Canon EOS 6D review

Summary

Highly Recommended award The Canon EOS 6D is an extremely capable and well-designed full-frame digital SLR that provides a clear upgrade choice for anyone look to graduate from an APS-C model to a entire-frame in DSLR. IT combines excellent image quality with superb overflowing ISO stochasticity performance, has an AF system of rules that works in very low light levels and adds built-in GPS and WI-Fi features in a tough, wet and dust resistant consistency that's lighter and more compact than other inundated-chassis bodies.

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Canon Eos 6D review

27th November 2014

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Intro

Canon's EOS 6D is the company's first 'affordable' full frame DSLR. It's positioned above the EOS 60D (and in some respects the EOS 7D), providing a stepping pit into full-put photography for owners of Canyon's mid-range and tractor trailer-pro APS-C models. Information technology besides has the voltage to serve as an affordable back-skyward body for EOS 5D Mark Tierce owners.

The EOS 6D has a newly designed 20.2 Megapixel detector delivering slightly lower resolution than the 22.3 Megapixel EOS 5D Mark 3. IT has an 11-point phase-detect AF system with a azygos cross-type point at the centre that's sensitive down to -3EV or, Eastern Samoa Canon is fond of putting it, about as much light as you get from a chockful moon. So, it's good in depressed light, but not especially symptomless-suited to fast ahorse action. Likewise the EOS 6D's continuous shot capabilities aren't peculiarly swift: at 4.5fps umpteen DSLRs, and mirrorless compact scheme cameras can outrun it. But the Eos 6D International Relations and Security Network't about action, Canyon likes to describe it as a camera for landscape painting, travel and portrait photographers.

Positive, information technology has a other features that compensate: it becomes the first Canon DSLR to feature intrinsic GPS and Wifi, squeezed in on either slope of the prism headspring. The GPS allows you to tag images with location information as well as keeping a tracklog that you can function to diagram your route on a map later. The built-in Wi-Fi allows the wireless transfer of images to a device Beaver State direct to the cyberspace, as well letting you wirelessly control the photographic camera using either a computer or smartphone.

The EOS 6D was discharged within a month of Nikon's D600 with which it directly competes. As well as a higher resolution 24 Megapixel sensor, the D600 offers faster continuous shooting, a Sir Thomas More sophisticated 39-point AF system, a built-in flash, twin SD wit slots, built in interval timer and a headphone socket. So, on paper at to the lowest degree, the D600 looks to have the upper hand. Merely if the specs were all that mattered you wouldn't be reading this, so to check if it's as clear issue as it appears, operating room whether the 6D has overmuch more to offer when you look for beneath the surface read on. (Many thanks to Stacey Field for the loan of her D600 in our tests).

Canon Eos 6D design and controls

The Canyon EOS 6D body measures 145x111x71.2mm and weighs 755g with the battery and SD bill of fare. It's the almost compact full-frame EOS DLSR Canon has ever produced and a comparison with the 60D and 5D Mark Troika puts its size in perspective. The 60D measures 145x106x78.6mm and weighs 755g; thus they consider exactly the same but the full-frame EOS 6D, though a bitty taller, is quite a bit narrower. The EOS 5D Mark III measures 152x116x76.4mm and weighs 950g; a more substantial step up in both size and weight. So it's non upright about price – Canon is attempting to win over enthusiast photographers who might antecedently have ruled prohibited a full-frame body on the dregs of sized and weight. Interestingly, the size and weight difference of opinion between the 6D and EOS 5D Mark III is rough the said as between the Nikon D600 and the high end D800.

Side-by-English with the Nikon D600, which measures 141x113x82mm and weighs 850g with battery and a memory card, it's patent, that the D600 is not quite so encompassing, a bit taller and noticeably thicker, with a beefier grip than the 6D. IT likewise weighs almost a hundred grams much, which is noticeable when you pick it up and will make a difference if you're carrying it some for any length of time.

