1D X Mark II Owners Unite! Discuss & Post Photos

From the looks of it Inky is still not impressed. LOL

The 1DX2 works pretty well for dogs, too...

I think the only way to properly motivate him for modeling is generous bribes with kibble

Bkop wrote in post #18831937
=Bkopperl;18831937]I think the only way to properly motivate him for modeling is generous bribes with kibble

That's exactly what my wife was doing just off camera to the left.

Red Dexs wrote in post #18831977

Hosted photo: posted by Red Dexs in
./showthread.php?p=188​31977&i=i86856609
forum: Canon Digital Cameras

This warrior visits most days for some food.

This baby needs to be posted to this Cat thread

At least pets don't demand model releases!

My current setup for wildlife and birds in flight is an 80D and Sigma 150-600S. Both were purchased when they first came out and the camera has taken less than 2000 photographs so I guess that both new camera and lens will last longer than I will as I'm closer to 60 than 50. I also think that both may be my last major photographic equipment purchases. My photography is a hoby and the photographs are mainly for my own enjoyment although they are shared with others. Moth photographs are taken hand held and I can be out for hours when I do go out.


I'm thinking about going for this camera and a Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II. Getting both at the same time would probably end my marriage so that's unlikely to be an option.

On the basis of the above, which one should I go for first? I can't make my mind up as I can see benefits of going for both. I would probably advise somebody else to go for the lens first, should I take my own advice?

Help!!!

Mick-1960 wrote in post #18833591
My current setup for wildlife and birds in flight is an 80D and Sigma 150-600S. Both were purchased when they first came out and the camera has taken less than 2000 photographs so I guess that both new camera and lens will last longer than I will as I'm closer to 60 than 50. I also think that both may be my last major photographic equipment purchases. My photography is a hoby and the photographs are mainly for my own enjoyment although they are shared with others. Moth photographs are taken hand held and I can be out for hours when I do go out.


I'm thinking about going for this camera and a Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II. Getting both at the same time would probably end my marriage so that's unlikely to be an option.

On the basis of the above, which one should I go for first? I can't make my mind up as I can see benefits of going for both. I would probably advise somebody else to go for the lens first, should I take my own advice?

Help!!!

Hi Mick,

A good quandary to have, both choices are top-shelf quality

First thing you need to assess: how is your current setup failing to meet your needs? Will the new purchase(s) help to overcome whatever it is?

Overall, my birding was vastly improved more by upping the glass than it was by upping the camera body, and if you weren't doing BIF I'd wholly recommend the 500 II. I absolutely loved that lens paired with my 80D. In your specific case of wildlife + BIF though, I feel that the versatility of the zoom beats out the aperture advantage of the prime. So, my pick would be to upgrade your body first because you'll not only get superior AF for BIF, but also see a tremendous gain in ISO noise control vs. the 80D. I love my 80D on nice, bright days, but more often than not I'm using the 1DX2 because the IQ is unmatched in almost all other conditions that I often find myself shooting in.

The siren's call of the big whites is tempting, but at the present the market is in flux due to the changeover from the Mk II to the Mk III super teles, so prices are dropping at a steady rate. Not only that, the generational shift from EF to the new R mount is having a depressive effect on sales because everyone is anticipating newer R-mount super teles, and that those may even be DO lenses. What this all means is that the longer you wait, the cheaper the current EF 400/500/600 Mk II lenses are going to be, so it's a good choice to do camera body now and wait for further price drops on the big glass. We've already seen a $2k price cut on the 400/600 II; just wait on the 500 II until they announce the 500 III

Oh, and a 1DX3 is due to be announced sometime in the next 9 months, with release in time for the Summer Olympics next year. Same as with the super-teles: the longer you wait, the cheaper they'll get. In this case, my thoughts are that while a 1DX3 may improve specs in small increments, it won't be substantial enough to obsolesce the 2. If you're good with the current price, I'd buy now without any regret, the 1DX2 is superb.

I've gone for a new 1DX2 and a used EF 500mm f4 L IS mk1 Lens. I'll give the lens to my son when the EF 500mm f4 L IS II USM price comes down. I've got the used lens for just over £3k so might get half of that saving when the 500mm f4 L IS III comes out.

The above has cost me £8 more than the new 500mm f4 L IS II USM would have cost me on its own so it's a win/win, I hope.

I'll probably miss the crop sensor on the 80D and the 600mm on the lens although I'm not sure the 600mm is accurate.

Mick-1960 wrote in post #18833765
I've gone for a new 1DX2 and a used EF 500mm f4 L IS mk1 Lens. I'll give the lens to my son when the EF 500mm f4 L IS II USM price comes down. I've got the used lens for just over £3k so might get half of that saving when the 500mm f4 L IS III comes out.

The above has cost me £8 more than the new 500mm f4 L IS II USM would have cost me on its own so it's a win/win, I hope.

I'll probably miss the crop sensor on the 80D and the 600mm on the lens although I'm not sure the 600mm is accurate.

Mick, great outcome and best result short term with a great upgrade path. Re missing the crop sensor, this coming from someone who went from a 7d2 to a 1dx2... you may not miss it as much as you think - only exception being perfect blue sky days...and how common are the?

The crop-ability of the 1dx2 files is so much better, along with the much cleaner higher ISO , that you may well find that you will be able to get great results from the shorter effective field of view.

The IQ of the 500F4 is much better than the Sigma, especially when the Sigma is past 450-5000mm - even if you add a 1.4x converter to give you 700mm F5.6 it is better.

Hope that helps

Mick-1960 wrote in post #18833591
My current setup for wildlife and birds in flight is an 80D and Sigma 150-600S. Both were purchased when they first came out and the camera has taken less than 2000 photographs so I guess that both new camera and lens will last longer than I will as I'm closer to 60 than 50. I also think that both may be my last major photographic equipment purchases. My photography is a hoby and the photographs are mainly for my own enjoyment although they are shared with others. Moth photographs are taken hand held and I can be out for hours when I do go out.


I'm thinking about going for this camera and a Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II. Getting both at the same time would probably end my marriage so that's unlikely to be an option.

On the basis of the above, which one should I go for first? I can't make my mind up as I can see benefits of going for both. I would probably advise somebody else to go for the lens first, should I take my own advice?

Help!!!

I went from a 7D2 + 300 2.8 II to the 1DX2 + 100-400 II. The 1DX2 body is far superior to my 7D2 (or your 80D). I'm 65 years old, and although the 500 f/4 II has tempted me, I know I couldn't hand-hold it the way I can the 100-400 II. For airplanes and BIF, I really missed zooming when the 300 2.8 II was my primary lens. So I would do the 1DX2 first, and then the 500 later if you find you still have a need for it.

Burrowing Owls

Testing the sunstars on my new lens.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2ecU​HBd