djlouden Loc: Ocala, Florida

I'm considering purchasing the 1DX MK II essential for the burst speed. Any thoughts on buying now or waiting to see what's in the offing as far as new gear? It doesn't seem like we'll get anything as far as a MK III until next year.

Happy Shooting

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

The Sony A9 just came down $1000 - Lots of FPS ! but focus might be questionable with an adapter. The Pro Canon ML should be coming soon ......
.

zcarxrg Loc: Corpus Christi

As a bird photographer I purchased a 1dx II about year ago for the frame rate and focusing capability which are huge benefits for birds in flight. One of the deciding factors was that the fast focusing would apply to all of my lenses. There is a noticeable difference between its focusing performance and that of the 5d IV and the 7d Mk II. I barely use the 7d II since I received the 1DX II. The focal zone placement on the full frame 1dx II seems to me to be much better than on the crop sensor 7dII. The 1DX II has worked well with everything I put on it, including the 100-400 II , 600 mm is II , 400mm DO and the current Sigma 500 Sport and Sigma 120 -300 MM sport lenses. (It might do wonders for your Sigma 150 -600 but you will be surprised with the difference in balance on all lenses due to the weight of the 1 dx II ) The extra speed is a benefit even on slow walking birds as I am able to pick the best shot out of a group of all in focus shots excepting operator error. Having said that, the new Sony offerings and the Nikon D850 both appear to have even better focusing capability and the Sony has a better frame rate. Neither of which helps anyone with a bunch of Canon gear and lenses. As I bought the 1dxII and the 400 DO II together I often wonder if the total money might have been better spent on another option which one day would seem a bad choice if Canon has a model in the pipeline which "knocks it out of the park " . One thing to consider is the real frame rate. While the Nikon with battery grip is rated at up to 9 fps (I believe) the real frame rate on moving subjects is probably around 7 fps while the same thinking with the 1 DXII might put you at 10 FPS or about 50 percent more fps than the Nikon... As far as a current purchasing decision that is a tough one without any proprietary knowledge. I would almost have to think Canon's 1DX II replacement would have to be mirrorless but that causes a problem as Canon's current sensors are not quite as efficient as the Sony sensors ( which Nikon uses ) and mirrorless has to give up some light to the viewing and metering systems during exposure. The buying question may come down to how often do you shoot and how many shots might you miss by waiting for the next iteration of cameras and balancing that vs your budget constraints. I went to Apache del Bosque to shoot cranes in flight and found I had a difficult time focusing with the 5d IV due to complex backgrounds while the 1DX II shined in the same shooting environment. I purchased the 600 mm IS II about 18 months ago thinking it should hold its value quite well and it did- right up to the point when the new 600 IS III @2 lbs lighter was announced. . If you plan on doing video there are some things the 1dx can do quite well but you have to choose between Canons very large file coding or alternative formats. My opinion ( which also considers alternative options to some degree ) would be to see if you can get a good deal on a lightly used 1dxII for a good price ( $4000 vs $5500) that might have a transferrable warranty. You might try the "Birds as Art" items for sale web site(buyer beware for any used gear).

djlouden Loc: Ocala, Florida

zcarxrg: thanks for your keen observations. I Have far too much invested in glass to even consider moving brands even if I saw something I liked. Everything I've read pointed to maybe a 1DX III before the Olympics in 2020 and I'm not certain I'll wait that long. Everyone is hyped on mirrorless these days, but the jury is still out for me giving up my DSLR's.

As to pricing, I've always found it's like buying cars, as soon as you buy one the next day you find a cheaper deal. So make a deal and forget about it. I have found a MK II from an authorized dealer, not one of the ripoff guys, for about $4800. Guess I'm not quite ready to pull the trigger. We'll see. Interesting to see what other comments I get.

Happy Shooting

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

If you have the need and the money then I say go for it. I will have had mine for 3 years in October. I spent a few months looking at options before buying. I could have had a 5D4 and 7D2 for the same money at the time. But the 5D4 was just coming out at the time. I prefer the rugged build and built in grip of the 1 series. I prefer one camera to several and a few great lenses. I feel the MkII is the best all around camera that Canon makes if you need high speed and high ISO capability. It can shoot anything from drag racing to portraits. I have no regrets. If a better body comes out you can decide if you want to trade up. Meanwhile enjoy it today for what it offers.

Check out Mark Rebilas on web and Facebook and you can see the kind of action shooting he does with Canon gear. Jeff Cable also. Arthur Morris for birding. Interestingly enough he uses a MkII but I believe dumped his 7D2s for a pair of 5Dsr bodies. Doesn't seem like a birders body but he seems to like them...

djlouden Loc: Ocala, Florida

Notorious: Thanks for the tips. I'm leaning that way.... I think. As I enter retirement I'm being more cautious these days with my 'toy' spending.

