Canon EOS-1D Mark IV vs Canon EOS 7D

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and the Canon EOS 7D, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV was introduced in February 2010 and Canon EOS 7D was introduced in November 2009. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS-1D Mark IV over Canon EOS 7D.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS 7D over Canon EOS-1D Mark IV.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and Canon EOS 7D have 3.0" Fixed screens with 920k dot resolution.

Viewfinder

Cameras have built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinders. They both have 100% coverage.

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV features a 16.1 megapixel APS-H CMOS sensor with dimensions of 27.9 x 18.6 mm and a total area of 518.9 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 12,800 and expands to 50 - 102,400 in boosted mode. Canon EOS 7D features a 18.0 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 22.3 x 14.9 mm and a total area of 222 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400 and expands to 100 - 12,800 in boosted mode.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV is equipped with DIGIC 4 processor and can take pictures up to 4896 x 3264 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4320 x 2880, 3672 x 2448, 3552 x 2368, 2448 x 1632 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Canon EOS 7D is equipped with Dual DIGIC 4 processor and can take pictures up to 5184 x 3456 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 5184 x 3456, 3888 x 2592, 3456 x 2304, 2592 x 1728 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV has Canon EF lens mount and Canon EOS 7D has Canon EF/EF-S lens mount. Due to APS-H sensor in Canon EOS-1D Mark IV its crop factor is equal to 1.3x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.3. Due to APS-C sensor in Canon EOS 7D its crop factor is equal to 1.6x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.6.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Canon EOS-1D Mark IV it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS 7D nothing can be done. On Canon EOS 7D it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS-1D Mark IV nothing can be done.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Canon EOS-1D Mark IV has an HDMI and Canon EOS 7D has a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV comes with LP-E4 battery pack with battery life of 1500 shots and Canon EOS 7D comes with LP-E6 battery pack with battery life of 800 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC and one for CompactFlash (Type I/II, UDMA 7). Canon EOS 7D has a single CompactFlash (Type I/II, UDMA 7) card slot.

Shutter

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV has Electronically Controlled Vertical-travel Mechanical Focal-plane shutter. Canon EOS 7D has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, and up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS 7D. Canon EOS-1D Mark IV can shoot continuously up to 10.0 fps. Canon EOS 7D can shoot continuously up to 8.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV has Dual Pixel CMOS AF system with 45 focusing points and Canon EOS 7D has 19 focusing points..

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and Canon EOS 7D range from +1 to +18 EV and +1 to +20 EV respectively and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±3 EV range on Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and ±5 EV range on Canon EOS 7D. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS 7D.

Flash

Canon EOS 7D has a built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal or Wireless Speedlite EX. Canon EOS-1D Mark IV has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/300 sec on Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and 1/250 sec on Canon EOS 7D.

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV body has dimensions of 156 x 157 x 80 mm (6.14 x 6.18 x 3.15") and Canon EOS 7D body has dimensions of 148 x 111 x 74 mm (5.83 x 4.37 x 2.91"). Canon EOS-1D Mark IV weighs 1230 g (2.71 lb / 43.39 oz) and Canon EOS 7D weighs 860 g (1.90 lb / 30.34 oz).

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Canon EOS 7D

156 mm

157 mm

148 mm

111 mm

157 mm

111 mm

80 mm

74 mm