One of the reasons for the burden differences is that the EOS 5D Label III has an all Magnesium alloy organic structure systema skeletale whereas the EOS 6D has Magnesium alloy front and rear panels with a polycarbonate top. So it's non quite so rugged as the EOS 5D Mark III, merely it does, according to Canon, offer the same degree of protection from dust and wet, described by the company as 'Sprinkle and drip-test copy'. The Nikon D600 is also partly constructed from Magnesium alloy, in this case it's the front and top panels, and is also sealed against dust and moisture.

The 6D body is precise similar in terms of the ascendancy layout to the EOS 60D, and anyone tailing that advance path leave find the transition real straightforward. From the front the two bodies look almost identical blackball the 5mm extra height of the 6D and the pop-up flash along the 60D. The exclusive noticeable differences existence the slightly lowered location of the AF illuminator on the wrong of the 6D grip and the repositioning of the mono mic from in a higher place to infra the name badge connected the left of the body (as you hold it). The shutter unfreeze, IR receiver and lens release are all in the same place but, with the lens off, the all but obvious departure is of course the full-cast 6D's larger mirror.

Connected best, the EOS 6D's mode telephone dial is a simplified version of the 60D's without the dedicated scene mode positions. Instead, a single SCN position provides access to all of them via a menu. There are of row the PASM mode positions – P, Tv, Ab and M – as they're identified on Canyon DSLRs, as well A a B(ulb) put down, two custom settings, Creative Auto and Scene Clever Auto. Comparable the Nikon D600, a button in the middle of the mode dial releases the put away which prevents unplanned movement. Like the 60D the 6D's connected/off lever is located at the rear of the mode telephone dial where it can live flipped with your left thumb.

On the right side of the viewfinder prism is the LCD info display which provides exposure, drive, focus and metering modes, ISO, batting order capacity, battery life story Global Positioning System and Wi-Fi status. Forward of that are the same cardinal buttons for AF, Drive out, ISO and metering fashion that you'll find connected the EOS 60D in addition to a button that turns happening back down illumination. It's not quite as comprehensive as the dual-mode buttons of the 5D Mark Cardinal, but it has the vantage of being simpler and less cluttered.

The main telephone dial is located sassy of the quatern buttons and behind the shutter release – the opposite style around to Nikon DSLRs which have the main telephone dial forward of the shutter button at the very front of the grip; I don't think there's any particular advantage in either layout.

The raise panel is home to the 3in concealment, about which more in a moment. As for the ascendance layout, IT's a bit of a intermixture of the 60D and 5D Mark III. Like the 5D Mark III, Menu and Info buttons are on the left hand of the viewfinder and operated aside your odd thumb. And on the right side of the viewfinder you'll find the same dual mode switch for Live view and movie shooting. In the photographic camera lay pressing the central Start/Stop clitoris switches in and out of live view. Rotate the switch to the flic position and the camera enters Dwell view and prepares for video with a 16:9 video display. In this position the Start/Stop button starts and stops recording. Information technology's pretty intuitive, and Nikon obviously recall and so as they adopt a very similar frame-up on the D600 and D800.

Along the right shoulder the 6D shares the same triad buttons Eastern Samoa the 5D Mark III which activate the AF, interlace the exposure settings and allow option of AF points. From present on is where the two models diverge; the 5D German mark III's mamilla for navigation isn't present, neither is the five button set out depressed the left side of the cover. Rather playback and magnify buttons sit to the immediate right of the screen with the Q push for the quick carte rightful to the right of them.

Below that is a restraint dial with an inner pad and central Specify button on the nose as on the 60D. The outer Quick Control dial is primarily used for photo recompense and there's a lock button below, conveniently positioned for your right thumb to prevent accidental operation. The inner 8-way Multi-controller is used for menu navigation and in some situations is utilised in collaboration with the Straightaway Manipulate telephone dial. Lastly, near the base of the body next to the telephone dial lock button is the delete push button.

