Photography Gear Reviews

Canon 5D Mark IV vs Sony RX100 V

Comparing the Canon 5D Mark IV and the Sony RX100 V.

How does the best compact camera compare to one of the best overall cameras on the market?

On the face of it this may seem like an extreme comparison. And it is. However with modern cameras and as electronics get smaller, the gap between top end and lower end is not as big as it used to be. We compare the Canon 5D Mark IV and the Sony RX100 V to test where that gap lies today.

We compare various aspects of each camera to see how they shape up. We are going to look at:

Weight
Cost
Lenses
Focusing Speed
Bokeh
Sensor
Image quality

Weight

When it comes to carrying a camera around all day, lighter is better. The best compact cameras really excel in this department and the Sony RX100 V is no different. It is light but well made, compact and easy to carry around all day. The Canon DSLR is heavy. Fact. Score one for the Sony.

Cost

These are both expensive cameras but they will reduce in cost overtime to fall in line with more budgets. The Canon is about three times the cost of the Sony so that is round two to the RX100V.

Lenses

The Sony scores an early point in this round thanks to actually coming with a lens. It has a fixed 24-70mm lens that is a perfect range for many situations. The DSLR on the other hand does not even come with a lens. Lenses are hugely expensive and add significant cost to the ownership of a DSLR camera. However, the ability to change lenses means the camera is much more versatile allowing shots from a super wide to a super zoom. This round is a tie.

Focusing Speed

The focus system on the Canon 5D Mark IV is one the best ever to be placed into a camera. It is fast, accurate and rarely misses but also functions in very low light. However, Sony claim the focus system on the RX100V is the fastest ever to be produced focusing in just 0.05 seconds. In the video we put this to this test and discover the Sony is ever so slightly faster. Impressive.

Bokeh

During testing both cameras were packing a 24-70mm lens capable of shooting f2.8. My old friend Optimus Prime stepped in as model and some carefully positioned fairy lights were employed to create some bokeh balls. The Sony produces a decent amount of blurred background but the quality of this, or bokeh, is not massively high. The bokeh balls are small, squidgy and misshapen and not hugely pleasant to look at. On the other hand the 5D produces beautifully round bokeh balls that are dreamy and delicious. Score one for the Canon. Not surprising given the larger lens and larger sensor.

Sensor and Image Quality

The Sony boasts an impressive one inch sensor considering the overall size of the package. It is right in line with Sony's current trend of creating great sensors. It produces excellent images in most conditions including low light. Sadly size matters when it comes to sensors. Having the ability to physically capture more light gives the full frame Canon 5D mark IV the juice to capture some truly spectacular images. This is two points to the Canon.

Adding up overall we have a tie game. This is fitting. Whilst the Canon 5D Mark IV is a much better camera in terms of image quality, it is not for everyone. It is expensive and DSLR's can initially be more complicated to use than other cameras. On the other hand the Sony RX100 V is very straightforward and easy to pick up for the first time and start capturing images. It is less versatile than the camera but also cheaper and lighter.

Overall we are not currently at risk of retiring our DSLR's but the compact camera definitely packs a much bigger punch than its small form factor would suggest.

Please leave a comment down below and let me know which you prefer and and what you think of the extreme comparison.

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Buy the Canon 5D Mark IV in the UK - http://amzn.to/2hi2Kti
Buy the Canon 5D Mark IV in the US - http://amzn.to/2grqHyJ

Buy the Sony RX100 V in the UK - http://amzn.to/2hrhDtT
Buy the Sony RX100 V in the US - http://amzn.to/2gNWFS2

Sony RX100 V Real World Review

We take the Sony RX100 V up a very pretty mountain.

The Sony RX100 V is a compact camera that packs a much bigger punch than its small size would suggest. It is a mirrorless camera with a one inch sensor that shoots 4K, captures 20 megapixel images and has an auto focus system that challenges even the very best DSLR's.

My previous real world review of the Canon 5D Mark IV proved very popular so this is going to be similar. I take the RX100V up a mountain in the Peak District hoping to capture some beautiful landscape photography. In the video I climb Mam Tor but also try to capture this amazing site of Winnats Pass, a collapsed cavern that has created and incredible natural scene.

Price

The Sony RX100 V is currently priced at £1000 in the UK and around $1000 in the US. The price hikes that UK residents are currently suffering are becoming relatively irritating. Regardless it is an expensive camera so in the video I discuss who the camera is for and who would be likely to buy the RX100 V. It is an excellent camera for vlogging given the flip up screen. It would serve as a very good compact camera for a professional photographer. Or it would be especially good for a family who want something small, simple and with great quality.

