More Canon EOS-1D X Mark II Talk [CR2]

[LetTheRightLensIn]

How about expanding the AF-points further away from center?

That's a given. I offer the 7D Mk II as exhibit A.

And your exhibit actually just disproved your point (at least mostly, maybe the 7D2 puts them out a trace more than on a 5D3?). Crack open the 7D2 and you'll see it's the same size AF sensor as in 1DX. If the light comes in too off angle it doesn't work well for what they need so they can't really go much wider with the points with these lenses.

 

[expatinasia]

Hubie, I agree. I had the opportunity yesterday to visit B&H in NYC for my first time. On that: Wow!

When I was testing out lenses, they handed me a somewhat beat up 1DX to use as a body. It was my first time holding one. I loved some of the features that were new to me, but the size alone makes it very impractical for me. I have very large hands, and the thing just felt overly-big and also overly-heavy. I'm sure it balances nicely on a gimbal with a 600mm lens, but for any sort of photography involving multi-miles hikes or needing to be unobtrusive, I was disappointed. But then, I'm not really the main market for these beasts.
Just to reiterate on the B&H store... Wow.

Forgive me for saying this, but you only really get to see the benefit of the 1D X - it's weight and general ergonomics etc. - out in the field. It's when you are taking real pictures in real situations (rather than the shop when your primary concern is lenses by the sounds of it) you realise how special it is. I don't mean that in a patronising way, it's just that's the way it is.

Of course it is not for everyone, but if they made a 5D SR in a 1D body I would always take the latter. Mind you, if I can stop myself from buying the 5D SR then I should have a 1D X mark II in my hands this time next year.

 

[K-amps]

Also, didn't gripped cameras also deliver more power for AF on the superwhites at one point, if memory serves?

- A

Not sure about AF voltage, and I never noticed a difference , but the only way you can get 10fps with a 1VHS (last of the non gripped 1 series cameras) is to use the PB-E2 and the NP-E2 NiCad battery. The NP-E2 is the same actual battery pack, though not end cap, as the NP-E3 from the 1D/1Ds/1D MkII/1DS MkII/1D MkIIn line of 1 series cameras.

I think the 1Dx does drive lenses with greater voltage; case in point, the 85mm F1.2L AF's much faster on a 1Dx than a 5d3. I suspect EF in General lenses have voltage regulators built in to cater for this difference in Voltage between the 1 series and other bodies. The 85mm might just allow this greater voltage to be used to speed up AF, there might be others.

 

[kyle86]

Question - what is everyones thoughts about the body shape changing? I want to buy underwater housing and will upgrade to the 1DX ii next year but wonder if the housing will also fit the new 1DX ii... i know its hard to say but i wonder how much has the body changed over the years and what would make them change it?

Thanks

 

[expatinasia]

Question - what is everyones thoughts about the body shape changing? I want to buy underwater housing and will upgrade to the 1DX ii next year but wonder if the housing will also fit the new 1DX ii... i know its hard to say but i wonder how much has the body changed over the years and what would make them change it?

Thanks

I can't see it changing much, but who knows.

If you have not yet bought your underwater housing, I would wait. I did not even know they made underwater housing for the 1D X. Frankly, even though I love it greatly, it probably would not be my first choice of underwater camera.

Am curious but which brand of underwater housing are you getting and how much is it costing you?

 

[kyle86]

Question - what is everyones thoughts about the body shape changing? I want to buy underwater housing and will upgrade to the 1DX ii next year but wonder if the housing will also fit the new 1DX ii... i know its hard to say but i wonder how much has the body changed over the years and what would make them change it?

Thanks

I can't see it changing much, but who knows.

If you have not yet bought your underwater housing, I would wait. I did not even know they made underwater housing for the 1D X. Frankly, even though I love it greatly, it probably would not be my first choice of underwater camera.

Am curious but which brand of underwater housing are you getting and how much is it costing you?

Well im doing a swimming with the whales photo trip in August next year so need to get something hehe Was looking at Aquatech who has a massive sale on now till the end of December which is where my problem lies lol. If the new camera comes out in April i dont know if there will be enough time for them to make a new shape before August, but i dont want to buy one if its not going to work with the mk ii...

 

[IgotGASbadDude]

Well im doing a swimming with the whales photo trip in August next year so need to get something hehe Was looking at Aquatech who has a massive sale on now till the end of December which is where my problem lies lol. If the new camera comes out in April i dont know if there will be enough time for them to make a new shape before August, but i dont want to buy one if its not going to work with the mk ii...

