UPDATE: Click here to read our Canon EOS 5D Mark IV review
The ability to shoot 4K video looks a cert for Canon’s hotly anticipated full-framer, but we hope it’ll be tuned for shooting sport as well. Here’s our best take on what the Canon 5D Mark IV might hold.
Canon’s 5D line of DSLRs has been incredibly popular and important to the brand. It straddles the professional and enthusiast line, offering professional photographers a smaller alternative to the bigger, heavier Canon 1DX Mark II while enthusiasts like the high-level specification and full-frame sensor.
It’s also been an important line for videographers as the 5D Mark II kickstarted the trend for shooting big-screen movies on cameras that are normally used for shooting stills. The 5D Mark III has built on this and it’s a popular choice for videographers. It’s also been favoured by stills photographers who shoot portraits, social events and weddings.
The 22.3Mp Canon 5D Mark III was announced way back in March 2012, which means it’s over four years old and ripe for retirement. This leaves the door open for a new model mostly likely to be called the Canon 5D Mark IV or Canon EOS 5D Mark IV to give it its full title.
And with Photokina, the biennial photographic trade fair, taking place in Cologne in Germany this September its arrival could be imminent.
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV specs we’d like to see
Sensor: Full-frame 24-36 million pixel CMOS
Max video resolution: 4K (4096 x 2160)
Max continuous shooting rate: 10fps
Screen: Vari-angle 3.2-inch 1,040,000-dot touch-sensitive LCD
Autofocus system: 61-points with 41 cross-type points
Storage: Dual ports; CFast 2.0 and SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II)
Canon 5D Mark IV: Pixel Count
Canon already offers two high resolution cameras, the 5DS and 5DSR. These are similar to the 5D Mark III, but they both have a 50Mp sensor. It therefore seems very unlikely that the 5D Mark IV will have a much higher pixel count than the 5D Mark III. Our money is on 24Mp or 28Mp, but it could go anywhere up to 36Mp.
Canon 5D Mark IV: Video Capability
What we are sure about, however, is that the Canon 5D Mark IV will be 4K-enabled. That’s something that has been requested widely and we expect the capability to be accompanied with more video-centric features such as focus peaking and zebras along with the ability to use Canon Log Gamma. This latter option will enable the camera to record flat footage that can be graded to put the contrast where it’s wanted.
As 4K video takes a lot of processing power it seems likely that the 5D Mark IV will be able to record Full HD (1920 x 1080) footage at faster frames rates than the 5D Mark III, perhaps even 120fps for 4x slow motion playback?
On the subject of the processing engine, so far the Digic 7 engine has only been seen in compact cameras, perhaps it will appear in the 5D Mark IV.
Canon 5D Mark IV: Screen
A vari-angle screen would also be a bonus for videographers who rely on the screen for composition in the absence of an electronic viewfinder. In addition, we think the screen will be touch-sensitive and that that greater use will be made of the touch capability than is made by the Canon 1DX Mark II.
Canon 5D Mark IV: Frame Rate
If Canon doesn’t push the pixel count of the 5D Mark IV too far the processing power should be sufficient to give a nice boost to the maximum continuous shooting rate. We think that Canon will aim for 10fps (frames per second) to match the Nikon D500.
Canon 5D Mark IV: Autofocus system
It would seem logical to pair this high frame rate with an improved autofocusing system, possibly even the same 61-point (41-cross type) module that is found in the 1DX Mark II.
Canon 5D Mark IV: Metering
Canon gave the 5DS and 5DS R a 150,000-pixel RGB+IR sensor with 252 zones and Intelligent Scene Analysis and our best guess sis that it will do the same for the 5D Mark IV. We hope so because it’s an improvement upon the 63-zone metering in the Canon 5D Mark III.
Canon 5D Mark IV: Storage
The 5D Mark III has two card ports, one that accepts CompactFlash (CF) and the other SD/SDHC/SDXC. For the 5DS and 5DS R the SD card port was upgraded to UHS-1. We anticipate that that this is the minimum that will happen for the the 5D Mark IV. It could be upgraded to UHS-II while the CF card port could be changed to a CFast 2.0 port to allow faster read speeds. That will help maintain the camera’s maximum frame rate for longer to give good burst depth.
Of course this is all speculation based on our experience and understanding of Canon’s current products. We’ll have to wait a little while longer to see if it all comes true. We hope so.