Railfan Technology > Canon 5D Mark IV - Impressed (no, really!)

OK gang, here's the scoop - and, no, the World did not end nor has my
account been hacked, lol.

I done did it - I bit the bullet and upgraded from a Canon 5D Mark III
to, no, not a Nikon (yet, lol), but indeed, a new 5D Mark IV. Well, a
refurbished one, but new enough (if not in fact, new).

OK - first on reconditioned: Purchased from Canon, saved about $500 off
the new retail price of $3299.00, down from $3499.00. My 5D Mark III
was refurbished as well and though it did in fact need service after just
2 months, it served me well (image quality issues aside, very well for the
next 3 years. Both that camera and this one arrived with under 800 shutter
activations. Likely store stock, a return, or, yet possibly, lots of "high
way" miles, lol - with new internals. They are in stock at Canon as of
this report, btw - $2799.00 - with 1 year warranty.

Next - Why? Well - as noted previously - I have quite a collection of Canon
gear (lenses, flashes, batteries, memory cards, ect) But interestingly, I
do in fact like the layout of the camera, the ease of use and features. It
was only the image quality issue that bothered me, along with many other die-
hard Canon users. IQ issues, you say? Yes - the poor dynamic range of just
about EVERY Canon camera prior to the 80D and 5D Mark IV. This was due to the
signal loss and noise inherent in the system Canon used which differed from Sony
(and, naturally, Nikon with its Sony sensors). Unlike Canon, Sony /Nikon has
always had its image processor ON the sensor vs requiring a taxi cab ride to another
part of the motherboard. Consequently, where Canon - nearly across the entire
line maxed out at 11.6 stops of range, Sony /Nikon (also across their entire line)
maxed out at 14.7! That's 3 stops! It's almost as if for every shot you took
with a Nikon /Sony, you'd have the equivalent of a Canon shot bracketed +1, 0 and
-1 stops merged back into a single image - like an HDR but on all shots, including
the action shots. The 80D and 5D Mark IV are the first two cameras to move the
image processor to the chip and the results are wonderful.

Oddly, the 5D Mark IV has not quite yet matched the four year old Sony /Nikon gear
in dynamic range, but it's pretty close (13.7 vs 14.6ish). And it should be noted
that the deviations diminish significantly as you up the ISO. Now - with the Sun at
your back, or a decent light source, this is not much an issue, but for those high
contrast and low ambient light shots - it's a game changer! Think sunset, sunrise,
black against white, bright headlights & white clouds against dark subjects, and mostly,
bringing back detail in the shadows (ie; where the flash did not reach or where you
wish you had a flash). And, y'know those sliders in Lightroom - you can actually use
them to a much fuller extent free of noise and banding.

Anyway - quite impressed! The extra megapixels (from 22 to 30) means cropping an
image still leaves you with decent resolution. And not cropping means that much more
detail captured - it's pretty wild. The extra dynamic range is the big deal here, though,
yet I do wonder what that one extra stop with Sony /Nikon would offer. Honestly, it's like
my Canon 5D Mark III was unregistered "light version" shareware and the 5D Mark IV is the
full featured paid version.

In a nut shell:

More MP is a good thing - allows you to crop and maintain quality and improves sharpness
of your image across the board (despite Canon's use of a moire filter). Memory is cheap.
30 MP is a good number, more likely offers more opportunities, yet might begin to slow
your computer down.

More dynamic range is an EXCELLENT thing. Rumor has it the next series of upgrades from
Nikon (and consequently, Sony) may up the ante - a scary thought as 14.8 seemed to be a
cap for years. WORD OF WARNING!!!! EARLY REPORTS SUGGEST THE DYNAMIC RANGE OF THE NEW
CANON 6D MARK II not only do not meet the original 6D (with its unimproved dynamic range,
but may in fact be worse - way to go, Canon - how???

Touch screen - eh, I can take or leave it.

GPS - eh, I'd rather have Nikon's built in flash. Yes, GPS is a nice feature, but it drains
the battery FAST. Consequently, it's always off for me.

WIFI - neat! Drains power very fast, too - but easy to enable and disable. Transfer files
to your cell phone, print them, and even take photos using your cell phone with a free app.

No tilt screen - odd, would've been nice (and in line with the competition) but in a pinch,
you can use the WIFI app and see the image on the phone, as well as snap the shot.

Frames per Second - 7 vs 6, not bad (should've been faster as originally rumored - maybe like
the 7D, Canon will "unlock" the speed restriction sometime in the future... though, unlikely).
The D750 is 6 (or is it 6.5?) while the D810 is 5, though faster at lower resolutions and a
more powerful battery (why doesn't Canon offer this??).

Video - I didn't buy my still camera to take video. Kind of resent paying for the feature.
As I understand it... though it's 4K (now), it's a "lite" version of 4K restricted in some
form which has many users quite aggravated.

