Auto Focus Testing Canon 1DXMK2 Vs Nikon Z6

[DBounce]

This post is a preview of my testing of these two cameras. The Canon is shot internal in 4k, while the Nikon is external to the Ninja V. This might seem strange, but this test started out as a color matching test, and later evolved into an AF test. I have long known that the AF on the 1DXMK2 is the best I have used. But it's not until you put it up head to head against it's competitors that you understand just how amazing it is. I can tell you, the AF on the 1DXMK2 is much better than even the C200. It is better than the other EOS cameras. Of course much has been said about the Nikon Z6's video AF. Most have said it is pretty good. Well let me tell you this... watch the test that I am posting. I can promise you nothing was done that anyone could not have managed setup wise. It is a simple test pitting both cameras against each other side by side. Both set to base ISO, F1.8 and shot at 24p with 1/50th shutter speed. The difference in performance is astounding. From what I have seen the EOS R is inferior to the 1DXMK2 in AF. But that said, what isn't?

So my takeaway from all of this is the following: Dear Canon, I truly hate you... Why must you gimp your cameras? Leaving out features that we want and need, just so we are forced to buy yet another body to do a single task.

Ok, maybe that's a bit much, but I know many most here feel the same way. I'll post more shortly.

[Snowbro]

I love the 1dx ii, but I wish it was 2lbs instead of 3.3 and had wifi. I agree, it is so annoying that Canon sandbags everything, even the 1dx ii has been sandbagged to protect their cinema. Then you spend $10k on their cinema cameras and they still are sandbagged to "protect" their flagship cinema camera. If sony ever gets their AF/skintones to what I like, I won't come back. 

[DBounce]

As promised... Comments welcomed

 

[Mako Sports]

If you want Canon to stop gimping cameras, stop buying them. 

 

Shills like Peter McCanon saying 120fps hurts your creativity adds fuel to fire. 

[Snowbro]

37 minutes ago, Mako Sports said:

If you want Canon to stop gimping cameras, stop buying them. 

 

Shills like Peter McCanon saying 120fps hurts your creativity adds fuel to fire. 

He doesn't actually use the eos r for anything but a timelapse or 2nd angle. Went back to the 1dx ii fast. 

[Mako Sports]

Just now, Snowbro said:

He doesn't actually use the eos r for anything but a timelapse or 2nd angle. Went back to the 1dx ii fast. 

rofl that review aka ad had to be enticing enough so that Canon could get a few extra sales this holiday season. So I'm not surprised he went back to the 1dxmkii

[Django]

You guys seem surprised a $6K flagship camera beast like 1DXII trumps base level mirrorless cams..?!

That said, EOS R does hold an advantage over it with the inclusion of peaking, focus guides, canon log, 10-bit out, EVF, MP4 codec, flip out screen & light weight.

Not bad for a third of the price if you ask me. Of course 1DX2 excels in other areas, but at this point I'd wait for the rumored Mark 3 for ultimate Canon DSLR.

If anything though this makes a strong case for Dual Pixel AF still holding the crown over the competition which some like to claim have "caught up".

 

[DBounce]

Funny the thumbs down with no comments. Truth must hurt? Some idiot actually tried to get that video removed from YouTube with a phony copyright violation claim. Unfortunately for them, it was cleared by YouTube.... but hey, nice try. 

Honestly, I wanted to love the Nikon for video, but in practice it’s AF is weak, in both stills and video. The competition has improved... the X-T3 beats the Z6. The Sony performs better than the Z6 under most conditions... but nothing comes close to the 1DXMK2; it can actually hold focus better than is humanly possible.

[DBounce]

4 hours ago, Mako Sports said:

rofl that review aka ad had to be enticing enough so that Canon could get a few extra sales this holiday season. So I'm not surprised he went back to the 1dxmkii

Do you think the EOS R is just hype? Granted, I would not expect it to replace a 1DXMK2... they are different categories of cameras. Anyone suggesting otherwise is either disingenuous or plainly ignorant. But within its limitations the EOS R could be interesting? Honestly, the MJpeg codec that the 1DXMK2 utilizes is system intensive. So I wouldn’t hate having a C-cam with a modern codec. And a clean 10 bit output is welcomed. As some have pointed out, reusing lenses saves bulk and weight. As you only need to carry one set. So if one already owns Canon lenses... it starts to sound plausible... even logical.

While I do not expect flagship level AF, I do expect it to be quite good given the linage. Yes the crop, but my 1DXMK2 is cropped in video... and the C200 is Super35... which is a 1.5X crop. So is it such a deal breaker? Maybe this issue is overblown? Thoughts?

[thebrothersthre3]

Yeah the Nikon looks pretty bad. Was that face detect or just standard?

Canon really made a good decision when they invested in their auto focus system. However the gap is closing. Look at the jump Fuji made from the XT2 to the XT3. Pretty huge. If they put in the same amount of effort their next camera could be there finally. Sony has made huge strides as well. Lets see what they offer in an A7S3 or A7000.

[liork]

No, its not over blown. None of the competition have such a severe crop and rolling shutter. You can only compare it to Canon stuff, so this is the shit Canon users are used for.

[liork]

2 hours ago, DBounce said:

While I do not expect flagship level AF, I do expect it to be quite good given the linage. Yes the crop, but my 1DXMK2 is cropped in video... and the C200 is Super35... which is a 1.5X crop. So is it such a deal breaker? Maybe this issue is overblown? Thoughts?

Well, the 1DXMK2 focus is great, the EOS R less so. The crop factor of EOS R is very bad.

