Canon | Fixation

Jon Stapley News August 25, 2016October 5, 2023

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV unveiled

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV arrives with a new 30.4MP sensor and 4K video

Canon has refreshed its successful EOS 5D DSLR line with the EOS 5D Mark IV.

Basic feature updates

The new model is a direct successor to the popular EOS 5D Mark III and whilst it shares that model’s form and build, Canon has furnished the new body with a wealth of new and expanded features – some seen in the recent flagship EOS-1D X Mark II.

The EOS 5D Mark IV debuts a 30.4MP full-frame CMOS sensor, which Canon claims has a wide exposure latitude. This works across a native sensitivity range of ISO 100-32,000, with extended settings either side to ISO 50- and ISO 102,400-equivalent options respectively. This is paired with Canon’s DIGIC 6+ processing engine, whose noise reduction algorithm has been enhanced over previous engines for better image quality.

Auto Focus and Metering

Perhaps the most interesting new addition is a Dual Pixel Raw mode. This uses the same technology behind the Dual Pixel CMOS AF feature (also included) to allow the photographer to adjust the point of sharpness after the images have been captured. It’s also possible to shift out-of-focus highlights and to reduce ghosting effects when using Canon’s Digital Photo Professional software program.

As with the EOS 5D Mark III, the camera features a 61-point AF system (above, bottom right) that includes 41 cross-type points, with five of these dual cross-type with a sensitivity of fƒ/2.8. The points themselves are said to occupy a broader area of the frame than before, with sensitivity down to -3EV as standard and -4EV when using live view. 21 of these remain cross-type at f/8, which means they are still as effective when using certain telephoto lenses in conjunction with Canon’s Extenders.

A 150k-pixel RGB+IR metering sensor, which appears similar to the version included in the EOS 5DS and 5DSR but works with its own DIGIC 6 processing engine, has also been included. This uses 252 separate zones for scene analysis and is said to help the camera better detect subjects and track them more effectively as they move around the frame.

Video

The 5D mark IV is the third Canon EOS DSLR to date to offer 4K video recording, after the EOS-1D X Mark II announced earlier in the year and the EOS 1DC which was built on a 1DX chassis and part of the Cinema EOS lineup. This release makes 4K from a Canon system much more affordable, in a lighter body, than any previously available from Canon.

The 5D mark IV records DCI 4K (4096 x 2160) footage at frame rates of 24, 25 and 30fps, with 4:2:2 chroma subsampling and 4:2:0 subsampling when recording in one of the camera’s HD formats (which record at up to 120fps). It’s also possible to output uncompressed footage through the camera’s HDMI mini port, although only at a full HD resolution, while individual frames at an 8.8MP resolution can also be extracted from 4K footage.

Display & Controls

Canon has upgraded the camera’s rear LCD from the 3.2in, 1.04million-dot version found on the EOS 5D Mark III. While the display maintains the same dimensions as before, it sees its resolution jump to 1.62million dots. Not only that, but touchscreen functionality has also been incorporated to facilitate focus-point selection and more.

As with previous models, the user is also able to customise the Quick Control Screen to their liking, and it’s also now possible to adjust the tone of the LCD in addition to its brightness.

The pentaprism viewfinder, meanwhile, has been left unchanged from the EOS 5D Mark III, with frame coverage of approximately 100% and a 0.71x magnification, together with an eyepoint of 21mm.

Build and Connectivity

The camera, which has been constructed principally from magnesium alloy and polycarbonate, boasts dust and moisture protection and is equipped with two memory card slots, one for CompactFlash cards and the other for SD, SDHC and SDXC media. Wi-Fi and NFC has also now been included, as has a GPS system that records longitude, latitude and elevation. Canon has also now made it possible to embed IPTC metadata into images.

The EOS 5D Mark IV has been designed with a USB 3.0 port at its side, together with HDMI mini and flash-sync ports, while sockets for headphones and microphone are also included alongside. The remote port, which was previously included among these, has now been repositioned to the camera’s front plate.

Two new lenses have also been announced alongside the new model. The EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM is a second-generation version of the existing EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, with a four-stop Image Stabiliser on board and a weather-resistant construction, while the EF 16-35mm fƒ/2.8L III USM updates the nine-year-old 16-35mm fƒ/2.8L II USM. Additionally, Canon has announced the BG-20 battery grip. This has been constructed with the same level of weatherproofing as the camera, with duplicate vertical shooting controls and space for an additional LP-E6N or LP-E6 battery.

