The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV boasts a huge array of high end features, including a 30 megapixel full frame CMOS imaging sensor and Canon’s latest AF system, for a significantly lower price than Canon’s current 1-Series model. This value and versatility, as with all EOS 5-Series models before it, launched the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV to great fanfare and a strong demand.
The original Canon EOS 5D DSLR was the first affordable full frame DSLR. It was a highly regarded and very successful model. The Canon EOS 5D Mark II, with its excellent 21.1 MP full frame sensor, launched to instant success 3 years later. The image quality to price ratio of this model was exceptional, especially from a video perspective. The 5D II was Canon’s first video-capable DSLR and it achieved great fame for its amazing video image quality for the price.
About three and a half years after the 5D II’s arrival, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IIIwas announced. While the 5D III brought another image quality upgrade, the improvement, especially in resolution, was minimal relative to the improvement brought by version II. The 5D III had many great upgraded features, but the standout was its amazing new AF system.
The 5Ds and 5Ds R models, not replacing the Mark series, took us back to a very significant resolution increase being the primary upgrade feature as we last saw with the 5D II. While many made the jump to the 5Ds models, there were also many holdouts waiting for something different in their upgrade path. The IV is what many of them were looking for, with a nice bump in resolution over the III, an improved AF system, improved video capabilities and much more.
The 5-Series cameras have been my primary bodies since the 5D Mark III ( though a 1-Series model takes care of my sports and fast-action needs) with the 5Ds R bodies being the current model I’m using at 5D IV review time. The best-available in many respects, these are feature-filled, all-purpose cameras that are easy to use, feel great in hand and reliably deliver very impressive image quality.
The 5D Mark IV showed up on a Friday. I did much of the studio testing and evaluation immediately – we all wanted to know how the camera would perform and . that gave me just enough time to put the camera in my pack for a 10-day Idaho and Grand Teton National Park wildlife and landscape photo trip with a departure the following Tue at 3: 00 AM. I rotated the 5D IV and a pair of 5Ds R bodies through the lenses being primarily used at the time and I was left with no regrets. The camera performed impressively throughout this trip.
Let’s take a look at what we get with the IV.
Summary of Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Features
30.4 Megapixel Full Frame CMOS Sensor
7 fps continuous shooting and silent shutter mode
4k 30fps video with 8.8 mp still frame grab, Full 1080p HD 60 fps, HD 720p mode at 120 fps
Dual Pixel CMOS AF for responsive and smooth AF during video or Live View shooting
Dual Pixel RAW
Built-in GPS
Built-in WiFi, NFC ( Near-Field Communication)
3.2 ( 81.1mm) , approximately 1, 620, 000 dot Clear View II LCD monitor with full touch-screen interface, including selection of AF area
DIGIC 6+ image processor
61-point High-Density Reticular AF II system ( like 1D X Mark II) including up to 41 cross-type AF sensors, with EOS iTR, f/8 AF
EV -3 AF sensitivity, EV -4 when in Live View mode
150, 000-pixel RGB+ IR, 252 zone metering sensor for improved AE and AF precision
Zone, Spot and AF Point Expansion focusing modes
ISO 100-32000 with expansion up to 102400, down to 50
Short 58ms shutter lag
Flicker Mode adjusts shutter release timing to avoid flickering light issues
Dual Memory Card Slots supporting one CF ( UDMA Mode 7) and one SD/SDHC/SDXC ( UHS-I) memory card
Upgraded Transparent LCD viewfinder with 100% coverage
Dual-Axis Electronic Level with dedicated viewfinder display
Time-lapse Movie function
EOS Integrated Cleaning System ( EICS)
Peripheral Illumination, Chromatic Aberration, Distortion and Diffraction Corrections in-camera along with DLO ( Digital Lens Optimizer)
Magnesium alloy body, shutter durability rated up to 150, 000 cycles, improved dust and weather resistance
Mirror Vibration Control System to reduce mirror vibration-caused blur
Customizable Quick Control screen
- /- 5 stops of exposure compensation
Super Speed USB 3.0 for high-speed tethering and image/movie transfer
In-camera Multiple Exposure and HDR modes, HDR 30 fps video
Improved custom controls with built-in intervalometer and bulb timer
Sensor and Image Quality
As mentioned, one of the EOS 5D Mark II’s big upgrades was its huge resolution increase, going from 12.8 to 21.1 megapixels. A resolution increase was not a headlining upgrade for the next model, with the EOS 5D Mark III receiving a bump to 22.3 megapixels. While that was a positive feature, it was far from dramatic and, alone, likely drove no upgrades. That is changed again with the EOS 5D Mark IV ( disregarding the side-stepping 5Ds models) , with this camera getting upgraded to 30.4 megapixels, a very noticeable and welcomed increase.
