Canon EOS 5D Mark IV vs Canon EOS 5D Mark II

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV was introduced in August 2016 and Canon EOS 5D Mark II was introduced in February 2009. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS 5D Mark IV over Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS 5D Mark II over Canon EOS 5D Mark IV.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV has a 3.2" screen with 1,620k dot resolution and Canon EOS 5D Mark II has a 3.0" screen with 920k dot resolution. Both have Fixed screens. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Cameras have built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinders. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV has 100% coverage with 0.71x magnification and Canon EOS 5D Mark II has 98% coverage with 0.71x magnification.

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV features a 30.4 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 36 x 24 mm and a total area of 864 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 32,000 and expands to 50 - 102,400 in boosted mode. Canon EOS 5D Mark II features a 21.1 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 36 x 24 mm and a total area of 576 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400 and expands to 50 - 25,600 in boosted mode.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is equipped with DIGIC 6+ processor and can take pictures up to 6720 x 4480 resolution. Canon EOS 5D Mark II is equipped with DIGIC 4 processor and can take pictures up to 5616 x 3744 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4080 x 2720, 2784 x 1856, 5616 x 3744, 3861 x 2574, 2784 x 1856 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Cameras have Canon EF lens mount. Due to their Full Frame sensor their crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is equal to 1x. This means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Canon EOS 5D Mark IV it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS 5D Mark II nothing can be done. On Canon EOS 5D Mark II it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS 5D Mark IV nothing can be done.

Built-in GPS on Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV has a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) technology which allows you to automatically tag the location where you took your photos. You can later categorize, organize, and search for photos based on location. This is very useful for travel and outdoor photographers for documenting the locations where images were captured.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in GPS.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

NFC on Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV has a Mini HDMI and Canon EOS 5D Mark II has a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and Canon EOS 5D Mark II come with LP-E6 battery pack with battery life of 900 shots on Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and with battery life of 850 shots on Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) and one for CompactFlash (UDMA 7). Canon EOS 5D Mark II has a single CompactFlash (Type I/II, UDMA 7), Microdrive card slot.

Shutter

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Canon EOS 5D Mark II has Electronically Controlled Vertical-travel Mechanical Focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, and up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV can shoot continuously up to 7.0 fps. Canon EOS 5D Mark II can shoot continuously up to 3.9 fps.

Focusing

Both cameras have Dual Pixel CMOS AF system with Canon EOS 5D Mark IV having 61 (41 cross-type) focusing points and from -3 to +18 EV detection range and with Canon EOS 5D Mark II having 9 focusing points. and Canon EOS 5D Mark IV having from -3 to +18 EV detection range.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and Canon EOS 5D Mark II range from 0 to +20 EV and -0.5 to +18 EV respectively and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and ±2 EV range on Canon EOS 5D Mark II. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

Flash

Cameras have no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected to both of them via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on both cameras.

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV body has dimensions of 151 x 116 x 76 mm (5.94 x 4.57 x 2.99") and Canon EOS 5D Mark II body has dimensions of 152 x 114 x 75 mm (5.98 x 4.49 x 2.95"). Canon EOS 5D Mark IV weighs 890 g (1.96 lb / 31.39 oz) and Canon EOS 5D Mark II weighs 850 g (1.87 lb / 29.98 oz).

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

151 mm

116 mm

152 mm

114 mm

116 mm

114 mm

76 mm

75 mm