Worth every penny - Canon EOS-1D Mark IV 16 Megapixel SLR Digital Camera

If you're used to consumer cameras with their "portrait," "sports," "landscape," etc., modes, this camera will take some getting used to. But given the price, I assume most people buying this camera know what they're getting.

I've used this camera a lot in the two months since I bought it. Mostly for sports. I love it. It's everything I hoped for. I haven't seen any evidence of the autofocus issues one prominent reviewer reported. I especially love the way you can adjust the autofocus sensitivity, so that the camera will continue to track a player, even if the referee crosses in front of him. The 10 fps mean you won't miss a shot (though you can lower the rate, if you don't want to fill up your memory card that quickly).

Battery life is very good, despite the large, bright LCD screen. I bought an extra battery, but haven't needed it so far. I can take thousands of photos a day, and recharge the battery overnight.

It is a large, heavy camera, but no more so than any pro camera. (Might be a shock if you're upgrading from a Rebel or 40D, though.) The biggest drawback is the APS-H sensor. That means Canon EF-S lenses, meant for APS-C cameras, won't work with this one. The EF lenses work fine, but they are generally meant for full-frame sensors. This is only a problem on the wide end. Wide angle on a full frame camera is not very wide on a cropped sensor. There aren't many wide angle options available for this camera. But I use zoom lenses far more than wide angle when I'm shooting sports or wildlife, and I suspect that's the case for most people.

All in all, I'm very pleased with this purchase. Would buy it again in a heartbeat.
Pros: fantastic for sports and wildlife
Cons: heavy, expensive, limited wide angle lenses

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.