As a previous 1DC owner and considering it was being sold for over 12K, the new 1DX Mark II seems like a deal for those who want great 4k IQ + stills in one camera, but if you don't shoot video, I don't see a competing reason to upgrade.
Are any current 1DX owners going to upgrade?
A big difference now vs. 2012, as suggested already by others, is the USD-CAD exchange rate... If the camera is $6000 US and Canon Canada does a simple direct exchange conversion to set their selling price, I more than likely will not buy one. Back then the exchange rate was pretty much at par. Now it's $1.40 CA per USD... Ouch.
One tempering aspect is that Canon Canada still imports directly from Japan, and back then, the CAD bought about 80 JPY, which happens to be about the same now (though the CAD was at about 100 JPY only 6-8 months ago). Canon Canada also offers some pricing breaks through their CPS program, which back in 2012 meant the 1DX cost about $6000 CA vs. around $6700 US retail (IIRC?). Over the years they've been fairly consistent with this, resulting in ~10% savings vs. the US market price.
Contrast this with the USD buying ~80 JPY in Aug. 2012 vs. ~120 JPY now. I know there are other things that affect pricing (like weaker JPY results in higher manufacturing costs), but you'd think the strong USD would result in somewhat lower camera prices. That there would be a middle ground. Yet it hasn't generally (my impressions from recent camera releases from all brands is that pricing seems to be trending upwards). Probably the manufacturers hoping to cash in on the US market, which then spills over to other markets by inflating prices elsewhere. Or sometimes not. When I was in Japan last year, I discovered that Zeiss pricing was over 30% less there than the North American market... I can see that a company like Canon or Nikon would be reluctant to lower USD pricing (consider the 1D/D4/D5 has held pretty steady over the years (1DX excepted), in respect to price point, IIRC). Camera sales are way down, so giving up currency exchange gains doesn't make sense on their end... Anyway, based only on exchange rates, if Canon Japan sells the 1DXII for the same JPY price as the 1DX back in 2012 to all their sales divisions, theoretically, the CAD price should remain about the same, and the USD price should go down significantly. But knowing this game, I'd be very surprised to see the camera come in at less than the D5. Oh, and Nikon announced they're raising their Japan market prices by 5-18%, depending on the product, citing increased costs, etc...
Seems the 'golden era' of the mid-00s with relatively affordable high-end gear, is well behind us....
I imagine I am not alone in having expected, and somewhat received, a very "evolutionary" improvement over the 1DX but having hoped for a "revolutionary" improvement.
The 1DX is an exceptional camera, and any nominal improvements over it are tough to do, but I have to say, the one biggest feature that I was hoping for (even if only to trickle down to the 5D4) was some interesting new sensor technology to increase DR and overall resolution. I am still holding onto hope that the release day gives us some interesting news on this front.
The 1DX II is going to be a great tool for some who can justify it, but for me, I am sure hoping the 5D4 is a bigger "jump" from the 5D3 than the 1DX2 seems to be over the 1DX.
If the Canadian price stays reasonable and I get my CPS discount then I will very likely upgrade mostly for the f/8 points as I use a lot of f/8 combos on my 1DX. If the price is up in the $8000 range then I'll stay put with 1DX and 7D2 combo for now.
I'm not super surprised by the spec list. Except for DR, Canon (and everyone else) is hitting limits on RAW high ISO noise. And given AF has been around for 40 years now, we are probably reaching the limits on what is possible there.
I think for some people, the f8 on all focus points will be important. Perhaps that means better f8 performance with center point or something else.
For me, I am most curious about the sensor tech. If it's really improved DR, that gives some hope I can eventually move completely back to Canon as opposed to supplementing my Canon bodies with an a7r.
Fred Miranda wrote:
As a previous 1DC owner and considering it was being sold for over 12K, the Mark II seems like a deal for those who want great 4k IQ + stills in one camera at a much lower price, but if you don't shoot video, I don't see a competing reason to upgrade.
Is any current 1DX owners going to upgrade?
Sitting on the fence. Price will be a huge factor. In part because I am satisfied with the 1DX. Would be happy to pick up another on clearance. Though if 1DXII uptake is poor, market value for the 1DX may remain strong, thus not realizing the savings I would like to see. At least not immediately. Consider that I'm also in Canada and my buying power, relative to the US market pricing that this region revolves around, has decreased considerably.
I don't think it's logical to compare the 1DXII price point against the 1DC, considering 4K is much more widespread now, and available at much, much lower price points, ranging from smartphones, to ILC/mirrorless cameras, etc. Samsung NX1, for example of something relatively higher-end (even if it's now seemingly a dead-end system).
