Shootouts

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II vs. Nikon D5: Clash of the Titans

By Marcus Wong - 5 Dec 2016

Imaging Performance - Part 2 & Conclusion

Imaging Performance - Part 2

The sample photographs below were shot with the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II and the Nikon D5. The photos have not been post-processed and are copyright to SPH Magazines. They are provided for your reference only and we ask that you do not reproduce them elsewhere. 

Sharpness

50mm at f/5.6,1/80s, ISO 1000, EOS-1D X Mark II

100% crop, EOS-1D X Mark II

50mm at f/5.6, 1/80s, ISO 1000, D5

100% crop, D5

Looking at this image of the peacock sculpture though, it seems that the D5 also turns in slightly better sharpness in lower light than the EOS-1D X Mark II. The feathers on each peacock have better detail, and that extends out further to the plants behind too. Given that the two camera’s sensors are so close in terms of resolution numbers, we’d put this down to better placement of the focus point, which effects the depth-of-field (and hence the impression of overall sharpness).

 

Studio shots

50mm at f/11, 1/3200s, ISO 102,400, EOS-1D X Mark II

100% crop, EOS-1D X Mark II

50mm at f/8.0, 1/8000s, ISO 102,400, Nikon D5

100% crop, Nikon D5

Finishing off with our in-house studio scene comparisons, the EOS-1D X Mark II turned in images with virtually no noise up to ISO 1600, with noise picking up progressively from ISO 3200 up to ISO 51,200. That’s the limit to which we’d go with this camera, as beyond that you start to lose fine detail. For example, the triceratops figure next to the card here starts to get lost to noise, and moving up to ISO 204,800 it gets lost completely.

Nikon D5 again stands out here with its ability to handle high ISOs. With this, you can again start to notice some noise from ISO 3200 onwards. We’d say the upper limit of usability is again about the same as that of the EOS-1D X Mark II at about ISO 51,200 if you’re looking to retain fine detail, but the D5 does a much better job with color noise beyond that.

When sharpened, the images take on a more analog sort of grain look, which should look better in prints, so you could possibly push it one stop higher to ISO 102,400. Beyond that point, all detail starts to go mush and you can’t do much in terms of shadow recovery without bringing up a lot of noise.

 

Conclusion

As we're dealing with professional class cameras, the competition is incredibly tight so it’s no surprise that both cameras came scoring almost similar. While the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II is a great all-around performer that is also slightly cheaper than the Nikon D5, we felt that accuracy of the autofocus system in the Nikon D5 was the real distinguishing factor.

There hasn’t been another camera we’ve tested that can track so accurately even in dim lighting conditions, and for a working photographer who needs to be sure that every image he captures is in focus, that’s indispensable. While it is slightly slower than the EOS-1D X Mark II, the D5’s 12fps is certainly nothing to sneeze at, and its massive buffer should ensure that you can just as easily get your shot.

All things said, the Nikon D5 is the winner of this shootout, but the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II is definitely not far behind.

Our Scoring

EOS-1D X Mark II vs. Nikon D5
  EOS-1D X Mark II Nikon D5
Performance 9.0 9.5
Design 8.0 8.5
Features 9.0 9.0
User-friendliness 8.5 9.0
Value 8.5 8.0
Overall 8.5 9.0

 

Our Final Ratings
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II

Click for detailed results break-down

Nikon D5

Click for detailed results break-down
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