1DC vs 1DX II Shootout

[Luke Mason]

This is a non-scientific but comprehensive comparison of 1DC and 1DX II video quality. The 1DX II was kindly provided by Toronto based photographer Paul O'Neil

We tested sharpness/resolution as well as dynamic range and noise performance. Two cameras were setup side by side and kept the same exposure and white balance, videos were recorded at the same time to avoid lighting variance. Lenses were both Canon 24-70 f2.8L II, at f5.6 for optimal performance.

For sharpness/resolution comparison, we used neutral profile with 0, -4, -2, 0 setting.

Please view the following images using the FULL SIZE option.

Test scene:

Results: 1DC and 1DX II have the same sharpness in HD 24/25/30p (same sensor readout). In 50/60p, 1DX II is sharper (better sensor readout) and it kept the same sharpness at 100/120p. Super 35 mode on 1DC remains the sharpest and most detailed 1080p of all modes. Two cameras have the same sharpness in 4K.

Test scenes:

Results: in neutral profile with -4 contrast, 1DC and 1DX II have about the same amount of DR, however 1DX II is nosier in the shadow (more chroma noise). 1DC in C-Log gives more detail in the highlight.

Other observation: with the same white balance setting, 1DX II colour seems slightly warmer and a tad desaturated than 1DC in neutral profile.

Conclusion: 1DX II is a camera with advanced video capabilities (HD 120p, 4K 60p, DPAF), 1DC still deserves its "C" badge for the very detailed Super 35mm HD and higher DR C-Log. Which one is more suitable totally depends on user's need.

Download original 1DX II clips: https://we.tl/4HOdgVNXhI (contains TIFF version of the comparison and HD 120p and 4K 60p clip from 1DX II)

[DBounce]

Interesting,  I'm still loving my 1DX MkII. Image is fantastic and motion  cadence is nice. I'm certain you cannot go wrong with either choice. 

[Andrew Reid]

1D C clear winner as it is much cheaper used!

[BenEricson]

45 minutes ago, Andrew Reid said:

1D C clear winner as it is much cheaper used!

But no auto focus or 60p. There's not even any 30p at 4k!

[DBounce]

2 hours ago, Andrew Reid said:

1D C clear winner as it is much cheaper used!

Used? Cheaper still broken... or stolen. Not exactly apples to apples is it.

[independent]

Thanks for the comparison, well done. This confirms what people have been saying, but aside from the 1DC's S35 1080p mode, I'm a little surprised at how close the images are. Probably not that noticeable once graded and viewed in motion. 

I'm actually liking that neutral profile on the 1DX II!

 

[hmcindie]

What of the rolling shutter? 1DC has quite high RS.

[Jimmy]

Nice test..... C-Log is the clear winner here! Canon, sort your shit out.... You have a near perfect camera that just needs a few lines of code.

120fps looks better than I thought it would be after trying the 1080/60p mode of the 1D-C, which is truly dreadful.

[Luke Mason]

7 hours ago, hmcindie said:

What of the rolling shutter? 1DC has quite high RS.

Rolling shutter is about 50% of 1DC.

[Guest Ebrahim Saadawi]

See that little tiny edge enhancement/digital sharpening in the 1DXII 4K neutral vs 1DC neutral? 

Even at neutral the 1DXII sadly addes the new Canon modification of the Picture Style algorithm making 0 Sharpness setting equivalent to +1 in older cameras. The new modification started with the Canon 650D, 700D, 100D, and all the subsequent models.  I guess it works making users perceive higher resolution. 

This mod is what makes the 1DXII look different and not as filmic as the 1DC, plus the higher dynamic range that's more filmic while the 1DXII clips highlights digitaly, plus of course the filmic monochromatic grain vs digital RGB 'noise', plus of course the Gamma of C-Log, all contribute to a much more film-like and more appealingly image to me. 

But still, the 1DXII is putting out a hell of an image. Can be used for basically any application and create an awesome 4K film! Plus that sharp 120p surprised me. 

 

That's exactly the test I needed Luke, 

I'll get the 1DC now. Made my decision for me when I am setting on my  couch! Thank you ALOT. You're a very valuable addition to the forum. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rinad Amir]

1Dxmii New Sensor 4k60 upgraded autofocus why even bother 1Dc is history !

[Guest Ebrahim Saadawi]

4 hours ago, Rinad Amir said:

1Dxmii New Sensor 4k60 upgraded autofocus why even bother 1Dc is history !

What's the use of a new sensor that has a worse image? 

Obviously this is a video website so we do not speak/care about the stills performance, because both are good enough for us to shoot our occasional still with.

The sensors we're talking about here sre the 4096x2160 windows of the 1DXII & 1DC Sensors. The 1DC sensor had more dynamic range, better detail reproduction without digital look and cleaner noise floor with much less RGB noise, and it's a bigger sensor. The 1DXII sensor has a faster readout meaning less rolling shutter and 60p framerate. 

So the 1D c sensor is better in almost everyway (though marginally), newer or older. 

That doesn't take away from the awesomeness of the DPAF pixels and the 60p and that surprisngly sharp 120p. The XII is a better overall camera as a whole for 99% of shooters yet the 1Dc seems to be the special one for film people looking for that extra mile of image niceness. Better for films and cinema applications. It's like a different nicer film stock. It's obvious noe in these images exactly what i suspected watching their footage. Just, different. And xI'll definitelytrade the AF and 60p for the better, more emotionally engaging to me. I just ADORE viewing Anything I shot on that camera. Haven't got this feeling sinve I first shot large sensor 5DII and how I just adored everything I shot with it and shot at f/1.8 all the time!

