The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV brings 4K video, GPS and more

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 5D Mark IV body displays some modest changes

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What's new

• Sensor and autofocus. With this model, Canon continues its trend of replacing the standard CMOS sensors in its dSLRs with versions that use its Dual Pixel CMOS technology -- sensors with phase-detection autofocus points sharing each imaging pixel. The Dual Pixel CMOS architecture provides much better autofocus performance over older Canon systems, especially when shooting video or using Live View. The new sensor jumps to 30.4-megapixel resolution (from 22.3MP), and brings with it an update to the same second generation of its 61-pt High Density Reticular AF autofocus system that debuted in the 1DXM2, with a claimed AF sensitivity down to -4 EV in Live View, as well as its iTR face- and color-detection technology. The camera also gains the metering system found in the EOS 5DS models. Its image processor is the Digic 6+ which first appeared in the 1DXM2.
• 4K and HDR video. 4K recording has become essential in the current generation of high-end cameras; it delivers far more detail than HD and allows the ability to extract 8-megapixel images. Like the 1DM2, Canon skips the popular UHD 4K format (3,840 x 2,160), instead supporting just cinema-focused DCI (4,096 x 2,160). Most cameras that offer DCI also offer UHD, in part because the two formats have different aspect ratios: UHD's TV-friendly 1.78 vs. DCI's 1.9. The 5DM4 also inherits the HDR movie capability Canon first incorporated into the 80D, which shoots each 1080/60p video frame at two exposures, then combines them for a single 1080/30p frame.
• Performance. Given the updates, the autofocus is likely faster, especially for Live View. However, its continuous shooting speed is only a bit faster -- 7 frames per second vs. 6fps. That's not bad in general for this class of camera, but here that rating is without autofocus, autoexposure and image stabilization. The buffer, too, is only a couple shots deeper for raw, which is disappointing.
• Features. In addition to Wi-Fi with NFC, Canon adds GPS; it can be used to sync the time across multiple bodies as well as geotag. And you can use FTP for file transfer via the Wi-Fi connection. Canon adds an intervalometer and a timer for bulb mode so your forefinger gets a break. There's also a new file format, Dual Pixel raw, which will allow you to make sub-pixel adjustments in software for increased sharpness; since Canon is the last manufacturer to retain a softening antialiasing filter on its sensors -- better for video but worse for stills -- this is probably Canon's workaround. The files are twice the size of a standard raw, however. In the same vein, you'll now be able to shoot with its corrective Digital Lens Optimizer live rather than having to apply it in postprocessing.
• Design. Overall, the body design remains the same, save for a few tweaks. Perhaps most important, it has improved dust-and-weather sealing, on par with the 7D Mark II according to Canon. The remote terminal moves to the front to make room for a USB 3 connector, and it adds the much-easier-to-manipulate joystick control for selecting AF areas that we've seen in recent Canon models. The back LCD is similar to the one on the 1DXM2, but it supports touch for all actions (rather than just a limited number of operations). The shutter mechanism has a softer, less vibratory operation and the now-Canon standard Intelligent Viewfinder II overlay. You'll have to buy a new battery grip, though, the BG-E20.

My take

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.

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