The Last Good Canon DSLR?

When the 5D Mk IV came out, I remember rolling my eyes so hard. By that time, I had moved onto Sony, Fuji, and Olympus. They were all flying around Canon at Mach 3 while Canon flew on a single DSLR shaped engine. In 2026, the camera turns 10 years old. What most folks don’t know is how the camera naturally evolved into the Mirrorless world. I’m not talking about the R5 series cameras: I’m talking about something else. 

When the EOS R was launched, it was an oddly high end camera but one that also kind of included lower end features. It boasted the sensor in the 5D Mk IV with a new processor (I believe) and ergonomic changes. There was no traditional back aperture control dial. Instead it had this weird touch interface control surface that I think Canon didn’t do enough with. At first, the focus performance wasn’t all that great. But then the firmware came and it evolved into something insanely good. 

Before that though, the 5D Mk IV had loads more capabilities aside from face detection and eye detection autofocus. That’s where the R really evolved. 

So in 2026, is the Mk IV still a good camera? Honestly, I’d say yes. There are still photographers out there shooting award winning photos with it. But I’d say that if you’re going to get a Canon DSLR to instead go for the 5DS. Even today, many cameras don’t have 50MP sensors like that. 

In fact, I remember years ago that Canon was showing off a super high megapixel sensor at Canon Con: a show they used to put on to flex what they’ve got. I sometimes wish that sensor came to a DSLR. But in would be super hard to use as your focusing would need to be absolutely perfectly sharp. 

The spirit of the 5D is surely still alive and well. But the Mk IV didn’t show off what the series was truly capable of. What’s more, Canon has never really adapted the idea that someone will want the 1 or 3 series camera along with a 5 series. This is reflected in the ergonomics and the button layout. It’s the opposite of Nikon, LUMIX, and Sony. 

Maybe one day, Canon will get the message. 

But one of the biggest reasons why you’d buy the 5D Mk IV is because it’s one of the few cameras on the market that offers multiple exposure in-camera with RAW capabilities. What’s more, there’s the fact that a DSLR and an optical viewfinder make you think a whole lot more when taking a photo. Do you have any idea how many photographers look through a viewfinder and don’t know how to read a light meter? Or that they use a digital camera as a reference of some sort? Do you know what happens to your scene when you underexpose or overexpose it?

Too often have photographers relied on their camera gear to make the decisions for them that they simply agree to. And not enough are they making those decisions for themselves.