Photography

Hands-on with the eagerly-awaited Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

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New Atlas goes hands-on with the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR
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An example of ISO performance of the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
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8-megapixel stills from 4K videos on the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV look good
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
An example shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
An example shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
An example shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
An example shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
An example shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
An example shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
An example shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is a full frame professional level DSLR
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
New Atlas goes hands-on with the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is sure to be a hit with professionals and enthusiasts alike
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
The controls of the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV will be familiar to current users of the 5D line
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV features a rear touchscreen
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
The beefed-up weather-sealing on ports of the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV shoots to one SD and one CompactFlash memory card
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV has gained a AF selector button
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is as big and heavy as you would expect for a professional DSLR
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
The rear touchscreen on the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV can be used when shooting, reviewing images, or navigating menus
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is a large but comfortable DSLR to use
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The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR features a 30-megapixel full frame sensor
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
The 30-megapixel resolution of the Canon EOS 5D IV allows users to capture significantly more detail
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
New Atlas goes hands-on with the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR will be familiar to current 5D users
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
The built-in Wi-Fi on the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV allows for remote shooting and wireless transfer of content
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV has a familiar menu system
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The 61 AF points of the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV are spread slightly wider across the frame
Simon Crisp/New Atlas
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Any new 5D camera is going to be a big deal. The Canon series has helped bring full frame shooting to the masses, proved that DSLRs can shoot great video, and has become the camera of choice for countless professionals and enthusiasts alike. We recently got to spend a bit of time with the newly announced 5D Mark IV, to see if it can live up to the expectations set by its predecessors.

Before jumping in and giving you our take on the Canon 5D Mark IV, it's important to note this is a hands-on article and not a full review. We didn't have anywhere near long enough to properly put the camera through its paces and test the vast array of modes and features on offer here.

However, we did have long enough to get a good feel for the camera and what it can do.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is a full frame professional level DSLR
Simon Crisp/New Atlas

By now we've probably all seen the spec sheet for the 5D Mark IV, so already know it packs an upgraded 30.4-megapixel sensor, 4K video recording and an ISO range of 100-32000 (expandable up to 102400). The good, and slightly unexpected, news is that the camera also feels better in the hands than its predecessor.

Admittedly these physical changes are subtle, but they are important. For example, the addition of an AF selector button near the rear joystick (which looks frustratingly like a switch) allows for quicker switching between settings. There's also the slightly bigger deal that the rear monitor is now a touchscreen, which can be handy when reviewing images, navigating menus, and while shooting. Its resolution is boosted to a none-too-shabby 1,620,000 dots, too.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV features a rear touchscreen
Simon Crisp/New Atlas

Size and weight-wise, the 5D Mark IV is what you'd expect. It's a big and heavy DSLR. However, it has good ergonomics and balances well when you mount a full frame lens on the front – we tested the camera along with a 24-mm to 70-mm F4. Weather-sealing has been noticeably beefed up with chunkier and more reliable-looking seals on the ports and around the lens, which will give an added sense of security when shooting in the rain.

Upon initially lifting the 5D Mark IV, we were disappointed that the number of AF points hadn't increased from the 61 in the Mark III. But while that number has stayed the same, the points are now spread slightly further apart and cover more of the frame. This wider spread is very welcome, as it will reduce the number of times you need to focus and recompose, and makes tracking moving subjects easier.

The 61 AF points of the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV are spread slightly wider across the frame
Simon Crisp/New Atlas

As we've come to expect from high-end Canon DSLRs, there are plenty of focus modes and fine tuning options – far too many for us to try during our brief hands-on. We did however get to form an overall impression of the AF system, and it's very positive. Autofocus was able to lock onto subjects remarkably quickly, and accurately. It feels a lot like the 1D X Mark II. It also did a good job of tacking moving subjects traveling both towards the camera, and across the frame.