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV: Specifications

31.7MP full-frame CMOS sensor, 30.4MP effective, with optical low pass filter
DIGIC 6+ processing engine
ISO 100-32,000 (exp. to ISO 50 and 102,400)
Dual Pixel Raw mode
61-point wide-area reticular AF system, including 41 cross-type points and 5 dual cross type points at fƒ/2.8
AF Area Selection control
30-1/8000sec shutter speeds plus bulb
Approx. 150k-pixel RGB+IR, 252-zone metering sensor
7fps burst shooting, up to 21 Raw frames or unlimited JPEGs
3.2in Clear View LCD II, 1.62million dots and touch sensitivity
Pentaprism viewfinder, approx. 100% field of view, 0.71x magnification
DCI 4K video (4096 x 2160), 30, 25, 24fps. Full HD up to 120fps
8.8MP Frame Grab from 4K footage
Anti-flicker technology
Wi-Fi and NFC
GPS
SuperSpeed USB 3.0
Magnesium alloy body with polycarbonate, glass fiber prism cover
Dual CompactFlash (up to UDMA 7) and SD/SDHC/SDXC (inc. UHS-I) slots
Rechargeable LP-E6N battery (supplied), compatible with LP-E6
Approx. 900-frame battery life
890g (including battery and memory card)
150.7 x 116.4 x 75.9mm

Jon Stapley News June 7, 2016October 5, 2023

Hands-on with the Canon EOS 1D X Mark II: Pro Sports Photographer Dickie Pelham

We grab a quick chat with pro sports photographer Dickie Pelham about his time with the latest Canon flagship DSLR

All images in this post were taken by Richard Pelham on the Canon EOS 1D X Mark II

Pro sports photographer Dickie Pelham has had the opportunity to test out a pre-production sample of the EOS 1DX Mark II. Chief sports photographer for The Sun newspaper, he’s been using the camera in a variety of situations, from fast-paced football games and boxing matches to detailed studio work.

We managed to grab a little time on the phone with Dickie, as he headed to Manchester for his next job, to chat about his experiences with the camera. For a more technical breakdown of some of the EOS 1D X’s features, take a look at Matt’s close-up examination of the autofocus system. For a quick rundown of Dickie’s first impressions, read on…

First impressions

Dickie says the first aspect of the EOS 1D X Mark II that impressed him was how much better it coped at high ISOs and in low light, which is a key factor when you’re shooting at ultra-fast shutter speeds.

‘You can really crank the ISO up on it,’ Dickie says. ‘And you don’t get any banding in the blacks, so you can really give it some. When I’m shooting boxing I can see beads of sweat coming off the boxers that aren’t disappearing into the background. On the 1D X Mark I you might not have got that.’

In the release announcement, Canon made much of the EOS 1D X Mark II’s beefed up autofocus, and in using the camera Dickie has found that the firm’s claims were certainly not exaggerated.

‘Autofocus is much, much better. It’s definitely been overhauled—it’s a lot faster, it locks on faster and stays locked on as well. I use it on the spot mode with the outer points as well, and it’s very nice.’

Dickie says that while he was blown away by the RAW results achieved with the Mark II (the words he used to describe them were: ‘Wow. Very, very good’), it was also important to note that the JPEGs it produced were also of exceptional quality – a necessary feature for sports work.

All this was nicely complemented by another headline feature, the improved motor drive which allows the EOS 1DX to shoot at blistering maximum frame rate of 16 fps.

‘I slowed it down to twelve frames per second,’ Dickie says. ‘That motor drive is just so beautiful, and so responsive. The motor drive makes it a different camera completely – it feels beautiful to fire up.’

He also found that the streamlined operational speeds were a welcome boost to workflow.

‘File transmission is definitely, definitely faster than the 1D X,’ he says. ‘It makes a big difference as well when you use the new CFast cards – I was lucky enough to get some cards out of Lexar to try it with, and they were very, very good for workflow.’

While this is of course hugely useful for sports and news photographers who need to get work done quickly, faster image transmission will be welcomed by snappers of all disciplines.

‘I was recently doing a big, big studio job, and we had 4,000 images to handle and caption and it just got done so quickly,’ Dickie says.

Getting used to the camera

We suggest it sounds very much like Dickie finds the camera not only useful from a technical standpoint, but also genuinely enjoyable to shoot with?

