Canon EOS 1D Mark IV Review

First, I want to my customers and all non-photographers who have read my blog to apologize, because this issue will probably bore you to death. This is a technical (and long) for equipment that can enjoy the other photographers, but for the rest of you, then you can skip it.

I wanted to share my thoughts on the new Canon EOS 1D Mark IV. I have bought recently, but almost feel it was out of necessity, but as the purchase desired purity. Let me explain.

I've always been a Canon shooter. But how to know some of my friends photographers that I was on last year as the change Nikon. I am not of those who fell 5D Mark II because I have some problems with me had all before the system development. After many disappointments of the last year of shooting with the Mark II (and replaces the focusing system before from Canon), I have my faith in them that the new 1D Mark IV with its 45 - new point of contact, always responded well and a suitable replacement for my Mark II

Let me give you a little background of the equipment I used my progression through various committees and it has some context. When I started photography 10 years ago, purely as a hobby, I have learned with the film. I bought a Canon Rebel film body, a lens or two beginners and basically, he shot automatically, until I started learning more about the shooting hand. Digital SLR camera really starts shortly after the start, and that was never intimidated by technology, I made that jump fast enough. I bought the "entry level" digital SLR camera body during the day (Canon Rebel), a better lens, and my relationship with digital SLR cameras has begun ...

The first Rebel camera worked fine for me until I started shooting weddings and soon realized I had something that much faster and more ergonomic control, statements were received. I bought the new version of the Canon 20D and found it worked great for the next year and if the Canon 30D came out, I bought that and sold the old rebel. I shot with two cameras for about a year until I could afford to buy the beautiful full-frame Canon EOS 5D. And I fell in love immediately. Moving from a cropped sensor, like all previous models were open in a comprehensive framework took my photos on a different level. The brighter colors and camera images were everything seemed more depth and dimension. Do not mention my lenses at that time that worked most professional lenses series "L", as it should, I had the feeling of the focal lengths of them. I knew that since I went to a full-frame sensor, I could never go back. I sold the old 20D and 30D use it as my primary backup, but shot mainly with the 5D for 2 1 / 2 years.

But how to do all things, this camera had given years of time and technology, then the current features. Like many other photographers there, I for Canon to release its successor was hungry because he was 3 years was because it implements a full-frame replacement. I attended many technical blogs out there, taken with Canon and other technology sites and forums, and looked forward to the exchange. Finally, they announced - the 5D Mark II! - And I quickly added my name on the waiting list for Sammy, B & H and Crutchfield for the cause. It came shortly before Christmas 2008 and I felt like if I got the Cabbage Patch Kid doll from Santa did. I was so excited to get my new toy and play with the features and functions, how high I could see the ISO push and use the video function to home videos of Jordan on Christmas record morning and see his newborn brother for the first time a month later . (Ironically - and very unfortunately for me - I accidentally formatted the CF card to Alex Jordan for the first time to see the hospital before I the video I shot all the pictures away, but I forgot to change the video files, as they later were. for me. Big, big disappointment.)

Sun since I've shot wedding with the 5D Mark II and the original. There are many things I hate / love the 5D Mark II is the high ISO and the ability to shoot itself in the rather gloomy scenes without a flash, the largest LCD screen, some new functions and in general feeling of it in my hands. I also obviously love the ability of HD movies for personal use and ergonomic, I find it a bit "stronger" than the old 5D. And while the big jump in megapixles was nice (if they are needed, eg for the recording of the title page of a magazine) I found I usually shot in sRAW 1, so that the files were 10-11 megapixels, not 21 . Mainly because a 10-megapixel RAW file will create a beautiful picture, and work with these 21 mpx mass, an excessive amount of space on two CF cards and hard drives of computer and memory requires virtual.