An example shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR
Simon Crisp/New Atlas

The slightly increased continuous shooting rate was also a nice bonus. Despite the increase in resolution, the 5D Mark IV is able to shoot at 7 fps (frames per second) compared to the 6 fps of the Mark III. It's not a big increase, but could again make the difference between capturing the moment or not. Unfortunately you only get around 20 shots at that speed before the camera slows down.

The camera shoots to one SD card and one CompactFlash, compared to the CompactFlash and CFast combo of Canon's 1DX Mk II speed demon. You can't help but wonder if the shooting rate, or the number of shots you can fire off in quick succession, could have been improved if the 5D Mark IV had also made this jump rather than keeping current users happy by not forcing them to invest in new memory cards.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV shoots to one SD and one CompactFlash memory card
Simon Crisp/New Atlas

The increase in resolution from 22.3 to 30.4 megapixels makes the 5D Mark IV feel more competitive than its four-year-old predecessor, and fits in nicely between the fast-shooting 1DX Mark II and the mega resolution of the 5DS/R. This jump is instantly noticeable when zooming in on images which have more detail than those from previous 5D cameras.

This sort of resolution is beginning to feel about right for current full frame sensors and computers, and isn't the chore it was a couple of years ago. Processing a 30-megapixel image can now be done with ease. We did it on both an iPad and a Macbook Air.

The 30-megapixel resolution of the Canon EOS 5D IV allows users to capture significantly more detail
Simon Crisp/New Atlas

We're not going to go into too much detail here about image quality from the 5D Mark IV. Again, that can wait for a full review where we have time to shoot in a wider range of conditions, and with an array of lenses. That said, our first impressions got us grinning, with the 5D Mark IV turning out some great-looking images.

Given it packs a new full frame sensor, and that wide ISO range, we hoped the low-light performance of the 5D Mark IV would be impressive, and it was. In our tests, images shot at up to ISO 3200 suffered very little noise, and it was only by ISO 12800 that we'd were questioning whether images were usable. You can check out the close crops below. We've not included anything below ISO 800, as there's no noticeable noise to see there.

An example of ISO performance of the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Simon Crisp/New Atlas

When playing about with some of our test shots in post processing, it looks like the dynamic range of the 5D Mark IV has received quite a boost too. We were able to recover highlights and shadows which would have been lost to previous 5D cameras.

Unfortunately, despite shooting a number of Dual Pixel RAW files with the 5D Mark IV, where it lets you make micro adjustments to areas of sharpness and shift bokeh, we were unable to test these as Canon hasn't yet got a finalized version of its DPP software we could use, and Adobe Lightroom hasn't yet caught up with the new camera. We'll hopefully get a chance to test this feature during a full review.

8-megapixel stills from 4K videos on the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV look good
Simon Crisp/New Atlas

The announcement that the 5D Mark IV would shoot 4K video at up to 30 fps was welcomed by videographers who have already embraced the 5D series. However it's worth noting that 4K video will incur a 1.74x crop factor because of sensor resolution. Then again, that's not too far off a Super 35 camera crop. There's also the ability to get reasonably high-res stills from the 4K video, and as the above 8-megapixel still from a 4K scene shows, that's very usable.

Again, the video modes and features of the new camera are so vast that we weren't going to be able to get our teeth into them in out brief hands-on. However, we did shoot a few quick clips and, if our tests are anything to go by, video quality will be more than enough for most users. 4K footage looked simply stunning played back on a 4K TV, and other resolutions looked pretty darn good too. The section of ports, which include a headphone jack as well as microphone input and HDMI output, should also keep video fans happy.

The beefed-up weather-sealing on ports of the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Simon Crisp/New Atlas

Finally, we get to the Wi-Fi features, which have finally arrived to the 5D series with the Mark IV. Accessed via a communications option in the menu system (we started off by looking for a dedicated button like on the little G7X II) the Wi-Fi of the 5D IV could be enough to convince some users to upgrade.

