Canon EOS-1D Mark IV (Click to enlarge.)

Among the more interesting offerings at the huge Canon booth at this year’s PhotoPlus trade show were two new SLRs: The Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, $5,000, and the EOS 7D, $1700. (Both prices are for the camera body only.)

The 16-megapixel Mark IV is clearly designed for pros. However, it lacks the full-frame (35mm-sized) sensor of some high-priced SLRs. Instead, it uses a smaller APS-H sensor, which has a 1.3x crop factor. (This SLR spec essentially represents the additional magnification added by the sensor; in this case, a 1.3x crop factor gives a 50mm lens the same angle of view as a 65mm lens would have on a film SLR, which of course has no sensor to magnify its images.)

The Mark IV has many impressive specs, among them its ability to shoot up to 102,000 ISO, which Canon says allows you to photograph in extreme low-light situations. The camera also can shoot a blazing 10 frames per second. In addition, it offers many options for shooting HD-resolution video, including 1080 and 720p at different frame rates.

Canon EOS 7D (Click to enlarge.)

Although the 18-megapixel EOS 7D boasts more megapixels than the Mark IV, it actually has a smaller (APS-C) sensor and a crop factor of 1.6x. This camera, too, is quite speedy, being able to fire off 8 frames per second. Its top ISO is 6400 ISO. And, like the Mark IV, it shoots video in 1080 and 720p.

These models underline Canon’s commitment to including the capability for high-def-resolution video in their SLRs. At the show, the company further highlighted that commitment by building a mini-movie theater within its booth (I told you the booth was big), in which they showed a series of video clips shot by several cinematographers on Canon SLRs, including the 7D and the Mark IV. —Terry Sullivan