Canon 1D Mark IV (vs Nikon D3s)

 

Canon 1D Mark IV...photo taken with the Nikon D3s at ISO 12800. Click here to download the full resolution photo.
 
When the Canon 1D Mark IV was announced, I was a bit disappointed: it is essentially a 1D3 with more megapixels (16 mp vs 10 mp), new AF system and video. That said, the Mark IV promised out of this world high ISO capabilities (it reaches ISO 102,000!!!). The previous 1D3 maxed out at 6400, so if the 1D4 had really a 4 stop improvement, it would have been a real winner.  
 
In January 2010, my friend Sandro loaned me his brand new 1D4, and I compared it with my cameras (Canon 1DsIII and Canon 7D) and with its direct competitor, the Nikon D3s.
 
 

Canon vs Canon: 1D4, 1Ds3 and 7D

In this test, I have compared the three cameras at every ISO from 100 to 12800. These images are 100% crop from RAW files, converted with minimum contrast, no noise reduction nor sharpening. Exposure was the same for every camera; the crops have not been resized, so the 1Ds3 crop look more magnified, due to the higher resolution of the 1Ds3. You can see two sets of crops: one from a shadow area, and another one from a well lit area.

The results have surprised me a bit. Yes, the Canon 1D Mark IV has the lowest noise of the three cameras but...the difference relatively small! I'd say it has about 1 stop advantage on the 1DsIII, and 1.5 stop advantage on the 7D. I did not have a 1D Mark3 in my hands during this test, but I tried it in the past and it was about 1 stop better than 1DsIII (when compared at 100%), or about 0.5 stops when looking at prints of identical size (due to the 1Ds3 resolution advantage). In conclusion, even though Canon has done a great work to keep the noise on the same level of the 1D3 in spite of the megapixels increase, the promised 4 stop improvement is just...marketing. Don't be fooled by the absurd ISO setting of today's cameras: they don't mean better quality!  
 
That said, if you are an happy 1D Mark III owner, the 1D4 is a good upgrade: you get more megapixels, same ISO performance, better AF and video. It is worth the price? It depends entirely by your budget.  
 
If you have a 40D/50D or 500D and you are looking for an upgrade...I'd go for the 7D. You get a little more resolution than the 1D4, similar continuous shooting, similar AF, same video capabilities and a much smaller, lighter and cheaper body. I currently use the 7D as my main body and I love it :-)  
 
If you are in the position of choosing between Nikon and Canon, and you have a budget around $4500-5000, I'd go for the Nikon D3s, for the reasons explained in the next paragraphs.
 
 

More thoughts about 1D4 vs 7D

Even though these cameras are not direct competitors, in many aspect they are similar...actually, I think that for many photographers - included myself :-) - the 7D is a better camera. Here is why!  
 
Sensor size: Canon 7D 1.6x APS-C; Canon 1D4 1.3x APS-H  
 
I don't like APS-H, I prefer either fullframe or APS-C. There are wide angles created for FF and for APS-C, but there are no wide-angles though for APS-H...you can not use lenses as the 10-22, and with FF lenses as 12-24 or 16-35 you lose a lot of the angle of view.  
 
Megapixels: Canon 7D 18 megapixels; Canon 1D4 16 megapixels  
 
This is a very small difference, but the 7D is able to capture a little more detail.  
 
ISO (actually usable ISO sensitivities): Canon 7D ISO 3200; Canon 1D4 ISO 6400 - almost 12800  
 
Here the 1D4 wins by about 1 - 1.5 stop.  
 
Continuous shooting: Canon 7D 8 FPS x 21 RAW; Canon 1D4 10 FPS x 41 RAW  
 
The 1D4 is better, but it is not an huge difference.  
 
LCD, Live View and Silent Shooting: Canon 7D 3.0", LV, SS; Canon 1D4 3.0", LV, no SS.  
 
The LCD is identical and live view is almost the same, but the 7D has a big advantage: it has Silent Shooting, that allows to take photos in live view without using mirror lock up. The importance of SS is explained here: Live View and mirror lock up. How is it possible that Canon has not put yet such feature in the 1 series camera is still a mystery for me...  
 
Video: Canon 7D 1920x1080p at 30 FPS; Canon 1D4 1920x1080p at 30 FPS  
 
Video is the same.  
 
User interface: with the 7D you can quickly access to video and quickly activate live view; with the 1D4 you have to go through menus to do the same things. The 7D has artificial horizon, a nice plus for landscapes. Both cameras show the battery level in %.  
 
Dimensions and weight: Canon 7D 148 x 111 x 74 mm, 0.85 kg; Canon 1D4 156 x 157 x 80 mm, 1.23 kg  
 
The 7D is much smaller and lighter, so it is easier to carry around. The 1D4 has weather sealing while the 7D is not weather sealed, but in practice it does not make a big difference.  
 
Price: Canon 7D $ 1700; Canon 1D4 $ 5000  
 
Not much to say here ;-)  
 
Overall, I don't want to say that the 7D is better "for everyone"...in some respects the 1D4 has clear advantages. But you have to evaluate with attention the pros and cons of both cameras and decide which one is better for your necessities: for me, the answer has been 7D.
 
 

Canon 1D Mark IV vs Nikon D3s

The Nikon D3s is the direct competitor of the Canon 1D4: both cameras are thought for speed and good ISO quality; they are mainly for sport, action, wildlife. How do they compare, in terms of image quality? I have compared the two cameras side by side; the following crops are taken from RAW files converted with identical settings (minimum contrast, no sharpening, no noise reduction). Of course exposure was the same for both cameras at every ISO setting.

This time the results are in line with my expectations: the D3s is about 1 stop better than 1D4, in terms of noise. Other than that, the D3s has the fullframe sensor, that is a nice plus for landscape and reportage: you can use the wide-angles with their real angle of view. The Canon 1D4 has overall slightly better image quality at low and mid ISO (100-1600) due to the higher resolution, but from 3200 upwards the low noise advantage of the Nikon D3s makes it the better choice...if you consider that these cameras will be often used in low light, I prefer the lower noise of the D3s to the higher resolution of the 1D4.
 
 

Full size files available for download

These are some of the test photos, converted from RAW without any noise reduction nor sharpening. You can download them at full resolution!  
 
ISO 100: download Canon 1D Mark IV - download Nikon D3s  
 
ISO 1600: download Canon 1D Mark IV - download Nikon D3s  
 
ISO 12800: download Canon 1D Mark IV - download Nikon D3s  
 
A note: the Nikon has a bit more contrast (maybe due to slightly lower dynamic range?) and a slightly difference white balance, so the colors looks a bit better and overall the photo looks more vivid - actually, if you do a minimum of post processing on both photos, the colors and the contrast are on par.