‘It is, yes,’ he says. ‘Also, a couple of people have said to me that some of their lenses in the past have been a little bit woolly, and now with the 1D X II they have gotten a lot sharper. And I have noticed that my 70-200mm is a lot sharper now that I’m using the Mark II. So maybe the camera complements the lens.’

Part of the enjoyment of the camera also sprang from the parts that Canon hasn’t overhauled. Dickie says he appreciates the “if it ain’t broke” approach that the manufacturer has taken to the menu system.

‘The menu has not changed one bit, so really you just take it out of the box and it’s like using an EOS 1D X Mark I,’ he says.

‘Old gits like me can’t be bothered to read manuals! You’ve got football mode, you’ve got cricket mode – you stick it on Number One and get on with it.’

Dickie switched to the original EOS 1D X two years ago, and while he says he’s never regretted that decision, the EOS 1D X Mark II has enough improvements to make the upgrade a no-brainer.

‘This camera has definitely gone up a gear,’ he says.

Dickie Pelham is chief sports photographer for The Sun. He can be found on Twitter @DickiePelham and at his website dickiepelham.com.

Jon Stapley Close Up June 3, 2016October 11, 2023

Close-up: Canon EOS-1D X Mark II Autofocus System

The Canon EOS-1D X Mark II arrives with a revised 61-point AF system – we take a closer look.

Canon has refreshed its pro-level DSLR proposition just in time for the Olympics, and as a camera aimed at the sports and action photographer, a lot of focus has been placed on its focusing system. This article looks at the key things it offers as well as what’s changed from the acclaimed EOS-1D X it replaces.

The Basics

The EOS-1D X Mark II is equipped with a High Density Reticular AF II system, with 61 points in total and 41 of these being cross type. The remaining 20 have vertical line sensors, which means they are capable of detecting horizontal lines.

Canon states that, by moving the points further away from each other than before, it’s increased the array’s vertical coverage by 8.6% in the central bank of AF points and 24% in the left and right banks over the EOS-1D X’s system. It’s also boosted the performance of the AI Servo AF option so that it notices any sudden changes in subject-movement speed better than before.

Five central points – namely the central point and the two above and below it – are dual-cross-type points. This means that they have both vertical and horizontal sensors, as well as a pair arranged in a cross that are at a 45degree angle to these (essentially forming an asterisk), and these are sensitive down to fƒ/2.8.

All 61 points remain operational when a lens with a maximum aperture of f/8 is used, with the exception of five (mainly macro) lenses. This is an improvement of the f/5.6 limit on the EOS-1D X and useful to know if you wish to use the camera in conjunction with maximum aperture-reducing teleconverters. Additionally, 21 points remain cross type with such a combination.

The most central AF point is sensitive down to -3EV in One Shot AF, which bodes well for low-light shooting. This is an improvement on the -2EV central-point sensitivity on the EOS-1D X.

As on previous models, when using the AI Servo mode, the camera allows you to select one of six cases – subjects moving erratically, subjects accelerating or decelerating quickly and so on – to match the subject you’re shooting, with the option to fine-tune individual parameters such as tracking sensitivity.

AF Microadjustment

As with most pro-grade DSLR bodies, the EOS-1D X II allows for the fine adjustment of a lens’ focusing position, should you find a particular camera and lens focusing slightly behind or in front of the subject.

As with the EOS-1D X, you can store up to 40 separate adjustments, with separate corrections for wide and telephoto settings when adjusting zoom lenses. Helpfully, the corrections are remembered by the serial number of the lens rather than just its type; theoretically this means you can adjust a number of the same model of lens and the camera will remember the appropriate amount of correction for each specific example, rather than have it be confused by the two different versions of the same optic.

AF during burst shooting

The EOS-1D X was no slouch with burst shooting, managing to maintain a rate of 12fps with autofocus and auto-exposure for up to 180 JPEGs or 38 Raw images. When using live view this figure increased to 14fps, albeit with the mirror locked up and focus and exposure fixed to that of the first frame in the sequence. Nevertheless, Canon has boosted this further here, giving a 2fps advantage to each mode.

With the EOS-1D X Mark II it’s possible to fire at 14fps with both autofocus and auto-exposure for up to 170 14bit uncompressed Raw frames, or an unlimited number of JPEGs, and 16fps in live view with the mirror locked up and focus and exposure once again fixed to the first frame.

Canon credits these increases to the two DIGIC 6+ processors that drive the camera, as well as a new mirror drive system, although in order to achieve the deepest burst depths you need to use a CFast 2.0 card (the camera accepts both CFast and CompactFlash media).

