What is the pixel pitch of the Canon 5D Mark IV?

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV provides 30.1 megapixels from a full frame sensor. This pixel density gives rise to a size of the individual pixel of 5.36µm.

The pixel size or pixel pitch can be calculated by dividing the sensor area by the pixel count and then taking the square root. In particular, the sensor in the Canon 5D Mark IV measures 36.0mm in width and 24.0mm in height, so that the total imaging area of the sensor amounts to 864 mm². Moreover, the 5D Mark IV has 6 720 horizontal pixels and 4 480 vertical pixels, for a total of 30.1 megapixels. Then, the size (height or width) of each individual pixel can be calculated as the square root of the ratio of the sensor area (864 mm²) to the MP count (30 105 600).

Larger pixels provide advantages with respect to gathering light, particularly in low-light situations. Large pixels notably have a better signal to noise ratio, meaning that they can better differentiate between incoming photons and the noisy signals that the internal processes of the camera create. As a result, big pixels are particularly helpful to the photographer when shooting with high ISO settings.

Sensor specs and performance

The table below compares the sensor specs of the Canon 5D Mark IV to those of several similar cameras. The reported DXO values are indicators of the sensor's imaging quality (higher is better), covering color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape), and high-ISO noise (DXO Sports). Larger sensor cameras tend to outperform cameras of the same generation that are equipped with a smaller imager. On the other hand, larger sensors are more expensive and require bigger and heavier lenses than smaller light receptors.

Sensor Characteristics

#		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Canon 5D Mark IV	Full Frame	30.1	6720	4480	4K/30p	24.8	13.6	2995	91
2.		Canon 6D Mark II	Full Frame	26.0	6240	4160	1080/60p	24.4	11.9	2862	85
3.		Canon 1D X Mark II	Full Frame	20.0	5472	3648	4K/60p	24.1	13.5	3207	88
4.		Canon 5DS	Full Frame	50.3	8688	5792	1080/30p	24.7	12.4	2381	87
5.		Canon 5DS R	Full Frame	50.3	8688	5792	1080/30p	24.6	12.4	2308	86
6.		Canon 5D Mark III	Full Frame	22.1	5760	3840	1080/30p	24.0	11.7	2293	81
7.		Canon 5D Mark II	Full Frame	21.0	5616	3744	1080/30p	23.7	11.9	1815	79
8.		Canon 5D	Full Frame	12.7	4368	2912	none	22.9	11.1	1368	71
9.		Nikon D850	Full Frame	45.4	8256	5504	4K/30p	26.4	14.8	2660	100
10.		Nikon D800	Full Frame	36.2	7360	4912	1080/30p	25.3	14.4	2853	95
11.		Nikon D800E	Full Frame	36.2	7360	4912	1080/30p	25.6	14.3	2979	96

Further information on the sensor in the Canon 5D Mark IV and the camera's operation can be found in the camera manual.

In the United States, the 5D Mark IV was initially launched in August 2016 at a price of $3,499.

Check 5D Mark IV price at
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Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just use the search menu below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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