Canon 1D Mark IV Modes & Menus

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Modes and Menus

The Canon EOS-1D Mark IV doesn't have a mode dial, but instead has a mode button. The current exposure mode is displayed on the top-panel status display and the rear-panel LCD, but not in the optical viewfinder displays. The exposure mode can be changed by pressing this button and rotating the Main or Quick Control dials. Available exposure modes are: P (Programmed Auto), Av (Aperture Priority), M (Manual), Tv (Shutter Priority), and Bulb. Like all Canon professional cameras, the 1D Mark IV doesn't offer any scene modes.

A Custom menu setting enables a "Safety Shift" option, which automatically adjusts the primary variable (shutter speed or aperture) in Tv or Av mode, if the setting you've selected won't permit a good exposure under the current lighting conditions. This could come into play if you were shooting in shutter-priority mode to achieve a motion-blur effect, but the light suddenly got brighter, pushing the required aperture value beyond what the lens could provide. In this situation, the camera would automatically boost the shutter speed the minimum amount needed to achieve a good exposure. Alternatively, the safety shift function can work by adjusting the ISO sensitivity, in which case it is available in P, Tv, or Av modes.

Here's a description of each of the shooting modes:

Program AE: Aperture and shutter speed are automatically selected by the camera, but by turning the Main dial, you can bias the exposure to larger apertures / faster shutter speeds or vice versa while maintaining the same exposure value. Once you've chosen an offset in the aperture/shutter combination, the camera will continue to control the exposure automatically, while maintaining the aperture/shutter bias you've selected This ability to select a persistent bias for the exposure system is very useful -- in many cases more so than conventional Aperture or Shutter Priority exposure (see below). This is because the "tweaked" Program AE will track even radical changes in subject lighting, not being constrained to a single aperture or shutter speed. Turning the Quick Control dial, if enabled, adjusts exposure compensation within a +/-3EV range.

Aperture-Priority AE: Allows you to set the lens aperture (with available apertures depending on the lens in use), while the camera selects the most appropriate shutter speed. You have control over all other exposure variables, including exposure compensation.

Manual Exposure: Lets you control both shutter speed and lens aperture independently. Since both variables are controlled manually, exposure compensation isn't available. The metered exposure level is indicated in the viewfinder and (if enabled) on the rear panel LCD display, providing a guide to the appropriate exposure.

Shutter-Priority AE: The opposite of Aperture-Priority mode, Shutter-Priority AE allows you to manually set the shutter speed anywhere from 1/8,000 to 30 seconds, while the camera chooses the best corresponding aperture setting. Again, you have control over all other exposure variables, including exposure compensation.

Bulb: In this mode, the shutter stays open as long as the shutter button is pressed. This is useful for long exposures such as night scenes, fireworks, and astrophotography. The top Status display reports the elapsed time, in hours, minutes and seconds, as the exposure progresses. (The minutes and seconds values appear to the left of the aperture value, while the hours appear to the right of the aperture value when applicable). The use of an RS-80N3 Remote Switch or TC-80N3 Timer Remote Controller is recommended.

Live View / Movie Recording Mode
Before these modes can be entered for the first time, they must be enabled through the Live View / Movie Function Setup screen of the 1D Mark IV's menu system, accessed from screen 2 of the Setup menu. You're presented with an either/or decision as to whether the Live View or Movie mode should be available, so switching between the two will require a visit to the menu system. Once either mode is activated, the Set button serves to enter or exit Live View or Movie mode, at which time the camera's mirror and shutter open, and a live preview image is shown on the LCD..

In Live View mode, the 1D Mark IV mostly functions as it would in regular still shooting, except that images are framed on the LCD display, rather than through the optical viewfinder. There are a few important differences, though. The only metering mode available is Evaluative, and in burst shooting, the 1D Mark IV will not adjust the exposure between subsequent frames. Three autofocus modes are available, selected with the AF / Drive button, or through the menu system. These include Live mode (contrast detection from the autofocus sensor), Face Detect Live mode (similar, but the camera detects faces in the scene, and selects one for focusing), and finally Quick mode (briefly interrupts live view to focus using the dedicated AF sensor). AF point selection is performed using the Multi-Controller from the AF / Drive button dialog, and repeated presses of the AF point selection button instead serves to cycle between 5x and 10x magnified views, before returning to the full image view. (These magnified views aren't available if using the Face Detect Live AF mode.) Live View mode shooting also offers a grid overlay function, and several overlays that can show camera setup and a live histogram on top of the image preview. If desired, an exposure simulation function sets the preview to reflect the current exposure variables, although in extremely bright or dark conditions, this may not be possible.

In Movie mode, the FEL button functions as the start/stop button for movie recording. Unlike most other movie-capable SLR cameras on the market, the Canon 1D Mark IV can perform single autofocus operations during movie operation, although even with USM lenses, some degree of focusing noise is picked up on the audio track. (Like most digital SLR video modes, continuous autofocus isn't available in Movie mode.) Another feature of the 1D Mark IVi's movie mode that's rather uncommon is that it allows fully manual control over aperture, shutter speed, and (optionally) ISO sensitivity. The 1D Mark IV's internal microphone is monaural, but the camera also includes an external microphone jack compatible with stereo microphones. Movie recording capacity varies based on the size of memory card you're using, but is in all cases limited to a maximum of 29 minutes and 59 seconds. (That's thanks to European tax regulations, but as it turns out, the 4GB limit on video file sizes will in practice restrict you to shorter movie clips anyway.) AF modes are identical to the Live View mode, and the grid function is also available, but the exposure simulation function is replaced by an option to disable audio in Movie mode, and the image magnification function is only available before recording starts.

Playback Mode
This mode is entered by pressing the Play button on the back panel. Playback mode lets you view, protect, or erase images and movies, or copy them between flash cards in each of the camera's dual slots. Still images can be magnified, rotated, or set up for printing on DPOF-compatible devices. You can also view an index display of all images and movies, with either four or nine thumbnails per page. A slide show function is available, and allows the user to select whether the 1D Mark IV should display just still images, just movies, or both together.  It also allows the slide show to be restricted to stills and movies from a specific date or folder. The Info button toggles between displaying the image or movie alone, with a basic information display, with a detailed information display including luminance histogram (which can optionally be changed through the Playback menu to display separate RGB histograms instead), and finally a partial information display plus both RGB and luminance histograms.

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Menu Details

Below are Canon 1D Mark IV menu options and their descriptions.

Record Menu 1:

Record Menu 2:

Playback Menu 1:

Playback Menu 2:

Setup Menu 1:

Setup Menu 2:

Setup Menu 3:

Custom Functions Menu

My Menu: