Canon EOS 1D Mark IV

Viewfinder

The viewfinder on the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV is padded with semi-hard rubber and comfortable for users, even with eyeglasses. A diopter adjuster on the side ranges from -3.0 to +1.0, just as we saw on the 1D Mark III. When looking through the viewfinder, you're presented with the mission-critical information, rather than the more artfully presented information you get with the LCD display. Text appears in green.  It's fairly amazing what they do manage to fit in such a small area, including information about: shutter, aperture, ISO, AF frame and mode, burst/drive mode, exposure meter, photo quality mode, battery level, exposure mode, and flash data. And yet none of it feels cluttered (at least, once you've been using the camera for a few minutes).

The viewfinder has a 0.76x magnification

LCD

The Canon EOS-1D Mark IV has a 3-inch LCD screen on the back. The resolution is 920,000 pixels, a big step up from the 230,000 pixels in the 1D Mark III. The increase in resolution is probably not critical to pro photographers, who wouldn't rely on an LCD as anything but a quick reference check for focus and exposure, but it does make the photos pop in way that a 230K screen simply can't.

We found the LCD far more useful as a tool for making menu adjustments. The menu organization is clean and clear, once you get over the relatively short learning curve that comes with any high-end DSLR.

The LCD offers live preview, which is activated by pushing in on the big button in the center of the bog scroll wheel on the back. Of course, you can make adjusts to the appearance of the screen itself. There are multiple screen brightness settings. If shooting on a bright, sunny day, having a brighter screen could make a big difference in how well you can rely on the LCD.

There are two smaller, monochrome displays on the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, as well. The one on top is familiar to most DSLR uses. It contains most of the same data you'll see in the viewfinder when shooting. The display is context-sensitive, though, and as you hold down different buttons on the camera (such as ISO), only the ISO settings will display until you let go of the button.

The second monochrome display is below the color display. This shows information regarding which media you're shooting to, external media connections, image size and quality, white balance mode, network connections, and file numbers.

The LCD has a 920K resolution

The top display is chock-full of camera data

Flash

The Canon EOS-1D Mark IV does not have a built-in flash, but there is an accessory shoe on top that can be used with a variety of devices. 

A hot accessory shoe

Lens Mount & Sensor

The Canon EOS-1D Mark IV has a Canon EF lens mount. There are approximately 50 EF lenses from which to choose, which should suffice for every type of shooter.

The camera has a APS-H 16.10 megapixel CMOS sensor with a 3:2 native aspect ratio.

The camera has an EF lens mount

Jacks, Ports & Plugs

The Canon EOS-1D Mark IV has a number of ports, split into three groupings. The media card slots (Compact Flash and SD) are located behind a hard plastic cover that opens by twisting a nearby dial. The camera is definitely not waterproof, but the joins on this and all the other points of entry look like they'll do a decent job of keeping out dust and light moisture.

The second and third groupings of ports are located on the right side, behind two soft rubber flaps. On top are a PC terminal for connecting to a computer, and a N3 remote control terminal. Below that are ports for a microphone, HDMI out, and AV out.

The ports are well-covered

Battery

The battery loads from a slide-out slot on the right side. It's the sheer size of the battery that accounts for the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV's fat bottom. The LP-E4 battery is a rechargeable lithium ion, the same that was used on the 1D Mark III. For its size, the battery is not actually that heavy. The instruction manual indicates that it should take 2 hours to recharge a fully drained battery. In terms of life expectancy, the you can expect 1500 shots at 73 degrees F, and 1200 shots at freezing point. That's actually several hundred less than the ratings for the 1D Mark III. 

The battery loads from the side

Memory

The Canon EOS-1D Mark IV records to both Compact Flash and SD cards. The number of possibilities this opens up is great. You can automatically begin recording on the second media when the first is full, or record RAW to one and JPEG to the other, or copy files from one to the other.

Two card slots: CF card and SD card