So I saved up my money over the past few months and finally bit the bullet and made my purchase of the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. Now I know what you might be yelling at your screen right now, "Taylor you moron, why did you buy a DSLR in 2020 when mirrorless is obviously the thing now?" Well, I bought a camera that is reliable, compatible, and great quality.
The 5D Mark IV is a four-year old camera that was considered outdated even when it was made, but it went through a lot of the same trial-by-fire as the Canon EOS R. People hated it at first, and now people argue it is the most quality and professional camera on the market. There's a reason why it has been at the top of the best sellers list for almost as long as it has been out...
I'm a senior in college so I obviously do not have the budget that allows me to try a bunch of cameras and pick my favorite (even though I would always pick this one), but I did save up a lot of hard-earned money to purchase my new main driver that does everything and does it well. I needed one camera that allowed me to do the kind of photography I both get paid for and love to do.
I had SD cards from my first camera and CompactFlash cards from my last camera and a few EF lenses so this was definitely the most budget-friendly option while still getting a beast of a kit. I definitely toyed with the idea of a mirrorless camera like the R because who doesn't want awesome AF and eye-tracking? But it boiled down to continuous shooting and dual card slots because I like to be able to keep up with my subjects and have that peace of mind that comes with redundancy.
For analog shooters, the writing on the wall appeared when stores like Walmart stopped selling film. I personally haven't seen the writing telling me to jump ship to mirrorless yet. The only innovation of note is silent shooting and that isn't exactly on par with memory cards that hold thousands of images rather than a 32-shot roll of film. All in all, I am very happy with my purchase and I know that this camera will help me create amazing images for the next few years.
P.S. I am excited to see what the confirmed 5D Mark V is going to look like!