NEW DELHI: Back in August last year, Canon made a huge comeback by launching its premium full-frame DSLR camera in the EOS line-up - 5D Mark IV. The camera, which was introduced later in India at a price of Rs 2,54,995 (body only), came at a time when professional photographers were looking for a DSLR more powerful and feature rich than the 5D Mark III, but not at extremely high prices.
The company made its fans wait as long as four years since the introduction of the EOS 5D Mark III. However, it did try to fill the gap in 2015 by launching the EOS 5Ds/5Ds R, which at the time was the world's first full-frame DSLR with a 50.6MP sensor. However, it wasn't the true successor to the Mark III.
With EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon seems to have upgraded the Mark III in almost every respect. The camera has better autofocus, improved image quality and is more refined than previous models. It's still a level below the Canon 1-Series but is geared towards professionals nevertheless.
We have been clicking hundreds of images and videos using the EOS 5D Mark IV, along with its EF24-70mm f/4L IS USM lens and there's a lot we have to say about it.
Has the Japanese camera maker managed to bring a worthy competitor in the premium DSLR space? Read our review to find out.
Design and display
As with other EOS 5D siblings, the Mark IV is quite heavy, weighing in at around 890g. With the lens its weight crosses 1kg. The company has carried forwarded the same design as the Mark III so users don't feel alienated while using it. From the overall design to the button layout and positioning, nearly everything is identical. However, some minor changes would still be visible to those who have used the previous EOS 5D devices.
The EOS 5D Mark IV has a better and secure grip. Behind the camera is a small new button placed above the rotary dial, which allows users to easily switch focus between the subjects.
The camera's build is sturdy and weatherproof so it can be used in almost any condition. The Menu and Info buttons are situated at the top left corner and are easily accessible, along with Rate, Playback, Delete and other options. Users can either go completely traditional and use only physical buttons for navigation and control, or use the touchscreen controls.
There's a secondary display on the top, with buttons to quickly tinker with settings like ISO, shutter speed and shooting modes. Users can change settings using the scroller placed near the shutter button. However, they'll need to re-adjust the grip to change modes if the dial on the top left side is being used. The optical viewfinder is large and bright. It shows ISO, shutter speed, brightness and other information in nearly all modes. There is an Intelligent Viewfinder II that shows more information on the display such as shooting modes, composition grid and a level to keep the shots straight.
Talking about the display, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV has a 3.2-inch fixed touch-enabled LCD display of 1.6 million dot resolution. The TFT monitor has different colour tone adjustments and impressive brightness levels, which can be configured automatically or manually. It's pretty usable under direct sunlight. We would've liked if the display could be adjusted, but that would have compromised the dust and water resistance.
Canon's new DSLR has a host of options when it comes to connectivity. Besides supporting CF cards, it also plays nice with SD, SDHC and SDXC cards. It has 3.5mm microphone input and output ports, miniHDMI out, USB 3.0, Canon N3 remote port, as well as PC and digital terminals.
Performance
The EOS 5D Mark IV's overall image quality is impressively good. Colour reproduction is quite accurate, and so are sharpness and saturation levels.
As far as shutter speed range goes, the Mark IV can handle anything ranging from 1/8000 to 30 seconds.
As compared to Mark III, this 30MP shooter has wider autofocus coverage with 61 autofocus points, including extended vertical coverage. The autofocus technology has been improved to detect subjects quicker and with more precision. In 'Live View' mode, users can simply tap on the subjects on the screen to switch between them easily.
Its Dual Pixel CMOS sensor promises better dynamic range, autofocus and resolution. There is also a new Dual Pixel RAW feature in the Menu options under aperture, shutter and manual shooting modes. These DPRAW files have additional adjustment possibilities when processed with Canon's Digital Photo Professional image processing application. The camera uses latest Digic 6+ image processor with enhanced noise isolation and low-light shooting algorithms.
There are several in-camera RAW image processing tools such as brightness adjustment, white balance, picture style, auto lighting optimization, high ISO speed noise reduction and more.
The subject tracking ability of the EOS 5D Mark IV is impressively good. During our testing, we found no delays or difficulties while shooting videos with locked subjects. The focus speeds are commendable, along with good exposure adjustment based on environmental lighting.
Shooting in low light conditions is no issue at all. We used the camera in poorly-lit conditions and the resulting images still came out bright and sharp. Shooting at ISO levels as high as 12800 or even 51200 results in minimal noise, and that's visible when the images are zoomed in. Shooting in low light along with the high-speed continuous shutter mode is hassle-free. The Mark IV supports ISO up to 1,02,400 levels, same as the Mark III.
Talking about continuous shooting mode, the EOS 5D Mark IV gives the freedom to click at 7 frames per second, enough to capture fairly-paced moving objects. Focus adjustment is quick and colours are well balanced.
As for video shooting, the Mark IV can record videos 4K resolution videos at 30fps. Users also get an option to shoot Full HD and HD resolution videos at 60fps and 120fps. The videos can be captured in MOV and MP4 formats. Refocusing while shooting is quick and smooth.
Verdict
The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV brings numerous upgrades and changes for users coming from EOS 6D or similarly-priced DSLRs. But for Mark III users, the switch also brings several minor upgrades that can be considered more like refinements. And since the DSLR is strictly for professionals, the price is too is on the premium side.