[independent]

That's why cameras, like any tools for artist and artisan, are both a personal (what's important to you) and professional choice (what you need it for). There's no wrong or right, as long as you make the decision eyes wide open. 

[DBounce]

10 hours ago, Ebrahim Saadawi said:

What's the use of a new sensor that has a worse image? 

Obviously this is a video website so we do not speak/care about the stills performance, because both are good enough for us to shoot our occasional still with.

The sensors we're talking about here sre the 4096x2160 windows of the 1DXII & 1DC Sensors. The 1DC sensor had more dynamic range, better detail reproduction without digital look and cleaner noise floor with much less RGB noise, and it's a bigger sensor. The 1DXII sensor has a faster readout meaning less rolling shutter and 60p framerate. 

So the 1D c sensor is better in almost everyway (though marginally), newer or older. 

That doesn't take away from the awesomeness of the DPAF pixels and the 60p and that surprisngly sharp 120p. The XII is a better overall camera as a whole for 99% of shooters yet the 1Dc seems to be the special one for film people looking for that extra mile of image niceness. Better for films and cinema applications. It's like a different nicer film stock. It's obvious noe in these images exactly what i suspected watching their footage. Just, different. And xI'll definitelytrade the AF and 60p for the better, more emotionally engaging to me. I just ADORE viewing Anything I shot on that camera. Haven't got this feeling sinve I first shot large sensor 5DII and how I just adored everything I shot with it and shot at f/1.8 all the time!

There's a point where the image is good enough, and at that point other factors come into play, such as 60p and DPAF. Like many have said there's no point in slightly more DR if you missed the shot. To each their own. But I much prefer the ability to easily nail focus to a negligible difference in picture quality at the extremes. Out of focus shots are immediately apparent, and effect the ability to tell your story. Slow motion 4k is a powerful story enhancing tool. A slight increase in detail in the shadows is not going to impact the story to any great extent. It's really that simple.

[Jimmy]

I don't think there is anything "slight" about the DR difference.... Looks to be an easy 2 stops extra in the highlights on the 1DC.

[PabloB]

The test seem to confirm what the chart i previously posted suggests; that the 1DC has a slightly better DR at higher iso with the appearance of less colour noise due to more contrast in the 1DXII.

In the lower iso range where the 1DXii has more dynamic range, theoretically, shooting cinestyle -1EV with HTP and bringing up shadows in post would give you about the same DR as 1DC C-Log (1/3 - 1/2 stop less). If you get another chance @Luke Mason  i'd be very interested to see if this is in fact the case

 

 

[photographer-at-large]

Ebrahim, would you ask your contact at Canon if they're considering offering CLog on the 1DxII as a paid option?

[Luke Mason]

4 hours ago, PabloB said:

The test seem to confirm what the chart i previously posted suggests; that the 1DC has a slightly better DR at higher iso with the appearance of less colour noise due to more contrast in the 1DXII.

In the lower iso range where the 1DXii has more dynamic range, theoretically, shooting cinestyle -1EV with HTP and bringing up shadows in post would give you about the same DR as 1DC C-Log (1/3 - 1/2 stop less). If you get another chance @Luke Mason  i'd be very interested to see if this is in fact the case

 

 

This chart is for RAW stills, we did test that and 1DX II has better shadow recovery at low ISO, but in video test this chart is completely irrelevant, 1DC has better shadow performance than 1DX II across the entire ISO range.

[Kino]

4 hours ago, PabloB said:

The test seem to confirm what the chart i previously posted suggests; that the 1DC has a slightly better DR at higher iso with the appearance of less colour noise due to more contrast in the 1DXII.

In the lower iso range where the 1DXii has more dynamic range, theoretically, shooting cinestyle -1EV with HTP and bringing up shadows in post would give you about the same DR as 1DC C-Log (1/3 - 1/2 stop less). If you get another chance @Luke Mason  i'd be very interested to see if this is in fact the case

 

 

We've already addressed this user-made graph on the forum. It was posted by a regular forum member at fredmiranda.com and is not from any review site or reliable source:

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1421137

It's also using the RAW files and not JPEG, which is more relevant to the MJPEG codec in the 1DX II and 1DC.

5 hours ago, Jimmy said:

I don't think there is anything "slight" about the DR difference.... Looks to be an easy 2 stops extra in the highlights on the 1DC.

The difference between neutral and C-Log on the 1DC is 3-4 stops. If, as this test shows, neutral is the same on both cameras, the 1DX II is shooting with a 3-4 stop penalty vs. the 1DC. I will leave it to other forum members to decide if this is significant or not based on their intended use. I think if you are shooting under artificial lighting (e.g., nighttime, studio filming) or overcast conditions, it's not as much of a problem since you don't need more than 9 stops of DR for these conditions.

Another way to think about it is if 3 stops of DR, Super 35mm mode, and improved color grading are worth the extra $2,000 while sacrificing DPAF and beautiful 4K60p.

[Kino]

4 hours ago, photographer-at-large said:

Ebrahim, would you ask your contact at Canon if they're considering offering CLog on the 1DxII as a paid option?

No chance. C-Log is exclusive to Cinema EOS cameras and Canon camcorders (XC10). You will never see it on the 1DX II. The paid "firmware" upgrade will come with its own body in the form of the 1DC II. I think this is predictable market segmentation by Canon. In terms of video, the 1DX II only serves as a platform for a dedicated and much more capable cinema DSLR.