Updated (February, 2012): Compare the Canon EOS 1D X vs Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

81

 
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

68

 

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Viewfinder size
Large viewfinder
0.71x
Sensor size
Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Thickness
Thin
3"
Fastest shutter speed
Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second
 

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Continuous shooting
Rapid fire
10 fps
Shutter lag
Barely any delay taking photos
104 ms shutter lag
Battery life
Great battery life
1500 shots
Focus points
Many focus points
45
Cross type focus points
Many cross-type focus points
39
Light sensitivity (boost)
High ISO (boost)
102,400 ISO
 

differences

Advantages of the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Cross type focus points Many more cross-type focus points 39 vs 1
Help
Grab focus in difficult situations
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly faster 10 fps vs 3.9 fps
Help
More than 2.5x faster continuous shooting
Focus points Significantly more focus points 45 vs 9
Help
Set focus accurately within the frame
Battery life Significantly longer battery life 1500 shots vs 850 shots
Help
Around 80% more shots per battery charge
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 104 ms vs 206 ms
Help
Around 50% less delay when taking photos
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12 EV vs 11.9 EV
Help
0.1 f-stops more dynamic range
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 102,400 ISO vs 25,600 ISO
Help
The EOS-1D Mark IV's boost ISO is 2 f-stops better
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 12,800 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
The EOS-1D Mark IV's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Viewfinder coverage Better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 98%
Help
Almost the same
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Learn more about
the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Advantages of the Canon 5D Mark II

External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
Record high quality audio with an external microphone
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 1,815 ISO vs 1,320 ISO
Help
The 5D Mark II has a slight edge (0.5 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.59x
Help
Around 50% larger viewfinder
Overall image quality Better image quality 79.0 vs 74.0
Help
Around 10% better image quality
Sensor size Significantly larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-H 27.9x18.6mm
Help
Around 70% larger sensor
True resolution Higher true resolution 21 MP vs 16 MP
Help
Capture more than 30% more detail in your photos
Size Significantly smaller 152x114x75 mm vs 156x157x80 mm
Help
More than 30% smaller
Color depth Better color depth 23.7 bits vs 22.8 bits
Help
Distinguishes 0.9 more bits of color
Weight Significantly lighter 850 g vs 1,230 g
Help
More than 30% lighter
Thickness Thinner 3" vs 3.1"
Help
Around 10% thinner
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Learn more about
the Canon 5D Mark II
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
68 vs 81
Explain scores
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
Shoot in extreme weather
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
400 ms startup delay
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Built-in flash No built-in flash Help
Professional
Weight Heavy Help
EOS-1D Mark IV:1,230 g
5D Mark II:850 g
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.

GPS No built-in GPS Help
Missing geo-tagging
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
EOS-1D Mark IV:12,800 ISO
5D Mark II:6,400 ISO
Screen size Very small screens Help
3.0"
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
EOS-1D Mark IV:74.0
5D Mark II:79.0

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon EOS 6D

Canon EOS 6D

Pro DSLR

$1,999 body only

$2,599 with 24-105mm lens

Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Shutter lag Has much more shutter lag
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$3,250 - $3,499 body only

$3,800 - $4,099 with 24-105mm lens

Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,499 body only

$1,699 with 28-135mm lens

Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Built-in flash Has a built-in flash
Sensor size Has a marginally smaller sensor
Overall image quality Has slightly lower image quality
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$699 - $899 body only

$999 - $1,279 with 18-135mm lens

Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Thickness Is thicker
Viewfinder coverage Slightly less viewfinder coverage
Nikon D600

Nikon D600

Pro DSLR

$1,997 body only

$2,397 with 24-85mm lens

Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm lens

Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Sensor size Has a marginally smaller sensor
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Nikon D7100

Nikon D7100

Entry-level DSLR

$1,197 body only

$1,497 with 18-105mm lens

Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
Sensor size Has a marginally smaller sensor

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon EOS 1D X

Canon EOS 1D X

Pro DSLR

$6,799 body only

Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Size Larger
Nikon D4

Nikon D4

Pro DSLR

$5,997 body only

Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Cross type focus points Significantly fewer cross-type focus points
Shutter lag Significantly more shutter lag

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

appearance

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Canon EOS 5D Mark II

discussion

Showing 0 comments