Official Canon Website Release EOS 1DX2

[Jon Fairhurst]

4K looks to be the ideal solution for DSLR video.

When DSLRs were first released, they skipped pixels to go from the ~20 MP sensors to the ~2 MP of HD. The aliasing was horrible. The 5D3 added in-camera filtering to eliminate aliasing, but the filters were small, so resolution suffered.

With windowed 4K, we get true, optically anti-aliased video without pixel skipping or digital filtering. And there's another advantage... If you are delivering HD, you can filter in post using high-bit depth and effectively get 10-bit video having started with an 8-bit input. By reducing the resolution by 4:1, we can re-purpose that information as four time the previous number of levels, which gives us the additional two bits. This is similar to audio: If you sample it fast enough, 1-bit is all you need. :)

[Pat Reddy]

Here is a very nice sample 1DX II 4K video (including underwater footage) and featuring Abraham Joffe. I love the new tracking autofocus capabilities in video mode:

EOS-1D X Mark II 4K Video Capabilities Test With Abraham Joffe - YouTube

Pat

[Mark Fry]

Interesting... 4k video at 60P at a reasonable size and price. Now let's see that image processor in a proper video camera. I'm imagining something with a single 1" chip, 30-600mm (equiv) zoom range, no larger / heavier than the old XHA1, ideally more like the XF200, XLR and mini-jack audio inputs and the all-important zoom-speed dial beside the rocker switch. If they can do a really good smart optical/digital zoom extender (even if only for HD), the lens can just be a 10x or 12x, with the consequent saving in weight and/or improvement in image quality, speed, etc. Could it be ready for NAB??

[Peer Landa]

Originally Posted by Mark Fry

Interesting... 4k video at 60P at a reasonable size and price. Now let's see that image processor in a proper video camera. [...] Could it be ready for NAB??

What I'm hoping would be ready for NAB is a 1DC2 -- with 10-bit, C-Log, dual CFast, balanced audio, etc.

-- peer

[Douglas Call]

Here are some more specific specs and comments about the Canons 4K recording capability.

The 4096x2160 pixels of the 4K recording are derived from the center of the 5472x3648 total pixels contained in the full-frame image sensor. The area just outside the 4K image area is masked.

The 4K files are recorded as 4:2:2, 8-bit Motion JPEG, the same codec used for 4K acquisition in the EOS-1D C. Motion JPEG essentially produces a separate JPEG image for each frame of video. It’s a very high quality file and delivered at very high bit rates – up to approximately 800Mbps for 4K movies shot at 59.94p!

Notably, 4K movie clips are recorded without limitation in regards to the length of the clip – subject only to the following two exceptions: 1) the size of your recording media, and 2) the traditional 29:59 minute time limit on the length of continuous DSLR video recording. Therefore, the EOS-1D X Mark II has the capability to keep recording 4K 60p video up to 29 minutes and 59 seconds under normal temperature conditions, providing, of course, that you have enough memory card capacity.

[Jon Fairhurst]

The width of the 4K image is 1/1.34 the width of the full frame image. This is similar to the APS-H size of an older generation of 1D cameras. That makes it a bit tough for ultra-wide angle shots. A 16-35mm lens is now 21 - 47mm. An APS-C lens might not fill the whole frame or might vignette badly. Then again, the 11-24mm lens gets you 15-32mm, so the limitation isn't so bad.

The main win is that this uses the native optical anti-aliasing filter with no additional processing needed, so the result should be as sharp as an ASP-H photograph (differences in codec, shutter angle, etc. aside.)

The real mystery is how sharp/soft HD recording will be. Will is use 5D3-like filtering, or will it have improved performance? 120 fps full-frame FHD with a sharp result would be very nice.

[Peer Landa]

Originally Posted by Jon Fairhurst

Then again, the 11-24mm lens gets you 15-32mm, so the limitation isn't so bad.

Yeah, but at f/4.

