Short answer: it works, but it is not the 5D Mark IV’s supplied pack. The camera ships with an LP-E6N (1865mAh/7.2V). An LP-E6+ is a compatible pack that will be recognized and will power the camera, and what it improves is voltage stability during sustained discharge, not total capacity.
This needs saying up front because the name “LP-E6+” is easy to read as one of Canon’s models. Canon’s official LP-E6 family has only four members — LP-E6, LP-E6N, LP-E6NH and LP-E6P — and the plus sign comes from third parties (YO included) labeling an enhanced version. The 5D Mark IV is a 2016 camera that shipped with the LP-E6N, and it has no relationship with LP-E6+.
1. How a 5D Mark IV actually spends power
The 5D Mark IV is a DSLR built around an optical finder. Its everyday power profile is therefore completely different from a mirrorless body: when you are not shooting, the sensor and viewing system are essentially idle, and the big draws are the mirror assembly, the shutter, the focus motor, image processing and card writes.
Its characteristics are:
- High peak current, low average current. In single-frame shooting the current peak arrives with the shutter and mirror movement, while idle draw is low. That makes momentary discharge capability matter more to the experience than total capacity.
- Long exposures and bursts are the pressure points. During a long exposure the sensor works continuously; during a burst, writing and processing happen at once. These two scenarios place the highest demand on sustained discharge.
- Built-in Wi-Fi, GPS and the touchscreen are quiet consumers. The 5D Mark IV has both Wi-Fi and GPS, and once enabled they draw continuously even when you are not shooting. That is usually the reason people complain that the camera is flat after two days in the bag, not the pack itself.
Put those three together and it becomes clear why an enhanced pack has a place in an older DSLR: what it optimizes is precisely the ability to hold voltage under momentary and sustained discharge, which is where a DSLR is most likely to falter.
2. On capacity, do not expect the LP-E6+ to be higher
This is where misunderstanding is most common. The LP-E6+ is positioned to improve discharge stability, not capacity. It does not turn one pack into two.
| Model | Rated capacity | Rated voltage | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| LP-E6 | 1800mAh | 7.2V | Canon, early model |
| LP-E6N | 1865mAh | 7.2V | Canon, the 5D Mark IV’s supplied pack |
| LP-E6NH | 2130mAh | 7.2V | Canon, high-capacity model |
| LP-E6+ | Third-party rating, usually the same bracket | 7.2V | Third-party enhanced version, not a Canon model |
So if what you want is “shoot longer in one go”, the right move is to carry two packs, not to swap in one marked with a plus. If what you want is “no sudden shutdown at the end of a shoot, and a steadier gauge”, that is where an LP-E6+ has something to say.
3. The real matching question in an older body — does the curve line up
The 5D Mark IV gauges charge using voltage sampling combined with a coulomb counter. Canon’s LP-E6N curve is calibrated for it, so the bars fall evenly. A third-party pack with a differently shaped plateau tends to produce one of two deviations: bars that fall very slowly at first and then drop off a cliff, or a display showing two bars left when the pack is already near cutoff.
That is why the same third-party pack can behave differently across bodies — the older the body, the more conservative its gauge algorithm and the less tolerant of curve shape. In most cases this is not a fault but a calibration difference.
The test is simple: fit the new pack, shoot a fixed sequence of frames, and watch where the bars begin to fall faster. Consistent acceleration in the low range is normal; a shutdown with no warning in the middle means the protection board’s cutoff is high or cell consistency is poor.
For more on discharge stability in older bodies, see the related articles in the LP-E6+ category; to compare official specifications, the LP-E6 series category has the full picture.
4. Who this combination suits
Good fits: everyday outdoor shooting, the backup slot on a wedding job, studio work, and long sessions that need three or four packs in rotation. What these have in common is that no single session is extreme, but nobody wants to lose power at the wrong moment.
Handle with care: long timelapses, the primary pack for a full event, and extreme-cold location work. Timelapse and long recording demand the most sustained discharge, and cold raises internal resistance sharply — a Canon high-capacity model such as the LP-E6NH has more margin there.
One practical piece of advice: do not convert every pack to the same type. Canon in the primary slot and a third-party enhanced pack in the backup slot balances cost against safety, and it lets you cross-check on location simply by swapping packs.
FAQ
Which pack does the 5D Mark IV ship with?
The LP-E6N, 1865mAh at 7.2V. The 5D Mark IV was released in 2016 and that was its supplied pack. The LP-E6+ is not the original; fitting one is compatible use.
Can an LP-E6+ damage the camera?
Not under normal circumstances. The LP-E6 series uses a common electrical interface, and as long as a third-party product’s protection board is properly designed, output voltage and cutoff stay within safe limits. The real concern is poor-quality cells and packs with no protection board — a quality-control issue, unrelated to whether something is labeled “enhanced”.
Why do the bars fall unevenly after fitting an LP-E6+?
Usually a gauging deviation caused by a discharge curve that differs from Canon’s calibration, not a failed pack. As long as there is no unannounced shutdown it can stay in service; if it repeatedly cuts out mid-shoot, the pack cannot hold up under the 5D Mark IV’s momentary current and should be demoted to backup only.
Can an LP-E6+ replace a Canon pack as the primary?
For ordinary shooting, yes; for important work, not advisable. The primary pack carries the work that cannot be repeated, and Canon models are more predictable in calibration and batch consistency. Keeping the enhanced third-party pack in the backup slot is the steadier arrangement.