One of the big selling points of the new model, especially since the Sony RX100 IV is still a great camera, is the sheer processing power. It is essentially a little computer. It has the ability to shoot 24fps which is simply insane. It's a nice feature to have but how much use of it you will get is a vital question. This is not a sports or wildlife camera where a fast burst rate is important, especially given the fixed 24-70mm lens. It is too short for those photography genres. It would however be useful to capture images of your children in short bursts.

Dual Autofocus

The most important upgrade is probably the dual autofocus system. Employing contrast and phase detection it rivals that of top end DSLRs. It focuses fast and accurately and makes shooting stills, fast and filming video a breeze. However it does not have a touch screen which means touch to focus is not an option and this was a feature I really missed.

The Sony RX100 V is a decent improvement over the Sony RX100 IV which was already better than the offering from Canon in this field, the Canon G7X Mark II.

Conclusion

I fully enjoyed shooting with this camera and it made a pleasant change from lugging around a DSLR, especially when I was out with the family. It takes high quality images and is also packing some hefty features. At a £1000 this is very expensive for a compact camera but in two or three months time when prices started to fall it could be a very serious contender for a lot of people.

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Canon 5D Mark IV Full Real World Review

I climb a mountain to put the Canon 5D Mark IV through its paces in this real world review.

The Canon 5D Mark IV is a camera built for professionals and serious enthusiasts. Lots of reviews out there give you hard figures about camera performance and a detailed explanation of what every mode does. These are great but I wanted to get the camera out into the real world, to put it through it's paces in a scenario where we will actually be shooting. I have had the Canon 5D Mark IV since it was realeasd in the UK and have used it in a variety of situations so feel I am suitably qualified to review it.

In the video I travel to the Lake District to climb a snow capped mountain in search of some amazing landscape scenes, a little wildlife and the odd macro shot. Watch the video now to see the story of the day and my full opinion on the Canon 5D Mark IV.

Firstly Canon sold the camera based on some new 'killer' features.

The dual pixel raw was one such feature. Canon claims this is used to make minor adjustments to focus in post processing. In testing of found this made minimal to zero difference. In the practical world dual pixel raw will be something I never use.

Canon 5D Mark IV 4K.

The Canon 5D Mark IV does have 4K shooting. However it comes with a number of caveats that will render it useless for the vast majority of shooters. Firstly, the Canon 5D Mark IV is full frame but when shooting 4k it employs a 1.74 crop which is far from ideal when all the lenses in your bag are based on the 35mm equivalent. Secondly, the Motion JPEG file format creates huge files that means any serious 4K shooting is unlikely to take place on this camera. If you need 4K shooting in jam, the 5D will have you covered.

The Canon 5D Mark IV has some huge strengths though and these make the purchase worthwhile. The high resolution 30.4MP sensor makes a big difference in many circumstance such as portrait and and landscape photography. It also has an exceptional auto focus system taken straight off the Canon 1DX Mark II. This is fast, accurate and is the best autofocus system I have ever used. It is perfect for wildlife photography especially when combined with my trusty Canon 400mm f5.6 L lens.

The Canon 5D is an exceptional camera bringing several existing Canon features, and a few new ones, into the 5D package. Despite the barmy European pricing this is the perfect camera in so many circumstances. As a Landscape photographer and a wedding photographer I could not be happier.

Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about the Canon 5D Mark IV real world review video.

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Music

Aicha G - Funk Beat

The Passion Hifi - Sleeping G - https://soundcloud.com/freehiphopbeatsforyou

Stylus Boy - When I argue I see shapes (Idlewild Cover) - https://soundcloud.com/stylusboy/shapes

Light Thought var 4 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Artist: http://incompetech.com/

MarioBeatz - Paradise Beat - https://soundcloud.com/yourrapbeatstv

My gear:

Canon 5D Mark IV - US - http://amzn.to/2ci53sp Canon 5D Mark IV - UK - https://www.firstmanphotography.com/get/canon-5d-mark-iv-ukCanon 700D - US - http://amzn.to/2aJjbYJ Canon 700D - UK - http://amzn.to/2dP8JkiManfrotto BeFree Tripod - US - http://amzn.to/1UqF5n7 Manfrotto BeFree Tripod - UK - http://amzn.to/2e27XlM

GorillaPod - US - http://amzn.to/1RUCiRK GorillaPod - UK - http://amzn.to/2e278tl

Rode VideoMic Pro - US - http://amzn.to/28NErv5 Rode VideoMic Pro - UK - http://amzn.to/2eGYdRg

Canon 17-40mm - US - http://amzn.to/2etreL8 Canon 17-40mm - UK - http://amzn.to/2dP6VI5

Tamron 24-70mm - US - http://amzn.to/2dP3T6J Tamron 24-70mm - UK - http://amzn.to/2eH2DHz

Canon 10-18mm - US - http://amzn.to/2b7Xbrj Canon 10-18mm - UK - http://amzn.to/2e8SmV5

AmazonBasics DSLR and laptop backpack review

The astonishing AmazonBasics DSLR and laptop backpack A review of the excellent and affordable AmazonBasics DSLR and laptop backpack. The high quality of this bag defies the very affordable price tag.

Buy the (orange interior) bag in the US - http://amzn.to/2esTld4
Buy the (orange interior) bag in the UK - http://amzn.to/2edAN53

Buy the bag in the US - http://amzn.to/2feLkty
Buy the bag in the UK - http://amzn.to/2esMksu

In a recent video I featured my new camera backpack the F-Stop Sukha camera bag. Whilst this is an amazing camera bag many people were offended, and rightly so in some cases, about the huge cost.

To balance that out I am today reviewing the AmazonBasics DSLR and Laptop backpack. This bag is much more affordable at £35/$40 and will fit most budgets. It was recommended to me Danny, a very early subscriber to my channel. He sent me some pictures of the bag and it looked very impressive so I ordered one straight away to check it out.

When the AmazonBasics DSLR and Laptop backpack arrived the first impression was that the quality was much higher than I had expected. The material feels sturdy and similar to many other, more expensive, camera bags. This is the ethos of AmazonBasics. They make big quality products using quality materials but remove the frills branding and posh packaging associated with many other products. Simple yet effective.

Big Cameras, Big Lenses

The video shows that that bag is capable of carrying a large amount of camera gear including my Canon 5D Mark IV and several lenses. This include the Canon 400mm f5.6 L lens. Astonishing. The AmazonBasics DSLR and laptop backpack also provides handy clips on the side to easily attach your tripod. In the video I attach a relatively small travel tripod but bigger tripods can also be carried.

The AmazonBasics DSLR and laptop backpack is not waterproof but the material is think enough that it will require a significant amount of prolonged and heavy rain to breach the material. For that time you get caught in a storm, Amazon provide a very handy rain cover that you can pull over the bag to keep things dry.

Accessibility of this bag is probably it’s main weakness, especially once the rain cover is fitted. In order to get at your gear you need to take the bag off and fully unzip the cover because your camera body must be stored at the bottom. There is no clever access panel like several, more expensive bags, feature.

Any Downsides?

The only other problem is the padding in the straps and back is not particularly thick. It feels a little bit cheap and after wearing it for a reasonable amount of time will become compressed and provide very little padding and support

However these are minor gripes and I can highly recommend the AmazonBasics DSLR and laptop backpack is you are looking for a camera bag under £50/$50.

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F-Stop Sukha Camera Bag Review

In this video we take a look at the best camera bag I have ever owned.

I have mentioned a few times in the comments recently that I have not been happy with my current camera bag. It is a Lowepro Backpack. It is fine but since I have started vlogging and needing to carry more and more gear with me I have needed something bigger, more rugged and more comfortable for carrying up mountains. This is where the F-Stop Sukha Camera Bag comes into play.

F-Stop are known for creating bags that are dedicated for photographers who like getting out and about into the elements. Most hiking bags are not designed for photographers. Accessing your gear can be extremely difficult, especially in the field when the lens you want is right at the bottom and it is raining.

F-Stop Sukha Camera Bag - Innovative design

The F-Stop Sukha Camera Bag deals with that problem with an innovative design. Roll the bag over into 'work station' mode and you have access to all your gear the through the back panel.

The gear sits in the internal camera unit, or ICU. F-Stop make various sizes of these to suit most photographers and includes one with the ability to take an exceptionally large telephoto lens. The ICU lifts out and can act as it's own protective case. The lid can just fold back and slide into the bag.

The Sukha is so big there is still plenty of room for things like camping gear or other trekking type gear. There is a pocket designed to accept a laptop but also doubles up to accept a hydration system.

The Sukha is designed to handle even severe weather. It is a waterproof camera bag but also uses snag proof material. The quality of this thing is exceptional. It feels well built and is also very comfortable even with a full load.

External Storage

There are a host of other pockets and external storage options. It even fits a travel tripod like the Manfrotto BeFree and easily accepts a gorilla pod. Bigger tripods will easily attach to the outside.

Clearly the F-Stop Sukha Camera Bag is not for everyone. However, for those getting out and about into the elements there are currently few, if any, better options than an F-Stop bag. It is especially versatile. It also acts as a normal hiking bag by taking the ICU out and leaving it at home.

