OK so had chance to really test the 5D4 in the field as it were ! Its the end of wedding season but also the hardest part with long dark days and varying amounts of wind and rain !

Thoughts so far for anyone interested - I am coming from 5D3s and mk2/1 before that and use mainly in wedding work but also some commercial and landscape uses too.

Positives against the 5D3:

Very similar form factor extremely comfortable to hold as most canons are

Feels slighty lighter to use and well balanced

Button layout similar enough to be easy to get straight into - with a couple of handy extras which can be customized

ISO performance - definitely less/finer grain and happily getting away with shooting at iso12800 and cleaning up a bit so enabling better low light shots and faster shutter speeds, i would say the 5D3 was maxed at 6400.

Image Quality / RAW - the raw files definitely have more latitude and I am able to pull more from the shadows than I ever was with the 5d3 so a definite win here.

Touch Screen - has come in handy especially in the dark and cold instead of fumbling for buttons and being able to pinch zoom in to images is a god send at times for speed sake.

Viewfinder display - this is much better with all camera info now shown and being able to lit bright red so you can really see it when needed without looking at camera
In camera Menu system much better with now being able to add multiple favorite screens hence get all needed functions to front

Autofocus in video mode is a world apart better than the 5D3 and is actually useable


Negatives against the 5D3

Battery life very poor ! I am now only getting through half wedding ie 5 hours whereas the 5d3 could get through 12 hours - have turned off wifi but still wasting batteries fast - the newer lpE6N battery does not appear to last any better than the standard batteries either

Shutter noise even in silent shutter mode is now louder than the 5D3 was , not massively but enough to notice especially during weddings.

Wifi is a bit gimmicky and finding it disconnects at the drop of a hat and reconnecting the app etc is more trouble than its worth - not that i really need it

File size is much bigger now around 30-40mb per cr2 file , so you definitely need a bigger card

Still not supporting fast sd cards so backing up using sd slows overall fps speed somewhat



On balance it has its issues but for the pure quality iso and dr over the 5d3 i would recommend it and love it , the rest i can work around and put up with !



Wedding Photographer North East & Yorkshire Northumberland & Wedding Photographer Cumbria
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users

Maximilian

The dark side - I've been there
CR Pro
Nov 7, 2013
5,665
8,492
Germany
Thanks, Andrew, for sharing your impressions with the 5D4.
Of course Alan is right that this camera is already available for some time, but if you hadn't have the time to get in contact with it until now it is also good to share your thoughts today.
Esp. as the price is getting more and more interesting.

Question on the battery drain:
Did you also turn off the GPS?
Your battery drain sounds a little bit more than I've expected.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Upvote 0
Thanks, Andrew, for sharing your impressions with the 5D4.
Of course Alan is right that this camera is already available for some time, but if you hadn't have the time to get in contact with it until now it is also good to share your thoughts today.
Esp. as the price is getting more and more interesting.

Question on the battery drain:
Did you also turn off the GPS?
Your battery drain sounds a little bit more than I've expected.
I have had the camera for two months now so thought maybe someone looking at upgrading or business people like myself who dont jump in straightway as we have to justify the cost might be helped by the info :) I already turned off both wifi and gps disabled in menu , what sort of battery life are you getting please ?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Upvote 0
Thanks, Andrew, for sharing your impressions with the 5D4.
Of course Alan is right that this camera is already available for some time, but if you hadn't have the time to get in contact with it until now it is also good to share your thoughts today.
Esp. as the price is getting more and more interesting.

Question on the battery drain:
Did you also turn off the GPS?
Your battery drain sounds a little bit more than I've expected.


btw on price i managed to get a brand new one with 5 yr guarantee for £1700 so obviously way better than the early prices - its a no brainer at that price for me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0

Maximilian

The dark side - I've been there
CR Pro
Nov 7, 2013
5,665
8,492
Germany
...what sort of battery life are you getting please ?
Sorry, don't have it myself, so no personal experiences. But I am interested in maybe upgrading from the 5D3, so I have read a lot about it, so some theoretical knowledge. Most people say the 5D4 has about 2/3 to 3/4 battery life compared to the 5D3.

btw on price i managed to get a brand new one with 5 yr guarantee for £1700 so obviously way better than the early prices - its a no brainer at that price for me.
In Germany there was an Advent calendar rebate that made an overall price of 2199,- € incl. cash back.
I was quite tempted but my bank account told me that I haven't reached the limits of the 5D3 yet ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0
Sorry, don't have it myself, so no personal experiences. But I am interested in maybe upgrading from the 5D3, so I have read a lot about it, so some theoretical knowledge. Most people say the 5D4 has about 2/3 to 3/4 battery life compared to the 5D3.


In Germany there was an Advent calendar rebate that made an overall price of 2199,- € incl. cash back.
I was quite tempted but my bank account told me that I haven't reached the limits of the 5D3 yet ;)

I have done at least half a dozen weddings with it and can say that i am getting less that 1/2 of the battery life of the 5d3, given that i need to change before i hits empty rather than risk losing a shot its meaning three batteries now for the average wedding , it was one before and still had power left. ive got gps and wifi off but will go into the detailed settings and see if anything else helps. I changed mine because of the price and one of my 5D3s was about to hit 200k so time to change !!
 
Upvote 0

YuengLinger

Print the ones you love.
CR Pro
Dec 20, 2012
3,751
2,269
USA
Absolutely shorter battery life, about 3/5 for me, but the much better AF makes it worthwhile. A much higher keeper rate, especially when composing with the AF point off center. Plus truly snappy LiveView AF. I've had mine almost two years.

