Canon announces EOS 1D Mark IV

There was something special about the 10.1MP Canon 1D Mark III sensor that I really liked, but will the Canon 1D Mark IV retains that quality? Or render more like the 1Ds Mark III and Canon 5D Mark II? Canon’s press release certainly makes the new EOS 1D Mark IV out to be a very promising camera.

Highlights:

• 16 megapixel sensor (size not specified in press release);
• improved sensor circuitry to reduce noise and a more transmissive color filter array;
• ISO up to HI-3 (102,400);
• a “new autofocus system that starts with 45 AF points including 39 high-precision cross-type focusing points capable of tracking fast moving athletes or wildlife accurately at speeds up to 10 frames per second” (let’s see if it avoids the bugs the plagued earlier models!);
• 1080p HD video and 720pp at multiple frame rates;
• 14-bit files that “use the entire 14-bit space” when converted to 16-bit TIF;
• “extensive” dynamic range;
• 10 frames per second and up to 121 large JPEGs;
• high-resolution 920K dot screen and wide viewing angle;
• new WFT-E2 II A* wireless file transmitter;

The 1D Mark IV certainly looks like a fantastic camera. One wonders if a 1Ds Mark IV is in the pipeline anytime soon.

Canon 1D Mark IV