Each fact to its own, the EOS R crop is not less bad because of the great focus of the 1DXMK2, this is a Canon fan thinking.

[DBounce]

1 hour ago, thebrothersthre3 said:

Yeah the Nikon looks pretty bad. Was that face detect or just standard?

Canon really made a good decision when they invested in their auto focus system. However the gap is closing. Look at the jump Fuji made from the XT2 to the XT3. Pretty huge. If they put in the same amount of effort their next camera could be there finally. Sony has made huge strides as well. Lets see what they offer in an A7S3 or A7000.

Face detect unfortunately. I researched the best setting and made several attempts before settling. It was s lot of work for a mediocre outcome.

The gap is narrowing, but it’s still pretty wide from my experience.

1 hour ago, liork said:

Well, the 1DXMK2 focus is great, the EOS R less so. The crop factor of EOS R is very bad.

Each fact to its own, the EOS R crop is not less bad because of the great focus of the 1DXMK2, this is a Canon fan thinking.

Yet many here use crop sensor cameras with little complaints. I’m honestly more concerned with IQ and flexibility in post.

[thebrothersthre3]

2 minutes ago, DBounce said:

Face detect unfortunately. I researched the best setting and made several attempts before settling. It was s lot of work for a mediocre outcome.

The gap is narrowing, but it’s still pretty wide from my experience.

I can't imagine my fuji hunting that much in those conditions, even on my XT20. 

[DBounce]

6 minutes ago, thebrothersthre3 said:

I can't imagine my fuji hunting that much in those conditions, even on my XT20. 

It wouldn’t, the Fuji was much better. But still a long way off from the 1DXMK2. 

[thebrothersthre3]

2 minutes ago, DBounce said:

It wouldn’t, the Fuji was much better. But still a long way off from the 1DXMK2. 

Interesting. It definitely works pretty well but its not magic, like I thought it might be. I wonder if the 1D being a DSLR contributes to it. 

[androidlad]

32 minutes ago, thebrothersthre3 said:

Interesting. It definitely works pretty well but its not magic, like I thought it might be. I wonder if the 1D being a DSLR contributes to it. 

1DX II has about 12.7 million phase detection pixels while X-T3 has "only" 2.16 million.

[Django]

 

7 hours ago, DBounce said:

Do you think the EOS R is just hype? Granted, I would not expect it to replace a 1DXMK2... they are different categories of cameras. Anyone suggesting otherwise is either disingenuous or plainly ignorant. But within its limitations the EOS R could be interesting? Honestly, the MJpeg codec that the 1DXMK2 utilizes is system intensive. So I wouldn’t hate having a C-cam with a modern codec. And a clean 10 bit output is welcomed. As some have pointed out, reusing lenses saves bulk and weight. As you only need to carry one set. So if one already owns Canon lenses... it starts to sound plausible... even logical.

While I do not expect flagship level AF, I do expect it to be quite good given the linage. Yes the crop, but my 1DXMK2 is cropped in video... and the C200 is Super35... which is a 1.5X crop. So is it such a deal breaker? Maybe this issue is overblown? Thoughts?

If i were you, a 1DX2 & C200 owner.. i'd definitely pick EOS R over Z6 as your mirrorless C-cam. No brainer even.

I think you will find this video test very relevant & informative:

Regarding AF i must agree with him that the transitions aren't as smooth as on C line (or 1DX2) but accuracy and low light AF performance is on par if not better.

IQ wise EOS R provides a very high bitrate ALL-I codec which results in a nice thick image consistent with 1DC/5D4/1DX2. Rolling Shutter is imo its biggest caveat.

[Snowbro]

12 hours ago, Mako Sports said:

rofl that review aka ad had to be enticing enough so that Canon could get a few extra sales this holiday season. So I'm not surprised he went back to the 1dxmkii

I would bet most people would shill for free gear and $100k+ a year, until it hurts them. He seemed to come out of it pretty much unscathed. His average viewer is the iphone/apsc camera buyer. 

[Snowbro]

8 hours ago, DBounce said:

Funny the thumbs down with no comments. Truth must hurt? Some idiot actually tried to get that video removed from YouTube with a phony copyright violation claim. Unfortunately for them, it was cleared by YouTube.... but hey, nice try. 

Honestly, I wanted to love the Nikon for video, but in practice it’s AF is weak, in both stills and video. The competition has improved... the X-T3 beats the Z6. The Sony performs better than the Z6 under most conditions... but nothing comes close to the 1DXMK2; it can actually hold focus better than is humanly possible.

I think I have figured it out; it mostly is the people who can only buy a certain camera for specific reason, whether that is money or lens collection anchors. They have to convince themselves that what they purchased, is the correct choice. I took a marketing class from a retired executive that worked at Coca Cola, Disney, P&G; he said people vote with their wallets. They have to justify any purchase that they make. This will then help you understand why people behave as rabid as they do about politics, they voted on their gear. 

It seemed to be well known that the Nikon mirrorless cameras had problems focusing in low light. Since day 1 of them being shown, then that sentiment started to dwindle. Probably because the only people still talking about them, were Nikon users. I have found the same thing that you have with Sony & Fuji, pertaining to video AF. No one really believes me, but like you said, they haven't tried a 1DX II, they have no idea. It just works, you don't have to think about it, I can rely on it in a professional setting, where I wouldn't dare do anything but MF with other cameras. 

I truly hope that the camera companies push each other and they all catch up on AF/Color/IBIS/IQ etc. That will only benefit us all in the end.