Canon EOS-1D X Mark II vs Canon EOS-1Ds

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II and the Canon EOS-1Ds, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II was introduced in February 2016 and Canon EOS-1Ds was introduced in December 2002. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS-1D X Mark II over Canon EOS-1Ds.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS-1Ds over Canon EOS-1D X Mark II.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II has a 3.2" screen with 1,620k dot resolution and Canon EOS-1Ds has a 2.0" screen with 120k dot resolution. Both have Fixed screens. Canon EOS-1D X Mark II also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Cameras have built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinders. They both have 100% coverage.

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II features a 20.2 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 36 x 24 mm and a total area of 864 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 51,200 and expands to 50 - 409,600 in boosted mode. Canon EOS-1Ds features a 11 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.8 x 23.8 mm and a total area of 566.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 1,250.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II is equipped with Dual DIGIC 6+ processor and can take pictures up to 5472 x 3648 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4368 x 2912, 3648 x 2432, 2736 x 1824 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Canon EOS-1Ds can take pictures up to 4064 x 2704 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 2032 x 1352 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Cameras have Canon EF lens mount. Due to their Full Frame sensor their crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is equal to 1x. This means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Canon EOS-1D X Mark II it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS-1Ds nothing can be done. On Canon EOS-1Ds it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS-1D X Mark II nothing can be done.

Built-in GPS on Canon EOS-1D X Mark II

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II has a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) technology which allows you to automatically tag the location where you took your photos. You can later categorize, organize, and search for photos based on location. This is very useful for travel and outdoor photographers for documenting the locations where images were captured.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in GPS.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II has a USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 (5 GBit/sec) input for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II comes with LP-E19 battery pack with battery life of 1210 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II has two card slots - one for CompactFlash (UDMA 7) and one for CFast (CFast 2.0). Canon EOS-1Ds has a single CompactFlash (Type I/II) card slot.

Shutter

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS-1D X Mark II, and up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS-1Ds. Canon EOS-1D X Mark II can shoot continuously up to 16.0 fps. Canon EOS-1Ds can shoot continuously up to 3.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II has Dual Pixel CMOS AF system with 61 focusing points and Canon EOS-1Ds has 45 focusing points. Canon EOS-1D X Mark II has detection range from -3 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Canon EOS-1D X Mark II ranges from 0 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Canon EOS-1D X Mark II and ±3 EV range on Canon EOS-1Ds. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS-1D X Mark II and and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS-1Ds.

Flash

Cameras have no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected to both of them via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal to Canon EOS-1D X Mark II. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on both cameras.

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II body has dimensions of 158 x 168 x 83 mm (6.22 x 6.61 x 3.27") and Canon EOS-1Ds body has dimensions of 156 x 158 x 80 mm (6.14 x 6.22 x 3.15"). Canon EOS-1D X Mark II weighs 1530 g (3.37 lb / 53.97 oz) and Canon EOS-1Ds weighs 1585 g (3.49 lb / 55.91 oz).

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II

Canon EOS-1Ds

158 mm

168 mm

156 mm

158 mm

168 mm

158 mm

83 mm

80 mm