-- peer

[Jack Zhang]

Originally Posted by Mark Fry

Interesting... 4k video at 60P at a reasonable size and price. Now let's see that image processor in a proper video camera. I'm imagining something with a single 1" chip, 30-600mm (equiv) zoom range, no larger / heavier than the old XHA1, ideally more like the XF200, XLR and mini-jack audio inputs and the all-important zoom-speed dial beside the rocker switch. If they can do a really good smart optical/digital zoom extender (even if only for HD), the lens can just be a 10x or 12x, with the consequent saving in weight and/or improvement in image quality, speed, etc. Could it be ready for NAB??

I expect this from Sony first, The HXR-NX100 is basically this but limited to HD acquisition. However, to compete with the DVX200, they MUST have UHD 60p. Also, this Canon is using MJPEG, not H.264 or H.265.

[Jon Fairhurst]

Originally Posted by Peer Landa

Yeah, but at f/4.

-- peer

Well... there's the 14mm f/2.8 prime. That gets you a 19mm equivalent.

The Tokina 11-16 is f/2.8 and I believe that its image circle is a bit larger than ASP-C. In fact, at 16mm, my understanding is that it covers full frame.

If necessary, one can shoot full frame 1080p if you really need that ultra wide angle.

Fortunately for most people, ultra-wide video is a "corner case", never mind the vignetting pun...

[Mark OConnell]

I wonder why they kept it at 8 bit?

[Douglas Call]

Well the Canon C300 Mark II only shoots up to 4096x2160 @ 30fps it will do 10-bit 422 though
They probably don't want the 1DX2 to be shooting 4096x2160 @ 60fps and do 10-bit right? For only $6000!
Just a guess.

[Cliff Totten]

I'm surprised at just how much EOS Cinema model cannibalism protections Canon placed on this 1DX2.

MJPEG compression? This CODEC literally is about as old as MEPG 1. To get the quality high, they need to heavily crank up the bit rate. This of course, eats extremely expensive CFast card space like crazy. No need to place a recording time limit in the firmware, the card size and cost will automatically do that task for them.

HDMI 4k disabled? That's nice, no external recorder to escape CFast and MJPEG!

Canon says that they "had" to use MJPEG to keep the CODEC processing heat down. They say that if they used a 10 year old h.264 CODEC in 4K, this camera would overheat in just a few minutes. What? How many cell phones, GoPros, action cameras and Sony APSC and full frame models can shoot 4k h.264 encoding with no heat trouble?

Ok, so Canon cant keep their h.264 4k encoder cool the way the rest of the industry does. Fine,...wait, are they disabling 4k over HDMI for "heat problems" too? That's even harder to blame on "heat".

The simple truth is that they are protecting their C300-II. Why cant they just come out and say that? Is it really that shameful?

CT

[Douglas Call]

From a purely Video Perspective I totally sympathize with your thinking that the 1DX2 codec etc is behind. But from the still photographer perspective which is actually who the camera was really targeted at it's really kick ass. So lets not throw them under the bus quite yet. It's a great pro still camera that has some upgraded video capabilities. It's pretty cool that they offer touch screen for 4k movies because you can pull frame grabs at 60 fps. So wedding, model and sports photographers should be able to nail just about the right exact look for that still image. That's assuming 16fps in RAW live view isn't enough!

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Originally Posted by Cliff Totten

Canon says that they "had" to use MJPEG to keep the CODEC processing heat down. They say that if they used a 10 year old h.264 CODEC in 4K, this camera would overheat in just a few minutes. What? How many cell phones, GoPros, action cameras and Sony APSC and full frame models can shoot 4k h.264 encoding with no heat trouble?

CT

My Go Pro Hero 4 records at 60Mbps. A number of sony cameras record at 100. I don't want that kind of bit rates. The files would be lousy.

The C300Mark II records 4K at 410Mbps. So the files are highly detailed. If Canon wants then they can definitely reduce it and there won't be much of heating. Canon wants to give files that are detailed.

As far as no 4K over HDMI, it is an omission. I am not going to miss it though. I don't even plan to use an external recorder for the C300 Mark II, unless the client demands it.

[Peer Landa]

Originally Posted by Sabyasachi Patra

The C300Mark II records 4K at 410Mbps. So the files are highly detailed.

Well, the 1DX2 shoots 4K 60p @ 800 Mbps.

-- peer