The Canon EOS 5D series family of DSLR camera bodies are well known in the market, it’s one of the best full frame DSLR cameras with great technical specifications and capabilities. My story with the Canon EOS 5D series began with the Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

When I reviewed the Canon EOS 5D Mark III in 2012, I had a fun and exciting photography adventure at that time, one of the photographs that I shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark III review camera during that time was chosen for a photography exhibition at Gardens By The Bay when it was officially opened. The EOS 5D Mark III was like my secret lucky charm Canon DLSR camera that I never owned.

Fast forward from 2012 to 2014, I went for a trip to Hokkaido in November 2014 with a loan unit from a photographer friend Marcus, this maiden Hokkaido trip turned out into another photography milestone for me, the Canon EOS 5D Mark III was the camera that allowed me to capture some of the most gorgeous landscape photographs, opening up my maiden entry into publishing my own photobook and printing A3 photographs on my Canon PIXMA Pro 10 printer for some special group of relatives and friends who encouraged and supported me a lot when I started on my photography journey.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark III set a pretty high benchmark for her performance and capabilities. When the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV was announced in August 2016, I was secretly excited (from a photography enthusiast perspective) and would love to have a go with this new Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. From a professional/commercial photographer perspective, I am very keen and curious to see, feel and test for myself the capabilities of this new DSLR camera, how does it compare to the EOS 5DS, EOS 5DS R and EOS 5D Mark III, considering its price and the features packed inside the EOS 5D Mark IV.

From my first few photographs that I shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, to be honest with everybody here, I was blown away by the accuracy and improved dynamic range of the EOS 5D Mark IV. I used the Speedlite 580EX2 with the EOS 5D Mark IV, I was able to get very accurate photographs without much/any shadows, thanks to the improved dynamic range of the EOS 5D Mark IV.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV graced a few events during the period it was with me, participated in some interesting photography adventures, visiting the Singapore Philatelic Museum, National Museum of Singapore and Asian Civilisations Museum, LG G6 smartphone launch, attended a modern communal dining known as the Quarters Experience and also a product/portraiture collaboration photo shoot. I also brought it out to take photographs of the cats in my neighbourhood, as well as, acting as a tourist and taking photographs of the Marina Bay during a photography walkabout.

Through the photographs that I took during this review period, I also observed and wrote down my thoughts and views on the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV that stood out during my observation during the review period.

Tiffany Yong

Peps Goh

Hong Peng

Improved dynamic range

The dynamic range of the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV has improved in the darks/shadows range from her early predecessor models. During the various shoots with the EOS 5D Mark IV, I observed that the EOS 5D Mark IV managed to capture the details of the darks/shadows range, thus allowing easier post editing in the darks/shadows recovery.

I also observed the improvement of the dynamic range from an earlier review, the Canon EOS 1DX Mark II. From my personal observations from the photographs that I took, analysing and forming my own personal opinions after reviewing both the EOS 5D Mark IV and EOS 1DX Mark II, my personal view is that the EOS 5D Mark IV has a more improved dynamic range than the EOS 1DX Mark II.

Colours

One aspect of the Canon EOS 5D series of DSLR cameras is the colours, they are able to produce rich and dynamic colours, ideal for travel photography and portraiture photography! Personally, I find the Canon EOS 5D series cameras (having also reviewed EOS 5D Mark III, EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R) produce rich and dynamic colours, suitable for straight off the camera jpeg photos printing.

Anti-Flickr

An improvement that many photographers would welcome with open arms, especially those photographers who have to shoot indoors, whether for events, indoor events or sports. This feature was available in the Canon EOS 1DX Mark II.

Inside my review article that I published not too long ago, I also wrote about this feature. The flickering of the indoor lights always pose an issue to photographers and they can give some photographers many problems/challenges to handle when shooting indoors. With the Anti-Flicker technology, indoor sports or events photography with the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is so much more easier and pleasant, without the hassles of the flickering lights.

Wi-Fi

The demands of photography and how society “consumes” photographs have changed a lot over time, there are times when a photographer needs to send their works as fast as possible, to their client, agency or even doing live updates on their social media channels/platforms.

With the Wi-Fi built inside the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, photographers would find this capability a blessing and sometimes, a must for their photography works requirement, especially for events photography.