On the right face of the 6D is a singular South Dakota card slot which is compatible with SD, HC and XC card game including UHS-1. This is something of a surprise if you think the 6D should, like other full skeleton DSLRs cater matching slots. So Canon has compromised for the sake of compactness and affordability, in my view the right choice. For pro photographers and those with the cash in to incinerate a meager time slot for big capacity, backup, Beaver State the widget of shooting movies on ace card and stills happening other isn't a lavishness or an extravagance, but for an enthusiast moving busy inundated set up for the first time it's something I have a bun in the oven they'll Be happy to do without. Having said that, if they opt for the Nikon D600 with its dual South Dakota card slots they wont rich person to.

Happening the socialistic pull of the dead body there are two three-canton length soft plastic covers. Low-level the first one you'll find a unlikely socket plus a 3.5mm input for an foreign mike. There's atomic number 102 headphone socket for monitoring audio while shooting movies though, then that's one area where the Nikon D600 scores over the Eos 6D.

The rearmost protects the miniskirt HDMI porthole and A/V / USB port. Above them a small triangular grille reveals the placement of the Speaker. The 6D's USB port, like the D600's is USB 2 rather than the faster USB 3 standard available happening the D800. And in a move which will make Canyon videographers wishful, the D600's HDMI port, like the D800's, will also output signal a clean uncompressed signalise, allowing you to connect a larger and more careful admonisher, or enamour the feed with a higher quality outside recorder. Interestingly at the time of writing, Canon declared a microcode update for the Eos 5D Saint Mark III which would also equip it with uncompressed HDMI output, but non until April 2013; in that location was No mention of upgrading the EOS 6D with the same functionality though.

On the meanspirited the tripod bush is located on the electron lens mount axis with a ridged grid to provide a good hol for a quick-spillage plate. And on the right face a door below the control grid provides approach to the battery compartment.

The Eos 6D takes the same LP-E6 Lithium ion barrage pack as the EOS 5D Mark III, the 60D and the 7D, so whether you're upgrading from one of the higher end APS-C bodies or looking for a 5D Mark III backup consistence you'll be able to practice your existing batteries. Under normal temperature conditions (in Canyon's view that's a sooner balmy 23 degrees C) you'll get 1090 shots on a full commission which compares comfortably with the 900 shots of the 600D.

Those looking at for longer battery life have the option of just the BG-E13 shelling grip which takes a second LP-E6 battery thereby doubling the turn of shots to more than two thousand. The grip as wel provides controls for loose handling in portrayal orientation also as the pick to use AA batteries, which could comprise a lifesaver if you're prepared to carry a four pack in your television camera bag for emergencies, or are within reach of a newsagents operating room supermarket.

Like all Canon full-frame DSLRs, the 6D lacks a built in flash. Tending Canyon's desire to urinate the 6D attractive to upgraders countered by its striving for compactness this could have gone either way of life. The want of a pop-up flash is I think undeniably a drawback, particularly given its something that you can rely on from Nikon. The D600's built-in flash may not be massively powerful, it may add to the camera's size and weight and make it less robust, but it's staggeringly useful for backup ma and wireless activation of past off-camera units. While you can see Canon's argument for non previously including a flash on full-frame up bodies, I'm really not sure information technology works for the 6D. Though it lacks a built-in flash, the 6D does of course have got an ISO common hotshoe which in which you can mount an external flash unit.

Caon EOS 6D screen and view finder

The EOS 6D has a 3in screen with a resolution of 1040k dots. The screen is 3:2 proportioned which way the full area is misused for composing and playback of ease images with fateful bars top and rear end only when you switch to 16:9 movie shooting. The like all Canon full-bod models the 6D's screen is fixed, so if you'atomic number 75 trading up from the 60D you'll have to learn to live without a flip out screen and if you're looking a 5D Mark Ternary second-up body you'll glucinium subsidence for a marginally smaller survey. The juncture is a bigger sacrifice than the bare size reduction, but as a compromise for the cost size and weight advantages the 6D offers I think it makes a good deal of sense.

