Canon EOS 1D X Mark II vs Canon EOS 5D Mark III Compare

Here you can find digital cameras comparison. Pick up with the best rating.

Cameras which are being compared are Professional DSLR cameras.

EOS 1D X Mark II vs EOS 5D Mark III - Side by side

Learn more about compared cameras specifications below.

Canon EOS 1D X Mark II vs Canon EOS 5D Mark III Specs

EOS 1D X Mark II

  • Introduced in February 2016
  • Professional DSLR
  • Sensor: Full frame
  • 20 megapixel
  • 14 frames/second
  • 100 – 51200 ISO
  • 4096 x 2160 Video
  • Viewfinder: Optical (Penta prism)
  • 81.00mm (3.2″) Monitor
  • Lens mount EF
  • No WiFi
  • 158 x 167.6 x 82.6mm³ (6.2″ x 6.6″ x 3.3″)
  • 1340g (43.2 oz.)

All specs: Main page for EOS 1D X Mark II

EOS 5D Mark III

  • Introduced in March 2012
  • Professional DSLR
  • Sensor: Full frame
  • 22 megapixel
  • 6 frames/second
  • 100 – 25600 ISO
  • 1920 x 1080 Video
  • Viewfinder: Optical (Penta prism)
  • 81.00mm (3.2″) Monitor
  • Lens mount EF
  • No WiFi
  • 152 x 116.4 x 76.4mm³ (6.0″ x 4.6″ x 3.0″)
  • 950g (30.6 oz.)

All specs: Main page for EOS 5D Mark III

EOS 1D X Mark II vs EOS 5D Mark III Sensors

On the pictures below the sensor areas of cameras are highlighted.

This infographic highlights the sensor areas of both models compared to other common sensor formats:

Info graphic: EOS 1D X Mark II an EOS 5D Mark III sensor comparison

EOS 1D X Mark II vs EOS 5D Mark III: Viewfinder

EOS 1D X Mark II has an optical viewfinder with penta prism. It has magnification of 0.76x and covers 100% of view field.

The EOS 5D Mark III features an optical viewfinder with a penta prism that also covers 100% of the field of view, its magnification is c. 0.71x.

Viewfinder magnifications of compared cameras. The black area shows a magnification of 1x, relative to native size; in red is a magnification of 0.85x.

EOS 1D X Mark II (0.76x)

EOS 5D Mark III (0.71x)

Better choice: Canon EOS 1D X Mark II

Canon EOS 1D X Mark II VS Canon EOS 5D Mark III Other Specs Comparison

Why is Canon EOS 1D X Mark II a better choice

EOS 1D X Mark II

EOS 5D Mark III

Higher speed (4, frames/second)

14 6
Better sensibility (4)

100 – 51200 ISO 100 – 25600 ISO
Better monitor (2, Megapixel)

1.62 1.04
Touch screen (2)

Better Video (2)

4096 x 2160 1920 x 1080
Longer battery life (3, photos)

1210 950
USB 3.0 (2)

GPS (2)

Environmental sealing (2)

Conclusion: Advantages of the EOS 1D X Mark II are that the camera is faster, the larger sensitivity and that the display has a higher resolution. A nice touch is the rather comfortable touch screen, the superior video recording and that the battery has more stamina. Another advantage over the EOS 5D Mark III: the support for USB 3.0. HArdly a luxury, given today’s image size and the requirements of 4K video, the built-in GPS.

The EOS 1D X Mark II scores 21 points.

Otherwise why to choose Canon EOS 5D Mark III

EOS 1D X Mark II

EOS 5D Mark III

Wider resolution (5, megapixel)

20.20 22.30
Weighs less (2)

1340g
(43.2 oz.)
950g
(30.6 oz.)
More portable (2)

2187cm³
(138 cu.in.)
1352cm³
(85 cu.in.)

Conclusion: Advantages of the EOS 5D Mark III are the higher resolution, the lower weight than the EOS 1D X Mark II and the more compact size.

Yields 9 points for the EOS 5D Mark III.

Common Specs for both cameras compared

EOS 1D X Mark II

EOS 5D Mark III

Sensor format

Full frame Full frame
Sensor cleaning

Lens selection

200 200
External microphone

Canon EOS 1D X Mark II VS Canon EOS 5D Mark III Dimensions

Look at front view of the EOS 1D X Mark II and EOS 5D Mark III

Top view of cameras

Total scores

Here’s the total score according to comparison above:

Canon EOS 1D X Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

21
9

We recommend Canon EOS 1D X Mark II as better choice.