Although my Wi-Fi connection setup between the DSLR and smartphone wasn’t as smooth flowing as I would like it to be, once it was setup and connected. Future connections were much faster and smoother, thus allowing quick and easy connection between the camera and smartphone, thus allowing the photographer to continue with their workflow to share or send the photographs over to their client/agency.

Sports/wildlife/fast action photography

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is a great camera and can be utilised in many photography genre. However, my personal opinions are that it’s not fast enough for sports/wildlife/fast action photography, even though it can still do its job and capture the photographs that you need.

The EOS 5D Mark IV is an excellent camera, highly and strongly recommended for travel, events, portraiture photography. If you are looking at sports/wildlife/fast action photography, do consider the Canon EOS 1DX Mark II.

4K Video capabilities

The reputation and video capabilities of the Canon EOS 5D series has always been one of the key and strong factors that make the Canon EOS 5D series well liked by professionals. Although I am a stills person, I do take videos once a while to complement my photography and writing work.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV has the ability to shoot DCI 4K movies and this is something that is very much welcomed. The Dual Pixel CMOS AF built inside the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, makes shooting of 4K videos easier and faster.

While I may not be a professional in video production work, the ability to shoot 4K videos is a huge bonus when it is needed, for events, travel photography etc. I shot some videos below with the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV during the review period, here are some of them uploaded onto my YouTube channel:

Thoughts and views – EOS 5D Mark IV vs EOS 5DS vs EOS 5DS R vs EOS 5D Mark III

The Canon EOS 5D family has produced an excellent series of DSLR cameras, some photographers might be thinking inside their mind, which model among them suits my photography genres and needs?

Therefore, I have come up with my own personal pointers to help/direct you towards the Canon EOS 5D camera models that might suit you best –

Choose the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

  • You are into events / travel photography
  • You are also into 4K video production
  • You are into medium format prints

Choose the Canon EOS 5DS R

  • You need the high megapixels
  • You are into large format prints
  • Travel photography is your key focus

Choose the Canon EOS 5DS

  • You need the high megapixels
  • You are into large format prints
  • Portraiture / Products photography are your key focus

Choose the Canon EOS 5D Mark III

  • When budget is a constraint and you don’t mind a slightly older DSLR camera model that is still a good DSLR camera

From my personal experiences reviewing all the above Canon EOS 5D series DSLR cameras, I personally prefer the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV (for travel, products and events photography) and the Canon EOS 5DS R (for commercial travel projects).

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS II USM lens review

The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS II USM lens is a kit lens that can be part of Canon EOS 5D Mark IV kit set combination that you can purchase with, the other combination being the EF 24-70mm f/4 L IS USM. The EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS II USM lens is an upgrade to the earlier EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens that is a kit lens for the Canon EOS 5D in 2005.

At this focal length from 24mm to 105mm, it’s ideal for wide angle to mid telephoto photography usage. A pretty solid and excellent lens, great for general photography usage. This is a much improved lens through my observations during the review period, whereby I shot quite a number of photographs with this kit lens. With the improved IS performances, the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS II USM lens is ideal for the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, in both stills photography and videography.

Final thoughts, views and opinions

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is an excellent and capable DSLR camera, ideal for both stills photography and videography. During the short review period, I managed to explore and tested out most of her capabilities. The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is really ideal for events, wedding and also travel photography.

I currently own the Canon EOS 1DX as my main camera setup, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is able to fit in nicely to my overall setup if I decide to go ahead with this combination and also if my finances allow. This is a really awesome DSLR camera and I really like it a lot.

In my earlier paragraphs, I wrote about my personal thoughts on the Canon EOS 5D series family of DSLR cameras. I would use that as a guide if I decide to add in another DSLR camera to my current setup and I hope this personal sharing would be useful for my followers, readers and fellow photographers. From my reviews done so far, I have a personal and stronger inclination towards Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and EOS 5DS R, based on their key strengths and photography direction that I want to head into with each of them.

The retail recommended price for the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV might be a bit pricey, however, this is definitely a worthy investment if you have the funds. If you are planning to own the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, go for it and explore the world of stills photography and videography together in one powerful Canon DSLR camera body!

** I would like to thank Canon Singapore for the opportunity to review the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV **


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