Dual pixel - "What-ever". OK, I hear it's very good for LIVE VIEW focusing, but for improving
sharpness and changing modestly if at all, the depth of field focal point - I would imaging only
a portrait photographer would enable it and later take the time to manipulate it in Canon's soft
ware.

Low light photography (using higher ISO's) - I'll have to report back, though seems MUCH MUCH
improved (took a shot at ISO 128000 in a dark room and it didn't look half bad with a flash).
Have yet to take a shot otherwise, above 800 ISO.

Nikon's D750 and D810 are steals right now - I'd likely go that route if I was not fully
invested in Canon, but for the Canon user, I think in lieu of that extra stop of dynamic
range, along with a chunk of cash - you get improved focus accuracy (focus speed overall and
in low light) along with the familiar feel and nice layout of the Canon (and its speed dial),
along with the "gimmicks" such as WIFI, touch screen, GPS, ect, and 7 fps is not too shabby,
along with 30 MP's. It's somewhat smaller and lighter than its predecessor, and definitely
smaller than the D810. Of course, it's no mirrorless, nor does it have built in image
stabilization, nor a "what you see is what you get" image in the "view finder".

Rumor has Nikon announcing the successor to the D810 this Tuesday (July 25th), perhaps 44 MP
and even greater dynamic range and low light capabilities (despite the extra MP) while the
successor to the D750 is now rumored to be pushed off until sometime in 2018.

/Mitch



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/17 19:01 by Mgoldman.

Interesting and thorough report. Thanks for taking the time to inform us.

KG (Nikon user).

Thanks for the review, Mitch. Picked up a cheap NEW 6D (under $1200) about a year ago, to move up to full frame ... along with the EF 100-400 f4.5/5.6L IS II (again, at a VERY good price). Very disappointed that Canon "nerf'd" the sensor on the 6DII to avoid cutting into 5DIV sales. Looks like I'll just stick to the 6D for now, and might go the 5DIV route after the holidays in early 2018.

I recently picked up the 5DIV. It is a competent camera, but not anything swoonworthy. One thing it can do well is focus on fast moving objects, like the Acela. But other cameras can do that, too. It's video is way behind Nikon and more importantly Sony. And it is overpriced.

I got a good price via canonpricewatch. If I didn't have a number of Canon lenses, I would have jumped ship to the Sony E-mount mirrorless line.

So, make me an offer on my gently used Canon 6D.

Great report, thank you, Mitch. In addition to Mitch's observations about the Canon line (which I am also heavily invested in), I would add that I have increasingly found the big heavy SLR staying in the bag in favor of the ubiquitous iPhone. And, some photography that would benefit from a more portable "real" camera, such as single-day trips for work.

I'm thinking about selling off the Canon gear (5D MkII and a bunch of L glass) in favor of a Fuji X2 Pro and a couple of lenses. Haven't looked at Sony yet. I'm open to suggestions and input on that.
-Alex

I have been a Nikon user since 1969 so I can't comment about Canon. That being said, I am the owner of a couple of large, heavy, DSLR bodies and lenses and a pair of very arthritic shoulders. Recently, I purchased a Nikon D3400 with a 18-55 zoom lens for travel use. I have found it to be an excellent camera. It is small and light for a DSLR, the lens is the sharpest zoom I have ever used, it is easy to use, not too expensive, and I am extremely happy with it. I will be taking it to Switzerland in September.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/17 17:13 by birdman.

Great report for the 5D MkIV... I am also invested in Canon gear but this spring bought a T6s Rebel. Between the 5D MkII and a 100 - 400 mm "L" lens, there's a similarity between weight lifting and using this combination. Using my T6s and a 70 - 300mm lens is much less fatiguing for a lot of shooting.

I actually like using the cropped sensor T6s to give me the advantage of having a tele extender without actually using one and losing f stops.

James Nelson
Thornton, CO
www.flickr.com/mojaveflyer

mojaveflyer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Great report for the 5D MkIV... I am also invested
> in Canon gear but this spring bought a T6s Rebel.
> Between the 5D MkII and a 100 - 400 mm "L" lens,
> there's a similarity between weight lifting and
> using this combination. Using my T6s and a 70 -
> 300mm lens is much less fatiguing for a lot of
> shooting.
>
> I actually like using the cropped sensor T6s to
> give me the advantage of having a tele extender
> without actually using one and losing f stops.

Bingo - for the majority of railroad photography, arguably a cropped sensor/APS-C bit of kit is the better weapon...

ISO 128,000?  Wow, gotta think of a use for that. Dear spouse suggested available light photos in a coal mine. 

Seriously, thanks for the review. Going full frame is something I've promised myself to do in the next year or so.