topic Re: Canon EOS 5D Mark iv in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Canon EOS 5D Mark iv

frabby100 — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 18:18:24 GMT

Hello!

I just purchased a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera and have a question about the compact flash that I am able to use. I have a SanDisk Ultra compact flash 30mb/s* 8 GB. Can I use this in my camera?

Also, do I need both a compact flash and an SD card whenever I use the camera?

Thank you

Maryanne

Re: Canon EOS 5D Mark iv

Waddizzle — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 18:56:43 GMT

@frabby100 wrote:
Hello!

I just purchased a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera and have a question about the compact flash that I am able to use. I have a SanDisk Ultra compact flash 30mb/s* 8 GB. Can I use this in my camera?

Also, do I need both a compact flash and an SD card whenever I use the camera?

Thank you

Maryanne

The instruction manual, which can be dowloaded from Canon, describes compatible cards.

Re: Canon EOS 5D Mark iv

diverhank — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 19:11:31 GMT

@frabby100 wrote:
Hello!

I just purchased a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera and have a question about the compact flash that I am able to use. I have a SanDisk Ultra compact flash 30mb/s* 8 GB. Can I use this in my camera?

Also, do I need both a compact flash and an SD card whenever I use the camera?

Thank you

Maryanne

The answer is yes and you only need one card to use the camera, the other slot can remain empty.

Re: Canon EOS 5D Mark iv

amfoto1 — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 19:18:12 GMT

No, you don't need to have cards in both memory card slots to shoot with the camera. You just need a single card in one or the other.

If you do use both, you can configure the camera to use them different ways.... 1. save to one card first, then when it's full switch to save to the second card, or... 2. save the same file to both cards, as a backup, or.... 3. save CR2 files to one card and JPEG files to the other. It's up to you.

Until you configure the camera to one of the others, I think it will use #1 by default, any time you install both cards. Even if you configure one of the others, if you fail to install a second card, the camera will just warn you about the empty slot and you can simply click through and go ahead and shoot, if you wish.

By today's standards 30 mb/s is quite slow and 8GB is relatively small. This will probably cause your camera to slow down from it's fastest continuous shooting speed and have to pause to empty the buffer more often. And, if you shoot full size RAW files (Canon's CR2s), I think you'll find that 8GB is only good for around 200 images (24 to 26 image per GB). If you shoot JPEGs only, you should be able to save more images... or if you shoot RAW + JPEG, less. Maybe this is enough for your purposes... maybe not. Personally I sometimes shoot 200 image in an hour or less.

Memory cards aren't expensive these days. 16GB and 32GB cards can be bought for $50 apiece (top quality, well-known brands such as Lexar and Sandisk... others might be even cheaper, if riskier).There are much larger cards available, but personally I'm always a little nervous about putting "too many eggs in one basket". I prefer to use a handful of smaller cards, to one big one. That way if one fails or is lost, I don't lose too many images. And it only takes a few seconds to swap out a fresh card, when I've filled the first one.

150 mb/s (1000X) or faster UDMA 7 (CF) or UHS (SD) cards should give very good performance in your camera. There are even faster available, but the camera won't be able to take advantage of them. For example, faster UHS "II" SD memory will work fine, but only at UHS speeds. One possible reason for faster cards might be if you use a card reader that can take advantage of them, for faster downloads. Otherwise, there's not a lot of reason to buy 300 mb/s, 2000X memory cards, just to use them in this camera.

You just spent about $3500 on the camera... don't cheap out on the memory cards you use in it! I try to stick with well-known, reliable brands such as Lexar, Sandisk and a few others. There are a lot of brands I've never heard of and would be reluctant to risk, even if they are much cheaper.

Also make note of the instruction to format the card in the camera, especially if it's ever been used in another camera. Formatting configures and preps the card for use in a specific camera. There can be compatibility issues if not formatted or formatted & used in another camera.

Formatting will "erase" anything remaining on the memory card, so be sure to copy anything you want to keep off of it before formatting. (Formatting in camera this way doesn't actually erase things, but it marks them to be overwritten.) It may be adequate to format the card in-camera once, prior to the first use in the new camera. But, personally I format every card every time I use them (but I also use them in several different cameras).

Have fun with your new camera!