The built-in Wi-Fi on the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV allows for remote shooting and wireless transfer of content
Simon Crisp/New Atlas

Once activated, smartphone or tablet users (iOS or Android) can remotely control the camera, or transfer images to the smart device. There are also options for connecting to computers, or printers. We found the implementation slick and easy to use, and can see how for many working pros who need to shift images quickly, this could be a compelling upgrade in itself.

Conclusion…

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV has gained a AF selector button
Simon Crisp/New Atlas

Our first impression of the 5D IV is that we can't wait to spend longer with it. A quick test is one thing, but it takes living with a camera and using it day in and day you to see what it's really made of. There really are so many features that we've as of yet only skimmed the surface.

While the specification of the 5D IV hasn't been treated with universal excitement, there are a number of users who wanted to see Canon push the series further, and we have no doubt that this camera will go down as another solid instalment in the series. It looks to offer very impressive stills shooting and top quality video options, which together makes it a very versatile camera.

This is a camera which can be different things to different users. Enthusiasts will find it plenty of camera to explore and grow into, while photojournalists will appreciate the top quality stills and the ability to transfer images quickly with Wi-Fi. Meanwhile, wedding photographers will like the low-light performance, wildlife snappers the continuous shooting rate, and there's plenty to keep indie film makers happy too.

The Canon EOS 5D IV is due to be available later this month priced at US$3,500 body-only.

Product page: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

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6 comments
jimmitomato
I don't want to sound rude... but the 5D M IV ist by far the biggest disapoitment CANON could publish. The camera doesnt support H264, nor H265 and records videos only in Motion JPEGs. The crop 1.74x is useless, unless you are happy with shaky telephoto shots and the jello on this camera is a nightmare. This was supposed to be Mark III couple of years ago. Now its 2016 and there are FF mirrorless cameras with 4k+ resolution and full sensor usage. Even the pictures are not as good as from Sony A7RII, which costs one third less... Sorry guys, but i buy your article... ;)
林景山
jimmitomato:
To make sure, I rechecked the canon website spec. only to reconfirm that this camera does support H.264. Maybe it's a default/option thing.
I'm a Canon user and, as a result, I have a bunch of Canon lens which are great workhorses and pieces of art too. So despite SONY A7RII reputation, I learned that it also has some limitations or downsides and sticks to Canon is a smart choice for me right now. Not to mention 5D mark IV is no way worse than my current mark III, right?
MikhailAnatoliGolitsyn
As a long time Canon user my gut tells me this camera will be another go to workhorse full DSLR the same way the 5 series has been for nearly a decade. It may not suit everyone, but Canon full frame DSLR cameras combined with great Canon lenses, have always been a very competent tool for producing great image.
I suspect most of the hate for the Canon 5D Mkiv is not from Nikon users, but from those sad little Sony fan boys. Please Sony boys, go back to swapping batteries in your child's camera, coping with your overheating issues and leave the rest of us alone. Perhaps, if angry enough, you can can produce some overcooked HDR wedding images as proof of your talent and your camera's relevance.
Keith Reeder
You do realise, Jimmi, that this is a CAMERA? And your comment comparing it with the A7Rii - well that's just fatuous, isn't it? Not only will the Canon kick the Sony into the weeds if you're the kind of photographer that - y'know - shoots things THAT MOVE;-but the article clearly states that there's no Raw converter available yet, so these are - presumably - OOC jpegs.
BillSalopek
Hi guys...thanks for the article.
One thing...it would have helped if you would have mentioned what lens(es) you were using to take the example shots, as well as perhaps the f-stop and shutter speed.
DavidWilliams
Thanks for the article. I've been wanting to see some high ISO results. I've been shooting with the Mark III since 2012. I get tired of seeing people posting about how disappointing the new Mark IV. NO CAMERA PERIOD is an end all cure all. I have yet to find one single camera that has 100% of every feature on it that I want. I do plan to move to the Mark IV because for what I shoot it will be an upgrade to the Mark III. Sorry, but even the magical Sony and Nikon cameras that everyone loves to praise DOES NOT offer every feature that I want in a camera which is why I'm sticking with Canon.