EOS 5D Mark IV Poor image quality

[billwestermeyer]

Please excuse the rather basic question. I recently purchased a refurbished 5D mark IV from Canon USA. It is replacing my 6D mark I. I've been very disappointed with the image quality I'm getting from the camera and figured it was just an amateur photographer trying to figure out a new camera. But it really doesn't seem right, and I'm hoping to get some advice. I've attached an image I captured with the 5D and a Canon 100mm macro IS USM. ISO 400, 1/500, F 10, and the camera is about 3 feet away from the butterfly. I saved the image as a JPEG, but it is an unedited raw image. It seems pretty grainy to me. Does it to you? Should I have Canon check it out?

thanks

[FloridaDrafter]

Bill, your posting to Google Drive requires a password to download. Please make it sharable without a p/w 🙂

I agree with Waddizzle. I wouldn't start with micro adjustment or any other kind of calibration. It's been my experience that it is rarely needed. BTW, I used the EOS 5D mark IV as my primary camera for years along with the EF 100mm f/2.8 IS USM macro, and still use that combo when my R series are occupied with other glass (I have the RF 100mm macro). That's not to say your combo might not need some adjustment, it just wouldn't be my first suspect.

Newton

[billwestermeyer]

sorry it's accessible now.

[FloridaDrafter]

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@billwestermeyer wrote:

sorry it's accessible now.

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Thank you, Bill! I just popped it open in DPP 4 and upon initial inspection (no adjustments), it looks fine to me. The focus point is on the skipper. It's a bit over exposed, but that is just a matter of taste, so no big deal.

I suspect that the program you used to edit/reduce the image is at fault. I will post my edits or a screen shot shortly. I hope that is OK 🙂

Newton

[FloridaDrafter]

I just noticed. That is not the same image, LOL!

Newton

[FloridaDrafter]

Woh! The Raw you posted is with a different lens! If you want help with the EF 100mm macro, that is what you need to post. 

Newton

[billwestermeyer]

Sorry Newton, I've got a couple different conversations going on. I used two lenses on this session to compare for troubleshooting. I realize using the macro lens as an example was probably not the best for advice. It's the best lens I have, so I thought that would be the best example, but macros are a little different and tricky.  That link is for a similar unedited RAW photo taken 70-200 L IS USM at 121 mm, ISO 160, 1/400 F8, taken at the same time. Its fairly sharp (with sharpening)  but not sure if it should be better.  Here is the original 100mm image. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12A_PexadrXVSm37sn0dtC8mkWUkxSOWj/view?usp=drive_link

[FloridaDrafter]

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@billwestermeyer wrote:

Sorry Newton, I've got a couple different conversations going on. I used two lenses on this session to compare for troubleshooting. I realize using the macro lens as an example was probably not the best for advice. It's the best lens I have, so I thought that would be the best example, but macros are a little different and tricky.  That link is for a similar unedited RAW photo taken 70-200 L IS USM at 121 mm, ISO 160, 1/400 F8, taken at the same time. Its fairly sharp (with sharpening)  but not sure if it should be better.  Here is the original 100mm image. 

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Not a problem, Bill 🙂

I just ran the image taken with the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro (I think it's a Silver-spotted Skipper) through DPP 4 and for the distance, it looks OK to me. Note how sharp the leaves are within the same FOV as the skipper. The skipper was probably moving when you took the shot, so it may have some slight motion blur, but easily correctable. The FP was on the skipper.

I cropped this close to 50%, so it would only be suitable for posting on social media. You would need to be closer with the EF 100mm to get better/more detail and a larger print. The higher pixel count of the 5D IV make cropping in closer easier. I love this camera and lens combo, that's why I still use mine even though I shoot with MILC's. It is hard to beat the IQ of the 5D IV and EF 100mm when shooting macro 😁

This is from the EF 70-200 f/4L IS USM, a Fiery Skipper I think. I cropped it as close as I could and still maintain some detail. Like the other image, this would only be suitable for social media, IMO. I would have used all 200mm's, but maybe you were trying to compare to the 100mm

Newton

[billwestermeyer]

Wow, that's some nice work on your part.  Buying a refurbished one, there was no DPP disc included and had forgotten it existed. I downloaded it and did a tutorial. Great application. Newton, that was really great of you to take the time to help me.  It's good to know the camera is ok. 

Bill

[FloridaDrafter]

You are welcome, Bill! Just be aware that DPP is a pretty basic program and there are other options, some free and some you have to pay for. Since the paid apps typically have more features, they are more complicated and take longer to become proficient at. Although DPP is slower to process files, it's advantage is it uses profiles for Canon cameras and lenses that are created by Canon. Other apps also have profiles, but typically, they aren't created by Canon and depend on other dedicated users and sometimes aren't as good and take some tweaking on your part. Oftentimes they [lens/camera profiles] are late to the party and you may end up waiting or creating your own. This isn't an issue if you use 3rd party lenses, like Tamron or Sigma.

Since retirement, I'm not in any hurry, so DPP being slow is of no concern to me, but I do use other Raw editors, primarily DxO when I have a troublesome image. BTW, the files from the 5D IV are pretty quick to process compared to my R5's and R6's Raw files.

Newton

[billwestermeyer]

I don't need anything too sophisticated. just a hobbyists taking a lot of bird images. I had a version of Photoshop elements from a decade or so ago and I liked it. I forgot to transfer the license when I changed computers, so Adobe made me buy a new subscription. I really don't like the new version, especially the sharpening. I've tried RawTherapee too.