Canon
EOS-1Ds Mark II
vs
Nikon
D2Xs

Winner

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II

	Large viewfinder
	0.70x

	Large sensor
	Full frame 36.0x24.0mm

	Great viewfinder coverage
	100%

	More storage slots
	2

Runner-up

Nikon D2Xs

Reasons to buy the Nikon D2Xs

	Slightly more lenses available
	169 lenses

	Great viewfinder coverage
	100%

differences

Advantages of the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II

Much lower noise at high ISO

1,480 ISO

489 ISO

The EOS-1Ds Mark II has excellent image quality 1.6 f-stops higher ISO than the D2Xs

Much better image quality

74.0

59.0

Around 30% better image quality

Much larger sensor

Full frame 36.0x24.0mm

APS-C 23.7x15.7mm

Around 2.5x larger sensor

Better color depth

23.3 bits

22.2 bits

Distinguishes 1.1 more bits of color

Significantly larger viewfinder

0.70x

0.57x

More than 50% larger viewfinder

More dynamic range

11.3 EV

10.9 EV

0.4 f-stops more dynamic range

Higher true resolution

16.6 MP

12.2 MP

Capture around 40% more detail in your photos

Has more storage slots

More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards

Thinner

3.1"

3.4"

Around 10% thinner

Slightly smaller

156x158x80 mm

158x150x86 mm

Almost the same

Learn more about
the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II

Advantages of the Nikon D2Xs

Much larger screen

2.5"

2.0"

Around 30% larger screen

More lenses available

169 lenses

125 lenses

Around 40% more lenses available

Shoots faster

5 fps

4 fps

Around 30% faster continuous shooting

Significantly lighter

1,200 g

1,565 g

More than 20% lighter

Learn more about
the Nikon D2Xs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II

80	vs	62
Explain scores

Nikon D2Xs

Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

	CanonEOS-1Ds Mark II		vs		NikonD2Xs


Uses	Travel On holiday or vacation	0		0
Uses	Travel On holiday or vacation	Vote		Vote

	Sports Fast action, sometimes indoors	0		0
	Sports Fast action, sometimes indoors	Vote		Vote

Features	Color accuracy White balance in varied lighting	0		0
Features	Color accuracy White balance in varied lighting	Vote		Vote

	Still image focusing Speed and accuracy	0		0
	Still image focusing Speed and accuracy	Vote		Vote

	Manual settings How quickly and easily you can change settings	0		0
		Vote		Vote

	Build quality Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal	0		0
	Build quality Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal	Vote		Vote

Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths

Common Weaknesses

	Both have pentaprism viewfinders
	Pentaprism

	Above average viewfinder coverage
	100%

	Fast max shutter speeds
	1/8000 of a second

	No built-in flash
	Professional

Heavy

EOS-1Ds Mark II:	1,565 g
D2Xs:	1,200 g

Large

EOS-1Ds Mark II:	156x158x80 mm
D2Xs:	158x150x86 mm

	No live view
	Preview with viewfinder

Very small screens

EOS-1Ds Mark II:	2.0"
D2Xs:	2.5"

	Poor boost ISO
	3,200 ISO

Poor maximum light sensitivity

EOS-1Ds Mark II:	1,600 ISO
D2Xs:	800 ISO

	No flip-out screens
	Less flexible

Low resolution screens

EOS-1Ds Mark II:	230k dots
D2Xs:	235k dots

	No video autofocus
	Manual focus only

	Neither is weather sealed
	Need to shelter it from weather

	No image stabilization
	Risk of blur

	Do not shoot movies
	No movies

Poor dynamic range

EOS-1Ds Mark II:	11.3 EV
D2Xs:	10.9 EV

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths

Common Weaknesses

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

Slow continuous shooting

EOS-1Ds Mark II:	4 fps
D2Xs:	5 fps

Capture low resolution images

EOS-1Ds Mark II:	16.6 MP
D2Xs:	12.2 MP

dxomark

Image quality data for the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II provided by DxOMark
Image quality data for the Nikon D2Xs provided by DxOMark

competitors

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,400 body only

$2,799 - $2,839 with 24-105mm lens

Is slightly less noisy at high ISO

Has slightly better image quality

Slightly less viewfinder coverage

Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS-1Ds Mark II

Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the D2Xs

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$869 - $897 body only

$1,099 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens

Records lower quality movies

Has significantly wider dynamic range

Has a slower max shutter speed

Significantly less viewfinder coverage

Compare the D90 vs the EOS-1Ds Mark II

Compare the D90 vs the D2Xs

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,329 - $1,821 body only

$1,498 - $1,800 with 28-135mm lens

Records higher quality movies

Has slightly wider dynamic range

Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS-1Ds Mark II

Compare the EOS 7D vs the D2Xs

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,750 body only

Is significantly less noisy at high ISO

Has slightly better image quality

Much less viewfinder coverage

Compare the D700 vs the EOS-1Ds Mark II

Compare the D700 vs the D2Xs

Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$4,726 - $4,918 body only

Has slightly wider dynamic range

Has a much larger screen

Is slightly heavier

Compare the EOS-1D Mark III vs the EOS-1Ds Mark II

Compare the EOS-1D Mark III vs the D2Xs

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens

Has slightly better image quality

Records higher quality movies

Compare the D7000 vs the EOS-1Ds Mark II

Compare the D7000 vs the D2Xs

Nikon D3

Pro DSLR

$6,682 body only

Is significantly less noisy at high ISO

Has slightly better image quality

Is thicker

Is slightly larger

Compare the D3 vs the EOS-1Ds Mark II

Compare the D3 vs the D2Xs

Canon EOS 5D

Pro DSLR

$3,279 with 24-105mm lens

Much larger screen

Significantly smaller

Worse image quality

Slightly more noise at high ISO

Compare the EOS 5D vs the EOS-1Ds Mark II

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$609 - $800 body only

$709 - $1,180 with 18-55mm lens

Much larger screen

Shoots movies

Significantly more noise at high ISO

Significantly worse image quality

Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS-1Ds Mark II

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$899 - $1,304 body only

$1,138 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens

Much larger screen

Shoots movies

Significantly more noise at high ISO

Worse image quality

Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS-1Ds Mark II

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$579 - $867 with 18-55mm lens

Much larger screen

Shoots movies

Significantly more noise at high ISO

Worse image quality

Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS-1Ds Mark II

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens

Much larger screen

More dynamic range

Compare the D300S vs the D2Xs

Nikon D2X

Pro DSLR

Worse color depth

Compare the D2X vs the D2Xs

Nikon D200

Pro DSLR

Better image quality

More dynamic range

Much less viewfinder coverage

Has a CCD-family sensor

Compare the D200 vs the D2Xs

Nikon D2H

Pro DSLR

Shoots faster

Worse color depth

Much worse image quality

Compare the D2H vs the D2Xs

appearance

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

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CanonEOS-1Ds Mark II vs NikonD2Xs