2.8 III either, there is a price to be paid for the much better portability and even better optical performance (besides the price itself).