Canon have announced their new flagship DSLR, the EOS-1D X Mark II. The camera features a 20.2MP full-frame CMOS sensor, as well as dual DIGIC 6+ processors and a 3.2″ 1.62m-dot touchscreen LCD. The camera will retail for $5995 US.
For video shooters the EOS-1D X Mark II can record DCI 4K (4096 x 2160) video at up to 60p, the first Canon DSLR to be able to do this. The Mark II also gets a true 24.00 fps shooting option in all modes and can shoot at up to 120fps in full HD. For 4K recording, the camera uses a slight crop of the full-frame sensor to capture video at a 1:1 pixel sampling rate (26.9 x 14.2mm sensor crop). Canon claims this will help to nearly eliminate moiré and aliasing issues that are a common occurance when down-sampling from the sensor. HD recording will use the entire width of the full-frame sensor. Shooters will also have the ability to grab 8.8MP frames in-camera for capturing still images from their video. There does not seem to be a option to shoot in a APS-C mode like you can on the Sony a7 range.
The video is recorded in 4:2:2 8-bit both internally and externally for 4K video and uses an MJPEG compression in a .MOV container. When recording 4K internally at 60p the bit rate is a staggering 800 Mbps, while at 24/25/30p it is 500 Mbps. You can record externally using the Mini HDMI connection, where users can output an uncompressed (HD) signal to overcome the internal recording restriction of 29 minutes 59 seconds. The EOS-1D X Mark II it fully switchable between NTSC/PAL frame rates.
The camera is the first from Canon to utilise a CFast 2.0 card slot, but it also keeps a traditional CF card slot for those who want to use media they already own.
According to Canon, the autofocus received a major overhaul when shooting video with the implementation of a Dual Pixel CMOS AF system. This is claimed to provide exceptional speed and accuracy, by allowing shooters to tap to change the focus area on the touchscreen LCD. For audio, there is are 3.5mm headphone and mic jacks.
The Mark II features a magnesium-alloy body that is very similar to its predecessor. The camera is dust and water resistant for working in difficult weather conditions. It also comes with a GPS unit for geotag information, as well as time-syncing with Universal Time Code via satellites. Connectivity features include a PC sync port, a microUSB 3.0 transfer port, and an Ethernet port. Users can add Wi-Fi connectivity with the optional WFT-E8A Wireless File Transmitter, which uses the 802.11ac standard to achieve transfer rates of up to 433 Mbps.
As far as batteries go older LP-E4 and LP-E4N batteries are compatible with the Mark II, though Canon is quick to point out that the camera will work at slightly reduced continuous shooting rates. The new LP-E19 Battery Pack is claimed to offer around a 10% greater capacity. The LC-E19 Battery Charger will work with both batteries. Other accessories being released with the camera include an EC-C6 Focusing Screen and the DR-E19 DC Coupler and AC-E19 AC Adapter, which combine to provide constant AC power. The EOS-1D Mark II will be available as a body only or in a Premium Kit that includes a SanDisk 64GB Extreme PRO CFast 2.0 Memory Card and an Extreme PRO CFast 2.0 Card Reader/Writer.
For stills shooters there is a upgraded 61-point High Density Reticular AF II system with 41 cross-type points, which manages to expand coverage on the periphery and center areas. AF points are also now illuminated in red for added visibility in low light and low-contrast conditions. This AF system works in tandem with a 360,000-pixel metering sensor that enables the EOS Intelligent Tracking and Recognition AF system. This setup can then recognize faces and other moving objects in the viewfinder.
Full resolution 20.2MP raw files can be captured with full-time AF and AE metering at a rate of 14 fps. When using CFast 2.0 cards, you can capture up to 170 raw frames in continuous shooting before the buffer becomes full. Users can shot up to 16 fps when in live view, though at the expense of AF and AE. The shutter has been redesigned to handle the increased speed and Canon claims it will last up to 400,000 actuations.
At $5995 US the camera certainly isn’t a cheap option for video shooters, but in fairness that is not who Canon is targeting the camera at. The Mark II is first and foremost a high end professional stills camera that can also capture high quality video. The camera specifications are impressive, but for video shooters the entry price will be very hard to justify when you compare it to a Sony A7rII.
Video recording specifications:
Video Recording: NTSC/PAL
Video Format: 4K MOV 4096 x 2160p / 59.94 fps (800 Mbps) / 50 fps / 29.97 fps (500 Mbps)/ 25 fps (500 Mbps) / 24 fps / 23.98 fps
High Definition MOV 1920 x 1080p / 120 fps (360 Mbps) / 100 fps / 59.94 fps (180 Mbps)/ 50 fps / 59.94 fps (60 Mbps) / 50 fps/ 29.97 fps (90 Mbps) / 25 fps / 24 fps/ 23.98 fps / 29.97 fps (30 Mbps) / 25 fps/ 24 fps / 23.98 fps
High Definition: MP4 1920 x 1080p / 59.94 fps (60 Mbps) / 50 fps / 29.97 fps (30 Mbps)/ 25 fps / 24 fps / 23.98 fps/ 29.97 fps (12 Mbps) / 25 fps
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Exposure Control Auto: Shutter Speed, Aperture, ISO Manual: Shutter Speed, Aperture, ISO
ISO Sensitivity: Auto/Manual, 100 – 25600
Exposure Compensation: -3 EV to +3 EV (in 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps)
Focus: Auto, Manual
Continuous Auto Video Clip Length: 4096 x 2160@ 60 fps ALL-I: 29 min. 59 seconds (5733 MB / min.)
Audio Recording Built-in Mic: With Video + Voice Memo, Mono. Optional External Mic: With Video, Stereo
