I work with two Canon EOS 1D Mark II camera bodies, they are rugged, reliable and beautifully designed.

You can get one for about $3,999.00 at Adorama ....the original Mark II has been updated and is now called the Canon EOS-1D Mark II N.. Please don't freak out and go replacing your Mark II with the Mark II-N. The only differences are the ability to change focusing screens, a larger LCD screen on back, and the ability to see ISO changes within the viewfinder. Nice features, yes, but not worth upgrading if you already own a Mark II.

On one of my Mark II bodies I keep a

Canon 70-200 F2.8 L IS USM EF Telephoto Zoom Lens

the other holds my

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens.

For photojournalism, this is the set up I recommend. I have often thought of also throwing in a 50 mm f 1.8 but since I don't ever seem to miss it, I figure, I can get along without it. But I'm off topic already, this page is about cameras so enough about the lenses, you can read more on the lens pages using the above links.

How do I carry this stuff? To see what bags I use click here to see how I carry them click here to see what other items I carry along with me click here

In December of 2005, a shutter on one of my Mark IIs broke while I was in Sri Lanka, covering tsunami recovery efforts. Apparently this shutter problem is not all that rare. Anyway, Canon fixed it for free even though the camera was slightly out of warranty.(example photo showing broken shutter here)

Until mid 2004 I was a Nikon user but in a bad neighborhood in Lima Peru two guys decided they needed both my D1X's more than I did. Thank goodness I was at the beginning of my assignments and didn't loose any images. I flew home to purchase new gear....and at that time Canon had introduced the Mark II and Nikon was still selling only the D1X, I made the decision to switch.

Now the Nikon D1X has been replaced by the Nikon D2X and every time I pick one up I feel a twinge of nostalgia for the days when I shot Nikon. The Nikon grip feels better in my hand than the Canon and the toggle button for selecting the focus spot is much easier to work with than the wheel on the Canon as far as I am concerned.

The Nikon D2X sells for $4,449 at Adorama. At that price it's $400 (10%) more than the Canon Mark II N

I'm not going to go into long, technical reviews here, mostly because the minuscule differences in resolution and all the other technical specifications have little or nothing to do with your success as a photographer or photojournalist. Believe me, you could win a Pulitzer with either camera...the judges will be looking at the strength of the image, not the hardware that you used to create it.

That being said, I will list and comment on some of the differences that I have noticed...(coming soon)

 

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