Introduction
However, it’s started showing its age and fans have been clamouring for a replacement for some time.
Its new iteration, the long-awaited EOS 6D Mark II, is an improvement on its predecessor in virtually every way, from its own detector and its ISO range, to its upgraded autofocus system and continuous shooting style.
Unsurprisingly, however, it is also much more expensive than the model it replaces. So the question is if these multiple improvements justify the price hike.
Features
- The 6D II is barely larger than an enthusiast degree APS-C DSLR, but packs in a lot of smart features.
- The vari-angle rear touchscreen gets the most of Canon’s fast Dual Pixel CMOS AF in Live View mode.
- There’s only one SD card slot, where rival cameras at this price bracket have two. The 6D II does not shoot 4K video.
- The curved contours and efficient button design make the 6D II a fantastic camera to use.
The EOS 6D Mark II’s new 26.2-megapixel sensor is a significant improvement in resolution over the old model’s 20.2 megapixels, and much more in line with rival cameras from Nikon and Sony.
More importantly, perhaps, this new detector utilizes Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF sensor to supply fast phase-detection autofocus even in Live View manner, therefore Live View and film autofocus needs to be faster and simpler than the EOS 6D Mark I’s older and easier contrast autofocus system.
The 6D Mark II’s regular autofocus system gets an upgrade too, using a 45-point variety (all of cross-type) that’s light years ahead of the old version’s archaic nine-point system, and Canon’s most up-to-date DIGIC 7 picture processor aids object recognition and focus monitoring to predict subject movement throughout the framework.
The original EOS 6D was really a pretty good low-light celebrity, but the new version delivers both higher ISOs and higher resolution.
Action fans get a higher frame rate, also. The EOS 6D Mark II could shoot 6.5 frames per second, which is nearly 50% faster than the 4.5fps of this older version. Its buffer can capture around 150 JPEGs or 21 RAW files, which is adequate but not enough to make the 6D Mark II the sports specialist some may like.
Canon has decided not to include 4K movie, presumably to preserve some differentiation between the 6D II and its more expensive models like the EOS 5D Mark IV. It does offer Full HD video at up to 60fps, nevertheless, and adds in-camera five-axis electronic stabilisation for films — the first time it’s been used on a full-frame version. Canon does not have a tangible sensor-shift system like those used in Olympus and Sony mirrorless versions, but that is probably the next best thing.
Externally, the EOS 6D Mark II looks much like the original 6D, but round the trunk, the 6D’s fixed LCD display was replaced with a fully-articulating touchscreen, which should make the 6D Mark II a lot easier to use for movie, macro photography as well as other work in which you’re needing to write shots at awkward angles.
So even though the cost increase is really large, the EOS 6D Mark II also brings some fairly substantial improvements. It’s more of a stretch for cash-strapped enthusiasts, but also a far more modern and capable camera.
Build and handling
The smoothed-over shapes of the best plate and pentaprism don’t only make the 6D Mark II look great, they make it a lot easier to manage too, as you can just slip your fingers over the surfaces to achieve the buttons.
These are organised in a logical pattern and are easily memorised. Four buttons on the top plate handle key shooting settings — AF style (One-shot AF, AI Focus AF, AI Servo AF), Drive mode, ISO setting and metering pattern — you press the button once and flip front control dial to change the setting.
Round the back, right where your right thumb rests, there are three additional buttons — just for altering the focus point style (Position AF, 1-point AF, Zone AF, Big Zone AF, Auto choice AF), an AF-L/AF-L button along with an AF-On button for independent autofocus activation in sport and action shoots.
There is no separate drive mode dial, and even though the 6D Mark II is faster than its prececessor, its 6.5fps continous shooting mode and limited RAW buffer capacity imply it is not the ideal camera for sports.
This really is a twin-dial camera, as you’d expect at this level. There is 1 dial on the surface of the grip along with the second dial is on the back of the camera, around the four-way directional buttons. Both work nicely, with a company and postive’click on’ activity.
This is very good also, even though it doesn’t quite offer you a 100 percent view, so now and you could find objects right at the edges of the frame which you thought you had kept out.
All in all, the EOS 6D Mark II feels really well made. The controllers are slick and well-designed and because of its intended market — eager amateurs and professionals searching for an affordable all-rounder — it works extremely well.
Performance
The brand new 45-point autofocus system is terrific, both for static and moving subjects. It might not have the technological clout of Canon’s top cameras, but it is nonetheless quick, versatile and easy to use. However, its policy is really limited. That is fine if your subject is close to the centre of the framework, but when it’s way off-centre you will want to use the older focus-lock-reframe-shoot technique.
Alternatively, you can change to Live View. This is where the new Double Pixel CMOS sensor actually pays off, together with on-sensor stage detection autofocus so quickly you may think you are using a mirrorless camera, and also the autofocus area goes nearly to the edges of the display. You tap in which you wish to concentrate and, and you can empower touch shutter release too.
The EOS 6D Mark II has Canon’s Highlight Tone Priority, which jiggles with the ISO to provide better emphasize rendition and hence dynamic range — this does require that the ISO is set to some base level of 200 and can’t be used using the camera’s multiple vulnerability or HDR modes.
It does a good job, maintaining subtle cloud detail in bright skies in outside shots which may otherwise be lost, for instance, but that’s just too, because the 6D II’s default Evaluative metering leaned towards overexposure in our evaluations.
You can also do this with all the raw files, but you will need software which features lens correction profiles.
In conclusion, the 6D Mark II’s operational functionality is very great indeed. The exposure system is mostly good too, but it’s not so simple to second-guess what it’s going to do in high-contrast lighting. Likewise, we’ve got several complaints about the image quality — it’s not exceptional, but its perfectly adequate with this camera’s marketplace.