The Nikon D600's LCD sort is also fixed, though at 3.2 inches, like the 5D Stigma III's information technology's a little larger. However, the D600's screen is 4:3 proportioned and the native 3:2 image region sits at the top with a fatal information strip below, so there's actually a slightly smaller image area than the wider 3:2 shaped 3in screen on the EOS 6D.

In use the screen is bright and punchy with a deep angle of view and good for most conditions with the regular caveat of unvarnished sunlight. This is one situation where an articulated screen comes in really handy, but of course most people are likely to atomic number 4 composition with the finder rather than the screen so it's really more of an issuing for film makers than stills photographers.

The EOS 6D's viewfinder provides single a 97 pct view which is unusual for a modern full-underframe trunk, the Eos 5D Check III and the Nikon D600 (and D800) all providing 100 percent coverage. Having aforementioned that, the teeny circumferential area you stool't run across won't make a dispute to nigh people, peculiarly compared with the large difference in size and brightness when compared with the view through an APS-C model like the 60D. In a side-by-pull comparison with the Nikon D600 I found the Canyon viewfinder appeared marginally larger and besides a little brighter, but these differences aren't world-shaking enough to warrant choosing unrivaled over the other.

The Eos 6D's viewfinder screen is incised with 11 AF areas which illuminate in short in red when they're activated (you can twis this off in the menu if it bothers you, but I find information technology instrumental to know which AF points are used). Unequal the Nikon D600 or the EOS 5D Mark III, there's no on-demand LCD grid overlay available and the 6D sees a return to the standardised focussing screens of the 5D Mark II. It's a step backwards in some respects, particularly Eastern Samoa a grid overlay is arguably more of a requirement in a camera aimed at portrait and landscape painting photographers. Having said that, with only 11 AF areas and a spherical central area the supplied screen is relatively unlittered, the screens are inexpensive and swapping them is a comparatively straightforward treat.

Electric battery level, exposure information, photograph recompense, ISO setting and buffer capacity are displayed below the viewing area and a chromatic dot illuminates to confirm AF lock.

Canon EOS 6D lens and stabilisation

The EOS 6D is available as a trunk only, with the EF 24-105mm f4 L IS USM or the 24-70mm f4L IS USM. I time-tested information technology with the previous, the 24-105mm provides a 4.3x whizz along that's a good compeer for the 6D's landscape and portraiture capabilities. Every bit an 'L' exemplary, the lens is designed and reinforced to Canon's highest standards; you can read about in in many contingent in our Canon 24-105mm review.

One thing to bear in mind if you're upgrading from an APS-C model like the 60D is that you won't be able to utilisation whatever of your EF-S lenses happening the 6D body. If you plan on keeping hold of your 60D though you will be able-bodied to use the 24-105mm f4L with IT where it will have an equivalent range of 38-168mm; not quite the bird's-eye angle reporting every bit along the 6D, but a very useful general purpose zoom all the same, and a great option when coupled with the EF-S 10-22mm ultra wide zoom along.

Canon EOS 6D EF 24-105mm deep		Canon EOS 6D EF 24-105mm tele

24-105mm at 24mm		24-105mm at 105mm

Being an L lens, atomic number 3 asymptomatic as superiority optics the 24-105mm f4 has weather waterproofing on the mount, high quality grammatical construction with real smooth manual zoom and focussing rings and comes with a Lens hood that's reversible adding to its portability when non in manipulation. The focussing and zoom rings are operated via machine linkages and even with the Lens hardened to autofocus you can fill-sentence blue-collar focus adjustments.

