Canon 5D MIV vs Canon R

Camera to replace

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Canon 5D MIV

30 MP | Full frame (36 x 24 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Canon R

30 MP | Full frame (36 x 24 mm) CMOS Sensor

Canon 5D MIV vs Canon R Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Canon cameras cameras with different body types: Canon 5D MIV, which was introduced in August 2016 is a Semi-Pro DSLR camera with a 30.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Canon R, which was introduced in September 2018 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 30.0MP Full frame sensor. As you can see, 5D MIV is 2 years older than R. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Canon 5D MIV and Canon R before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Canon 5D MIV Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2016-08-25

30MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 25600 ( expands to 50-102400)

Canon EF Mount

3.2" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder

7.0 fps continuous shooting

4096 x 2160 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

Built-in GPS

890g. 151 x 116 x 76 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Replaced Canon EOS 5D Mark III Compare

Canon R Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2018-09-05

30MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 40000 ( expands to 50-102400)

Canon RF Mount

3.2" Fully Articulated Screen

3690k dot Electronic viewfinder

8.0 fps continuous shooting

3840 x 2160 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

660g. 136 x 98 x 84 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Canon 5D MIV and Canon R compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Canon EOS 5D Mark IV over Canon EOS R

Battery Life	900 shots vs 370 shots	530 more frames with a single charge
Color Depth	24.8 vs 24.5	higher color depth
Dynamic Range	13.6 vs 13.5	higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO	2995 vs 2742	better High ISO performance
Max Video Resolution	4096 x 2160 vs 3840 x 2160	Higher Resolution Video
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
NFC Connection	Yes vs No	Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
4K Photo Mode	Yes vs No	Extract 8MP photos from 4K Video
Storage Slot	2 vs 1	Extra storage slot
Autofocus at f/8 aperture	61 points vs none	Autofocus with teleconverters

Reasons to choose Canon EOS R over Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Articulating Screen	Yes vs No	Flexible shooting positions
Max ISO	40.000 vs 25.600	56% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	5655 vs 61	5594 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution	2.100k dots vs 1.620k dots	29% higher resolution screen
Continuous Shooting	8.0fps vs 7.0fps	1 fps faster
Weight	660 g vs 890 g	230 g lighter
Selfie Friendly LCD	Yes vs No	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Bluetooth	Yes vs No	Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Min Focus Sensitivity	EV -6 vs EV -3	Autofocus in lower light

Common Strengths of Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and Canon EOS R

Wireless Connection	Yes vs Yes	Better connectivity
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Touch Screen	Yes vs Yes	Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder	Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Electronic)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
Max Resolution	30 MP vs 30 MP	Bigger prints and more details
LCD Screen Size	3.2" vs 3.2"	Large display
LCD Screen Resolution	1.620k dots vs 2.100k dots	Higher resolution screens
Continuous Shooting	7.0fps vs 8.0fps	Fast shooting speeds
Microphone Port	Yes vs Yes	High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port	Yes vs Yes	better video control
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs Yes	shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs Yes	creative shooting
Top LCD Display	Yes vs Yes	Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing	Yes vs Yes	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Smartphone Remote Control	Yes vs Yes	Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Support for UHS Memory Cards	UHS-I vs UHS-II	Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds

Common Weaknesses of Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and Canon EOS R

Image Stabilization	No vs No	No Built-in stabilization
Built-in Flash	No vs No	Require external flash

Canon 5D MIV vs Canon R: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Canon 5D MIV and Canon R side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon 5D MIV and Canon R. Canon R is 15mm narrower and 18mm shorter than Canon 5D MIV but it is also 8mm thicker.

Here is the back view size comparison of Canon 5D MIV and Canon R.

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Canon 5D MIV and Canon R.

Canon 5D MIV vs Canon R Detailed Size Comparison

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Canon R is significantly lighter (230g ) than the Canon 5D MIV which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since both Canon 5D MIV and Canon R have the same Full frame sized sensor, their lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will be similar in size and weight.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

5D MIV

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

5D MIV

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Both 5D MIV and R have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Canon 5D MIV and Canon R's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.2".

Canon 5D MIV vs Canon R: Sensor Comparison

Both Canon 5D MIV and Canon R have 30.0 MP resolution sensors but Canon 5D MIV's sensor is Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) and Canon R's sensor is Full frame (36 x 24 mm ).

Since Canon R's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Canon 5D MIV.

Below you can see the 5D MIV and R sensor size comparison.

Canon 5D MIV and Canon R have sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Canon 5D MIV and Canon R sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, 5D MIV has scored 91, 2 points higher than R.

What types of Photography are Canon 5D MIV and Canon R Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Canon 5D MIV and Canon R for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Canon 5D MIV for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Canon R for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 30.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 30.0MP
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Canon 5D MIV for Street Photography

GOOD

Canon R for Street Photography

GOOD

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Canon 5D MIV for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT

Canon R for Sports Photography

GOOD

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 7.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
41 Cross Type Focus sensors
61 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 900 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 8.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
5655 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Canon 5D MIV for Daily Photography

GOOD

Canon R for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
890g
Body Thickness 76mm
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
660g
Body Thickness 84mm
Read the details

Canon 5D MIV for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Canon R for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 30.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Canon R vs Canon 5D MIV Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Canon 5D MIV has an advantage over Canon R There are 271 lenses for Canon 5D MIV's Canon EF mount, on the other hand there are only 10 lenses for Canon R's Canon RF lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 65 lenses for Canon EF mount and 2 lenses for Canon RF mount with IS.

Lens Type	# of Canon 5D MIV Lenses	# of Canon R Lenses
Standard Zoom	25	3 (3 Full Frame)
Standard Prime	16	2 (2 Full Frame)
Wideangle Zoom	28	1 (1 Full Frame)
Wideangle Prime	44	1 (1 Full Frame)
Telephoto Zoom	52	1 (1 Full Frame)
Telephoto Prime	41	1 (1 Full Frame)
SuperZoom	17	1 (1 Full Frame)
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	3	n/a
Macro Prime	25	n/a
Perspective Control Prime	16	n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime	1	n/a
TOTAL	271	10 (10 Full Frame)

Canon 5D MIV vs Canon R: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Canon 5D MIV and Canon R, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Canon 5D MIV and Canon R scores compare:

Canon 5D MIV

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #10 out of 93 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #31 out of 1181 in all Cameras

Canon R

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #10 out of 65 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #14 out of 1181 in all Cameras

Canon R is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Canon 5D MIV in all criteria.
It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money

Canon 5D MIV

Canon R

Canon R vs Canon 5D MIV Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Canon EOS 5D Mark IV	Canon EOS R
Brand	Canon	Canon
Announced	2016-08-25	2018-09-05
Body Type	Mid-size SLR	SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CMOS
Size	Full frame	Full frame
Dimensions	36 x 24 mm	36 x 24 mm
Area	864.00mm²	864.00mm²
Megapixels	30 megapixels	30 megapixels
Max Resolution	6720 x 4480	6720 x 4480
Max Native Light sensitivity	25,600 ISO	40,000 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	102400 ISO	102400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity	50 ISO	50 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	61	5655
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Canon EF	Canon RF
Number of Available Lenses	271	10
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fully Articulated
Size	3.2"	3.2"
Resolution	1,620k dots	2,100k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical (pentaprism)	Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution	no electronic viewfinder	3,690k dots
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.71	0.76
Photography Features
Max Shutter Speed	1/8000s	1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	No
Built-in Flash
Max Flash Sync	1/200s	no built-in flash
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	7.0 fps	8.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	4096 x 2160	3840 x 2160
Video Formats	MPEG-4, Motion JPEG	MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	890g	660g
Dimensions	151 x 116 x 76mm	136 x 98 x 84mm
Battery Life	900 shots	370 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	Built-in	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	91	89
DxO Color Depth	24.8	24.5
DxO Dynamic Range	13.6	13.5
DxO Low Light ISO	2995	2742
	Report a correction	Report a correction

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