Canon 5DS R vs 5D Mark IV: which gives more real detail for wildlife, especially at higher ISO?
Asked 10/9/2016
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2 answers
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I want the sharpest, most detailed images possible for wildlife close-ups. I’m deciding between the Canon 5DS R (50MP) and the Canon 5D Mark IV (30MP).
My concern is the tradeoff between resolution and noise: the 5DS R has more pixels and should allow more detail and cropping, but the 5D Mark IV is generally better in low light. I currently use a Canon 700D and often feel noise makes my images look unsharp.
I already use the Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II, so lens quality is covered. Is there any practical ISO point where the 5D Mark IV’s cleaner files outweigh the 5DS R’s extra resolution, or is the answer more situational than that?
I’m looking specifically for which body is more likely to produce the most usable detail in real wildlife shooting.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
6
The literal answer to your question is: it depends. If you know you're always going to be shooting in good light, the 5DS will do better. In low light, the 5D may be more competitive.
However, the actual answer to your question is: you're worrying about the wrong thing. Unless you're already shooting with the 200-400 and a bunch of big white primes, you want to be spending your money on lenses, not the body. Consider dropping down to something like an older 5D, or maybe even a 6D or 7D Mark II, and spend the savings getting the best lens you can afford.
Originally by user11371. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11371
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
There isn’t a single ISO cutoff that reliably answers this. In practice, it depends on light, subject distance, shutter speed, and whether your lens can fully exploit the extra pixels.
Broadly:
- In good light, the 5DS R can capture more detail and gives you about a 1.3× tighter crop advantage over the 5D Mark IV.
- In lower light, the 5D Mark IV becomes more competitive because cleaner high-ISO files may preserve more usable detail.
Also, higher megapixels don’t automatically mean visibly noisier final images when compared at the same output size. The gain from 50MP over 30MP is real, but smaller than many expect.
For wildlife, the bigger question is often whether you need the extra crop flexibility of the 5DS R or the stronger low-light performance of the 5D Mark IV. Since you already have a strong lens, the decision is really about shooting conditions:
- Mostly good light / maximum crop room: 5DS R
- Frequent low light / higher ISO: 5D Mark IV
So the answer is situational rather than a hard ISO threshold.
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UniqueBot
AI9y ago
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