I'm too lazy to do it but if I were you I'd look through the 1 series history to see if the body changes much with each new iteration.

 

[Mantadude]

Question - what is everyones thoughts about the body shape changing? I want to buy underwater housing and will upgrade to the 1DX ii next year but wonder if the housing will also fit the new 1DX ii... i know its hard to say but i wonder how much has the body changed over the years and what would make them change it?

Thanks

I can't see it changing much, but who knows.

If you have not yet bought your underwater housing, I would wait. I did not even know they made underwater housing for the 1D X. Frankly, even though I love it greatly, it probably would not be my first choice of underwater camera.

Am curious but which brand of underwater housing are you getting and how much is it costing you?

Nauticam makes one.

 

[StudentOfLight]

Simple Question: Why has the 1DX the battery grip integrated? Why not just attach it for those who want and really need it? Of course I see the benefits in using one and the customers often appreciate it's functions, but I am also sure that there are occasions where you don't want to handle such a big chunk of camera to stay more in the background or simply because out of space or weight issues or just because of the plain "ugly" look of it... ???

NO!!! Love the design and the look. "UGLY?" Wow. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." I think the look is regal, and awesome. ;D

IMHO if you want a non-gripped rig, get the 5D series. Hopefully Canon never hears your suggestion.

I believe the general principle is that the more modular a design the more compromises need to be made in order to cater to the diverse needs of a wide user-base. Integrated designs allow you to optimize your product and give predictable output and reliable operation. The fewer variables in your system (like external battery modules or third party aftermarket products) the more reliable and higher performance you can spec your product to be.

Hence the dark horse rumor that the 1DX II will actually forego the EF mount and have a fixed 50mm lens. That's one less variable, right?

- A

I wasn't plucking these ideas out of thin air, I learnt them in a modular product design course.

Anyway, running with the dark-horse for a second... Without that EF lens mount size restriction you could have a fixed 50mm f/0.8 IS USM with excellent corner performance. Have at it.

 

[lion rock]

Kyle,
My daughter just bought a dive housing for her SL1 from Sea and Sea. She switched from a 60D to the smaller SL1 so she can travel lighter. And that housing is big, even for the SL1, and may be 3 times heavier and costlier. Add to that, the lens housing and possibly lighting. She travels by air to various dive spots with her scuba gear, that could be an enormous set of luggage!
Do you really want to dive with your brand new $5000 1D (version?) camera? Over the years, she had had 4-5 dive cases (smaller ones) that after many a use started to leak. I would be hesitant to dive with a 1D camera.
-r

 

[sublime LightWorks]

...Canon will not use two different card types on the 1DX mk2. It would defeat the purpose and ability of dual write of images (RAW) to both cards to produce a backup copy during shooting and maintain full shooting speed.

Dual CFast is what we will get.

While I agree with you concerning the 1D X II, the prior 1-series bodies had a mix of two different card types.

damn, beat me to it

Both the MK III and MK IV had mixture, with the good old SD slot being nicely slower. The 1DX fixed that and it is unlikely they will regress..

Plus of course the C300 MK II has CFast, so it is tested Tech for Canon.

Yep, I am aware of that....and Canon fixed that mistake in the 1Dx. I think we all agree we don't see them taking a step back, not when you get the reliability of a backup and full fps shooting with an identical card setup.

There is an important difference between saying they have evolved to a more functional position (two CF cards), which is true, and stating "and ability of dual write of images (RAW) to both cards" (of CF and SD slots combined) which is not and has never been true.

You have never been able to shoot RAW images to a CF and SD card and maintain full FPS rates in any Canon camera. The SD write speed will throttle the buffer shortening the time you can shoot at full FPS, as opposed to the amount of time you can shoot with two CF cards in the 1Dx.

The point I was making is that with an identical card setup you can shoot at full FPS and write RAW to both cards maintaining a second RAW as a backup in the event the one card suffers a failure.

And you most certainly can shoot and write RAW images to both a CF and SD card simultaneously in cameras that support both cards. My 5D3 did before I sold it, and my 5DS does right now. You sacrifice the ability to shoot at full FPS speeds for longer periods due to buffer throttling by the SD card speed.

 

[Stu_bert]

Question - what is everyones thoughts about the body shape changing? I want to buy underwater housing and will upgrade to the 1DX ii next year but wonder if the housing will also fit the new 1DX ii... i know its hard to say but i wonder how much has the body changed over the years and what would make them change it?

