In the photography world, mirrorless cameras are all the rage currently. More camera brands have jumped on board this latest camera technology and are abandoning the dSLRs. Many photographers are selling their old dSLRs to get the “latest and greatest” technology, but not me. It wasn’t that long ago that I was still using the Canon 60D, which has a cropped sensor. I am just a photographer hobbyist, so take this article for what it’s worth. But I know enough to know when a camera can take outstanding photos, has a crazy following, and still rivals mirrorless cameras. That is the 5D Mark IV.
In December of 2023 I wanted to sell my 60D for a Canon full sensor camera, but I didn’t know which one. I was looking at the 5D Mark iii, Mark iv, and the 6D Mark ii. Having only used Canon in the past, I am partial to Canon (Sorry Nikon and Sony). I know it is a bummer that the Canon bodies don’t have image stabilization, so the lenses need it. But despite that, like others, I still just love Canon. The “L” lens are maybe the best lens around in my opinion. I wasn’t looking for a new one. Actually, I think only the 5D Mark IV is still being manufactured of these three bodies I considered (if that isn’t correct, someone can point that out in the comments). So I read reviews and compared prices at Ebay, Keh, and MPB. All of these cameras are considered “professional” cameras, but the 5D Mark IV seemed to be the leader, and the prices seemed to back that up. I finally narrowed down my options to the Mark iii and iv, and based on price, I picked up a Mark iii for around $500. It had about 46,000 actuations, about 31% of its shutter life used up. It was quite an upgrade from the 60D I had been using, but the Mark iii came out just two years after the 60D. It is built sturdier and was a bit larger than my 60D.
I used the Mark iii all during 2024 and got some amazing photos with it, using the Canon 100-400mm IS L lens (I plan to upgrade that to the IS II soon, another story). But, there were a couple of inconvenient things that eventually had me looking at the Mark IV. 1) No wifi on the Mark iii. 2) No touch screen 3) no 4K video 4) Mark IV had significant improvements over the Mark iii, so jumping from 60D to Mark IV is quite the leap. In 2025, one should not have to keep removing CD cards , using wires or card readers unless they want to! It’s a bit irritating when reaching for the camera for a quick snap of something cool, only to realize the card slot is empty and in the card reader on your desk! I know you can leave the card in and transfer photos to a laptop that way. I just want to be wireless! Also, a touch screen is faster and easier to make selections. The 4K video thing is less important, but I listed it here because if I am going to shoot video, then it might as well be higher resolution. Don’t get me wrong – the 5D Mark iii is still an excellent camera. Here’s a couple photos with the 5D Mark iii:
Summer sunset on sound at OBX, NC.
Downy woodpecker eating suet.
While I highly admire the 5D Mark iii, I decided to check prices on the Mark IV again, and not much changed in a year. The 5D Mark IV is still commanding (relatively) high prices for a used Mark IV. Maybe one could be picked up in fair condition with a 100,000+ actuations for around $750 plus tax/shipping. I kept looking and eventually I found a rare find – a Mark IV in excellent condition with 300 shutter count for $530. I was convinced this was a scam! But with Buyer Protection, I decided to take the chance, and I am sure glad I did. I made an offer, and I now have this nearly brand new camera. If I were to try for the closest comparison in mirrorless Canons, it would be the R5 mirrorless. Quickly glancing on eBay, the lowest decent one was $1400+ used. That gives some idea where mirrorless is, although I will say there are plenty of decent Mark IVs commanding a similar price, showing there’s enough demand to keep the price high on used Mark IVs. I found a gem on a site that is still growing an not well known yet (Depop, mostly clothing for sale, owned by Etsy). Mark IV sells new on Amazon for $2100, $1300 renewed. The camera I bought would not have lasted an hour on eBay at the price I paid. By the way, I could keep my 5D Mark iii as a back up camera, but it’s for sale currently if you’re interested. Send me a message if interested (Update: Mark iii sold shortly after posting this).
Will I eventually transition to mirrorless? Maybe but I cannot say there is any plan to do it for a while. I am enjoying my new camera. Do I need better video capabilities when I have the iPhone 15 Pro that can shoot 4K cinema? Do I really need that feature in my dedicated camera? Not really. The iPhone is portable, always with me and quite capable of handling my video needs. Do I need fast shutter speeds? I don’t think so currently. Do I need better battery life? The mirrorless cams have great battery life I hear, but I have 2 battery chargers and 4 spare batteries, so I am good. The Mark IV battery will drain rapidly if GPS and wifi are left on, so that is something to be mindful of, but that’s not enough for me to shell out another $1000 to go to mirrorless. Not when that could buy a nice lens for that! I’m going all in on the Mark IV for now.