Model
FOVCF
Sensor
Pixel Size
Pixels/Megapixels
Viewfinder
DLA
Canon EOS 80D
1.6x
22.5 x 15.0mm
3.7µm
6000 x 4000
24.2
.95x
100%
f/5.9
Canon EOS 7D Mark II
1.6x
22.4 x 15.0mm
4.1µm
5472 x 3648
20.2
1.0x
100%
f/6.6
Canon EOS 6D
1.0x
35.8 x 23.9mm
6.54µm
5472 x 3648
20.2
.71x
97%
f/10.5
Canon EOS 5Ds / 5Ds R
1.0x
36.0 x 24.0mm
4.14µm
8688 x 5792
50.6
.71x
100%
f/6.7
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
1.0x
36.0 x 24.0mm
5.36µm
6720 x 4480
30.4
.71x
100%
f/8.6
Canon EOS 5D Mark III
1.0x
36.0 x 24.0mm
6.25µm
5760 x 3840
22.3
.71x
100%
f/10.1
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
1.0x
35.8 x 23.9mm
6.4µm
5616 x 3744
21.1
.71x
98%
f/10.2
Canon EOS 5D
1.0x
35.8 x 23.9mm
8.2µm
4368 x 2912
12.8
.71x
96%
f/13.2
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II
1.0x
36.0 x 24.0mm
6.6µm
5472 x 3648
20.2
.76x
100%
f/10.6
- Learn more about DLA ( Diffraction Limited Aperture)
View the full Canon EOS 5D Mark IV specifications to compare additional cameras.
While still considerably lower resolution than the 5Ds/5Ds R bodies, the 5D Mark IV ’s 30 megapixels is a significant amount – far more than any other EOS cameras to date. Obviously this is a new sensor as Canon has not offered a full frame camera with this same resolution prior to now.
There are many benefits to a higher resolution sensor. A primary benfit is that the image can be output larger or output to the same size at a higher DPI for better quality.
I often find myself using the entire image dimensions to frame my final composition, attempting to have the most detail for viewing or printing large. While this strategy is usually a good one, sometimes that tight framing gets me in trouble later such as when I need a bleed edge or need to format the image to a non-3: 2 ratio such as for an 8x10 print ( possibly because someone liked the frame and now needs a print to go into it) . Sometimes I simply frame a bit too tightly and need to expand an image border during post processing. With more resolution available, there is more freedom to frame slightly wider to better accommodate those needs.
With more resolution available, it is possible to make a variety of final compositions from a single image. For example, individual portraits could be cropped from a group photo. Or, shoot an environmental wildlife portrait and crop a tighter portrait from that image.
I sometimes find myself focal length limited ( not having a long enough focal length available for the desired subject framing) , especially when using a prime lens for sports and wildlife photography. This means that the image will require cropping in post production. Having more resolution ( a more-dense imaging sensor) means that higher resolution remains after cropping.
Here is an example: I had been photographing a pronghorn buck in Grand Teton National Park using the 5D IV and an EF 600mm f/4L IS II Lens. I was trying to remain ahead of the buck, letting him come to me, but then it decided to cross the road. I didn’t want the road in the frame, but I was modestly too far away when the pronghorn paused in a good position with some fall colors in the frame ( he was mostly in a mix of grass and dead sage prior to this) . What do you do? Take the photo and crop later of course. The 5D IV’s high resolution sensor gave me over 10 megapixels remaining in this significantly cropped image.