Thanks

the size and shape changes subtly between generations, but I think you need to worry more about the buttons moving sufficient to no longer align with the new body. I can't tomorrow, but on Sunday I could get them out of the safe and compare the 1Ds / 1D / 1Dx if you would like.

 

[Stu_bert]

Also, didn't gripped cameras also deliver more power for AF on the superwhites at one point, if memory serves?

- A

Not sure about AF voltage, and I never noticed a difference , but the only way you can get 10fps with a 1VHS (last of the non gripped 1 series cameras) is to use the PB-E2 and the NP-E2 NiCad battery. The NP-E2 is the same actual battery pack, though not end cap, as the NP-E3 from the 1D/1Ds/1D MkII/1DS MkII/1D MkIIn line of 1 series cameras.

I think the 1Dx does drive lenses with greater voltage; case in point, the 85mm F1.2L AF's much faster on a 1Dx than a 5d3. I suspect EF in General lenses have voltage regulators built in to cater for this difference in Voltage between the 1 series and other bodies. The 85mm might just allow this greater voltage to be used to speed up AF, there might be others.

Correct, the 1Dx has a speed advantage with the large primes where is can drive the AF quicker through higher voltage. How much quicker - sorry, no idea, never seen any % comparison...

 

[privatebydesign]

Also, didn't gripped cameras also deliver more power for AF on the superwhites at one point, if memory serves?

- A

Not sure about AF voltage, and I never noticed a difference , but the only way you can get 10fps with a 1VHS (last of the non gripped 1 series cameras) is to use the PB-E2 and the NP-E2 NiCad battery. The NP-E2 is the same actual battery pack, though not end cap, as the NP-E3 from the 1D/1Ds/1D MkII/1DS MkII/1D MkIIn line of 1 series cameras.

I think the 1Dx does drive lenses with greater voltage; case in point, the 85mm F1.2L AF's much faster on a 1Dx than a 5d3. I suspect EF in General lenses have voltage regulators built in to cater for this difference in Voltage between the 1 series and other bodies. The 85mm might just allow this greater voltage to be used to speed up AF, there might be others.

Correct, the 1Dx has a speed advantage with the large primes where is can drive the AF quicker through higher voltage. How much quicker - sorry, no idea, never seen any % comparison...

And how do you know that is down to a difference in voltage?

As far as I can see for the EF protocol AF voltage is 6V. Not 6-9V or ≥6V. The difference in AF speed could be down to faster clock speed, which comes from the camera body and probably the dedicated Digic processor on the 1DX, or from faster data transfer and response times.

I have seen it written many times that 1 series bodies deliver faster AF because they send higher voltage to the AF motors, but never seen anything that actually proves that. Having a higher voltage battery does not mean that voltage is passed on to the camera or lens circuits and the thought of 'souping up' the AF speed by simply applying more voltage is as whimsical as suggesting your computer will run faster if you plug it in to a higher voltage!

It wouldn't be difficult to adjust an AC kit for a rebel to deliver a 1 series AF voltage, I bet the lenses didn't perform at 1 series speeds though.

 

[bdunbar79]

Also, didn't gripped cameras also deliver more power for AF on the superwhites at one point, if memory serves?

- A

Not sure about AF voltage, and I never noticed a difference , but the only way you can get 10fps with a 1VHS (last of the non gripped 1 series cameras) is to use the PB-E2 and the NP-E2 NiCad battery. The NP-E2 is the same actual battery pack, though not end cap, as the NP-E3 from the 1D/1Ds/1D MkII/1DS MkII/1D MkIIn line of 1 series cameras.

I think the 1Dx does drive lenses with greater voltage; case in point, the 85mm F1.2L AF's much faster on a 1Dx than a 5d3. I suspect EF in General lenses have voltage regulators built in to cater for this difference in Voltage between the 1 series and other bodies. The 85mm might just allow this greater voltage to be used to speed up AF, there might be others.

Correct, the 1Dx has a speed advantage with the large primes where is can drive the AF quicker through higher voltage. How much quicker - sorry, no idea, never seen any % comparison...

And how do you know that is down to a difference in voltage?

As far as I can see for the EF protocol AF voltage is 6V. Not 6-9V or ≥6V. The difference in AF speed could be down to faster clock speed, which comes from the camera body and probably the dedicated Digic processor on the 1DX, or from faster data transfer and response times.

I have seen it written many times that 1 series bodies deliver faster AF because they send higher voltage to the AF motors, but never seen anything that actually proves that. Having a higher voltage battery does not mean that voltage is passed on to the camera or lens circuits and the thought of 'souping up' the AF speed by simply applying more voltage is as whimsical as suggesting your computer will run faster if you plug it in to a higher voltage!

