Canon 5D Mark IV is a continuation of the 5D series, which is widely recognized as one of the most popular camera lines of the digital age. Underneath the surface, this camera is a significant upgrade over its predecessor, with features like a new sensor complemented by Dual Pixel autofocus and 4K video capture.
It was observed that 5D-series consumers wanted the most significant increase in dynamic range, resolution, AF precision, and AF speed during the development of the IV camera. This appears to be where the Mark IV excels, at least when you go through its specifications.
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Canon 5D Mark IV Review
Canon’s first full-frame camera can continuously focus in Live View during stills shooting. Because of the way Dual Pixel AF works, the focus is typically quite precise, even with fast lenses. Using the touchscreen in ‘Face Detect + Tracking’ mode, it’s easy to specify your subject by tapping on the one you want to keep the focus on.
Besides the internal upgrades, it has some awe-inspiring physical features as well. Some salient highlights of the 5D Mark IV are its touchscreen and improved weather sealing. It has built-in Wi-Fi/NFC, an interval timer, and GPS. A New 30.4MP CMOS sensor and Digic 6+ CPU power it.
There are 61 cross-type AF points in Mark III’s AF system, compared to Mark II’s 61 points. In One Shot (AF-S) mode, the center point is sensitive to -3EV.
The following Section covers the primary functions, features, and performance of Canon 5D Mark IV in detail.
The Canon 5D Mark IV’s Key Features:
Handling
Like its predecessor, the 5D Mark IV has undergone a few minor tweaks to its design compared to its predecessor. Canon follows the adage that you shouldn’t try to fix something that isn’t broken, which isn’t always bad.
One of the most noticeable changes is the addition of many extra gaskets in vital areas and around all ports to increase weather sealing.
The 5D Mark IV is just as comfortable to hand as its predecessor, weighing 890 grams. This viewfinder was made more helpful by including Canon’s Intelligent Viewfinder II, a small LCD that provides additional information beyond what you can see via the standard viewfinder.
All other controls and buttons are located where they usually are on a Canon DSLR of this caliber. The well-known Q Menu is still there and is just as helpful as ever, providing rapid access to various configurable options.
Touchscreen technology makes it even more convenient and user-friendly. One of Mark IV’s main selling points is the abundance of configurable function buttons. The model gives ten function customizable buttons in total.
These buttons include the AF-ON button, shutter button, the AE Lock option, a button for DOF preview, and custom & AF area selection buttons.
With this camera, the user can also utilize the exact Auto ISO implementation as on 1D X Mark II, which can set higher and lower ISO settings and determine the minor shutter speed you can shoot without creating a handshake blur.
Body Design
With Canon 5D Mark IV, an anti-reflective 3.2″ 1.62m-dot Clear View II LCD panel is offered for clear, vivid picture playback and live view shooting, as well as easy touch-to-focus control and menu adjustments.
Additionally, the back joystick has an AF mode selection button that can be used quickly and easily for quick access to frequently used settings.
Intelligent Viewfinder II features a pentaprism design and a bright viewing mode. Low-light circumstances are easier to see by utilizing the viewfinder to highlight AF locations.
The finder may also be configured to display a variety of other shooting aids, such as an electronic level and grid. White balance and different settings can also be displayed on the finder’s display.
A Mirror Vibration Control System helps keep the image crisp by reducing mechanical vibration for lengthy exposures or rapid burst shooting at high speeds. The device may be used in extreme conditions with a weather and dust-resistant magnesium alloy body.
Performance
The 5D Mark IV is no exception when it comes to performance when you’re spending this much for a DSLR. The performance of the camera is what justifies its price.
You’ll get excellent results regardless of what you’re doing with the camera. Thanks to its high-performance, responsive touchscreen and streamlined UI, you can’t help but marvel at how smooth it feels to use this camera. The Mark IV is no slouch either, clocking in at seven frames per second regarding burst rate performance.
You’ll need the quickest memory cards on the market to get the most out of your camera. In addition, the Compact Flash card had more excellent burst rate performance than the fastest SD card we could find. The good news is that regardless of the type of card you’re using, you receive an infinite buffer while shooting JPEGs.
A CF card can hold around 33 RAW images, while an SD card can hold about 28 RAW images before the buffer needs to be emptied. This is not the most satisfactory performance we’ve seen from a camera in raw file size, but it’s still rather impressive.
Autofocus
The 5D Mark IV’s AF system is identical to that of the 1D X Mark II, which means it has a lot of power. In all, 61 focus spots are evenly distributed around the screen. The most sensitive of the 41 cross-type AF sites is the center, rated at -3 EV.
When it comes to lenses with huge apertures, the five cross-type points in the middle are even more exact than the ordinary cross-type points. Due to the lower-resolution metering sensor, you won’t obtain the same focusing performance as you would on the 1DX Mark II.
Because the 7D Mark II’s AF system performed admirably with the same 150,000 RGB sensors, users may also have faith in this camera’s AF system.
Continuous shooting in live view mode is a first for a full-frame Canon DSLR, and it’s available only on the new 5D Mark IV. Although the burst rate is lowered to 4.3 frames per second in this mode, the overall performance is more consistent and quick, with better subject tracking than when using the viewfinder.
