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 When the Canon EOS-1D Mark II digital SLR (now $3,299 street) debuted earlier this year, nearly every pro sports and action photographer on the planet coveted it. And no wonder—it features the same rugged construction and most of the advanced controls found on the proven 4.1MP EOS-1D. In addition, the Mark II boasts higher, 8.2MP resolution (3520x2336 pixels at 12 bits/color), a faster burst mode, USB PictBridge compatibility, and improved metering, exposure, and storage features that will help photojournalists tackle the toughest assignments. (See our hands-on report of a preproduction model, “Flying Machine,” April 2004). Now that a production camera has undergone our rigorous lab and field tests, how would we describe its performance? Awesome!
At the top of our list is the rapid-fire burst capability of the Mark II—an impressive 40 8.2MP images at 8.5 fps in fine-quality JPEG mode, or up to 20 RAW images at the same speed. That’s just a bit faster than the 8 fps of the Nikon D2h, but the D2h only captures 4MP images. Canon also improved the AF speed slightly over the EOS-1D and 1Ds in normal to low light levels. And the Mark II battery now lasts even longer than the EOS-1D, thanks to the lower draw from the new DIGIC II processor. Canon claims the shutter will last for at least 200,000 shots, a 30-percent improvement over the 1D and 1Ds. It’s also noticeably quieter, especially in single-shot mode. But top shutter speed has dropped to a respectable 1/8000 sec from the blazing 1/16,000 sec of the EOS-1D.
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On the image-quality side, the Mark II breaks new ground—not in terms of resolution, but for noise control at high ISO settings. At ISO 100, noise levels were very low, and only increased to “low” by ISO 400. Even at ISO 800, the camera maintained moderately low noise levels in all but the darker shadow areas. Overall image quality was excellent, and we appreciated the seven color-space choices and wide variety of contrast, sharpness, white balance, and tone options that let you mimic a number of popular film personalities. In addition, the Mark II offers a choice of 10 JPEG compression ratios, a new 12-bit RAW file format, and both CF and SD storage card slots. Image playback has also been greatly enhanced, thanks to the higher-resolution 2-inch LCD monitor, larger fonts, and a well-placed 10X zoom button next to the LCD.
The EOS-1D and Nikon D2h were hard acts to follow, and you can pick up the latter for $1,300 less than the Mark II. But if you’re looking for a pro body with higher resolution and extreme speed, the new Canon EOS-1D Mark II is the champion (and sole contender) in the 8MP SLR category.
Download our Canon EOS-1D Mark II Digital SLR Certified Test Results
-requires Adobe Acrobat Reader
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