It wouldn't be difficult to adjust an AC kit for a rebel to deliver a 1 series AF voltage, I bet the lenses didn't perform at 1 series speeds though.

Chuck Westfall explained that it is not extra voltage that is applied, but rather the quantity power, in wattage. I am trying to find the link where I read it about one year ago.

 

[lethalfalcon]

And how do you know that is down to a difference in voltage?

As far as I can see for the EF protocol AF voltage is 6V. Not 6-9V or ≥6V. The difference in AF speed could be down to faster clock speed, which comes from the camera body and probably the dedicated Digic processor on the 1DX, or from faster data transfer and response times.

I have seen it written many times that 1 series bodies deliver faster AF because they send higher voltage to the AF motors, but never seen anything that actually proves that. Having a higher voltage battery does not mean that voltage is passed on to the camera or lens circuits and the thought of 'souping up' the AF speed by simply applying more voltage is as whimsical as suggesting your computer will run faster if you plug it in to a higher voltage!

It wouldn't be difficult to adjust an AC kit for a rebel to deliver a 1 series AF voltage, I bet the lenses didn't perform at 1 series speeds though.

The concept of "souping up" motors by applying more voltage is kinda how DC motors work. In fact, before PWM came out, that's exactly how you controlled the speed of your fans (a motor) in your computer. Doubling the voltage doubles the no-load speed and torque, and quadruples the power (in an ideal world). No, it's not likely going to make the electronics behave any better (although even that's possible; overclocking your processor generally works better when it's delivered higher voltages as well), but it can definitely make the motor move the glass faster.

This is confirmed by Chuck, as bdunbar79 stated. "In addition, the EOS-1D X achieves a higher lens motor drive speed with select L-series USM telephoto lenses than the 5D Mark III because of the 1D X’s more powerful battery pack. " Source: http://www.arihazeghiphotography.com/AH_CW_interview/.

 

[Stu_bert]

Also, didn't gripped cameras also deliver more power for AF on the superwhites at one point, if memory serves?

- A

Not sure about AF voltage, and I never noticed a difference , but the only way you can get 10fps with a 1VHS (last of the non gripped 1 series cameras) is to use the PB-E2 and the NP-E2 NiCad battery. The NP-E2 is the same actual battery pack, though not end cap, as the NP-E3 from the 1D/1Ds/1D MkII/1DS MkII/1D MkIIn line of 1 series cameras.

I think the 1Dx does drive lenses with greater voltage; case in point, the 85mm F1.2L AF's much faster on a 1Dx than a 5d3. I suspect EF in General lenses have voltage regulators built in to cater for this difference in Voltage between the 1 series and other bodies. The 85mm might just allow this greater voltage to be used to speed up AF, there might be others.

Correct, the 1Dx has a speed advantage with the large primes where is can drive the AF quicker through higher voltage. How much quicker - sorry, no idea, never seen any % comparison...

And how do you know that is down to a difference in voltage?

As far as I can see for the EF protocol AF voltage is 6V. Not 6-9V or ≥6V. The difference in AF speed could be down to faster clock speed, which comes from the camera body and probably the dedicated Digic processor on the 1DX, or from faster data transfer and response times.

I have seen it written many times that 1 series bodies deliver faster AF because they send higher voltage to the AF motors, but never seen anything that actually proves that. Having a higher voltage battery does not mean that voltage is passed on to the camera or lens circuits and the thought of 'souping up' the AF speed by simply applying more voltage is as whimsical as suggesting your computer will run faster if you plug it in to a higher voltage!

It wouldn't be difficult to adjust an AC kit for a rebel to deliver a 1 series AF voltage, I bet the lenses didn't perform at 1 series speeds though.

Sorry my bad, brain not keeping up. Meant to say wattage but wrote voltage.... :-[

And yes, my view was based on what Chuck W had stated previously - thanks to the other posters for rectifying my mistake...

 

[expatinasia]

Not sure if it is related but I notice the AF slows when the battery is low on power (1D X + 400 f/2.8 ii).

I would also like Canon to revise their viewfinder display when using the camera in vertical as it is difficult to see the status of the battery (it's at the top, not the side). This is important for me when shooting all day events. In fact a percentage similar to mobile phones now would be nice (they have that in the menu but not in the viewfinder display).

 

[scottgoh]

This 1Dx mark 2 is taking too long.

hope we can have more info on this new one soon