Users that have a tight budget or those using Mark III, they can wait for the price to drop. The offerings from rivals such a Nikon D500 are also good, having wider ISO range and the ability to click at 10 frames per second. It has the same weather-sealed body, in addition to an optical viewfinder but has a 21MP CMOS sensor.
The company made its fans wait as long as four years since the introduction of the EOS 5D Mark III. However, it did try to fill the gap in 2015 by launching the EOS 5Ds/5Ds R, which at the time was the world's first full-frame DSLR with a 50.6MP sensor. However, it wasn't the true successor to the Mark III.
With EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon seems to have upgraded the Mark III in almost every respect. The camera has better autofocus, improved image quality and is more refined than previous models. It's still a level below the Canon 1-Series but is geared towards professionals nevertheless.
We have been clicking hundreds of images and videos using the EOS 5D Mark IV, along with its EF24-70mm f/4L IS USM lens and there's a lot we have to say about it.
Has the Japanese camera maker managed to bring a worthy competitor in the premium DSLR space? Read our review to find out.
Design and display
As with other EOS 5D siblings, the Mark IV is quite heavy, weighing in at around 890g. With the lens its weight crosses 1kg. The company has carried forwarded the same design as the Mark III so users don't feel alienated while using it. From the overall design to the button layout and positioning, nearly everything is identical. However, some minor changes would still be visible to those who have used the previous EOS 5D devices.
The EOS 5D Mark IV has a better and secure grip. Behind the camera is a small new button placed above the rotary dial, which allows users to easily switch focus between the subjects.
The camera's build is sturdy and weatherproof so it can be used in almost any condition. The Menu and Info buttons are situated at the top left corner and are easily accessible, along with Rate, Playback, Delete and other options. Users can either go completely traditional and use only physical buttons for navigation and control, or use the touchscreen controls.
There's a secondary display on the top, with buttons to quickly tinker with settings like ISO, shutter speed and shooting modes. Users can change settings using the scroller placed near the shutter button. However, they'll need to re-adjust the grip to change modes if the dial on the top left side is being used. The optical viewfinder is large and bright. It shows ISO, shutter speed, brightness and other information in nearly all modes. There is an Intelligent Viewfinder II that shows more information on the display such as shooting modes, composition grid and a level to keep the shots straight.
Talking about the display, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV has a 3.2-inch fixed touch-enabled LCD display of 1.6 million dot resolution. The TFT monitor has different colour tone adjustments and impressive brightness levels, which can be configured automatically or manually. It's pretty usable under direct sunlight. We would've liked if the display could be adjusted, but that would have compromised the dust and water resistance.
Canon's new DSLR has a host of options when it comes to connectivity. Besides supporting CF cards, it also plays nice with SD, SDHC and SDXC cards. It has 3.5mm microphone input and output ports, miniHDMI out, USB 3.0, Canon N3 remote port, as well as PC and digital terminals.
Performance
The EOS 5D Mark IV's overall image quality is impressively good. Colour reproduction is quite accurate, and so are sharpness and saturation levels.
As far as shutter speed range goes, the Mark IV can handle anything ranging from 1/8000 to 30 seconds.
As compared to Mark III, this 30MP shooter has wider autofocus coverage with 61 autofocus points, including extended vertical coverage. The autofocus technology has been improved to detect subjects quicker and with more precision. In 'Live View' mode, users can simply tap on the subjects on the screen to switch between them easily.
Its Dual Pixel CMOS sensor promises better dynamic range, autofocus and resolution. There is also a new Dual Pixel RAW feature in the Menu options under aperture, shutter and manual shooting modes. These DPRAW files have additional adjustment possibilities when processed with Canon's Digital Photo Professional image processing application. The camera uses latest Digic 6+ image processor with enhanced noise isolation and low-light shooting algorithms.
There are several in-camera RAW image processing tools such as brightness adjustment, white balance, picture style, auto lighting optimization, high ISO speed noise reduction and more.
The subject tracking ability of the EOS 5D Mark IV is impressively good. During our testing, we found no delays or difficulties while shooting videos with locked subjects. The focus speeds are commendable, along with good exposure adjustment based on environmental lighting.
Shooting in low light conditions is no issue at all. We used the camera in poorly-lit conditions and the resulting images still came out bright and sharp. Shooting at ISO levels as high as 12800 or even 51200 results in minimal noise, and that's visible when the images are zoomed in. Shooting in low light along with the high-speed continuous shutter mode is hassle-free. The Mark IV supports ISO up to 1,02,400 levels, same as the Mark III.
Talking about continuous shooting mode, the EOS 5D Mark IV gives the freedom to click at 7 frames per second, enough to capture fairly-paced moving objects. Focus adjustment is quick and colours are well balanced.
As for video shooting, the Mark IV can record videos 4K resolution videos at 30fps. Users also get an option to shoot Full HD and HD resolution videos at 60fps and 120fps. The videos can be captured in MOV and MP4 formats. Refocusing while shooting is quick and smooth.
Verdict
The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV brings numerous upgrades and changes for users coming from EOS 6D or similarly-priced DSLRs. But for Mark III users, the switch also brings several minor upgrades that can be considered more like refinements. And since the DSLR is strictly for professionals, the price is too is on the premium side.
Users that have a tight budget or those using Mark III, they can wait for the price to drop. The offerings from rivals such a Nikon D500 are also good, having wider ISO range and the ability to click at 10 frames per second. It has the same weather-sealed body, in addition to an optical viewfinder but has a 21MP CMOS sensor.
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