Years in the making, the Canon 5D Mark IV is finally official and ships in a couple weeks (September 8 to be exact). If you’ve been following the rumor mill, there isn’t really much of a surprise here. It has everything we’ve expected and looks pretty good across the board.
Canon 5D Mark IV Key Features
- 30.4MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
- DIGIC 6+ Image Processor
- 3.2″ 1.62m-Dot Touchscreen LCD Monitor
- DCI 4K Video at 30 fps; 8.8MP Still Grab
- 61-Point High Density Reticular AF II
- Native ISO 32000, Expanded to ISO 102400
- Dual Pixel RAW; AF Area Select Button
- Dual Pixel CMOS AF and Movie Servo AF
- 7 fps Shooting; CF & SD Card Slots
- Built-In GPS and Wi-Fi with NFC
- USB 3.0
As I previously surmised, it looks like the AF system is pulled right out of the 1D X Mark II. The 61-point High-Density Reticular AF II system allows all AF points to be selected by the user and offers up to 41 cross-type points depending on the lens. It also offers expanded frame coverage and supports AF at max apertures up to f/8 with all 61 AF points with compatible lenses and EF extenders. AF sensitivity in low light is EV-3 and EV-4 when in Live View mode.
Of course, the new 4K capture will get a lot of the headlines as the first Canon DSLR that’s not a 1D-series to feature 4K recording, which is available at 24p and 30p frame rates. 1080p capture is available up to 60fps and 720p capture at 120fps. The 4K Frame Grab feature allows for 8.8MP stills to be extracted from footage in camera.
The 5D Mark IV also gets Dual Pixel CMOS AF for what should be solid AF tracking while shooting video and during live view. Of course, WiFi, NFC and GPS are all new additions to the 5D line and have been on many users’ wish lists for years.
Alongside, the Canon 5D Mark IV, we also get a couple new lenses:
- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM ($1099)
- Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM ($2199)
The new 24-105mm lens is a replacement for the popular 5D kit lens in use for a couple generations now. At $1099, it is priced in line with the old version. The new 24-105mm lens is available in a kit with the 5D Mark IV for $4599.
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM Key Specs
- EF-Mount L-Series Lens/Full-Frame Format
- Aperture Range: f/4 to 22
- Four GMo Aspherical Elements
- Air Sphere Coating
- Ring-Type Ultrasonic Motor AF System
- Optical Image Stabilization
- Internal Focus; Full-Time MF Override
- Zoom Lock Switch; Fluorine Coating
- Dust- and Water-Resistant Construction
- Rounded 10-Blade Diaphragm
The zoom lock switch is a welcomed addition, along with what are sure to be optical and AF improvements. Zoom creep is one of the biggest frustrations that I have come to have with the first version of this lens since it stays on my camera most of the time. I’m really glad Canon upgraded this lens and can’t wait to add the new version to my kit.
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM Key Specs
- EF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
- Aperture Range: f/2.8 to 22
- Three Aspherical & Two UD Elements
- Subwavelength & Air Sphere Coatings
- Ring-Type Ultrasonic Motor AF System
- Internal Focus; Full-Time MF Override
- Fluorine Coating on Exposed Elements
- Dust- and Water-Resistant Construction
- Rounded 9-Blade Diaphragm
The Canon 5D Mark IV and new lenses should be available to customers on September 8, 2016. Of course, that depends on the amount of stock available at launch. There could very well be a lengthy waitlist for the 5D Mark IV, as has been the case with popular camera launches in the past. You can find pre-order links for all the products below.
- Canon 5D Mark IV body
- Canon 5D Mark IV w/ EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM
- Canon 5D Mark IV w/ EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM
- Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM
- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Also, there’s a new Canon 5D Mark IV battery grip, the Canon BG-E20, priced at $349. You can find it here at B&H Photo.
brian says
Is $4599 REALLY the price of the 5D4 and new 24-105 as a kit?! Save yourself a dollar and just buy the two separately!
I’m likely not going to be pre-ordering, but likely will be getting one 5D4. It’s almost what I’ve been waiting for, but as in typical Canon fashion, not exactly there…
The 1.74x crop for 4K video is pretty pathetic. Would have been better making this a 3K camera (or 2.whatver-K camera) so the full frame could be used. I get the photo nuts who “don’t want video” but this isn’t even really appeasing the video guys who want 4K with this camera.
Going to be more interested to see if 1080HD quality has improved, better DR, better low-light, etc.
Offering MOV and MP4 compression options for 1080 and 720 is nice, but really missing codec support for 4K. Doubt dual-recording would be possible for “proxy-esque” but would be interesting, if so. CF gets 1080 MOV and SD gets MP4 720? (Never going to happen…)
Jared says
Glad to see that it still uses the same batteries as the Mk3. I read some rumors that said it might use a new battery. I’m sure the SD card reader will be faster in the 5D Mk4 than the crippled SD reader in the 5d Mk3. Although I seem to remember reading that it’s only UHS I not UHS II.
I think $350 is too much for the battery grip. But I thought $250 was expensive for the Mk3 grip!
Maybe I’m a lens snob, but I don’t see the appeal of f/4 lenses. I wish Canon would put more effort (and Image Stabilization) into f/2.8 lenses.
Gary G says
If Canon would have added some modern features to the 5DS and 5DS R they would have a modern camera with a world beating sensor. Now they have a camera with modern features, the 5D IV, and a pair of cameras with a world beating sensor, but regrettably the photographer has to choose between modern features and a world beating sensor. What an unfortunate marketing disconnect for Canon.