With big aperture lenses, you’ll obtain better focus accuracy since the sensor gets the focus reading directly rather than traveling via the lens first. The Mark IV has much to choose from for photographers who need a wide range of options for selecting focus points and AF area modes.
Single-point AF and Spot AF are the first options on the menu. The Single-point Spot AF mode differs from the Single-point AF mode because the focusing area is smaller than in Single-point AF.
In situations where you only need to focus on one area and don’t require the other AF points to forecast what you want to focus on, they are both ideal.
Dual Pixel RAW
With the 5D Mark IV, you now have Dual Pixel RAW. This feature was first incorporated on the 5D Mark IV, allowing photographers to capture the sensor’s unique pixel information, enabling minor edits after the image is shot.
This innovative feature might be handy in certain shooting situations. One 30MP picture is taken from each pixel’s left- and right-facing photodiodes. Canon’s Dual Pixel RAW allows you to split these two signals from one another at the pixel level.
Although the file size is doubled, it enables “picture micro-adjustment,” “bokeh shift,” and “ghosting reduction” in Canon’s Digital Photo Professional software, which is included in the camera kit.
Video Quality and Features
Due to the 5D Mark III’s popularity as a video recording tool throughout the development of the Mark IV, it’s no surprise to find significant advances in this area. It’s a no-brainer to go from 1080p to 4K at 30 or 24 frames per second.
If you’re used to the typical 16:9 aspect ratio, you’ll notice that this camera has a somewhat broader field of vision.
The 500 Mbps quality is superb; however, the 1.74x crop factor is required due to unknown technological limits. No crop factor is performed if you are interested in recording 1080p resolution.
Unless you’re photographing animals or sports at close range, you won’t notice the extra detail with 4K resolution; stick to 1080p for landscapes and other shots requiring a broad field of view.
A 64 GB card will give you plenty of recording time for 4K footage without built-in compression. Canon opted to do this to get the most out of the 8-megapixel still frames you may obtain from your films. This may be an issue for some.
All you need to know about autofocus in the video is that it’s the well-known Dual Pixel AF, and it’s just fine. The HDR video is the final feature worth mentioning because it’s imposing. To begin with, only a 720p version was offered on Canon’s most recent Rebel cameras.
The resolution has been increased to 1080p, and the exposure adjustment is much more robust than on the Rebel series. Using two 1080p/30 fps films, one for the highlights and one for the shadows, the HDR movie creates a stunning dynamic-range effect by combining the two images.
Image Quality
Although getting a new DSLR with a slew of new features and enhancements is always thrilling, nothing beats seeing how wonderful the photos appear. In Canon 5D Mark IV, the new 30.4-megapixel sensor provides excellent quality regardless of your image format.
The only minor drawback is that Canon’s comprehensive control over the level of sharpening in JPEGs makes the JPEGS seem somewhat over-sharpened at times.
After a long time, noise performance has matched or even exceeded Nikon and Sony’s, which had previously had the upper hand. The dynamic range of Canon’s cameras still lags behind its rivals.
For a high-end camera, it’s an upgrade over the 5D Mark III, but it should have been even better. You can still get fantastic results, but you’ll have to be more careful with your exposure to maintain the remarkable image quality you’d receive every time your exposure is spot on.
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Specifications:
- New 30.4MP CMOS full-frame sensor with Dual Pixel AF
- DCI 4K 30/24p video using Motion JPEG + 4K Frame Grab
- 61-point AF system with 41 cross-type sensors (center point sensitive to -3 EV)
- Dual Pixel AF (sensitive to -4EV) for continuous Servo AF in stills (first for a full-frame Canon camera) and video
- ISO 100-32000 (expandable to 102400)
- Seven fps continuous shooting
- Dual Pixel Raw (micro image adjustment, bokeh shift, ghosting reduction)
- 150,000-pixel RGB+IR metering sensor
- 1.62M-dot 3.2″ full-time touchscreen
- Wi-Fi w/ NFC + GPS
- Built-in bulb timer interval timers
- Improved weather-sealing
Pros:
- Built-In WIFI
- NFC Connectivity
- 4K Video Resolution
- Touch Screen
- Weather-sealed
- Optical Built-In Viewfinder
- Face Detection Focusing
- 30.0MP – High-Resolution Sensor
- 102.400 Max 150
- 61 Focus Points
Cons:
- On Expensive Side
- No Image Stabilization
- No Articulating Screen
Conclusion
In the end, how do we feel about this camera, the Canon 5D Mark IV? Is it truly the best camera in the world that everyone expected? In terms of high-end DSLRs, does it have what it takes to dethrone the competition and establish new benchmarks?
Yes and no. It’s more like a continuation of the current DSLR series rather than a radical departure.
Even though it has some exciting new features like Dual Pixel AF, Dual Pixel Raw, and HDR video, it’s still not enough to declare it to be anything more than a fantastic full-frame DSLR, even if it has some exciting new features.
We may have overestimated Canon’s capabilities, and the buzz around the 5D Mark IV may have led us to believe that they were capable of exceeding our expectations. That’s what I’m saying, too. Overall, Canon has done an excellent job with the Mark IV.
Any present or future Canon consumers will be pretty satisfied with the package they receive in exchange for their hard-earned money if they choose the Canon 5D Mark IV <– Affiliate Link 🙂 as their camera.
