Canon 1D Mark II versus Canon 1D

The Canon EOS-1D Mark II and the Canon EOS-1D are two professional cameras that were revealed to the public, respectively, in January 2004 and September 2001. Both are DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras that are equipped with an APS-H sensor. The 1D Mark II has a resolution of 8.2 megapixel, whereas the 1D provides 4.1 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 Mark II vs Canon 1D

An illustration of the physical size and weight of the Canon 1D Mark II and the Canon 1D is provided in the side-by-side display below. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. 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 1D Mark II – represents 100 percent across all the size and weight measures).

In this particular case, the Canon 1D Mark II and the Canon 1D have exactly the same width and height, and, thus, have identically-sized bodies. However, the 1D is slightly heavier (3 percent) than the 1D Mark II. 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.

As can be seen in the images above, both cameras have a battery grip build in. This facilitates image-taking in portrait orientation and gives it additional battery power.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the two cameras alongside a broader set of comparators. If you would like to visualize and compare a different camera combination, just use the right or left arrows in the table to switch to the respective camera. Alternatively, you can also navigate to the CAM-parator app and make your selection from the full list of cameras there.

Camera Body Specifications

	Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life (CIPA)	Weather Sealing (yes/no)	Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Canon 1D Mark II»	6.1 in	6.2 in	3.1 in	54.1 oz	1200	Y	Jan 2004	4,499	-		Canon 1D Mark II
	Canon 1D«	6.1 in	6.2 in	3.1 in	55.9 oz	500	Y	Sep 2001	6,499	-		Canon 1D
	Canon 1D X Mark II« »	6.2 in	6.6 in	3.3 in	54.0 oz	1210	Y	Feb 2016	5,999			Canon 1D X Mark II
	Canon 5DS« »	6.0 in	4.6 in	3.0 in	32.8 oz	700	Y	Feb 2015	3,699			Canon 5DS
	Canon 5DS R« »	6.0 in	4.6 in	3.0 in	32.8 oz	700	Y	Feb 2015	3,699			Canon 5DS R
	Canon 1D C« »	6.2 in	6.5 in	3.3 in	54.5 oz	1120	Y	Apr 2012	14,999	-		Canon 1D C
	Canon 1D X« »	6.2 in	6.6 in	3.3 in	54.7 oz	1120	Y	Oct 2011	6,799	-		Canon 1D X
	Canon 1D Mark IV« »	6.1 in	6.2 in	3.1 in	43.4 oz	1500	Y	Oct 2009	4,999	-		Canon 1D Mark IV
	Canon 1D Mark III« »	6.1 in	6.2 in	3.1 in	40.7 oz	2200	Y	Feb 2007	4,499	-		Canon 1D Mark III
	Canon 1Ds Mark III« »	5.9 in	6.3 in	3.1 in	48.9 oz	1800	Y	Aug 2007	7,999	-		Canon 1Ds Mark III
	Canon 1D Mark II N« »	6.1 in	6.2 in	3.1 in	55.2 oz	1200	Y	Aug 2005	3,999	-		Canon 1D Mark II N
	Canon 5D« »	6.0 in	4.4 in	3.0 in	31.6 oz	400	Y	Aug 2005	3,299	-		Canon 5D
	Canon 1Ds Mark II« »	6.1 in	6.2 in	3.1 in	42.9 oz	1200	Y	Sep 2004	7,999	-		Canon 1Ds Mark II
	Canon 1Ds« »	6.1 in	6.2 in	3.1 in	44.6 oz	600	Y	Sep 2002	8,999	-		Canon 1Ds
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Any camera purchase will naturally be influenced heavily by the price. The listed launch prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The 1D Mark II was launched at a markedly lower price (by 31 percent) than the 1D, which puts it into a different market segment. Normally, street prices remain initially close to the MSRP, but after a couple of months, the first discounts appear. 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 Mark II vs Canon 1D

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tend to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

Both cameras under consideration feature an APS-H sensor and have a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.3. 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.

In terms of chip-set technology, the 1D Mark II uses a more advanced image processing engine (DIGIC II) than the 1D (DIGIC), with benefits for noise reduction, color accuracy, and processing speed.

