Canon 1D X Mark II Lands With a 4K Bang

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canon has announced it’s new flagship camera, the Canon 1D X Mark II. A 20.2 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor combined with an ISO of 100 to 51200 ( electronically expandable to 409600). We have been told that the sensor is new and improved resulting in less noise at higher ISOs.

A 61-point High Density Reticular AF II system that boasts 41 cross-type points and a coverage that’s 8.6% larger in the top and bottom of the central CF area (and 24% larger in the top and bottom of the peripheral frame). The sensitivity of the center point has been increased to -3 EV with compatibility down to f/8.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Dual DIGIC 6+ image processors create lightning fast performance. In Live View mode, you get up to 16fps, or 14fps in standard mode, resulting in 170 RAW images in moments. The recording media is the CFast 2.0 card, but the camera also features CompactFlash compatibility.

The shutter unit is rated for 400,000 frames, and the mirror mechanism has been improved to create less vibrations while flapping up and down at high speeds.

The 1D X Mark II can shoot 4K video at 60fps, up from the 1080p in the original 1D X. There are “virtually no restrictions” to video recording, Canon says. exFAT support allows videos larger than 4GB to be recorded without having to merge files.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the interesting new features in the 1D X is built-in image optimization. Canon’s new Digital Lens Optimizer technology stores information about the optical flaws of lenses and then digitally fixes those things on the fly with virtually zero decrease in camera speed. For the first time in a Canon EOS DSLR, the camera can automatically correct for peripheral brightness, chromatic aberration, distortion (barrel and pincushion), and diffraction (blurring at small apertures) — things that were previously corrected in post-production.

On the back of the camera is a 3.2-inch 1.62-million-dot touchscreen LCD (the original 1D X doesn’t have a touchscreen) that allows you to touch to focus. There’s also a new Intelligent Viewfinder II that lets you make settings changes without taking your eye off your subject: it presents AF points in red (better for dark environments) and shows much more info in the LCD display than before. The viewfinder’s info/features include electronic level, a grid, flicker detection, white balance, metering mode, and AF details.

Other specs and features in the Canon 1D X Mark II include a 360,000-pixel metering sensor with accurate subject tracking for stills and video, 8.8MP still frame grabbing while shooting 4K video, 1080p video (with uncompressed HDMI out) at up to 120fps for slow motion, and GPS.