But I did not like was that I pretty quickly realized that the system was developed in this unit extremely contradictory. He had a difficult time locking onto a subject, in low light conditions, such as receptions or darker spots ceremony, and would often "hunt" for too long, even with very fast prime lenses and all "L" Professional Series. What good is that high ISO for low light conditions when the camera can not focus on something when you consider it necessary? Many pictures came out very soft or slightly blurred. My Mark II also had a hard time confinement in conditions that should not have - such as high contrast or perfect outdoor lighting. On several occasions, he chases between the bride and groom tux, the dress and never focus lock on anything - as if he did not know if it should lock on black or white. Several times, at weddings in the last year I had my target manual focus back and just replace the whole system and I did not miss moments. And for someone who does not have 20/20 vision, which can be a bit risky. But I'm usually better than the AF system has! (Note: I use the "back-focus" approach key for a few years now, when you lock on your subject with the central focus, position the camera as to switch between the functions of the lock-key needed exposure to the back on the trigger. It's always worked well with the 5D first time, but my Mark II would lose focus on redesigning the half the time. It's like the thing was to keep on crack and so happy bouncing every second. This went I to Canon and they replaced the entire AF system, he had some service problems. He came back better but still not as consistently great as my focus 5D door.)

Last year I had the number of shots I take in a particular session or portrait wedding just like that * something * razor sharp increase in short. I would 3 shots from the stage where I would have changed something clever blocking and 2 as soft and fuzzy and a crisp. capture granted as a wedding photographer moments, I can not afford, time because of poor internal focus that is so contradictory to miss. After a little Googling "questions for discussion with the 5D Mark II, I found a bunch of people with the same problem as me. It turned out that it burns more blogs and forums with less-than-kind words for Canon, and in particular of this device and system of control, they must be updated if they appear to the camera. I do not share these links only here because my intention with this contribution is certainly not to bash Canon, and you can easily google the questions . As I said, I've always been a Canon shooter, and my goal is to stay with them because I think the whole they make excellent products.

This brings me back to my relationship articulation of this new Canon EOS 1D Mark IV announced at Canon, and focus to the newly designed 45-point, I took a look very hard. I read so many things I could about the camera, but was afraid, not tested as much money relative to a body, because I had so many problems last time to spend. And Canon is certainly chose things under wraps because they all want their photographer-testers, which means the tests are not allowed, even at their pictures on a computer or put them online, they can not see what is on the LCD, which as we all know, can sometimes look perfect there, but when you open the computer, the focus can be turned off. (What raises the question:. Why so much secrecy Canon From what I understand, Nikon is not that the same approach with their tester)

But deciding what sealed the deal for me, do with this unit inspected by the British photographer Jeff Ascough was. It was not as large images} {he position of marriage have been taken with this camera, it was that, like me, his big concern was that it was not a full frame camera and therefore its difficult to see the files nice to be like the files from the entire frame, Mark II, but as he said, after watching the - the Mark IV as the Mark II has the quality of water blown and he loved the system development. Well, it's done.

I'm going to this day I am to say in love with this device. The developed system is much better, hands down. There is no problem locking in low light, low contrast, bright rooms, or even almost black. Files directly from the camera are beautiful. This is a new organization and a system for me, as 1-series cameras are a little different than the key as 5D, and it takes a little getting used to, but he has a ton of custom features that the Mark II does not. I also like that it has a dual slot card. It takes a CF card and SD card. Battery life is as far as shooting a wedding and whether it will be seen all day. (Addendum: The battery lasts all day.)

I have to compare the other day when I put the two cameras in exactly the same parameters and took the same image to compare the output. In all cases, the Mark IV paid faster and quieter. I also thought I would point out that there is a sensor more cultured than I was. If you compare the files with the Mark II, you will surely see the culture, but as his eye level, I have not noticed. In a shooter rather "intimate" wedding anyway, so I want to get closer to capturing the emotion, so that means I think the balance with the Mark II full frame, the great work for the year 2010 will be marriages. I can not wait to take advantage of 6 March, the back with my first marriage.

These pictures are nothing special, I just wanted to show the color fidelity and quality of RAW images directly from the camera to compare. Nothing has done this except for them to convert to JPEG with Adobe Lightroom. the same objective, open and ISO: All images were taken with exactly the same parameters. The shutter speed will vary a little, since the sensors are available in various sizes. I noticed the settings below.

(I caught the eyes and face shots of Jordan, if I could be convinced, even longer than 5 minutes, sit for them, but have unfortunately had my almost 5 years to do more important things as climbing. Tree And my client sessions end were small children, so it is impossible to a shoot "in young children -" test is, therefore instead get children's toys, -)

It is the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV Photo (ISO 400, 24-70mm f/2.8 L lens, shot at f/2.8, 1 / 2500 seconds). Used central point of the mouse and put back together. partly cloudy, overcast at the time of the shooting.