While the two cameras under review share the same sensor size, the 1D Mark II offers a higher resolution of 8.2 megapixel, compared with 4.1 MP of the 1D. This megapixel advantage translates into a 40 percent gain in linear resolution. On the other hand, these sensor specs imply that the 1D Mark II has a higher pixel density and a smaller size of the individual pixel (with a pixel pitch of 8.17μm versus 11.56μm for the 1D). In this context, it should be noted, however, that the 1D Mark II is much more recent (by 2 years and 4 months) than the 1D, and its sensor will have benefitted from technological advances during this time that compensate for the smaller pixel size.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

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

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The 1D Mark II and the 1D 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 following table reports on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Canon 1D Mark II, the Canon 1D, and comparable cameras. The full specs-sheets can be found in the camera manual or in the dpreview camera hub.

The 1D Mark II writes its imaging data to Compact Flash or SD cards, while the 1D uses Compact Flash cards. Both cameras feature dual card slots, which can be very useful in case a memory card fails.

Both the 1D Mark II and the 1D have been discontinued, but can regularly be found used on eBay. The 1D was replaced by the Canon 1D Mark II, while the 1D Mark II was followed by the Canon 1D Mark II N.

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

So how do things add up? Which of the two cameras – the Canon 1D Mark II or the Canon 1D – has the upper hand? A synthesis of the relative strong points of each of the models is listed below.

Arguments in favor of the Canon EOS-1D Mark II:

• More detail: Offers more megapixels (8.2 vs 4.1MP) with a 40% higher linear resolution.
• Better jpgs: Has a more modern image processing engine (DIGIC II vs DIGIC).
• More detailed LCD: Has a higher resolution rear screen (230k vs 120k dots).
• Longer lasting: Can take more shots (1200 versus 500) on a single battery charge.
• More affordable: Was introduced into a lower priced category (31 percent cheaper at launch).
• More modern: Reflects 2 years and 4 months of technical progress since the 1D launch.

Reasons to prefer the Canon EOS-1D:

• Faster shutter: Has higher mechanical shutter speed (16000/sec vs 8000/sec) to freeze action.
• More heavily discounted: Has been around for much longer (launched in September 2001).

If the count of individual advantages (bullet points above) is taken as a guide, the 1D Mark II is the clear winner of the match-up (6 : 2 points). However, the relevance of individual strengths will vary across photographers, so that you might want to apply your own weighing scheme to the summary points when reflecting and deciding 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 1D Mark II or the 1D. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is where reviews by experts come in. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog). You can find the full text of the reviews by clicking on the site logo in the table header.

Review Scores

	Camera Model						Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Canon 1D Mark II»	-	HiRec	-	rev	-	Jan 2004	4,499	-		Canon 1D Mark II
	Canon 1D«	-	HiRec	-	-	-	Sep 2001	6,499	-		Canon 1D
	Canon 1D X Mark II« »	-	89/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2016	5,999			Canon 1D X Mark II
	Canon 5DS« »	Rec	83/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	3,699			Canon 5DS
	Canon 5DS R« »	Rec	83/100	5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	3,699			Canon 5DS R
	Canon 1D C« »	-	-	-	-	-	Apr 2012	14,999	-		Canon 1D C
	Canon 1D X« »	-	-	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2011	6,799	-		Canon 1D X
	Canon 1D Mark IV« »	-	89/100	-	5/5	-	Oct 2009	4,999	-		Canon 1D Mark IV
	Canon 1D Mark III« »	-	-	-	rev	-	Feb 2007	4,499	-		Canon 1D Mark III
	Canon 1Ds Mark III« »	-	HiRec	4.5/5	-	-	Aug 2007	7,999	-		Canon 1Ds Mark III
	Canon 1D Mark II N« »	-	-	-	-	-	Aug 2005	3,999	-		Canon 1D Mark II N
	Canon 5D« »	88/100	HiRec	rev	rev	-	Aug 2005	3,299	-		Canon 5D
	Canon 1Ds Mark II« »	-	HiRec	-	-	-	Sep 2004	7,999	-		Canon 1Ds Mark II
	Canon 1Ds« »	-	HiRec	-	-	-	Sep 2002	8,999	-		Canon 1Ds

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, 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 comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? In case you are interested in seeing how other cameras pair up, just make your choice using the following search menu. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool. If you cannot find the camera you are interested in, please contact me, and I will try to locate and add the respective data to the application.

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