What are the must-have accessories for the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV?

Question

Hey everyone! I finally did it—I bit the bullet and picked up a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV last week. I’ve been shooting on a much older crop-sensor Rebel for years, so stepping up to this full-frame beast feels like a massive leap. The image quality is already blowing me away, but I’m quickly realizing that the camera body is only half the battle. I want to make sure I have the right kit to actually get the most out of this thing, especially since I have a few professional portrait gigs and a big hiking trip coming up.

I’m currently looking for advice on the absolute essential accessories that you guys swear by. For starters, I’m a bit torn on the memory card situation. With the dual CF and SD slots, is it worth investing in high-end CompactFlash cards for redundancy, or do most of you just stick with fast SD cards? I’m planning to shoot some 4K video, so I don't want to hit a bottleneck there during a shoot.

Also, let’s talk power. I’ve heard that the 5D IV can be a bit of a battery hog, especially when using the GPS or Wi-Fi features. Should I look into getting the BG-E20 battery grip for the extra juice and better ergonomics for vertical shots, or is it better to just carry three or four spare LP-E6N batteries in my bag?

Lastly, I’m definitely in the market for a solid strap or harness system. This setup is significantly heavier than my old one, and after a couple of hours of testing it out, my neck is already feeling the strain! I’d love to hear if you have any 'hidden gem' accessories that have made your workflow easier or saved your skin during a long day of shooting.

If you had to pick the top 3-5 must-have items for a new 5D Mark IV owner to buy right away, what would they be and why?

Eva · Accepted Answer

> I’m currently looking for advice on the absolute essential accessories that you guys swear by. yo, honestly I was kinda disappointed with how fast this thing eats batteries. I'd skip the bulky grip and just grab 4x Canon LP-E6NH Lithium-Ion Battery. For cards, dont bother with expensive CF unless u need redundancy; a fast SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I works fine for 4K. Get the Peak Design Slide Camera Strap too... my neck literally died before I switched. gl!

jordan.sutton · Answer

@Reply #3 - good point! tho i honestly think you might want to be careful relying on just sd cards for 4k video. the 5d mark iv uses a motion jpeg codec that hits around 500mbps... that is a massive amount of data for a single uhs-i slot to handle without risking dropped frames or write errors. i would suggest getting a ProGrade Digital CompactFlash Memory Card 128GB for your professional gigs. compactflash is way more durable for heavy write cycles and keeps up with the camera buffer way better than sd cards in this specific body. be careful with the third party power options too. i would suggest staying away from cheaper generic brands for high-stakes shoots... the internal resistance often varies and can lead to inaccurate battery life readings. for your neck strain, the Think Tank Photo Camera Support Straps V2.0 is great because it can distribute weight to a backpack or harness instead of your cervical spine. also, definitely consider a Really Right Stuff L-Plate for Canon 5D Mark IV. it makes switching from landscape to portrait on a tripod much safer and keeps the center of gravity over the ball head. it is a total game changer for studio or landscape work.

VelvetPhoenix · Answer

sooo, i've shot with this for ages and honestly... the battery life is kinda a letdown. for your situation, i'd recommend: - spare batteries from Wasabi (cheaper than Canon!)
- fast SD cards from SanDisk to avoid 4k bottlenecks
- a harness from BlackRapid for that weight basically, just get stuff from those brands. that full-frame setup gets heavy fast, so definitely prioritize ergonomics. gl!