Canon 1D C versus Canon 1D X Mark II

The Canon EOS-1D C and the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II are two professional cameras that were announced, respectively, in April 2012 and February 2016. Both are DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras that are equipped with a full frame sensor. The 1DC has a resolution of 17.9 megapixel, whereas the 1DX Mark II provides 20 MP. Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their size, their sensors, their features, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison: Canon 1D C vs Canon 1D X Mark II

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size and weight of the Canon 1D C and the Canon 1D X Mark II. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter. If you prefer, you can also use the toggle button to switch to a comparison in percentage terms (in this case, the camera on the left – the 1DC – represents 100 percent across all the size and weight measures).

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size, the Canon 1D X Mark II is somewhat larger (2 percent) than the Canon 1D C. However, the 1DX Mark II is slightly lighter (1 percent) than the 1DC. In this context, it is worth noting that both cameras are splash and dust-proof and can, hence, be used in inclement weather conditions or harsh environments.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses that both of these cameras require. In this particular case, both cameras feature the same lens mount, so that they can use the same lenses. You can find an overview of suitable optics in the Canon EF Lens Catalog.

Concerning battery life, the 1DC gets 1120 shots out of its LP-E4N battery, while the 1DX Mark II can take 1210 images on a single charge of its LP-E19 power pack.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the two cameras alongside a broader set of comparators. If you want to switch the focus of the display and review another camera pair, just select a new right or left comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible camera comparisons there.

The price is, of course, an important factor in any camera decision. The listed launch prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The 1DX Mark II was launched at a markedly lower price (by 60 percent) than the 1DC, which puts it into a different market segment. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison: Canon 1D C vs Canon 1D X Mark II

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

Both cameras under consideration feature a full frame sensor and have a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the review cameras among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality. Both cameras have a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 3:2.

While the two cameras under review share the same sensor size, the 1DX Mark II offers a higher resolution of 20 megapixel, compared with 17.9 MP of the 1DC. This megapixel advantage translates into a 6 percent gain in linear resolution. On the other hand, these sensor specs imply that the 1DX Mark II has a higher pixel density and a smaller size of the individual pixel (with a pixel pitch of 6.57μm versus 6.95μm for the 1DC). However, it should be noted that the 1DX Mark II is much more recent (by 3 years and 9 months) than the 1DC, and its sensor will have benefitted from technological advances during this time that compensate for the smaller pixel size.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of comparator-cameras.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The two cameras under consideration both have sensors whose read-out speed is fast enough to capture moving pictures, but the 1DX Mark II provides a faster frame rate than the 1DC. It can shoot movie footage at 4K/60p, while the 1DC is limited to 4K/24p.

Feature comparison: Canon 1D C vs Canon 1D X Mark II

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The 1DC and the 1DX Mark II are similar in the sense that both have an optical viewfinder. The latter is useful for getting a clear image for framing even in brightly lit environments. The table below summarizes some of the other core capabilities of the Canon 1D C and Canon 1D X Mark II in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras. If you need more detail on the specs, you can find comprehensive listings, for example, in the dpreview camera hub.

The 1DX Mark II is a current model that online retailers, such as amazon, will have in stock. In contrast, the 1DC has been discontinued (but it can be found pre-owned on eBay). There has not been a direct replacement model for the 1DC from Canon.

Review summary: Canon 1D C vs Canon 1D X Mark II

So how do things add up? Is there a clear favorite between the Canon 1D C and the Canon 1D X Mark II? Below is a summary of the relative strengths of each of the two contestants.

Reasons to prefer the Canon EOS-1D C:

• More heavily discounted: Has been available for much longer (launched in April 2012).

Advantages of the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II:

• More detail: Has more megapixels (20 vs 17.9MP), which boosts linear resolution by 6%.
• Better video: Provides higher movie framerates (4K/60p versus 4K/24p).
• More detailed LCD: Has a higher resolution rear screen (1620k vs 1040k dots).
• Fewer buttons to press: Has a touchscreen to facilitate handling and shooting adjustments.
• Faster burst: Shoots at higher frequency (16 vs 14 flaps/sec) to capture the decisive moment.
• More affordable: Was introduced into a lower priced category (60 percent cheaper at launch).
• More modern: Reflects 3 years and 9 months of technical progress since the 1DC launch.

If the count of individual advantages (bullet points above) is taken as a guide, the 1DX Mark II is the clear winner of the contest (7 : 1 points). However, the relative importance of the various individual camera aspects will vary according to personal preferences and needs, so that you might like to apply corresponding weights to the particular features before making a decision on a new camera.

In any case, while the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the 1DC or the 1DX Mark II. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is where reviews by experts come in. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites. The full reviews are available, respectively, at cameralabs.com, dpreview.com, ephotozine.com, imaging-resource.com, and photographyblog.com.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Other camera comparisons

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