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There's very little to report on the new design of the Mark IV because there hardly is one. Aside from the three dots below the EOS-1 logo which are for the Mark IV's monaural microphone to support HD video, and the new badging, the camera's a dead-ringer for its predecessor.

And that's a good thing because the EOS-1D line's camera bodies are about as close to DSLR perfection as you can get. Nikon's pro D line is mighty fine as well and which one is right for you is a matter of personal preference (and another story entirely.)

One thing I wouldn't have minded being added to the 1D Mark IV is a dedicated movie button like the one on the Canon EOS 7D. Getting into HD mode on the Mark IV is a pain and that's just wrong because this camera can capture beautiful movies.

First you have to "enable" the movie function on the Mark IV via a menu selection under Live View. Then press the SET button on back of the camera, autofocus and hit the FEL (Flash Exposure Lock) button near the shutter to start recording video. Press FEL again to stop recording. That's one or two (or three) steps too many especially if you're trying to move fluidly between shooting stills and video.

Otherwise, I have no complaints about the camera's build. The 3-inch LCD screen on the Mark IV has been upgraded to 920,000 dots of resolution and photos look crisp and it was easy to check image sharpness in a range of shooting situations. (In contrast, images on the 1D Mark III's 3-inch display always appeared slightly soft. Write your own line here about how much the camera's AF contributed to that.)

To help eliminate reflections in bright light, Canon's put a layer of optical resin between the cover plate and the LCD. Though my testing was done in the dead of winter in New York and I mostly photographed indoor sports, I noticed little glare on the screen.

The Mark IV's camera body has magnesium alloy inner and outer covers along with a magnesium alloy chassis with a magnesium alloy mirror box. (Yes, that's a lot of magnesium alloy!) It's also fully weatherized with 76 gaskets and seals around the buttons and seams. But would you really expect anything less from this class of camera?