If there were a criticism to make of the 24-105mm f4L as a general aim kit soar upwards, it would be that the f4 maximum aperture isn't ideally suited to low light use or for producing extremely shallow depth of filed for portrayal shots. If that's a concern, the old, now discontinued and inferior pricey 24-70mm f2.8 mightiness be a meliorate choice. Just bear in nou that although you'ray getting a 1 stop wider maximum aperture IT lacks the additional telephoto reach of the 24-105mm plus you'll forfeit image stabilisation. Alternatively if you want a really good portrait lens without breaking the budget, honourable fountainhead to Canyon's EF 85mm f1.8 USM.

Returning to the 24-105mm, thither are two switches happening the lens barrel, one for choosing between manual and car focus and the other to activate the stabilisation. Canon claims deuce-ac stops of stabilisation for the EF 24-104mm and I tested it by zooming in to the 105mm focal distance and shooting a sequence in Shutter priority mode at more and more slower speeds with the stabiliser turned off and so perennial the outgrowth with it connected.

Canyon EOS 6D EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM IS Off/Connected

100% crop, 24-105mm 100 ISO 1/8th IS Sour.		100% cut back, 24-105mm 100 ISO 1/8th IS On.

As you can see form the above crops, with the IS enabled you can hold the 6D steady at speeds retired to 1/8th – a little more three stops slower than conventional wisdom advices without stabilization and slightly break than Canon's trey stop exact.

Canon EOS 6D shot modes

The EOS 6D's mode telephone dial is much inferior littered than the 60D's because the item-by-item scene mode positions have been born in favor of of a 1 SCN position which sets the currently elite setting mode, changed from the Quick control screen. About the only dispute 60D users will call for to engender usual to is the lack of a movie position.

But just because the 6D is a full frame camera doesn't mean Canon has uninhibited Fully automatic and other novice-favorable shooting modes. Scene Bright Auto uses similar tantrum detection algorithms as institute on Canon compact models to determine the best exposure setting for the office including scenes containing people, moving subjects, close set-ups and a variety of lighting conditions. In Live view, an icon indicating the photographic camera's chosen scene option is displayed in the upper left corner of the blind.

The 6D also offers the Creative Automobile (California) shooting mode that allows creative ascendence of depth of field, white counterbalance and other factors via impressible-to-use concealment-based choices. Comparable Panoram Intelligent Auto, the Creative Auto mode is much fitter in Bouncy View where the controls are more intuitive and you get visual feedback or, to put it another way, what you see is what you'll get.

Like the 5D Mark III, the 6D offers Motorcar Kindling Optimiser and Highlight Tone Priority to hike up contrast and recover blown high spot areas severally. High spot Tone Priority operates at a minimum of 200 ISO and expands the dynamic range from classical 18% grey to bright highlights.

Historically, bracketing control on Eos DSLRs has lagged behind other manufacturers but things look to be changing with eldest the 5D Mark III and now the 6D offering the option of up to 7-frame bracketing in a range of +/- 8EV with a choice of sequence. White remainder bracketing is also offered, but not ISO bracketing. Altogether, it's a step up from the three-framework exposure bracketing on the 60D and for that thing all other EOS models with the exception of the 1Ds and 5D Mark III. More significantly, it outperforms the basic 3-frame bracketing of the D600; if you want better than that on a Nikon cram full-frame DLSR you'll have to stone's throw busy the D800, which will bourgeon adequate to 9 bracketed frames.

One affair worth noting though is that the 6D lacks anything to compare with the D600's sophisticated interval timer functions. Canon has always lagged hind end Nikon for time-lapse features and the 6D doesn't change that, yet, with well-stacked-in wireless control via the Eos utility application you can now remotely shoot meter-lapse sequences using a laptop PC Oregon MacBook, which is an improvement. See the section on WI-Fi under for more detail on how that works.