I thought Morris got mad at Canon and went on a snit and dumped his gear for Nikon. I stopped following him a while before that after seeing him at a venue.

Thanks again and...

Happy shooting

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

He may have switched to Nikon. I don't follow him closely, mostly looked at his use of Extenders. He seems to get great results with them. He also seems to be pushing his guided trips a lot. My son and I used to help instruct at some motocross schools. The head of it could make some serious money when you had 60 students paying $300 each for a 2 day class...

Money is always a consideration for most of us. My son is a drag racer and at the higher levels it is amazing the amount of money that is spent and floating around the drag strips. There is an incredible amount of money out there in certain places. I know one racer that budgets $50k per race.

Enjoy your shooting...

dglueck Loc: Rochester, NY

Refurb EOS-1D X Mark II Body on the Canon site right now for $4,799.20.

Nalu Loc: Southern Arizona

I met Chris Dodds a last summer on a Atlantic puffin trip. My gear at the time was a 5DIV, 1DX, 400mm DOII and 600mm f/4. Most of the other attendees on the trip were shooting A9's with the 100-400 gm. I got some great Puffin flight shots over three days of shooting, but my keeper rate (those in focus) sucked compared to the keeper rates of those with the A9. I am definitely not the best fight photographer, but I'm not too bad either. I don't have my big Canon glass any longer which has been replaced by the a9, the 100-400 GM and the 400mm 2.8. And now, I learned last night that Sony is offering a 600mm f/4 and a 200/600mm zoom. Better focusing capabilities that the (any) Canon gear and faster frame rate. One of the complaints some have had about the Sony system for sports and wildlife is the lack of glass. That is no longer the case.

Dodds was also a Canon representative (like Morris) but dumped all his Canon gear for Sony. Why, its just better than Canon for his work (flight photography). Morris dropped Canon for whatever reason, went to Nikon, and now is experimenting with Sony.

I know the difficulty of parting with the investment in glass. I went thru it. But will I get more puffin shots with fish in their mouths flying right at me this summer. I know the answer is YES.

And PS: I am seeing no issues as far as focus speed and IQ with both the 1.4 and 2X expenders with the A9. The A7RIII definitely has focusing issues with the 100-400 gm plus 2X extender, but works well with the 400mm 2.8 plus 2x. The IQ of the 400mm 2.8 plus 2X is very very close to the 600mm Canon plus 1.4x.

Sorry for putting any splash on the 1DXII goals, but I just couldn't resist.

djlouden Loc: Ocala, Florida

dglueck: thanks for the heads up

Nalu: Thanks but no thanks... No Sony for me. As retirement looms I'm just not interested in updating all that glass and some doesn't even exist in Sonyland. I probably have about 10 good years left in me to enjoy the collection of gear I do have.

RRS Loc: Not sure

I thought Arthur Morris dumped all his Canon gear and went with Nikon.

Nalu Loc: Southern Arizona

I completely understand and please realize I was not trying to get you to change your mind. I had a really tough time making the decision to drop my two great Canon lenses. I had great success with them. And, although I had not moved to the 1DXII, I was seriously considering it to replace my 1DX with that body. But, as I stood on the beach shooting puffins with and people around me were getting better results with the a9 and 100-400mm gm I got this horrible gas. It was a very painful experience. Good luck with the Dxii. I am sure you will enjoy it.

Nalu Loc: Southern Arizona

He did, but now is also play with an a9.

djlouden Loc: Ocala, Florida

Nalu: No harm in crowing about your gear. Just thinking about buying a complete set of everything I own in Canon gear makes me cringe. I keep a running spreadsheet with costs and serial numbers of my gear. At last look I had about $48K just in serialized gear not to mention batteries, filters and so on.

.....and on we go as always to the chase for a better shot.

Happy shooting

RRS Loc: Not sure

Sorry to "splash" on your report too but for what it's worth Tony Northrup just put out a video on the A9 being used with the new Sony 600mm F/4.0 and there are problems. Glad to see the 600 and the 200-600 but there's a trade off to be made if the main uses will be wildlife/BIF however great for other applications like portraiture if the bodies don't lock up.

The 1DX2 is a good camera but I for one don't care for the C Fast card slot, wish it had retained the same configuration as the 1DX as to memory slots. I also have the 7DMK2 but don't use it to much any more even with the crop factor. I use the 1.4 and 2X almost all the time with the 300F/2.8 and the 600mm F/4.0. The high ISO capabilities of the 1DX2 blows away the 7DMK2 even with all the advances on noise with AI. I too have too much invested in Canon glass to make the change at this time. I feel that most of the changes in the 1DX2 over the 1DX mainly benefitted video. How long has the story of the 7DMK3 been out there, so many still waiting but latest rumor now out is that the 7 series is done. Look up Greentoe and see what you can get the 1DX2 for, I'm thinking about buying a second one.