As I’m writing this in the year 2017, I realised $2500 is the tipping point for a camera’s image quality to become irrelevant.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a Nikon, Canon, Fuji, Sony – once you pay more than that amount for a camera body, it’s not about quality anymore; it’s all up to personal taste.
After that threshold, we’re paying extra for the equivalent of dual climate zone control air conditioning.
It’s the equivalent of sun roofs, bigger alloy wheels, touch screen panels, phone connectivity, spoilers, auto parking.
Is it nice to have? Sure.
Is it a necessity to create great photos? Absolutely not.
A $2500 camera has as much camera as a $5000 camera.
If you can’t take a decent photograph with a $2500 camera, a $5000 camera won’t help much.
The Canon 5D Mark 4 is such a camera.
I had the chance to use one over last Easter weekend shooting a pre-wedding session and a restaurant.
The touch screen is great, the dual pixel thingy is great, the extra megapixels is also great.
If this is your first ever full frame DSLR (and if a DSLR is what you need), don’t think about it.
Get one – don’t look back.
It’s worth every single penny for the next five years to come.
I envy you.
I’m just not sure if it’s good enough to completely overthrow the Mark 3.
I have friends who are still hanging on to their Mark 2 because the sensor is considered unique now.
It produces a certain look that stands out from the new mainstream look with infinite amount shadow and highlight recovery.
My conclusion is that the 5D Mark 4 will make my photos look up to date, like an operating system.
But it will not make me a better photographer at this point in time.
And having images that look like everyone else’s is not a top priority for me.
Eventually, I’ll get it.
I’m just not in a rush.
