Canon 1D Mark IV vs Nikon D3100

Canon 1D Mark IV advantages over Nikon D3100

• Larger sensor
  APS-H vs APS-C
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Higher effective ISO

  Higher effective ISO

  Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

  Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

  You can learn more at our glossary entry.

  Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  1D Mark IV test data on DxO Mark D3100 test data on DxO Mark
  1,320 vs 919 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• Longer stills battery life
  More info

  Longer stills battery life

  Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

  Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

  1500 vs 550 shots
  Capture more photos
• Top deck display
  Yes vs No
  Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
• External Mic Jack
  Jack vs No jack
  Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
• More cross-type AF points
  39 vs 1
  Cross-type AF points improve autofocus performance
• Pentaprism viewfinder
  Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
  Much better viewfinder picture fidelity
• More dots on screen
  920k vs 230k dots
  Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
• Less shutter lag
  0.10 vs 0.28 sec
  Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
• More viewfinder magnification
  0.58x vs 0.53x
  Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
• Dual card slots
  Yes vs No
  Gives you more storage flexibility
• More AF points
  45 vs 11
  More AF points improve autofocus
• Faster JPEG shooting
  9.9 fps vs 2.9 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Faster shutter
  1/8000 vs 1/4000 sec
  Shoot wide open in bright light
• Higher extended ISO
  102400 vs 12800 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility