Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Owners Thread

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Raymond Lin said:
May I ask why you are asking?
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I encountered hardware problems with my 7D Mark II and 5Ds R when I bought them on the 1st day of availability.

This required me time consuming repairs for both mentioned bodies and a wasted expensive trip to a remote rebel-infested valley. All images were out of focus with the 7D Mark II. :shifty:

This shattered my faith in Canon and changed my purchasing behavior with them to wait for the 1st price cut before buying any of their gear.

I am asking actual owners if after more than 13 months if they encountered any problems with their camera.
 
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dolina said:
I encountered hardware problems with my 7D Mark II and 5Ds R when I bought them on the 1st day of availability.

This required me time consuming repairs for both mentioned bodies and a wasted expensive trip to a remote rebel-infested valley. All images were out of focus with the 7D Mark II. :shifty:

This shattered my faith in Canon and changed my purchasing behavior with them to wait for the 1st price cut before buying any of their gear.

I am asking actual owners if after more than 13 months if they encountered any problems with their camera.
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No problems like this! The only problems I had were not working with a third party battery grip, BG was at fault and replaced by supplier, and random raw files being corrupted by my iMac, iMac is at fault.

I’ve had a similar everything out of focus problem with a second hand body before turned out it had been dropped hard putting the AF system out of alignment. Live view focus still worked.
 
The only bug I have is randomly I get an error of writing photos to card from the buffer from both my 5D4, the Error relates to the SD card slots and it doesn’t matter what card I use it seems, have tried 4, I am trying to eliminate the cause but not sure why....

That’s the only bug I encountered and it happens around every 5,000 clicks on average.
 
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Tried out my new MkIV at motor sport yesterday, an Auto66 meeting at Cadwell Park.

High cloud all day and generally dull but I'm certainly impressed with the processing latitude of the files compared to the MkIII.

Shadow detail is certainly improved.

 
newbie1 said:
Normal cleaning same as my other cameras has been no issue. Please could you share the source of the concern?
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Sorry for the extremely late reply. Here are a couple of the threads I read on other forums regarding wet cleaning the 5Dmk4.

DPReview, Photography-On-The.net

As it happens, a couple of blasts with the rocket blower has solved my issues for now.
 
Gaz J said:
Bit more here

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4070393
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Good find Gaz, sounds like there are no real issues involved.

I have noticed that the bottle of Eclipse fluid I have is now somewhat old and and has been superseded by a new formulation now so I think I'll pick a new bottle up and relegate that for lens cleanings.

As I said. The rocket blower has sorted me out for now and nothing is visible at f/11 at least which I rarely shoot above anyway. Years ago I used to get really fanatical and try and eliminate all spots at f/22. Pure madness as I never shot that narrow anyway. I take the attitude now that if I can't see it, it doesn't exist. Even if I can see it and it's only a couple of spots at apertures at the extreme of my normal use I just clone them out.
 
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Raymond Lin said:
Both, but I put in on the top screen then took it off because it was crap and it was causing weird effect underneath.

OATCgYx.jpg
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I managed to smash one of the screen protector today. I went to pick up one of the bodies but didn't notice the strap was trapped under my pelican case so it pulled it back out of my hand and slingshot it back to the case, the screen hit the corner of the peli case and this happened.

Impact point is on the top edge at where the black boarder is. Most of the cracks are due to me peeling it off.

zOT2uPj.jpg


But the camera is fine so money well spent !

RHBTCN9.jpg
 
jonoooo125 said:
Lucky about your screen, how's the crumpler bag doing? I'm still on the fence
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I'll use it this week but I really like it. Perfect travel companion I think. Looks nothing like a camera bag, holds just enough gear for a trip and space for some clothes and bits and pieces.
 
Houston, we have a problem.

Had my MKiv now since the end of August, taken under 300 shots with it so far. On my first outing, I noticed 2 specks of dust in the viewfinder. I'm a bit OCD about these things and I do baby my gear but I decided to try and live with it, as it does happen.

Today, I have been for a walk locally to the woods, looking for what's left of the Autumn colours against dark , murky woods, all Thomas Heatony. I was in the process of changing to a different focus points and as you'll know, they light up but so did the specks of dust (n). I could live with that on say a 4 year old camera but it's dissapointing on a new one, especially, for me, such an expensive one. I also notice it when I'm autofocusing and the points light up to show focus is achieved. It's distracting.

I feel a phonecall coming on. :mad:
 
You could try a rocket blower on the focus screen but you can also add more dust, it’s not something you can wet clean either, never touch it.
 
Raymond Lin said:
You could try a rocket blower on the focus screen but you can also add more dust, it’s not something you can wet clean either, never touch it.
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thanks,



I've e-mailed the supplier to see what they say.
 
Every Canon camera I've had has had dust in the viewfinder. One advantage of the 1 series cameras is that the screen hinges down so I can use an arctic butterfly brush to clean it.
 
I have removed dust from the viewfinder with a rocket blower, not in a 5D, but an older DSLR. Trouble is, there's a risk of moving the dust onto the sensor - I was lucky when I did it.

Chris
 
The blower sounds a great idea but being as it's so new, I'll leave it to the pros. :thinking::LOL:
 
Dale. said:
The blower sounds a great idea but being as it's so new, I'll leave it to the pros. :thinking::LOL:
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Dust visible through the viewfinder will be on the underside of the focusing screen, above the mirror. It's inevitable, dust is a fact of life with interchangeable lens cameras. Rocket blower - but be careful not to touch the screen itself which has very fine ridges on the surface that are easy to damage. It won't do any harm, but you'll then have a permanent mark.

The only other time you'll see dust is on actual images - dust on the sensor, also inevitable, but usually only visible at high f/numbers. Dust anywhere else, on or in the lens, the mirror, viewfinder eyepiece etc, will be too far out of focus to show up.
 
Thanks Richard. I wouldn't mind so much if it were older but I am OCD about these things too. Oddly, the only Canon camera I've ever had dust on the focusing screen was a 350D and the sensor on that is bogging too. My 40D has dust on the sensor but none visible in the viewfinder. My 7D, has never had a sensor clean and I don't get dust bunnies at smaller apertures with that at all and there's no visible dust on the focus screen through the viewfinder either.

I'd try the blower but I'll wait and see what is said first as I have contacted the supplier.(y)

The MKiv is awesome though isn't it? It's a better camera than I am a photographer just now.
 
Personally I'd rather have dust on the sensor than in the optical path as it is IMO easier to clean. Having said that I used to take my focusing screens out and clean them with some warm water and care and maybe it was just luck that I never damaged one but I don't think so. With ordinary care it is ok to clean them and if you do manage to damage one they're cheap enough.
 
Dale. said:
Thanks Richard. I wouldn't mind so much if it were older but I am OCD about these things too. Oddly, the only Canon camera I've ever had dust on the focusing screen was a 350D and the sensor on that is bogging too. My 40D has dust on the sensor but none visible in the viewfinder. My 7D, has never had a sensor clean and I don't get dust bunnies at smaller apertures with that at all and there's no visible dust on the focus screen through the viewfinder either.

I'd try the blower but I'll wait and see what is said first as I have contacted the supplier.(y)

The MKiv is awesome though isn't it? It's a better camera than I am a photographer just now.
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Dust and OCD are not good bedfellows. Even if you do manage to get everything 100% clean, it'll be back. Doesn't matter how careful you are, zooms suck in air/dust as the barrel extends and squirt it out again, some of that will stick and can also get blown inside the mirror box and sensor.

I keep on top of it with a Giottos rocket blower and Arctic Butterfly on the sensor and very rarely have to resort to wet cleaning. With the blower, you need to develop a technique of holding the tip close to the sensor but not touching it when giving a hard squeeze. If you can do that with the camera upside-down so the dust can fall out, so much the better. Dust visible in the top left of the image will be on the bottom left of the sensor as you look at it, though it's unlikely you'll be able to see anything with the naked eye.

Avoid high f/numbers when depth of focus (not field) pulls dust specs into clearer focus, especially subjects with large areas of plain tone like skies in landscapes. Then don't worry about it - dust marks are very easy to clone out in post processing with a mouse click.
 
At least some contamination and perhaps a good percentage could well be internally generated as lubricant and small bits come off the internal moving parts.
 
woof woof said:
At least some contamination and perhaps a good percentage could well be internally generated as lubricant and small bits come off the internal moving parts.
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OCD goes into meltdown :D To be fair though, AFAIK only a couple of Nikon DSLRs has been affected by the oil/shutter thing.
 
StewartR said:
Ahem. Want to try that bit again, Richard?
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No thanks Stewart. Do you? ;)

Edit: I know what you're thinking, that when an image is focused on a ground glass screen it's both inverted and reversed left to right. But that's not what you're looking at when you remove the lens to clean the sensor, and what I said is correct, ie "Dust visible in the top left of the image will be on the bottom left of the sensor as you look at it..."

