Canon EOS-1D Mk IV

Canon’s latest professional workhorse, the EOS-1D Mk IV has finally been unveiled...

At the end of last year, the EOS-1D Mk IV was announced to the world, with a host of new features crammed inside to keep professional photographers happy. It also promised to be a big step forward from the outgoing EOS-1D Mk III.
While the Mk III was in many respects a great camera, some examples did suffer from autofocus issues that came to light soon after its launch, namely problems with AF acquirement and tracking that occurred in some shooting situations. This was resolved with a series of firmware fixes, but with the Mk IV, Canon has started with a clean sheet for the autofocus system.
And it’s not just the AF that’s been changed; while it may look the same on the outside, the Mk IV is virtually a new model.

Features & build
Cast your eye over the Mk IV and the design is virtually identical to the Mk III, the thinking being that it’s an easy transition for those who want to upgrade from an existing model.
The build quality is excellent, with 76 seals to protect the magnesium-alloy chassis from the elements and while testing the camera out in the field, it was subjected to heavy, almost horizontal rain and, once towelled off, carried on as normal.
Though it’s by no means lightweight, weighing in at 1.18Kg, the Mk IV balances nicely in the hand thanks to its comfortable handgrip.
With regard to the sensor, there’s a big increase in the resolution from 10Mp on the Mk III to 16.1Mp on the Mk IV.
Interestingly, Canon has stuck with the APS-H 1.3x crop format as with previous performance-focused models, rather than opting to go with a physically larger, full-frame chip. The advantage here is that the extra 1.3x crop benefits photographers using long focal lengths (the majority of the Mk IV’s market).
So, a 300mm lens will have a film-equivalent focal length of 390mm. However, even though it’s a cropped sensor, the Mk IV will only accept EF lenses and not the growing range of EF-S lenses.
The Mk IV’s ISO range is a major step up from the Mk III, with a standard range of 100-12800 that can be expanded to an equivalent of ISO 102,400 – the same impressive maximum rating as the full-frame Nikon D3S. Even though the sensor is physically smaller than that of the D3S and there are more pixels in place, Canon has achieved this high ISO rating thanks to the photo diode size being improved, along with a more efficient CMOS sensor circuitry. The Mk IV’s ISO can also be dropped as low as ISO 50 – handy for long exposures, or for studio work when shooting with a large aperture. And thanks to two DIGIC 4 processors, a stunning 10 frames per second is achievable.      
As we’ve mentioned, there’s a completely new AF system on the Mk IV. Replacing the 19-point selectable AF system of the Mk III is a 45-point arrangement, with 39 of those points sensitive to both the horizontal and vertical at f/2.8. There’s One-Shot AF along with AI Servo, with a range of custom functions to tailor the AF tracking to suit your particular shooting requirements.
The screen at the rear remains at 3in, but the resolution has been increased to 920k dot VGA, and there’s also Canon’s Clear View II technology to reduce light reflection. There’s Live View with AF and HD video at 1080p with frame rates of 30, 25 and 24fps, while footage can also be captured at 60 and 50fps.

Performance & handling
With a top-of-the-range SanDisk Extreme Pro UDMA 6 card installed, the Mk IV shot 38 consecutive RAW files at 10fps before the buffer clogged up – impressive stuff – and compared well to the Nikon D3S, which gives 48 RAWs at 9fps. Shooting in JPEG, and holding the shutter down, it kept on firing at 10fps (we stopped counting after 250 frames!) and outperformed the D3S with its 130 frames.
To give the AF system a proper run, we tested it out at Huntingdon Racecourse on a blustery, wet day. AF point selection is controlled either via the Command dial at the front or the small joypad at the rear, depending on your preference, and while it’s simple enough to swap between One-Shot AF and AI Servo, to really get the very best out of the Mk IV’s focus-tracking, you need to fine-tune the Custom functions.
Depending on what kind of action you’re shooting, you can tailor the AF to suit your specific needs. For the horse racing, we knocked the AI Servo tracking sensitivity (C. Fn III -2) down towards ‘Slow’ as interruptions from obstacles will then be less disruptive – move towards ‘Fast’ and it’s more likely to jump focus when another subject suddenly comes into the frame. For the AI Servo tracking method (C.Fn III -4), it was set to Continuous AF track priority, so any subject appearing closer in the frame will be ignored, focus will continue, and you can switch to an adjacent AF if required.
Finally, for AF expansion with selected point (C.Fn III -8), ‘Surrounding AF’ points was selected, with the adjacent AF points to the manually-selected AF point becoming active. Once this was all set up, the AF performed very well, tracking the horses without any noticeable issues. As you can see, though, it’s all a bit fiddly, and this isn’t a camera you can pick-up straight away and expect the AF to do what you want – it will require some time with the owner’s manual to ensure you’re getting the best out of it for each action-shooting situation.
Handling characteristics are virtually identical to the previous Mk III, so there are no nasty surprises for existing Canon users. The menu system is clear, though very comprehensive, and the newly-designed 3in screen is bright and crisp.

Value & verdict
At £4199, the Mk IV is £600 more than its closest rival, the Nikon D3S, though the latter has been available for a few months. As with the D3S, price will play a small part in the final buying decision for professionals, but will it have photographers reaching for their wallets?
The Mk IV is really the camera the Mk III should have been. It’s a great model to use and fills you with confidence when you pick it up. It seems as if Canon has really listened to photographers – especially with regard to the AF – and from the tests we’ve undertaken it’s more stable, too. While it may not quite be able to compete with the current D3S in the high ISO/low Noise stakes, it does benefit from those extra pixels, so neither model really outclasses the other.
The 1D Mk IV is a great piece of kit that should find easily find its way into the hands of even the most demanding pro.

AT A GLANCE
Street Price (body only): £4199
Resolution: 16.1Mp (4896x3264 pixels)
Lens mount: Canon EF
Focal length multiplication: 1.3x
Focusing: 45-point selectable
Burst rate: 10fps (38 RAW & Unlimited Fine JPEG)*
Write times: 1.2secs (RAW), < 1sec (JPEG)*
ISO range: 100-12800, expandable to 50 (L1)-102400 (H3)
Shutter range: 30secs-1/8000secs, Bulb
Monitor: 30secs-1/8000secs, Bulb
Live View: Yes
Video: 1920x1080 @ 24fps
Storage: CompactFlash & SD/SDHC
Weight: 1180g
Dimensions: 156x157x80mm

www.canon.co.uk