Want a panorama without the need to setup and capture multiple images to be later stitched together? If the camera has adequate resolution for the final product, simply photograph the scene with an ultra-wide angle lens and crop the image to the aspect ratio desired.
As usual, a wide variety of lower resolution and/or quality options are available with the 5D IV, including M-RAW ( 5040 x 3360, about 17 mp) and S-RAW ( 3360 x 2240, about 7.5 mp) . As always, JPG images can be generated at any size desired when converting from a RAW image. The 5D Mark IV supports 4: 3, 16: 9 and 1: 1 ( square) aspect ratios as well.
When the EOS 5Ds and 5Ds R were released, image quality factors relating to that high resolution were a primary concern. Magnify the image being captured and problems not visible before become apparent. While the 5D IV is not as high resolution as these models, it still has a very high resolution.
High resolution sensors work best with high quality lenses, but with the higher resolution magnifying camera motion ( shake, vibration or other movement) , more considerations come into play. As with the 5Ds, Canon has implemented some improvements designed to aid in keeping the 5D IV motionless during the exposure.
One such advancement is an improved mirror mechanism. The 5D III’s mirror is spring driven and the mirror impacting the top plate can cause vibration. When you get to really know a camera, you can feel this vibration. While the 5D III’s mirror impact is relatively minor ( far better than the 1Ds III that I sometimes use for capturing product images in the studio) , I often shot with the 5D III in Silent mode to gain a slight edge. Like the 5Ds, the 5D IV gets an electronic motor-driven mirror that slows the mirror down at the end of its travel, reducing vibration. The mirror mechanism change is noticeable in use, resulting in quieter operation.
I’m disappointed that the ability to program a shutter release delay upon mirror-up condition, first featured in the 5Ds and 5Ds R, is absent from the 5D IV.
Increase the resolution and autofocus accuracy becomes more critical with Auto Focus MicroAdjustment ( AFMA) taking on an elevated importance. Like the 5D III and 5Ds, the 5D IV has this feature available. AFMA works ( for lenses that focus consistently) and is very useful.
Because there are more pixels in the same amount of sensor space, camera and subject motion causes subject details to cross over pixels at a faster rate, potentially resulting in blur and a loss of pixel-level sharpness. Because of this, you will find that a somewhat faster minimum shutter speed may be necessary for handholding this camera ( and that image stabilization becomes more important) . Similarly, fast-moving subjects may require somewhat faster shutter speeds to avoid pixel-level motion blur. The 5D IV’s difference from the 5D III is not as dramatic as with the 5Ds, but be on watch for this related issue. A 1/3 to 2/3 stop faster shutter speed than used with the lower resolution 5-Series models should be adequate to stop the motion difference.
Another issue that becomes more visible at high resolution is diffraction. The science of diffraction is a bit complex, but understanding the science is less important than knowing how diffraction can impact image quality. Everyone should be aware that, as the aperture opening decreases, images become less sharp beyond the approximate aperture we refer to as the Diffraction Limited Aperture ( DLA, included in table above) . As resolution increases, that point of visible degradation occurs at a wider aperture. While you will probably want to use apertures narrower than the DLA at times, the decision to do so must happen with the understanding that pixel sharpness becomes a compromise being made.
While the 5D IV’s 5.36µm pixel pitch sensor will show diffraction at a wider aperture ( f/8.6) than the 5D III’s 6.25µm pixel pitch sensor ( f/10.1) , the difference is not nearly as large as with the 5Ds’ 4.14µm pixel pitch sensor ( f/6.7) . The 5D IV’s image quality does not suddenly fall behind the 5D III at f/8.7, but as the aperture becomes narrower, the benefits of the inceased resolution are not as fully appreciated.