Easy way to check: hold a bare lens a couple of inches from a plain wall opposite a window, so the image of the window is clear. Top left of the window will be at bottom left of the image on the wall.
 
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HoppyUK said:
No thanks Stewart. Do you? ;)
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Yes.

I'm painfully conscious that one of us is making a fool of himself here. It might be me. But anyway...

I think we agree that the image in the viewfinder is reversed top/bottom, but not left/right. So top left of the image is bottom left of the sensor. Do far so good. But in order to tackle dust on the sensor, you have to turn the camera round. Bottom left of the sensor when you're looking through the viewfinder becomes bottom right of the sensor when you're looking at the front of the camera.

..... doesn't it?
 
StewartR said:
Yes.

I'm painfully conscious that one of us is making a fool of himself here. It might be me. But anyway...

I think we agree that the image in the viewfinder is reversed top/bottom, but not left/right. So top left of the image is bottom left of the sensor. Do far so good. But in order to tackle dust on the sensor, you have to turn the camera round. Bottom left of the sensor when you're looking through the viewfinder becomes bottom right of the sensor when you're looking at the front of the camera.

..... doesn't it?
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No. Try that test. And ignore any viewfinder - it's not involved in this and only confuses things :)
 
Raymond Lin said:
You could try a rocket blower on the focus screen but you can also add more dust, it’s not something you can wet clean either, never touch it.
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I would endorse this advice multiple times due to bitter personal experience. While trying to dislodge a relatively minor fleck of dust in the viewfinder of my old 5D Mk2 I managed to get into the situation where I'd blown a larger one further up into the prism box assemble and also marked the (thankfully easily replaceable) focus screen. Cost a couple of hundred quid and a trip to Canon Elstree to resolve.
 
A loupe with led lights to inspect inside helps me a lot see what I’m aiming at with the rocket blower, and only rarely wet clean
 
Thanks all. I've gotten news today and I'm to take it to a local camera repairer to be sorted next week to save on the hassle of posting and all that.

Result!
 
ChrisJ_SLH said:
I would endorse this advice multiple times due to bitter personal experience. While trying to dislodge a relatively minor fleck of dust in the viewfinder of my old 5D Mk2 I managed to get into the situation where I'd blown a larger one further up into the prism box assemble and also marked the (thankfully easily replaceable) focus screen. Cost a couple of hundred quid and a trip to Canon Elstree to resolve.
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The MK2 focus screen is interchangeable and Canon sells parts for it, however that stopped so you can't do it anymore with the mk3 onwards.

Like this

https://www.amazon.com/Canon-Eg-S-Precision-Focusing-5D-Mark/dp/B001KBZ3S2

I've done it myself because I wanted one for TSE lenses but I couldn't tell the difference tbh, bit the whole thing is easy to do, takes 5 mins. It sounds scary like sensor cleaning but it's actually easier and quicker. It comes with a little plastic tool to pull it out and place it back in so your grubby hands never have to touch it.

The dust in the prism box however....that you have to send it in.
 
Raymond Lin said:
The MK2 focus screen is interchangeable and Canon sells parts for it, however that stopped so you can't do it anymore with the mk3 onwards.

Like this

https://www.amazon.com/Canon-Eg-S-Precision-Focusing-5D-Mark/dp/B001KBZ3S2

I've done it myself because I wanted one for TSE lenses but I couldn't tell the difference tbh, bit the whole thing is easy to do, takes 5 mins. It sounds scary like sensor cleaning but it's actually easier and quicker. It comes with a little plastic tool to pull it out and place it back in so your grubby hands never have to touch it.

The dust in the prism box however....that you have to send it in.
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Raymond, yes I changed the screen no problem. Well, when I say no problem after I'd got my hand to stop doing the sensor-clean shake. (What happens to to my otherwise perfectly steady hand when I am trying to do something delicate). As it happens, I installed the one with the grid as as I have terrible trouble with my verticals.

It was after I changed the grid that I realised the offending particle was further in and not accessible. It was a very big distracting lump too so I had to get it sorted which was a top of the camera off job.
 
Update on mine, it needs a new focus screen and a new pre focus screen (is there such a thing?), all covered by the warranty, and they are possibly into the prism as well as there's dust up there too. All very odd, hopefully it won't happen again.
 
Well, I got my camera back today and so far, all is well. I did almost faint though when I first tried it and I was getting the focus confirmed but the image was blurry through the viewfinder. After a few seconds of heart in my boots I realised it was the diopter.

Time to learn this camera more now, it's a quantum leap after my 7D.
 
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