The long-awaited -- and long-rumored -- successor to Canon's popular pro full-frame camera looks like it has all the essential modern capabilities for its class.
It's been a whopping four years since Canon first shipped its full-frame EOS 5D Mark III dSLR, a popular model for professional photographers who don't need the speed of a model the size of, say, a 1D X Mark II. And even then the 5DM3 wasn't a huge change from the Mark II. But for its update, the 5D Mark IV, Canon has made a lot of essential upgrades necessary to make it current for its core users -- such as wedding, fashion and landscape photographers as well as videographers -- especially if the company wants it to last another 4 years. These include a new sensor (with updated autofocus) and updated metering system, 4K and HDR video and built-in GPS.
For the body, the 5DM4 runs $3,300 (£3,350, AU$5,000; that puts it about $500 (AU$400) more than the still-available 5DM3. (Canon itself doesn't seem to be selling the Mark III directly anymore in the US or UK, but you can find it elsewhere.) There's also a slightly more expensive model that includes Canon Log gamma.
Canon addressed many of the shortcomings from the previous model and seems to have brought it up to date appropriately. The biggest disappointment to me is the unchanged ISO sensitivity range; a high maximum usually means important improvements in noise reduction in the middle of the range. But it's not surprising, since Canon usually targets maintaining image quality status quo when switching from standard to the Dual Pixel CMOS.
Given the new features, I suspect quite a few Mark III owners will be itching to upgrade; that means this fall should be a good time to pick up a used one.
Editors's note: Updated with new pricing.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III | Canon EOS 5D Mark IV | Nikon D810 | Pentax K-1 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sensor effective resolution | "22.3MP CMOS 8-channel readout 14-bit" | "30.4MP Dual-Pixel CMOS n/a 14-bit" | "36.3MP CMOS 12-channel readout 14-bit" | "36.4MP CMOS n/a 14-bit" |
Sensor size | 36 mm x 24mm | 36 mm x 24mm | 35.9 mm x 24mm | 35.9 mm x 24mm |
Focal-length multiplier | 1.0x | 1.0x | 1.0x | 1.0x |
OLPF | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Sensitivity range | ISO 50 (exp)/100 - ISO 25600/102400 (exp) | ISO 50 (exp)/100 - ISO 25600/102400 (exp) | ISO 32 (exp)/64 - ISO 12800/51200 (exp) | ISO 100 - ISO 204,800 |
Burst shooting | "6fps 18 raw/unlimited JPEG (with AF/AE fixed on first exposure and IS off)" | "7fps 21 raw/unlimited JPEG (with AF/AE fixed on first exposure and IS off)" | "5fps n/a (6fps in DX mode, 7fps with battery grip)" | "4.4fps 70 JPEG/23 raw (6.5fps in APS-C crop mode)" |
"Viewfinder (mag/ effective mag)" | "Optical 100% coverage 0.71x/0.71x" | "Optical 100% coverage 0.71x/0.71x" | "Optical 100% coverage 0.70x/0.70x" | "Optical 100% coverage 0.70x/0.70x" |
Hot Shoe | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Autofocus | "61-pt High Density Reticular AF 21 center diagonal to f5.6 5 center to f2.8 20 outer to f4" | "61-pt High Density Reticular AF II 21 cross-type at f5.6 20 cross-type at f4 and f5.6 20 horizontal at f5.6 5 dual cross-type at f2.8 and f5.6 61 to f8; 21 cross-type" | "51-pt 15 cross type 11 cross type to f8 (Multi-CAM 3500-FX)" | "33-point phase detection 25 cross type (SAFOX 12)" |
"AF sensitivity (at center point)" | -2 - 20 EV | -3 - 18 EV | -2 - 19 EV | -3 - 18 EV |
Shutter speed | 1/8000 to 30 secs; bulb; 1/200 sec x-sync | 1/8000 to 30 secs; bulb; 1/200 sec x-sync | 1/8000 to 30 secs; bulb; 1/250 sec x-sync | 1/8000 to 30 secs; bulb; 1/200 sec x-sync |
Shutter durability | 150,000 cycles | 150,000 cycles | 200,000 cycles | 300,000 cycles |
Metering | 63-area iFCL | 150,000-pixel RGB+IR with 252 zones | 91,000-pixel RGB 3D Color Matrix Metering III | 86,000-pixel RGB |
Metering sensitivity | 1 - 20 EV | "0 - 20 EV (-4 - 20 EV in Live View)" | 0 - 20 EV | -3 - 20 EV |
Best video | "H.264 QuickTime MOV 1080/30p, 25p, 24p; 720/60p, 50p" | "QuickTime MOV Motion JPEG DCI 4K (4,096 x 2,160) 2160/30p @ 500Mbps, 720/120p; 1080/30p HDR" | "H.264 QuickTime MOV 1080/60p, 50p @ 42Mbps, 1080/30p, 25p, 24p @ 24Mbps" | H.264 QuickTime MOV 1080/30p, 720/60p |
Audio | mono; mic input; headphone jack | mono; mic input; headphone jack | stereo; mic input; headphone jack | stereo, mic input, headphone jack |
Manual aperture and shutter in video | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Maximum best-quality recording time | 29m59s | n/a | "20 minutes internal 40 minutes (with external pack)" | 4GB/25 minutes |
Clean HDMI out | Yes | n/a | Yes | Yes |
IS | Optical | Optical | Optical | "Sensor shift 5-axis" |
LCD | "3.2 in/8.1 cm Fixed 1.04m dots" | "3.2 in/8.1 cm Fixed touchscreen 1.62m dots" | "3.2 in/8 cm Fixed 921,000 dots plus extra set of white dots" | "3.2 in/8 cm Variable angle 1.04m dots" |
Memory slots | 1 x CF (UDMA mode 7), 1 x SDXC | 1 x CF (UDMA mode 7), 1 x SDXC | 1 x CF (UDMA mode 7), 1 x SDXC | 2 x SDXC |
Wireless connection | "Optional (Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E7A)" | Wi-Fi, NFC | "Optional (WT-4A Wireless transmitter or UT-1 Communication Unit with WT-5A)" | Wi-Fi, NFC |
Flash | No | No | Yes | No |
Wireless flash | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Battery life (CIPA rating) | "950 shots (1,800mAh)" | "900 shots (VF), 300 shots (LV) (1,865 mAh)" | "1,200 shots (1,800 mAh)" | "760 shots (1,860 mAh)" |
Size (WHD) | "6.0 x 4.6 x 3.0 in 152 x 116 x 76 mm" | "5.9 x 4.6 x 3.0 in 151 x 116 x 76 mm" | "5.8 x 4.9 x 3.3 in 146 x 123 x 81.5 mm mm" | "5.4 x 4.3 x 3.4 in 137 x 110 x 86mm" |
Body operating weight | "33.5 oz 950 g" | "31.4 oz (est.) 890 g (est.)" | "34.6 oz 980 g" | "35.8 oz 1,014 g" |
Mfr. price (body only) | "$2,600 £2,400 AU$3,350" | "$3,500 £2,630 AU$5,200" | "$2,800 £2,140 (est.) AU$4,500" | "$1,800 £1,600 AU$2,900" |
Release date | March 2012 | September 2016 | July 2014 | April 2016 |