I wonder if AF settings, along with light-levels, make the AF system drain more or less power.

The way the battery drains down is mystifying. Even when powered off...I have a hunch BasXcanon is on to something. It does seem now that when I forget to power off with the switch, a few days later I have more drain time than just letting the camera go to sleep. Really weird, and, agreed, the "N" version of the battery doesn't seem to last any longer, but I haven't done a controlled, careful test.

But, left alone in a drawer, the "N" tends to discharge faster than the non-"N." I'm sure of that. And a 5D III with a non-N battery can sit in sleep mode or powered off for months with only a 10-20% drop. The 5D IV with an "N" would be down from 95% to 35% in the same amount of time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0

RayValdez360

Soon to be the greatest.
Jun 6, 2012
787
555
42
Philadelphia
OK so had chance to really test the 5D4 in the field as it were ! Its the end of wedding season but also the hardest part with long dark days and varying amounts of wind and rain !



Negatives against the 5D3

Battery life very poor ! I am now only getting through half wedding ie 5 hours whereas the 5d3 could get through 12 hours - have turned off wifi but still wasting batteries fast - the newer lpE6N battery does not appear to last any better than the standard batteries either

Shutter noise even in silent shutter mode is now louder than the 5D3 was , not massively but enough to notice especially during weddings.

Wifi is a bit gimmicky and finding it disconnects at the drop of a hat and reconnecting the app etc is more trouble than its worth - not that i really need it

File size is much bigger now around 30-40mb per cr2 file , so you definitely need a bigger card

Still not supporting fast sd cards so backing up using sd slows overall fps speed somewhat



On balance it has its issues but for the pure quality iso and dr over the 5d3 i would recommend it and love it , the rest i can work around and put up with !



Wedding Photographer North East & Yorkshire Northumberland & Wedding Photographer Cumbria
i agree with everything but the battery thing. unless you mean with one battery
 
Upvote 0
Absolutely shorter battery life, about 3/5 for me, but the much better AF makes it worthwhile. A much higher keeper rate, especially when composing with the AF point off center. Plus truly snappy LiveView AF. I've had mine almost two years.

I wonder if AF settings, along with light-levels, make the AF system drain more or less power.

The way the battery drains down is mystifying. Even when powered off...I have a hunch BasXcanon is on to something. It does seem now that when I forget to power off with the switch, a few days later I have more drain time than just letting the camera go to sleep. Really weird, and, agreed, the "N" version of the battery doesn't seem to last any longer, but I haven't done a controlled, careful test.

But, left alone in a drawer, the "N" tends to discharge faster than the non-"N." I'm sure of that. And a 5D III with a non-N battery can sit in sleep mode or powered off for months with only a 10-20% drop. The 5D IV with an "N" would be down from 95% to 35% in the same amount of time.

I have read a few internet threads on the subject and still cant quite get my head round the battery drain speed , i havent really noticed a massive improvement with AF either though the 5D3 was excellent anyway.
 
Upvote 0
For me, it's about 75-90% of what I got with the 5D3. Really depends on how you shoot, but 50% seems a bit much. If you are shooting RAW only, it might make sense to turn off all the fancy jpeg process (aberration correction, etc., HTP, etc.). While on travel, I'd average about 700-800 shots per battery. For sports, it's much higher because there is no time to chimp.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0
Nov 1, 2012
1,549
269
Touch Screen - has come in handy especially in the dark and cold instead of fumbling for buttons and being able to pinch zoom in to images is a god send at times for speed sake.

I don't understand this comment. Especially in the dark there's no need to fumble for the buttons because they always are in same spot as they are when it's bright. Also I don't understand people asking for back-lit buttons. Pro tip: the buttons don't move. If you learn them once, they are always there. Do same people wonder which pedal in cars is for acceleration, in case they got moved? And they want spot light under the wheel to help them accelerate?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0

Ozarker

Love, joy, and peace to all of good will.
CR Pro
Jan 28, 2015
5,933
4,336
The Ozarks
I don't understand this comment. Especially in the dark there's no need to fumble for the buttons because they always are in same spot as they are when it's bright. Also I don't understand people asking for back-lit buttons. Pro tip: the buttons don't move. If you learn them once, they are always there. Do same people wonder which pedal in cars is for acceleration, in case they got moved? And they want spot light under the wheel to help them accelerate?
Because sometimes muscle memory just isn't there. Don't know why any of this is hard to understand. Silly. Why back-lit buttons? Because! ;) Pro-tip: Not all have the same preferences. I can't understand why anyone wouldn't want back-lit buttons. So what? :rolleyes: Snotty remark.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0
Nov 1, 2012
1,549
269
Because sometimes muscle memory just isn't there. Don't know why any of this is hard to understand. Silly. Why back-lit buttons? Because! ;) Pro-tip: Not all have the same preferences. I can't understand why anyone wouldn't want back-lit buttons. So what? :rolleyes: Snotty remark.

:)

Yes. Shoot more, worry less. That's the best pro-tip :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0
I don't understand this comment. Especially in the dark there's no need to fumble for the buttons because they always are in same spot as they are when it's bright. Also I don't understand people asking for back-lit buttons. Pro tip: the buttons don't move. If you learn them once, they are always there. Do same people wonder which pedal in cars is for acceleration, in case they got moved? And they want spot light under the wheel to help them accelerate?

Do you drive in your local area at night with your lights off because you know the road?
I'd love to have backlit buttons, when I need them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0