Canon
EOS-1D Mark III
 vs
Canon
EOS-1D Mark IV

Updated (October, 2011): Compare the Canon EOS-1D Mark III vs Canon EOS 1D X

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

96
"Very good high ISO performance even at 25,600"
dpreview.com | talking about the EOS-1D Mark IV's iso-noise
"Highly detailed 16MP images in a wide range of condition"
dpreview.com | talking about the EOS-1D Mark IV's image-quality

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Movie format
 Full HD
1080p @ 30fps
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
10 fps
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
104 ms shutter lag
Cross type focus points
 Many cross-type focus points
39
Light sensitivity (boost)
 High ISO (boost)
102,400 ISO
Storage slots
 More storage slots
2
Canon EOS-1D Mark III

84

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
10 fps
Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
100 ms startup delay
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
94 ms shutter lag
Storage slots
 More storage slots
2

differences

Advantages of the Canon EOS-1D Mark III
Startup delay Less startup delay 100 ms vs 400 ms
Help
 4x less delay when turning on
Battery life Longer battery life 2200 shots vs 1500 shots
Help
 Around 50% more shots per battery charge
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder 0.61x vs 0.59x
Help
 Around 10% larger viewfinder
Shutter lag Slightly less shutter lag 94 ms vs 104 ms
Help
 Around 10% less delay when taking photos
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $4,726.23 vs $4,999.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $274 cheaper (around 10% less)
Canon EOS-1D Mark III Learn more about
the Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Advantages of the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 4x higher resolution screen
Cross type focus points Many more cross-type focus points 39 vs 19
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 1,320 ISO vs 1,078 ISO
Help
 The EOS-1D Mark IV has a slight edge (0.3 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12 EV vs 11.7 EV
Help
 0.3 f-stops more dynamic range
Overall image quality Better image quality 74.0 vs 71.0
Help
 Almost the same
True resolution Higher true resolution 16 MP vs 10.1 MP
Help
 Capture around 60% more detail in your photos
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 12,800 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The EOS-1D Mark IV's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 102,400 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The EOS-1D Mark IV's boost ISO is 4 f-stops better
Weight Lighter 1,230 g vs 1,335 g
Help
 Around 10% lighter
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Learn more about
the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS-1D Mark III Canon EOS-1D Mark III
84 vs 96
Explain scores
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS-1D Mark III
 Canon EOS-1D Mark III vs Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
CanonEOS-1D Mark IV
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
2
8
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
2
8
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
1
8
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
2
7
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
1
9
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
2
8
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Focus points Many focus points Help
45
Continuous shooting Fast continuous shooting Help
10 fps
Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
Shoot in extreme weather
Cross type focus points Many cross-type focus points Help
EOS-1D Mark III:19
EOS-1D Mark IV:39
Shutter lag Minimal shutter lag Help
EOS-1D Mark III:94 ms
EOS-1D Mark IV:104 ms
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Battery life Great battery life Help
EOS-1D Mark III:2200 shots
EOS-1D Mark IV:1500 shots
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
EOS-1D Mark III:100 ms
EOS-1D Mark IV:400 ms
Viewfinder coverage Above average viewfinder coverage Help
100%
Storage slots Multiple storage slots Help
2
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Built-in flash No built-in flash Help
Professional
Weight Heavy Help
EOS-1D Mark III:1,335 g
EOS-1D Mark IV:1,230 g
Sensor cleaning Neither has a self cleaning sensor Help
May require cleaning
Lowest price Very expensive Help
EOS-1D Mark III:$4,726.23
EOS-1D Mark IV:$4,999.99
Size Large Help
Large 156x157x80 mm
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
EOS-1D Mark III:10.1 MP
EOS-1D Mark IV:16 MP
Viewfinder size Below average viewfinder size Help
EOS-1D Mark III:0.61x
EOS-1D Mark IV:0.59x

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,400 body only

$2,799 - $2,839 with 24-105mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Viewfinder coverage Slightly less viewfinder coverage
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS-1D Mark III
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,329 - $1,821 body only

$1,498 - $1,800 with 28-135mm lens
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Size Is significantly smaller
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Sensor size Has a slightly smaller sensor
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS-1D Mark III
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

Pro DSLR

$7,714 body only
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the EOS-1Ds Mark III vs the EOS-1D Mark III
Compare the EOS-1Ds Mark III vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Nikon D3S

Nikon D3S

Pro DSLR

$5,197 body only
Low light performance Is much less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is slightly larger
Compare the D3S vs the EOS-1D Mark III
Compare the D3S vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Nikon D3X

Nikon D3X

Pro DSLR

$8,000 body only
Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D3X vs the EOS-1D Mark III
Compare the D3X vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Sensor size Has a marginally smaller sensor
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS-1D Mark III
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,750 body only
Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Viewfinder coverage Much less viewfinder coverage
Compare the D700 vs the EOS-1D Mark III
Compare the D700 vs the EOS-1D Mark IV

Canon EOS-1D Mark III Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II

Pro DSLR
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder
Screen size Much smaller screen
Live view No live view
Compare the EOS-1Ds Mark II vs the EOS-1D Mark III

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D4

Nikon D4

Pro DSLR

$6,000 body only
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder
Cross type focus points Many fewer cross-type focus points
Size Larger
Compare the D4 vs the EOS-1D Mark IV

appearance

Canon EOS-1D Mark III Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Canon EOS-1D Mark III Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Canon EOS-1D Mark III Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

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