Canon EOS 5D Mark IV review: Approaching perfection

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV: Image quality

Let’s start by establishing that the 5D Mark IV’s photos are fantastic. What else did you expect from a full-frame Canon SLR? Details from its 30-megapixel sensor fell neatly into line between the 22-megapixel 5D Mark III and the 50-megapixel 5Ds. Noise levels at high ISO speeds were significantly lower than from the 5Ds, and a small but welcome improvement over the Mark III, particularly in terms of retention of fine detail in JPEGs. It also outperformed the Sony a7R II for noise levels but couldn’t quite match the 24-megapixel Nikon D750 for JPEG quality at fast ISO speeds.

The automatic exposure system handled tricky lighting conditions well but the camera doesn’t automatically raise the shutter speed to counteract detected camera shake or moving subjects. Most people spending this much will be happy to use shutter priority in these situations but I’d like the option for the camera to handle these issues automatically. I also noticed quite a few shots where details were slightly less than pixel-sharp, particularly for shutter speeds between 1/100s and 1/200s, and a couple of landscape shots where the viewfinder-based autofocus had focused on the foreground rather than the main subject.

^ A well-balanced automatic exposure with natural colours. Focus is sharper in the immediate foreground than on the trees, though. (1/160s, f/7.1, ISO 100, 60mm)

^ Excellent colours but focus isn’t quite pixel sharp once again. (1/125s, f/7.1, ISO 100, 50mm)

^ Focus is better here, although that may be down to the faster shutter speed. (1/200s, f/5, ISO 100, 105mm)

^ Pin-sharp focus with a faster automatic shutter speed. (1/320s, f/7.1, ISO 100, 93mm)

^ There’s a bit of grain on the smooth gradients of the walls in this ISO 1600 shot but it’s well within print-quality standards. (1/30s, f/4, ISO 1600, 24mm)

^ I set the shutter speed to 1/200s to freeze motion. Autofocus is spot on and the ISO 2500 setting has had very little impact on details or noise levels. (1/200s, f/2.8, ISO 2500, 35mm, shutter priority)

^ Another excellent result at ISO 3200, this time with a slower shutter speed in artificial light. (1/40s, f/2.8, ISO 3200, 28mm)

^ There isn’t much detail in the grass and foliage in this shot taken at dusk at ISO 6400 but it looks fine at modest sizes. (1/125s, f/4, ISO 6400, 105mm)

^ The same goes for this ISO 12800 shot, although, as usual, the out-of-focus background shows noise more than the foreground. (1/60s, f/4, ISO 12800, 70mm)

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV review: Verdict

The 5D Mark IV builds on the exquisite Mark III to deliver a camera that is bang up to date and leaves barely anything to be desired. The £3,599 launch price is higher than the Mark III (£2,799) or the 5Ds (£2,999) cost at launch, though. It’s also vastly more than the superb Nikon D750, which currently sells for £1,599.

This is the first 4K camera I’ve reviewed that I would consider relying on its autofocus for mission-critical tasks. It isn’t completely infallible, but the success rate is close enough to be an acceptable risk. That’s a big breakthrough for news reporting, weddings, concerts and theatre performances, where it’s often not convenient to focus manually but you don’t have the option to shoot again if the autofocus messes up. It’s just frustrating that this breakthrough comes with such massive file sizes. If video is a priority, the Panasonic GH4 remains my top recommendation, especially as it costs just £999.

Still, Canon users now have yet another excellent model to choose from. It’s the best 5D model for video capture, performance, autofocus and — narrowly — image quality. I don’t think it’s an essential upgrade for Mark III and 5Ds owners, but this is the full-frame Canon SLR that I’d choose.