AF during movie recording

Aside from the option of 4K video recording, of the most significant changes between the EOS-1D X II video options and those in the model it replaces is that Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology now allows for continuous focus while recording videos. This is the first time the system has been implemented on a full-frame EOS body, having previously been included in a number of more junior APS-C-based models.

This can have its tracking sensitivity and focusing speed adjusted to match the subject being captured, and you can also program the camera to track faces if you happen to have people in the frame. This is also one area where the benefits of the camera’s touchscreen make themselves known. Although you can choose a focusing position through the more conventional controls, it’s possible to instruct the camera where to focus through the touchscreen. Doing this while recording also allows you to move focus between two points with ease.

AF Area Selection options

As with the EOS-1D X, the new model offers a broad choice of AF Area Selection modes. In addition to focusing automatically with either the whole array, a standard single point or a small pinpoint for more precise focus, you can program the camera to focus with and display the four adjacent points around a selected point to form a cross, or even the remaining four points next to these to form a 3×3 box.

The Zone option allows you to select one of nine separate areas of the array for focusing, while a new Large Zone AF option lets you specify which one the three banks – central, left and right – you want to use. So, you can opt for the central bank, for example, if your subject is always in the centre of the frame, preventing the camera from seeking focusing elsewhere as it may otherwise be tempted to.

AF point illumination

You can adjust the brightness of the focusing points in the viewfinder over two levels, which may help when capturing certain subjects.

You can also now opt to have the relevant focusing points illuminated as you focus, so that you can continue to see these once focus has been confirmed. Usefully, when using AI Servo to four continuously, the camera can also keep these points illuminated as long as your subject is in focus.

Another useful feature carried over from the EOS-1D X is the option to light up all cross-type points at the touch of a button so you can tell which are most sensitive in the array. This may find itself to be particularly useful when using a lens with a relatively slow maximum aperture, which may limit the number of cross-type points available.

New metering sensor

Canon has eschewed the EOS-1DX’s 100,000-pixel RGB metering sensor for a new 360,000-pixel RGB-IR alternative here, and also paired it with its very own DIGIC 6 processor. So how does this help focus?

Canon reckons the combination boosts the camera’s chances of recognising the subjects faster than before, which in turn means that it can focus and meter on them more precisely and in less time. This advantage is also said to benefit the Intelligent Tracking and Recognition system (iTR) when keeping a lock on a moving subject.

Other useful options

The camera presents many further useful focusing options. One of these is that you can register a frequently used AF point and program a specific button to activate it on demand.

It’s also possible select whether you want the spot metering system to stay with the central AF point or continue to work with any other points you choose.

You can also configure the display to show only a limited number of points, or even just the cross-type points.

You can customise the body and certain lenses so that buttons access focus-specific functions of your choosing.

Thanks to the inclusion of the Intelligent Viewfinder II, you can even choose exactly where to have AF status display in the viewfinder.

Jon Stapley News May 18, 2016October 11, 2023

Canon unveils Speedlite 600EX II-RT

Canon has refreshed its Speedlite flash family with the 600EX II-RT, a new flagship model with burst shooting as its focus.

The 600EX II-RT replaces the previous 600EX at the top of Canon’s Speedlite line, and is said to improve on that model’s continuous-shooting performance by up to 1.5x when powered by AA batteries. When using it in conjunction with the new CP-E4N battery pack, meanwhile, Canon states that this figure rises to 2x.

The new model has been designed with a zoom and bounce head that covers all focal lengths between 20-200mm inclusive, with a guide number of 60m at ISO 100 when the flash is used at its 200mm setting. A built-in wide panel, meanwhile, allows coverage to be broadened to 14mm, which makes it compatible with the likes of the EF 14mm fƒ/2.8L II USM and EF 16-35mm fƒ/2.8L II USM optics.

Wireless support allows you to control the flashgun from up to 30m away, and it can also be used in conjunction with additional 600EX II-RT models, or other models in the Speedlite family, for more complicated setups.

Canon claims the unit recycles silently in as little as 3.3seconds when using the Quick flash mode, although this can be shortened with the above battery pack.

The rear of the unit is dominated by an illuminated LCD screen, which shows all key settings and usable distance ranges among other things, and even the charge of other wireless flashes in a particular group when used as a master unit.

There’s also a customisable control dial beneath the LCD as well as a bounce adapter provided alongside to soften the model’s output, while full dust and weather-resistance matches the protection offered by the flagship EOS 1D X Mark II model for use in harsher conditions.

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