Marc Aspland on the EOS-1D X Mark II and shooting sports

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

EOS-1D X Mark II at a glance:

• Fastest shooting EOS-1D, capable of up to 14 fps full-resolution RAW or JPEG, and up to 16 fps in Live View mode with new Dual DIGIC 6+ Image Processors.
• Achieves a maximum burst rate of up to 170 RAWs in continuous shooting at up to 16 fps, and 4K movies using CFast cards in the new CFast 2.0 slot.
• Experience less noise in higher ISO images via a new 20.2 Megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, with an ISO range of 100 51200; expansion to ISO 409600.
• Improved AF performance through 61-point, wide area AF system with 41 cross-type points, improved center point focusing sensitivity to -3 EV and compatibility down to f/8
• Accurate subject tracking for stills and video with new EOS Intelligent Tracking and Recognition AF with 360,000-pixel metering sensor.
• 4K video (4096 x 2160) up to 60 fps (59.94), with an 8.8-Megapixel still frame grab in camera. Full 1080p HD capture up to 120 fps for slow motion.
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF & Movie Servo AF for high speed, high frame rate and continuous autofocus during video shooting.
• View and control high quality stills and videos via the 3.2-inch touch panel LCD with 1.62 million dots.
• Increased resolution and fine detail, with lens aberration correction and diffraction correction via new in-camera Digital Lens Optimizer technology.
• Built-in GPS provides geotag information including auto time syncing with Universal Time Code via satellites.
• The new optional Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E8A is compatible with IEEE 802.11ac/n/a/g/b, supporting both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands.
• Durable and rugged magnesium alloy body with dust- and-weather resistance for demanding shooting situations.

Canon Professional Network posted a technical article about Marc Aspland, Chief Sports Photographer at The Times newspaper in London, UK, and how he uses the new Canon EOS-1D X Mark II. Aspland was testing (and working with) the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II since early 2016. Quoting from the interview:

Having an EOS-1D X Mark II is the only major change in Marc Aspland’s kitbag this year as he currently uses: “…all of the same EF lenses that I used with the 1D X – ranging from my 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye all the way through to the 70-200mm f/2.8L and the 200-400mm f/4L IS USM EXTENDER 1.4x. In fact, at the [English] FA Cup Final I used a 2x Extender on it so I had an 800mm [focal length]. So, it’s anything from 15mm all the way up to 800mm, which is probably the stock choice of any sports photographer.”

Marc has been a lifelong user of Canon cameras but his style of sports photography is usually more about capturing the essence of an event, often in a creative way, rather than the key single ‘action moment’. He explains: “I don’t need to be constantly pressing that ‘send’ button on the back of my camera to send everything – as the agency guys might do because their market is so vast. I know what my sports editor is after and I know what players the writers in the press tribune are specifically writing about – a manager or a player – so I can be a great deal more selective about the pictures I send. I don’t need to plug my camera into the ethernet… obviously I can but it’s not a difference in speed to me – it’s a quality rather than quantity issue with my photography.”

Read the article at CPN…

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA