Canon 1D Mark II Comparison Review

The Canon EOS-1D Mark II is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was announced in January 2004 and is equipped with an APS-H sensor. It offers a resolution of 8.2 megapixel.

Is the Canon 1D Mark II a good camera? The 1D Mark II has a Camera Elo of 1304. This rating puts the 1D Mark II below average of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the 1D Mark II also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 2.5-star performance rating. – Well, the Canon 1D Mark II is more than 20 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2004.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Canon 1D Mark II vis-à-vis a credit card. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Canon 1D Mark II alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Canon 1D Mark II	156 mm	158 mm	80 mm	1535 g	1200	Y	Jan 2004	US$ 4 499	ebay.com
2.		Canon 1D	156 mm	158 mm	80 mm	1585 g	500	Y	Sep 2001	US$ 6 499	ebay.com
3.		Canon 1D Mark II N	156 mm	158 mm	80 mm	1565 g	1200	Y	Aug 2005	US$ 3 999	ebay.com
4.		Canon 1D Mark III	156 mm	157 mm	80 mm	1155 g	2200	Y	Feb 2007	US$ 4 499	ebay.com
5.		Canon 1D Mark IV	156 mm	157 mm	80 mm	1230 g	1500	Y	Oct 2009	US$ 4 999	ebay.com
6.		Canon 1Ds	156 mm	158 mm	80 mm	1265 g	600	Y	Sep 2002	US$ 8 999	ebay.com
7.		Canon 1Ds Mark II	156 mm	158 mm	80 mm	1215 g	1200	Y	Sep 2004	US$ 7 999	ebay.com
8.		Canon 1Ds Mark III	150 mm	160 mm	80 mm	1385 g	1800	Y	Aug 2007	US$ 7 999	ebay.com
9.		Canon 5D	152 mm	113 mm	75 mm	895 g	400	Y	Aug 2005	US$ 3 299	ebay.com
10.		Canon 5DS	152 mm	116 mm	76 mm	930 g	700	Y	Feb 2015	US$ 3 699	ebay.com
11.		Canon 5DS R	152 mm	116 mm	76 mm	930 g	700	Y	Feb 2015	US$ 3 699	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Canon 1D Mark II was launched in the US market at a price of $4,499. 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.

Check 1D Mark II offers at
ebay.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

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. 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 tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Canon 1D Mark II features an APS-H sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.3. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Canon 1D Mark II among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. 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 alternative cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Canon 1D Mark II	APS-H	8.2	3504	2336	none	22.3	11.1	1003	66
2.		Canon 1D	APS-H	4.1	2496	1662	none	..	..	..	..
3.		Canon 1D Mark II N	APS-H	8.2	3504	2336	none	22.3	11.2	975	66
4.		Canon 1D Mark III	APS-H	10.1	3888	2592	none	22.7	11.7	1078	71
5.		Canon 1D Mark IV	APS-H	16.0	4896	3264	1080/30p	22.8	12.0	1320	74
6.		Canon 1Ds	Full Frame	11.0	4064	2704	none	21.8	11.0	954	63
7.		Canon 1Ds Mark II	Full Frame	16.6	4992	3328	none	23.3	11.3	1480	74
8.		Canon 1Ds Mark III	Full Frame	21.0	5616	3744	none	24.0	12.0	1663	80
9.		Canon 5D	Full Frame	12.7	4368	2912	none	22.9	11.1	1368	71
10.		Canon 5DS	Full Frame	50.3	8688	5792	1080/30p	24.7	12.4	2381	87
11.		Canon 5DS R	Full Frame	50.3	8688	5792	1080/30p	24.6	12.4	2308	86

It should be noted that unlike many modern cameras, the 1D Mark II does not provide the possibility to capture videos.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the 1D Mark II has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.55x. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Canon 1D Mark II in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Canon 1D Mark II	optical	Y	2.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/8000s	8.3/s	n	n
2.		Canon 1D	optical	Y	2.0 / 120	fixed	n	1/16000s	8.0/s	n	n
3.		Canon 1D Mark II N	optical	Y	2.5 / 230	fixed	n	1/8000s	8.5/s	n	n
4.		Canon 1D Mark III	optical	Y	3.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	n
5.		Canon 1D Mark IV	optical	Y	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	n
6.		Canon 1Ds	optical	Y	2.0 / 120	fixed	n	1/8000s	3.0/s	n	n
7.		Canon 1Ds Mark II	optical	Y	2.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/8000s	4.0/s	n	n
8.		Canon 1Ds Mark III	optical	Y	3.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	n	n
9.		Canon 5D	optical	Y	2.5 / 230	fixed	n	1/8000s	3.0/s	n	n
10.		Canon 5DS	optical	Y	3.2 / 1040	fixed	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	n	n
11.		Canon 5DS R	optical	Y	3.2 / 1040	fixed	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	n	n
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One useful feature of the 1D Mark II is a presence of a top-level LCD. While being, of course, smaller than the rear screen, the control panel conveys some of the essential shooting information and can be convenient for quick and easy settings verification.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Canon EOS-1D Mark II and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Canon 1D Mark II	Y	- / -	-	-	-	1.1	-	-	-
2.		Canon 1D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	FW	-	-	-
3.		Canon 1D Mark II N	Y	- / -	-	-	-	1.1	-	-	-
4.		Canon 1D Mark III	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Canon 1D Mark IV	Y	stereo / -	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Canon 1Ds	Y	- / -	-	-	-	FW	-	-	-
7.		Canon 1Ds Mark II	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
8.		Canon 1Ds Mark III	Y	mono / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Canon 5D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Canon 5DS	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	mini	3.0	-	-	-
11.		Canon 5DS R	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	mini	3.0	-	-	-

Further information on the features and operation of the 1D Mark II can be found in the free online Canon 1D Mark II Manual or on the Canon support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the 1D Mark II handle or perform in practice. 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 why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Canon 1D Mark II	..	..	..	+ +	..	..	Jan 2004	US$ 4 499	ebay.com
2.		Canon 1D	..	..	..	+ +	..	..	Sep 2001	US$ 6 499	ebay.com
3.		Canon 1D Mark II N	..	..	..	..	..	..	Aug 2005	US$ 3 999	ebay.com
4.		Canon 1D Mark III	..	..	..	..	..	..	Feb 2007	US$ 4 499	ebay.com
5.		Canon 1D Mark IV	5/5	..	..	89/100	..	..	Oct 2009	US$ 4 999	ebay.com
6.		Canon 1Ds	..	..	..	+ +	..	..	Sep 2002	US$ 8 999	ebay.com
7.		Canon 1Ds Mark II	..	..	..	+ +	..	..	Sep 2004	US$ 7 999	ebay.com
8.		Canon 1Ds Mark III	..	..	..	+ +	4.5/5	..	Aug 2007	US$ 7 999	ebay.com
9.		Canon 5D	..	88/100	..	+ +	o	..	Aug 2005	US$ 3 299	ebay.com
10.		Canon 5DS	..	+	..	83/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	US$ 3 699	ebay.com
11.		Canon 5DS R	5/5	+	..	83/100	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	US$ 3 699	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The above review scores should be interpreted 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 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.

Check 1D Mark II offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

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