Canon EOS-1D Mark IV AF Testing

[Photo-John]

On Saturday morning Jenni and I drove up to Powder Mountain ski resort. There was a reported five inches of fresh snow overnight so it looked like it might be a good day for photos. I had a new backpack (F-Stop Tilopa) and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV to test.

When we got there the snow looked good. There was indeed fresh powder to be had, although the parking lot was full and we had to get at it if we wanted our share. In the end, we had a bit of everything as far as snow and light conditions go. I'm not sure if I got any photos I'd consider great, but the testing went well. I shot in AI Servo continuous auto focus all day. The 1D Mk IV has a brand new "AI Servo II" continuos AF system so that's one of the main things that needs to be tested. Plus, for action shooting, continuous AF is usually the most problematic. I am happy to report that the 1D performed very, very well. I definitely got more sharp, useable images than I'm used to getting - even with the excellent EOS 7D. It would be interesting to test back-to-back with an EOS-1D Mk III. And I'm still waiting on a Nikon D3S for testing. But I have to say I am very pleased with the new 1D's AF abilities. So far I am giving it two thumbs up!

This photo is a good example to start with, I think. Jenni is a very small portion of this image and there are all kinds objects in front of and behind her for the auto focus to get screwed up on. Part of the responsibility is mine of course - I need to keep that AF point on her or I can't expect good results. The bottom line here is that the subject came out totally in focus on this. I actually shot a bunch of frames and not until she was right on top of me did the camera get any out-of-focus images. With the 7D I probably would have had a couple soft ones in the middle where the camera didn't keep up.