Viewfinder, LCD, live view and video
As an APS-H-format camera, the EOS-1D Mark IV has a smaller viewfinder than the full-frame EOS-1Ds Mark III. However, it offers an approximately 100% field of view with 0.76x magnification. This is interesting as the APS-C-format EOS 7D also offers a 100% field of view, but it has 1x magnification, which means its viewfinder is slightly larger. Nevertheless, the EOS-1D Mark IV’s viewfinder is very clear and bright, and it is easy to focus manually when viewing the scene through it.
Camera LCDs have moved on a little since the EOS-1D Mark III was launched and the Mark IV camera’s screen has a much higher resolution with 920,000 dots (307,000 pixels).
Like the EOS 7D, the space between the crystals and the reinforced glass cover (previously acrylic) of the EOS-1D Mark IV’s 3in LCD screen has been filled with an optical elastic material to reduce reflections and glare. In addition, the EOS-1D Mark IV’s monitor has an anti-reflective coating that isn’t present on the EOS 7D’s screen. As a result, when the EOS-1D Mark IV is turned off, the screen looks absolutely black and it is possible to view images on it even in quite bright ambient light.
To meet the demands of many professional photographers, the EOS-1D Mark IV is video enabled and exposure can be controlled manually, or automatically by the camera. The frame rate for Full HD (1920×1080-pixel) footage can be set to 30p, 25p or 24p fps. Faster frame rates are available for the smaller image sizes. The appearance of the footage may be changed by altering the selected Picture Style, and the effects of dynamic-range-enhancing Auto Lighting Optimizer are also applied along with the Peripheral Illumination Correction if it is activated.
High-quality video capture is possible, but as usual the built-in monaural microphone is prone to recording hand movements and lens noises, so it is advisable to connect an external mic via the 3.5mm stereo port.