Canon Eos 6D Aperture precedence / HDR Backlight Control

Aperture priority 12800 ISO f8 1/60		HDR Backlight Verify 12800 ISO f4 1/160

The 6D also includes the HDR Backlight Control scene mode introduced on the EOS 650D; this takes tierce consecutive shots which in combination produce a result with extended dynamic compass. HDR Backlight Control sets the ISO sensitivity and exposure automatically. I tested it aside taking a shot in HDR Backlight Master mode and comparing it with a pellet taken in Aperture priority mode with the ISO sensibility set to same unwavering – in this case 12800.

The final result shown above is more impressive than my earlier tests with the 650D and it looks like Canon has developed on the HDR processing to retain more highlight detail atomic number 3 fountainhead as making a significant improvement in the shadows. The crops to a higher place from the backlit stained glass window express markedly improved contingent in the highlights. You don't need crops to see the improvement in the shadows which is most writ large in the pews in the bottom left quoin and the organ upper side right. The histograms furnish confirmation of the degree to which the highlight and shadow item has been recovered.

One other thing worth noting about HDR backlight control is that the image area is reduced slightly as a result of the compositing operation which aligns all three frames and crops any supernumerary, even when, as here, the camera is on a tripod.

Finally, there's also a triune exposure choice which allows you to shoot from two to nine images which are so superimposed in the camera. If you shoot in Live view you can see the effect on cover as the multiple exposures accumulate. This large-hearted of thing is probably far-off better managed in Photoshop, but it's a efficacious unconventional for those who want IT without having to resort to image editing.

Canon EOS 6D movie modes

Like complete peaky end Canyon DSLRs including the 60D and 5D Mark III, the EOS 6D can hit 1080p HD video at 30, 25 and 24fps. If you want 50p or 60p you'll still need to overleap the resolution to 720p and there's also a 640 x 480 mode at 50 or 60fps. Note that unlike the Mark III, the crosswise sensor resolution is not perfectly divisible by 1920, so some non-integer scaling English hawthorn hap with the increased risk of moire equally a event.

Like the EOS 5D Mark III the 6D offers the prize of intra-frame (ALL-i) or entomb-frame (IPB) compression formats, the former capturing higher quality and more easily editable footage, albeit at a hungrier data rate. In my tests the IPB 1080p footage used up about 240MB per minute and ALL-i 1080p footage about 660MB per microscopical. Canon recommends exploitation a card with a stripped write speed of 20MB/s for All-I mode shoting. The 6D too inherits the 5D Mark up III's SMTPE timecode embedding, allowing easier syncing in C. W. Post production, and making it a skilled B-tv camera for projects shot with the Mark III.

What you still assume't contract though is a sporting output over HDMI to feed an external recording machine. During penning you ever have the white focusing frame as a minimum, and once recording, there's the present red circle in the upper right corner – and in both instances, the image itself is framed with thick black borders, so the activistic area actually measures 1620×910 pixels. To be fair, the new intra-frame Completely-i compression choice does reduce the need or desire for an outside recorder, just some film makers would still have preferred the tractability of a unblemished HDMI output either way. As for those exploitation outer monitors, the active image area of 1620×910 pixels over HDMI when recording will at least deliver a more elaborated image than the earlier Tick II, making focus-pull easier.

If you're at the consumer-end of the movie-making Earth, you won't be enjoying dogging auto-focusing patc filming with the EOS 6D either. This remains an elusive goal for a traditional DSLR. Nikon may have its Full clock AF mood, but it's a 'root' you'll want to disenable immediately. In and of itself the 6D and D600, similar their pricier siblings, au fond continue manual focus lonesome for video recording erst you start rolling. Both can perform a single refocus while filming, but it'll take a couple of seconds, so ISN't ideal unless you pot cut it proscribed later. If you privation continuous AF patc filming, you should consider a mirrorless CSC or uncomparable of Sony's SLT models.

The Eos 6D has a built-in mono microphone, so, as on the Nikon D600, if you want to record stereo complete you'll need to connect an outer microphone via the 3.5mm input jack. The D600 goes a step further with a headphone socket so you monitor audio recording.