The only downside is the cost. At over £300 with the ICU it's an expensive bag, there's no doubt about it. However, the high quality and the ability to use different ICU's will make this a valuable asset for years and years to come. I haven't tested this out in anger yet and will be doing so soon on my next vlog. I will give you an update then but I'm sure all will be positive.

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Check out the F-Stop range - Click here

Canon 10-18mm IS STM Review

The Canon 10-18mm is Ultra Wide Angle on a Budget

The fact that Canon decided to make this lens is a great thing. Opening up ultra wide angle photography to a new audience is a welcome move with this Canon 10-18mm budget lens.

When you first strap an ultra wide lens to your camera it is an exciting moment discovering the new perspective it brings to the world. Scenes look bigger and it displays an image much wider than what your eyes would see. The Canon 10-18mm lens picks up nicely where your 18-55mm kit lens leaves off and is a perfect accompaniment to this on a cropped sensor EF-S camera.

Wide angle photography opens up your creative possibilities in landscape photography, architecture photography and is always used to sell houses by making rooms look bigger.

On paper the Canon 10-18mm lens is excellent. It has the ultra wide angle, it's relatively cheap, it's light, the front element does not rotate, meaning you can happily attach filters like a circular Polariser to improve your landscapes. It also has IS that assists video and the STM focus is an excellent focus by wire system that is literally silent.

So all in all the perfect lens?

Well no. In my written reviews over on my website one element of my star rating is ‘Joy Factor’. It describes that feeling you get when using a new product, the fizz, the excitement, the desire to use it again and again, that unexplainable feeling that makes you truly love a product.

The Canon 10-18mm does not have that. It just leaves you feeling flat and the images it produces are just ‘ok’ and nothing more. Other downsides include the plastic mount, the simply dreadful distortion when at the widest angle. Anything outside the very centre of the frame, whilst at 10mm, is going to be skewed out of shape like your image has melted. The lens is also quite slow at f/4.5 - f/5.6 with the aperture adjusting as you move through the zoom range. Also I have found the image stabilisation of very little use.

For stills it will allow you to handhold exposures down to around 1/20 second but at f/4.5 this will still be pretty dark in low light situations without a decent ISO boost. I have been using this lens for my blogs and I have haven't found the image stabilisation has been of any benefit over using a wide angle lens without IS. If you're stood still and handholding then it will do a good job but this is pretty restrictive for creating interesting and varied shots.

I'm not saying don't buy the Canon 10-18mm, especially currently at £180/$279. It will still do a job for you, as it is for me, it's just there are better options out there. The Canon 10-22 is a great lens and is pretty much L lens quality just without the red ring. The Sigma 10-20mm is also another good option and can be picked up very cheaply on the second hand market. Saving up for one of these lenses may be your better option.

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Manfrotto BeFree Tripod Review

Could the Manfrotto BeFree be the best tripod ever?

The Manfrotto BeFree Tripod is an impressive item before you even take it out of the very neat little carry bag that is included. Once removed, you immediately see the Manfrotto BeFree Tripod is an evolution in tripod design. The legs fold 180 degree up against the central column and allow the legs to wrap around the built in head so it can be packed into the very compact size.

For a landscape photographer, a lightweight tripod is everything if your shot requires any amount of trekking. Carrying this tripod around adds very little extra weight and would not be burden even if you had to carry it all day. It is so small that is should attach to most good camera bags without any difficulty and, if not, the included bag has a handy shoulder strap.

During the review the tripod was put to the test in very windy conditions in the Yorkshire Dales. A tripod like this is a balancing act between light weight and portability versus the risk of it moving or blowing around in the wind.

https://www.firstmanphotography.com/vlog/vlog-no-1

The Manfrotto Befree Tripod seems to have an uncanny ability to remain solid and secure even in heavy wind. The shot of the tree featured in the video was a four minute long exposure and you can see there is no lack of sharpness in the image other than where the branches are blowing around in the wind. This ability could be due to the Manfrotto BeFree maintaining very similar dimensions to much heavier tripods. The legs can also be adjusted to spread to about 45 degrees allowing for a wider base and lower shooting angle.

The Manfrotto BeFree Tripod comes with an included tripod head. This represents great value because tripod heads alone often cost more than this tripod in total. The camera attaches to the tripod via the Manfrotto RC2 quick release plate. This is used on several other Manfrotto tripods so if you already use this quick release plate it will slot straight onto the tripod.

There is not much more that can be said. The is potentially the best lightweight tripod on the market today. It will facilitate your ability to travel light whether you are trekking up a mountain or boarding a plan with only hand luggage.

