Canon
EOS-1D Mark IV
 vs
Nikon
D3S

Updated (January, 2012): Compare the Canon EOS 1D X vs Nikon D4

Nikon D3S

100
Winner

Nikon D3S
"As you may expect the D3 feels comfortable and sturdy in your hand, the grip is just the right size, depth and shape to be both comfortable and easy to hold."
dpreview.com | talking about the D3S's feel
"The camera has locked immediately to my target, and as you can see, it has stuck with him even when a second player enters the frame."
dpreview.com | talking about the D3S's auto-focus

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3S

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
3,253 ISO
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
12,800 ISO
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x23.9mm
Battery life
 Great battery life
4400 shots
Focus points
 Many focus points
51
Light sensitivity (boost)
 High ISO (boost)
102,400 ISO
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

75
"Excellent AF performance during our testing"
dpreview.com | talking about the EOS-1D Mark IV's auto-focus
"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
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
12,800 ISO
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

differences

Advantages of the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 720p @ 24fps
Help
 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video at a higher frame rate
Cross type focus points Many more cross-type focus points 39 vs 15
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 104 ms vs 197 ms
Help
 Around 50% less delay when taking photos
True resolution Higher true resolution 16 MP vs 12.1 MP
Help
 Capture more than 30% more detail in your photos
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 10 fps vs 9 fps
Help
 More than 10% faster continuous shooting
Size Smaller 156x157x80 mm vs 160x157x88 mm
Help
 More than 10% smaller
Thickness Thinner 3.1" vs 3.5"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Learn more about
the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Advantages of the Nikon D3S
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 3,253 ISO vs 1,320 ISO
Help
 The D3S has excellent image quality 1.3 f-stops higher ISO than the EOS-1D Mark IV
Overall image quality Better image quality 82.0 vs 74.0
Help
 More than 10% better image quality
Battery life Much longer battery life 4400 shots vs 1500 shots
Help
 Around 3x more shots per battery charge
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder 0.70x vs 0.59x
Help
 More than 40% larger viewfinder
Sensor size Significantly larger sensor Full frame 36.0x23.9mm vs APS-H 27.9x18.6mm
Help
 Around 70% larger sensor
Color depth Better color depth 23.5 bits vs 22.8 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.7 more bits of color
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor Yes vs No
Help
 Removes dust from the sensor automatically, avoiding spots in photos
Focus points More focus points 51 vs 45
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Startup delay Less startup delay 300 ms vs 400 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when turning on
Nikon D3S Learn more about
the Nikon D3S
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
75 vs 100
Explain scores
Nikon D3S Nikon D3S
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D3S.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS-1D Mark IV
 Canon EOS-1D Mark IV vs Nikon D3S
NikonD3S
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
22
50
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
26
50
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
18
51
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
22
49
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
24
45
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
19
51
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
20
53
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Low light performance Relatively low noise at high ISO Help
EOS-1D Mark IV:1,320 ISO
D3S:3,253 ISO
Overall image quality Good image quality Help
EOS-1D Mark IV:74.0
D3S:82.0
Focus points Many focus points Help
EOS-1D Mark IV:45
D3S:51
Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
Shoot in extreme weather
Screen resolution High resolution screens Help
EOS-1D Mark IV:920k dots
D3S:921k dots
Continuous shooting Fast continuous shooting Help
EOS-1D Mark IV:10 fps
D3S:9 fps
Cross type focus points Many cross-type focus points Help
EOS-1D Mark IV:39
D3S:15
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Supports 24p 24p support Help
For that film look
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
EOS-1D Mark IV:400 ms
D3S:300 ms
Battery life Great battery life Help
EOS-1D Mark IV:1500 shots
D3S:4400 shots
Light sensitivity (boost) Very good boost ISO Help
102,400 ISO
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 IV:1,230 g
D3S:1,240 g
Lowest price Very expensive Help
EOS-1D Mark IV:$4,999.99
D3S:$4,999.00
Size Large Help
EOS-1D Mark IV:156x157x80 mm
D3S:160x157x88 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 IV:16 MP
D3S:12.1 MP
Screen size Very small screens Help
3.0"

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,160 - $2,400 body only

$2,799 with 24-105mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Size Is significantly smaller
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Light sensitivity (boost) Significantly lower boost light sensitivity
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the D3S
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,750 body only
Size Is significantly smaller
Lowest price Is slightly less expensive
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Light sensitivity (boost) Significantly lower boost light sensitivity
Compare the D700 vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Compare the D700 vs the D3S
Nikon D4

Nikon D4

Pro DSLR

$6,000 body only
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
HDR Has in-camera HDR
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is slightly larger
Compare the D4 vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Compare the D4 vs the D3S
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Light sensitivity (boost) Significantly lower boost light sensitivity
Sensor size Has a marginally smaller sensor
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Compare the D7000 vs the D3S
Nikon D3X

Nikon D3X

Pro DSLR

$7,997 - $8,000 body only
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D3X vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Compare the D3X vs the D3S
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

Pro DSLR

$7,714 body only
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the EOS-1Ds Mark III vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Compare the EOS-1Ds Mark III vs the D3S
Nikon D3

Nikon D3

Pro DSLR

$6,682 body only
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D3 vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Compare the D3 vs the D3S

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV.

Nikon D3S Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon D3S.

appearance

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Nikon D3S
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Nikon D3S
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Nikon D3S

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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