Canon EOS 5D Mark IV review

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is a favorite professional workhorse that's good in lots of areas but doesn't exactly excel anywhere

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV review
(Image: © Canon)

Digital Camera World Verdict

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV was big news when it arrived, with pretty much every element improved over the previous 5D Mark III. But that was way back in August 2016, and the world has moved on since then, so does the 5D Mark IV still have what it takes? The 30.4MP sensor is good, the noise and dynamic range are good. The DCI 4K video capture is good, although the 1.64x crop of the sensor makes it hard to get wide-angle shots. The build, handling and ergonomics are good. But this is the issue for the EOS 5D Mark IV – everything is good in a market where many cameras are outstanding.

Pros

  • +

    Solid build and handling

  • +

    30MP sensor a step ahead of 24MP rivals

  • +

    Dual Pixel CMOS AF for live view and video

Cons

  • -

    Fixed rear screen

  • -

    Heavy 1.64x crop for 4K video

  • -

    Middle of the road resolution and frame rate

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The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV has a rich heritage. The clue is in the number – Canon's EOS 1-series cameras (like the EOS-1Dx III) are uncompromising professional cameras with uncompromising prices, while the EOS 5-series cameras are for workaday pro photographers who need reliability, performance and versatility all in one. And when it appeared in 2016, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV promised all three. 

But that was in 2016. Does it still have what it takes to compete? It's still one of the best Canon cameras simply because the company has yet to launch a comparable alternative, and it's still one of the best full frame DSLRs and best cameras for professionals for the same reason... but it's been on the market a long time and the world has moved on, so it's time to take another look at this camera in today's context.

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Rod Lawton
Contributor

Rod is an independent photography journalist and editor, and a long-standing Digital Camera World contributor, having previously worked as DCW's Group Reviews editor. Before that he has been technique editor on N-Photo, Head of Testing for the photography division and Camera Channel editor on TechRadar, as well as contributing to many other publications. He has been writing about photography technique, photo editing and digital cameras since they first appeared, and before that began his career writing about film photography. He has used and reviewed practically every interchangeable lens camera launched in the past 20 years, from entry-level DSLRs to medium format cameras, together with lenses, tripods, gimbals, light meters, camera bags and more. Rod has his own camera gear blog at fotovolo.com but also writes about photo-editing applications and techniques at lifeafterphotoshop.com