Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Cody,

Thanks for sharing your professional perspective with us. I don't get to interact much with Pros or even semi pros except at my son's drag races where I try to shoot 4 or 5 races a year. It's an interesting mix of gear you see and some of these people are out shooting several races a week. A pretty even mix of Canon and Nikon shooters there too.

My first SLR was a OM-1 and later an OM-10 with a half dozen or so modest lenses. Shooting film was different as each frame was pricy and precious in a way that digital just is not to most people. Now more money can go into equipment since the per frame price is so low.

Better, maybe? Different mindset for many shooters for sure. I find the challenge in shooting drag racing to come up with some new perspectives and angles. You can shoot a car going down the track and it can just look like it is parked there. Boring! I also try to bring the people around the car into the scene as that is sometimes more interesting. Try to capture some of the emotion in what can be a very emotional sport.

I had the misfortune to shoot my son's best friends last start this spring. He had a crash 1/4 down the track that took his life too soon at 66. It was horrific and is still sort of burned into my memory. Shortly after it happened a spectator asked me if I got a picture of that and mentioned what a valuable shot it could be. I told him that I wouldn't even want a photo of it and that it was burned into my memory. I nearly punched the guy in the face! Plus it was a 1/4 away and would have been hard to shoot with a long long lens, but most people don't understand that either. So, I can't help but wonder am I taking the last photo of someone who could be dead 15 seconds later sometimes. A sobering thought...

Thanks again for sharing.
Pardon me for going off topic a bit here.

Best,
Todd Ferguson
Harrisburg, NC

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Do you know how rediculious this sounds?
Rembrandt I'm guessing used more than one brush.
Cameras and brushes are just tools.
And some tools are better for some jobs than others.
Unless you have only a hammer and every challenge is a nail.

Best,
Todd Ferguson
Harrisburg, NC

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

It's a lot of money, but I have it more around $6,800.
5D Mk IV is $3500.
16-35 Mk III $2,200.
New 24-105 is $1,100 IIRC.

But it's your money and you get to decide what and if you even want to spend it. It's not for everyone and Canon certainly understands that I think. There are certainly less expensive options that an produce outstanding results. And there are even better cameras in development today I'm sure.

Best,
Todd Ferguson
Harrisburg, NC

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

actually i use the Df as a location instrument for future photographs with my 5x7.
for your other baseless opinion, i have no need to comment.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Why? What do you think "full frame" will do for you and your photography?

Let's see... FF will require different lenses and there will be fewer choices. A FF camera will only be able to use EF/FF-capable, while your 70D can use both EF and EF-S lenses. FF-capable lenses are necessarily bigger, heavier and typically more expensive, too.

Do you make 16x20"and larger prints a lot? If so, FF might be for you. If not, you might be the only person who ever notices any difference, and then only when viewing your images at high magnifications on your computer monitor.

Are you looking for about one-stop's worth greater background blur (i.e., pretty much the same could be accomplished with a stop faster lens) or do you need to be able to use about one stop smaller aperture before diffraction is a concern (i.e., f11 instead of f8, for an 8x10 print)? If so, FF might be what you want.

Or, are you looking for one or two stops higher usable ISOs for especially low light shooting? If so, a FF camera might be ideal.

But if none of these are major benefits to you a $1200, 24MP 80D might be a better "upgrade" for you, than a $3500, 30MP 5D Mk IV.

I am not saying "Don't do it". I'm just saying go into it with reasonable expectations.

The 5D MK IV does appear to inherit a slightly improved 61-point AF system from the 1DX Mk II.... but be aware that the 1DX II uses a separate chip to run the AF (as well as dual processors to handle its 20MP images at up to 14 frames per second). The 5D Mk IV appears to be using a single Digic 6+ processor for everything (up to 7 fps). The main improvement with both cameras appears to be f8-capability at all 61 points (earlier models had f8 capability only at the center point). I have not compared the configurable focus patterns of the 5D4 vs 1DX2. Wouldn't be surprised to find that 1DX2 offers more.

The primary difference between 30MP 5D4 and the 50MP 5DS/5DS-R, besides the resolution and AF systems, is that the latter are not particular low light/high ISO capable or video capable cameras. The 5D4, on the other hand, is especially designed to excel at both. The 5DS/5DS-R ISO range is 100 to 6400, expandable to 50 and 12800. On the other hand, the 5D4's ISO range is 100-32000, expandable to 50, 51200 and 102400.

Note: The 5DIII actually offers the same ISO range up to 102500, that the new model does. However, it's native range tops out at 25600 (vs 32000) and, perhaps more importantly, one needs to compare the usability of the respective models' higher ISOs. Presumably and hopefully, 5D4 will see improvements similar to 7D Mark II and 80D, where high ISOs are significantly more usable. For example, coming from 7D to 7D2... I have been able to shoot at ISO 8000 and 16000, where before I was sort of self-limited to 6400 (even though the cameras could be set higher). Further, the newer models' high ISO images require less extensive post-processing work. To use my 7D's at ISO 6400 I always planned to do some rather extensive noise reduction in post. Now with 7DII it takes almost not post processing NR at 8000 (default settings are adequate for a lot of uses) and less time and effort with 16000.