If this camera doesn't include 4K, people will be wondering even more what Canon is smoking. While I doubt I would use it much, it would be cool to have dual-pixel live view AF, etc...
Ultimately, I'm looking at stills performance. Buffer depth, fps rate, overall AF speed/accuracy. One detail that is bugging me, if true, is dual-card, but one being CF and the other CFast. Just make it dual CFast. Sure, I won't like the extra up-front cost of buying those cards, but I think I dislike the different slot types even more. Means two different card readers, and carrying sufficient quantities of each card type should one slot fail...
Schlotkins wrote:
For me, I am most curious about the sensor tech. If it's really improved DR, that gives some hope I can eventually move completely back to Canon as opposed to supplementing my Canon bodies with an a7r.
It's supposedly dual-pixel. What would be really interesting is if Canon could do dual-ISO (different gain levels) per pixel. Even if the sensor doesn't have the native DR of Sony, this 'internal HDR' could offer some benefits, at least the way it makes sense to me.
In high DR situations, you'd go dual ISO. In low light situations, you'd just go high ISO...
evertdoorn wrote:
If this is it, Canon got it's ass kicked with D5
Depends on how you interpret spec-sheets stats vs. real world use/results. Some of the Nikon specs seem to be optimistic or not user controllable, such as some of the AF points, IIRC. That said, better AF performance is better AF performance if it delivers in the end.... 4K implementation also seems crippled, but I guess not many really care about video here.
Bottom line for me is it would be unrealistic to switch systems. Sometimes Nikon jumps ahead, sometimes Canon... This coming from someone who endured through the 1DIII era when many others switched.
Canadian price is the deciding factor for me. If the Canadian price is close to the $7,000 range, I might consider upgrading. What my 1Dx can sell for and the difference out of pocket is also a consideration for me. Video improvements and features don't affect me. While f8 additional focus points are a good thing, I don't shoot with a 2x TC so this feature is wasted on me.
Basically, I'm on the fence and leaning toward passing on the 1Dx II and planning for the next round in 3 years.
•ISO: 100-51200 (expanded in 409600)
•61-point AF system, expanded range, 41-point cross-type, all of the distance measuring points can be selected
•At f/8, 61 points can be selected
•AF is -3EV
•360000 dot photometric sensor. EOS iSA. EOS iTR
•0.76 times the viewfinder magnification. 100% field of view
•Improved motion tracking Servo AF III +
•Dual DIGIC6 + processor
•Video 4K 60fps. Full HD120fps, 4K video can be recorded in internal CFast2.0 media
•Movie servo AF
•Dual pixel CMOS AF, enables smooth AF with 4K video
•LCD monitor 3.2 inches, 1.62 million dots. Touch panel.
•Camera digital lens Optimizer (DLO), lens aberration correction, diffraction correction
•CFast2.0 and compact flash slots
•USB3.0 terminal, HDMI terminal
The -3EV is a disappointment to me being an events person - this should have been at least -4EV
The 360000 dot photometric sensor sounds like a real upgrade
If the video codec is a POS, then the video guys will not buy it - and if this is the case, this camera will not sell in the numbers they are hoping. Doesn't bode well for the upcoming 5D4.
Not every new camera should provide a compelling reason to upgrade. That never used to be the case, and the recent sense that cameras were improving enough to upgrade very 2-3 years has been an anomaly that cannot possibly continue.
You can put an end to it today. Digicame Info has a perfect track record when reporting a few days before release. Especially that they have pictures of it also. This is it folks!!
lowside67 wrote:
I think Canon has a pretty good answer with the not so dramatically different 7D Mark II and equivalent 640mm 100-400 II for about the same money. Another 110mm of "reach" is no joke, but the 100-400 II is pretty spectacular lens for the money...
I like the fact that the D500 has the same AF as the D5. That is not the case with the 7D2.
arbitrage wrote:
You can put an end to it today. Digicame Info has a perfect track record when reporting a few days before release. Especially that they have pictures of it also. This is it folks!!
Pricing? Release date? Sample images? NDAs lifted for testers?
Because if we're just going off of those specs, I can't see a completing reason to buy the 1DX2 over the 1DX.
Petapixel posted some leaked product photos of 1dxII. I find it hard to believe Canon would release something as b*tt ugly as this. 1D series was always beautifully designed with sleek curves. That pentaprism looks hilarious...
Milan Hutera wrote:
Petapixel posted some leaked product photos of 1dxII. I find it hard to believe Canon would release something as b*tt ugly as this. 1D series was always beautifully designed with sleek curves. That pentaprism looks hilarious...
I agree. I much prefer the original 1DX 'curves'.
Since this camera is now also devoted to video, are you going to see video features like peaking and zebra patterns and magnification while recording?
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