If you were to only own one tripod then I would recommend buying something slightly bigger. However as a lightweight travel tripod the Manfrotto BeFree is the best tripod I have ever used.

Buy in the UK - Click here.

Buy in the UK - Green Version

Buy in the US - Click here.

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Canon 17-40mm f4L USM Lens Review

Why you should still consider the Canon 17-40mm f4L.

The Canon 17-40mm f/4L has been around for a while now but it is still worth considering for many photographers. There are better lenses out there but this is no slouch and given the incredible value now offered by this lens it is well worth another look.

Who is the Canon 17-40mm f/4L for? Arguably everyone shooting with a DSLR today has use for a focal range like this.

We talk about sensor crop factor so often in modern day photography. The majority of the time it makes very little difference. If people spent more time focusing on the progression of their skills and less time worrying about their gear we would all be better off. At the wide end of the scale though, crop factor is an issue and this is particularly true with the Canon 17-40mm f/4L. However this turns out to be one of it’s biggest strengths.

Attached to a cropped sensor camera the lens has a 35mm equivalent range of 27-64mm. This is a perfect range for so many types of photography and will act as a very good general purpose lens. It is also very similar to the classic 24-70mm on a full frame camera. On the wide end it is probably not wide enough for all your landscape needs so coupling it with a 10-22 would be a very good option.

Image quality is a significant step up from the kit lens with good sharpness across the frame. The low light performance is limited due the the constant f/4 aperture but a boost in ISO will still make it useable and it is still better than the f/5.6 kit lens.

Most DSLR photographers are looking to upgrade to a full frame camera at some point in their photography journey. If you owned this lens at the point of upgrade it would then turn into very good landscape lens. The lens works on both cropped and full framed cameras. I have now used this lens as my main landscape lens for many years and it is very well suited to that purpose.

The focal range is perfect for so many landscape situations and the quality is a very reasonable and rarely have I wished I had more. In landscape photography the quality of your image will depend on your location, your composition and your light, much more than the having the best lens attached to your camera.

Despite this, the image quality does fade to the edge of the frame when shooting at 20mm and below. It softens slightly and there is some relatively severe distortion, although this is common for a wide zoom like this. You will probably want to keep people out of the edges at 17mm or they will end up looking very warped. With landscapes this is not too much of a problem but is worth being aware of when composing your shot.

The lens is well made and has a quiet USM motor. The lens is weather sealed although only once a filter is attached to the front threads. The front element moves inside the barrel when you zoom so allows water to creep in if no filter is attached. The filter threads are attached to the outside of the barrel though and do not move or rotate making it ideal for attaching a circular Polariser. The filter thread is 77mm matching many other lenses meaning you may not have to reinvest in filters. This is especially true if upgrading from the 10-22 lens. The lens is also relatively light at 500g meaning carrying it out to hard to reach landscapes is not an arduous task.

The lens has 12 elements in 9 groups, it has 7 aperture blades, a minimum aperture of f/22 and focuses nice and close at 28cm. This means you can get nice and close to your subject and get some really interesting wide angle shots.

There is a small amount of Chromatic Aberration but this very effectively removed in Lightroom particular in landscapes where the majority of your image will be in sharp focus.

In the process of buying and researching this lens it is likely going to be compared to both the Canon 16-35mm mkii f/2.8 and the Canon 16-35mm f/4 IS. Both these lenses offer better image quality and versatility than the 17-40mm. They are, however, both more than double the cost of the Canon 17-40mm f/4L leading to a questionable return on that extra investment. It would really come down to a decision about what you want to use the lens for. For example, if you plan to shoot a lot of video then the 16-35mm f/4 is going to be worth it, thanks to the stabilisation. If low light ability is key then the 16-35mm f/2.8 may be the one to go for. If it is purely for landscapes then the Canon 17-40mm f/4L wins hands down. The quality difference does not justify a doubling of the price. Once a landscape image is printed you would really struggle to tell the difference between these three lenses.

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As mentioned earlier the cost of this lens is now it's big selling point. It is now more affordable than ever. Under $500 in the US and around £350, when bought second hand, this is the cheapest Canon L lens currently available. That represents incredible value for money considering everything the lens offers, especially when it comes to landscapes. The lens has been capturing beautiful photographs for many years and will continue to do so despite newer and more expensive models being available.

I can recommend the Canon 17-40mm f/4L to anyone, but particularly those looking for a big bang for their buck and a lens that will transition well from a cropped sensor camera to a full frame one.

Buy in the UK - Canon EF 17-40 mm

Buy in the US - Canon EF 17-40mm

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