I am no expert on video so will leave it to others for more detailed explanations of that. I'm a little surprised that the 5D4 doesn't accommodate CFast memory cards with their faster speeds and larger capacities, both of which I would think desirable, especially if shooting 4K video.

The Dual Pixel Focus in Live View, as well as the touch screen that will be offered on the 5D4, both also are new features that should be very nice for videographers. The video capabilities of the 5D-series are near legendary (Hollywood has made extensive use of 5DII, onward). I'm mostly a stills photographer, don't use my DSLRs for video... but am sure that Canon will put a lot of effort into furthering their reputation in this regard, with the new model.

However, both Dual Pixel and the touch screen have appeal to still photographers like me, too. Dual Pixel on my 7DII's makes the difference between Live View being sort of a "novelty" with rather narrow usefulness versus now being a more widely useful feature. I understand they are doing some new things with Dual Pixel that might allow for sort of Micro Focus Adjust/Bokeh Shift in images in post-processing I need to learn more about that!

I haven't checked, but I bet 5D4 also has Canon's "Flicker Free" feature, which I've found really nice in 7DII (also in 80D, I believe). It makes for far more "keepers" when you have no choice but to shoot under fluorescent or sodium vapor lighting! "Flicker Free" simply times the shutter release with the lighting's peak output, effectively and for the large part solving both exposure and color balance issues with those types of lighting. The timing changes are imperceptible... there's no noticeable delay in shutter release. Just makes for more consistent exposures and color.

Doesn't hurt, either, that the new camera now has built in WiFi and GPS (both of which some folks want for various reasons). Or that the introductory price is the same as the model that preceded it when it was intro'd in 2012.

There's more... But overall sounds like nice, solid and useful "incremental" improvements to an already good, solid product... rather than earth-shaking "game changers".

We'll see. Should be very interesting to start seeing images made with 5D4 and hearing some "real world" user feedback.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

The 5 D M IV ( in fact even the M III) are much better and far more versatile cameras than the 5DSr. The 5 D III/IV have so much going for them, while the 5DSr is a very simple if not limited camera. The resolution is not all that much higher either, even though it can be noticed.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Interesting you say the resolution is not that much greater because Northrop is expecting the 5DSr to have 50 percent better resolution than the Mk IV. But that comes with a price...larger files to manipulate. The removal of the filter in the 5DSr also helps with sharpness too. Of course the best lenses are going to be needed to resolve the 50mp images fully too most likely. Lots of food for thought in all this though...

Many report shooting 30mp with the 5DS and 5DSr if they don't need the resolution of 50mp. But the lack if the filter should still make for sharper images on the 5DSr at equal 30mp.

Best,
Todd Ferguson
Harrisburg, NC

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Yes, it has the flicker technology and that is good.

I was thinking that the focusing system had its own dedicated processor, but I could be confused on that at this point.

The video capabilities seem to be getting bashed pretty hard as the M-JPEG codec that Canon is using results in video files 4-5 times the size of other codecs in use. I know little about video and don't really care a lot about it. But I might get more into it going forward.
If one is serious about video one probably has better video choices it sound like. Also the 1.74 crop factor for video is being bashed hard as it makes wide angle video very hard. And normal video switching to and from stills would potentially require zooming lenses or switching lenses. Perhaps a wedding shooter could just shoot video and pull stills from it. Beyond my pay grade for sure..

Best,
Todd Ferguson
Harrisburg, NC

FiddleMaker Loc: Merrimac, MA

speters, thanks much for your response. At my age (closing in on 75 in a couple of years) I am probably going to stay with my somewhat outdated Nikon D7000 and my D750. Looking back I probably should have saved my $$ and sprung for a Leica M9. If I win the lottery (very unlikely) I'll get a Leica. ~FiddleMaker

Duckfart Loc: Olympia, Washington

Waiting for the initial "settling-in." I do enjoy being at or near the leading edge--not the bleeding edge.

Newsbob Loc: SF Bay Area

Tony has done an excellent overview of the new camera, even though he doesn't yet have one to test. The video is 30-minutes, but he goes through everything he likes and dislikes, and to me, he's really touched on everything that's important to me in deciding whether or not to upgrade from my 5Diii.

Unfortunately, I still can't decide. There's a lot to like, but in many ways, it's not as good as my Sony A7rii. I'm really torn.

Duckfart Loc: Olympia, Washington

My suggestion is to wait for some more user reviews if you can. But if you have GAS....

philo Loc: philo, ca

you are correct......i got my math wrong.

TheDman Loc: USA

Then you aren't thinking much about your locations, because in your own words digital devices don't allow you to think carefully. This is you talking, not me.

erickter Loc: Dallas,TX

Read the comments from the BH reviews. Some praise, mixed with a lot of
Dissapointment.