Canon EOS-1D MkIV has arrived

Hot on the heels of Nikon announcing the D3s, Canon have now announced the successor to the 1D MkIII. With an all new auto focus system, a 16mp, 1.3x crop sensor that shoots at 10fps, boasts a standard ISO range of 100-6400 (LO at ISO 50 and H3 at ISO 102,400) and of course as is standard these days with Canon DSLRs, it shoots at full 1080p in the H.264 format…as ever, it looks good!

Main specs
16.1 MP APS-H CMOS sensor
10fps at up to 121 JPEG burst (28 RAW)
45-point AF system with 39 cross type sensors
Full HD (1080p) movies with manual control
High ISO up to 102,400
3.0″ Clear View II LCD with Live View mode
Dual “DIGIC 4″
EOS Integrated Cleaning System

Buy
From B&H Photo in the States or Warehouse Express in the UK.

Focus issues, hopefully resolved with an all new system
Of course many eyes will be on the focus system, hoping that the problems that plagued the Mark III are a thing of the past! As per the Canon press release…

‘A high-precision 45 point AF system featuring 39 cross type sensors debuts in the EOS-1D Mark IV. Ensuring accurate focusing with fast aperture lenses, 39 high sensitivity cross-type sensors are employed, suitable for lenses with an aperture of f/2.8 or faster.‘.

So an all new focus system for the latest body, surely that can only be a good thing! Hopefully they didn’t burn the fingers of too many owners with the MkIII…time will tell.

One feature I like the sound of is the new Orientation Linked AF – where the camera can switch focus point automatically so that if you swap from portrait to landscape mode in a hurry, the theory is it will select the correct focus point when you switch so that your focus point is still in the same place. That could be a very handy feature if it works well, as I have lost count of the times I have swapped from landscape to portrait and then had to fiddle with the Nikon D3 multi-selector to get a focus point back to where I want it. The focus certainly seems to be improved on paper with plenty of new customizable modes and settings. There are two focus explainer videos on the Canon website, and more in depth talk about the new focus system here.

High ISO
This is the other one I think a lot of people will be keeping an eye on. On paper the MkIV is a stop behind the D3s, and on par with the original D3 (with the exception of a lower base ISO of course) so those first high ISO shots are going to be important, if they have got it right then they really are on to a winner. And if the first video to be released, shot at ISO 6400, is anything to go by (see below)…they have!

Video, glorious 1080p video
Of course, as is the standard with Canons DSLRs these days, 1080p is present and correct offering manual exposure and various recording modes. I know a lot of people don’t see the point in video, but it is here to stay and I still can’t help but think Nikon dropped the ball with the D3s only recording in 720p motion jpeg. Although it has to be said, what does help Canons video implementation seem all the more impressive, is the smart move of not only giving the camera to the incredibly talented Vincent Laforet to make a short movie with it, but also then having that movie available online to view at up to the full 1080p – it really makes for an impressive sample video, it must be said. At the time of writing, all that has been available from the Nikon D3s has been a couple of short films shot by pros but only available to watch at a highly compressed low-resolution. And that in itself makes you wonder if Nikon aren’t quite as confident in it’s abilities as they would have us believe…? It reminds me of the days when Nikon was bashed for having poor high ISO compared to Canon. Eventually though, they did catch up…so there is hope yet!

Nocturne, by Vincent LaForet, shot with the Canon EOS 1D MkIV:

And if you want to see it in all it’s 1080p glory, you can do so here on SmugMug. To read a bit more about the video and the camera from the man himself, here on Vincents blog.

How much??
Well as usual, UK buyers are going to be paying more to get their hands on this little beauty. The retail price in the States is $4999 where as the UK retail price is £4499! At the time of writing, that equals roughly $7,414…ouch!

Your thoughts?
I’m curious to see how many Canon shooters will be first in line for this latest addition to the family. Is it best to wait for the first reviews that fully test the auto focus this time around or are you confident that Canon have it right now? Also from a Nikon shooters point of view, is there anything in the specs that you’d like to see on the D4? For myself, the main changes I’d like to see are slightly higher MP (although, let’s be honest for most applications 12 is enough) whilst retaining incredible low light, an increase in fps and a better HD video mode…basically everything the the mkIV has…on paper at least!

Interesting times ahead, that’s for sure! And with camera’s able to shoot and film in such low light levels a whole new world of creative opportunities are opening up before our very eyes. Although as some have pointed out, will these ever improving HD DSLRs eventually get banned from sporting events seeing they will effectively be video camera’s too…?!

Links
More detailed info and talk about the 1D MkIV can be found at:

Full press release
Official 1D MkIV micro site
Initial sample images
Rob Galbraith preview

And once again, you can order from B&H Photo in the States or Warehouse Express in the UK.