***********

Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7DII (x2), 7D(x2) some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & EXPOSUREMANAGER

Re: Canon EOS 5D Mark iv

frabby100 — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 20:01:31 GMT

Thank you. This was extremely helpful.

Re: Canon EOS 5D Mark iv

ebiggs1 — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 16:10:55 GMT

CF cards are generally faster than SD, if that makes a difference to you.

Re: Canon EOS 5D Mark iv

amfoto1 — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 18:02:11 GMT

@ebiggs1 wrote:
CF cards are generally faster than SD, if that makes a difference to you.

That used to be true, but now there is little difference.

The limitation with memory cards today isn't the cards... it's the camera.

If a camera is capable of using them, there are both CF and SD cards rated at 2000X (300mb/sec).

However, most cameras (incl. 5DIV) are not yet capable of taking full advantage of that fast memory. In the SD, for example, it's "UHS II" that's so fast. Most cameras aren't UHS II capable... But can still use it at half the speed (UHS) or less.

***********

Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7DII (x2), 7D(x2) some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & EXPOSUREMANAGER

Re: Canon EOS 5D Mark iv

ebiggs1 — Fri, 13 Jan 2017 12:28:59 GMT

"CF cards are generally faster than SD, ..."

That is why I said "generally" faster.

Re: Canon EOS 5D Mark iv

Sylhet81 — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 22:07:35 GMT

How do I see Remaining time on SD Card on 5D Mark 4 display?

Re: Canon EOS 5D Mark iv

Waddizzle — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 22:25:45 GMT

@Sylhet81 wrote:
How do I see Remaining time on SD Card on 5D Mark 4 display?

If by "remaining time on SD card" you mean how much video recording time is left, I'm not sure if it can. But, if you enter into the menu that formats the SD card, it shoul tell you the memory capacity of the card, and how much free space is left.

Re: Canon EOS 5D Mark iv

Sylhet81 — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 22:57:10 GMT

Thank Waddizzle....

I exactly mean that...it's a shame that everytime I want to see how much recording time left, I have to go to menu

Re: Canon EOS 5D Mark iv

Sylhet81 — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 22:59:31 GMT

Thanks Waddizzle....

I exactly mean that...it's a shame that everytime I want to see how much recording time left, I have to go to menu

Re: Canon EOS 5D Mark iv

Sylhet81 — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 23:27:41 GMT

Thanks Waddizzle....

I exactly mean that...it's a shame that everytime I want to see how much recording time left, I have to go to menu

Re: Canon EOS 5D Mark iv install firmware

iris — Wed, 13 Sep 2017 19:57:39 GMT

I have been considering the purchase of the full frame Canon 5D Mark iv....I've read quite a few articles about its performance and advantages over my currect crop sensored Canon 7D Mark ii.....Several of the articles mention glitches in the new camera that are corrected with updates using Canon supplied firmware.....My question is....rather than me having to search to find all the firmware updates that I might need, is it possible to have Canon do that for me before shipping the camera.....or if the Camera is purchased say from B &H or one of the other American firms that deal in cameras can they do that for me before sending the camera....??? Is there any downside to having these firmware updates installed? For instance, are they specific to some sort of specific problem you may be having with the camera? at any rate if someone could enlighten me as to the importance of the "firmware updates" and as to whether or not they can be installed before the camera is sent to me I'd appreciate the information...

Re: Canon EOS 5D Mark iv install firmware

amfoto1 — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 04:48:27 GMT

What firmware comes in a camera depends upon when it was manufactured, packaged and shipped. I doubt anyone will install the firmware for you, but a firmware update is a fairly simple process and only needs to be done once, to the latest version.(And you might as well learn to do it, since there will likely be future updates that you'll want to install.)

Firmware updates area also easy to find on the Canon website. Just look for the product downloads link, enter the camera model and when that page opens, look for the "firmware" tab. The most current firmware for the 5D Mark IV is here: https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/support/details/cameras/dslr/eos-5d-mark-iv?subtab=downloads-firmware#Z7_MQH8HIC0L88RB0AMD0F1Q42K25.

Choose the latest version that's compatibile with your computer system and download it.

Also download and read the supporting document that you'll find there, with installation instructions and information about the driver.

To install the firmware, you'll need the USB cable to connect the camera to your computer and a freshly fomatted memory card in the camera.

***********

Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7DII (x2), 7D(x2) some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & EXPOSUREMANAGER