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Nikon D3s vs. Canon 1D Mark IV — AdoramaTV

Nikon D3s vs. Canon 1D Mark IV — AdoramaTV

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Product Review

Adorama Photography TV presents Nikon D3s vs Canon 1D Mk IV! This week, Mark Wallace puts both the Nikon D3S and Canon 1D Mark IV to the test. Both cameras are tough, robust and built with a spec list sure to impress photographers who need accurate, high-speed performance they can rely on.


Coke or Pepsi? Mac or PC? Apples or Pears? Mark compares two amazing cameras, each of which boasts a top ISO of 104,800! Which has the best image quality? AF system? Exposure system? Ergonomics? Mark used both and shares his observations.

 

Nikon D3s vs. Canon 1D Mark IV — AdoramaTV

 

Related products

  • Canon 1D Mark IV
  • Nikon D3s


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About The Author

Mark Wallace is the host of AdoramaTV videos

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18 readers rated this article. Average rating: 4.7 stars
 
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0 of 0 people found this comment helpful
 
Missing Points

Resolution was omitted, and I'd say 4mp is something to consider. Also build quality. I'm a Canon guy, but love the strap system on Nikons. I've also always felt Nikon's felt more stable than Canon.

by in Portland, OR on

0 of 0 people found this comment helpful
 
Thanks Mark

no one should beat you, I just want to thank Adorama (TV) for this wonderful job, they all thank you Mark but I want to thank the whole team. Cheers and happy shooting.

by in Bridgeport, CT on

0 of 0 people found this comment helpful
 
interesting review

Just bought my new MkIV, and I agree with you, shooting in the studio is a pleasure! Your reviews are great!

by in Gothenburg, Sweden on

0 of 0 people found this comment helpful
 
General query

Very impressed with Mark Wallace's reviews. I may be in New York in the next few weeks and want to buy the Canon 1D Mark IV from you. Living in Australia I wonder whether Canon would honour the warranty or can I buy an international warranty at time of purchase? What is your price for this camera, body only? Looking forward to you reply. Regards Bert Koppe

by in Sydney Australia on

0 of 0 people found this comment helpful
 
Good info

Mark, as always a great and objective job. I am mostly a travel and outdoor photographer. I shoot Canon largely because of all my legacy lenses. I currently have both 5D MII and 7D. 1D M-IV would be great compromise, but I would lose the extremes and my arthritic hands would have to handle the extra weight. The combo of 5D MII and 7D lets me get the most out of both my wide-angle and telephoto lenses when on a location shoot. On a recent trip to Tanzania, I could get close with 100 - 400 L IS and my 7D and get great landsapes with 16 - 35 L and the 5DMII. No compromise required.

by in California on

0 of 0 people found this comment helpful
 
Excellent

Excellent explanation, I love Nikon

by in Merida, Mexico on

1 of 1 people found this comment helpful
 
very fair

You did a great job in covering the key features of each camera in the given time. a previous comment hit it on the head. Nothing about the quality of the pictures, otherwise great job. I shoot a Nikon D3

by in California on

1 of 1 people found this comment helpful
 
Nice Job

Mark, really nice job here. Agreed. Spot on review. You being a long time Canon shooter, it was nice to see you struggle with the new perceptions of usability that Nikon introduced in its design. It seemed to surprise you that it was so good and gave me a smile. I actually shoot both. Primary camera is D3 but backup is Canon Rebel t2i because of its amazing low cost but big value - including full frame 1080p video. I use a fotoflex adapter for Nikon lenses on Canon. Thanks for tackling this really Pepsi v. Coke issue. Cheers, David

by in Naples, Florida on

0 of 0 people found this comment helpful
 
Spot On!

Enjoyed the unbiased comments. I too am a Canon shooter but can't say I have not thought about getting into Nikon. Over the past few years Nikon has in my opinion jumped ahead of Canon in many ways & it seeemed that Canon sat on their previous success too long... The Canon 7D was partial redemtion but I still think they need to jump ahead with a much more up to date featured 5D. ( the 5D Mark 2 was outdated when released with a old focus system) The 1D mk4 is a step in the right direction but where is a 1Ds mk4 that could begin to compete with Nikons line up. I think if Canon did not already have so many loyal customers with a bunch of top quality lenses that Nikon would have captured more of the market. Canon please work on catching up with Nikons low light abilities or ebay may get more Canon gear!

by in Hilliard, Ohio on

0 of 0 people found this comment helpful
 
Autofocus and High ISO

I've used the Mark III extensively and had nothing but trouble with the autofocus. I think it's a little misleading to say that the Mark IV's autofocus is superior to the D3s since it has 39 cross-type focusing points (usable only at f 2.8); I do wildlife photography exclusively and use L quality super telephotos (500 F4, 600 F4 and 800 F5.6) the great majority of the time. When using these lenses, the number of usable cross-type auto focus points drops quite dramatically. With the D3s, (to my understanding) the 15 cross-type auto focus points are usable regardless of the lens aperture. I have used the 1D Mark IV quite a bit now and am seriously thinking of switching to Nikon because the high-ISO images are definitely superior and from what I've read and heard, for the type of photography I do, the autofocus is superior as well.

by in Alaska on

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