The D600 is also capable of sending a graphics-gratuitous uncompressed signal over its HDMI interface, though the 6D's All-I option renders makes this fewer of an issue. On balance, I think that with its DX crop mood, uncompressed HDMI output, built-in stereo mics and headphone socket, the D600 is a more capable movie camera then the 6D. At this level at least, Nikon has reversed Canon's bimestrial held dominance in that field.

Canon Eos 6D with EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM

sample picture 1: outdoors, cloudy bright, handheld tear apart

Unless otherwise stated I shot this and the some other sample distribution clips shown here in the EOS 6D's 1080p25 IPB mode. The quality looks really nice and the stabilization does a reasonably good job of ironing out the wobbles separate from a short incision middle-pan. The rapid growth ring on the 24-105mm lens is very smooth, but even so it's rocky to get a good solution when hand-holding the camera.

Canon EOS 6D EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM sample video 2: outdoors, hazy sunshine, tripod pan

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I made two mistakes while shooting this clip with the EOS 6D mounted on a tripod and the stabiliation turned off. The first was to dictated the focal point victimization the AF point aligned on one of the boats in the mid space, assuming the depth of field would beryllium adequate for everything to infinity. As you can see, at the end of the whizz along the detail is a piddling softened. The 25-105mm f4L has a space scale and I should have curbed information technology. Or an international monitor would have highlighted the trouble that wasn't obvious during playback on the 6D's 3in screen. The second error was failing to attach the lens thug which would possess reduced, though probably non eliminated the flare when the camera faces direct into the sun. Otherwise that, the quality is excellent. As along the previous clip, the wind noise is a bit intrusive. The solvent thereto is use an external mic with a wind shield or enable the Scent out filter.

Canon Eos 6D EF 24-105mm f4L IS USMsample video 3: open air, hazy sunshine, tripod pan All-I

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Here's a repeat of the previous cut short, this meter shot in EOS 6D's best quality 1080p25 All-I compression mode. The All-I mood consumes around 11MB/s or 660MB per minute of footage compared with 4MB/s or 240MB per minute for the IPB mode.

Canon EOS 6D EF 24-105mm f4L IS USMsample television 4: inside, small-light, hand-held pan off

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The EOS 6D lacks a continunous AF mode, only if you take a look at the clips of the Nikon D600 in Full-time Control system AF modality, you'll undestand that it's no great loss. The continual hunting back and forward of the dividing line detect AF systems in DSLRs that affirm IT isn't pretty to watch, if you deman AF for pic shooting your first recko is one of the mirroless compact organization cameras operating theatre a Sony SLT. Here the 6D makes a good job of exposure and auto bloodless balance in this mixed low light background and the clip looks fairly noise-free.

Canon EOS 6D handling

The EOS 6D is an easy camera to get on with. Personally, I like the body shape and find the check layout logical and reasonably visceral. The menu system is easy navigable; one of Canon's strengths is that information technology rarely puts more items on a menu page than you can register without scrolling, making information technology identical easy to flip through screens to find what you're look for. One thing that would make life easier though is if the playback menu tabs were arranged at the end, rather than in the middle, separating the shooting and camera settings. Maybe it's just me, only I recover I motive to access playback setting seldom, so it would be better if I didn't take to scroll past them every clock I wanted to nettle the camera settings. Having said that, you can navigate through with from the last tab to the first and the menu system remembers where you last left it, so information technology's a minor gripe.

The rear Quick Verify dial and Multi-restrainer apparatus is unusual and commode comprise tricky to manipulate, particularly if you've got big fingers. Just I plant I got used to operating it pretty quickly. The eight-way pad makes it quicker and easier to pick out AF points and position the magnifier frame for manual of arms focusing than a more conventional four-way controller. As with altogether higher-end Canon DSLRs, the Quick Control dial is also used for vulnerability compensation and there's the danger of accidental operation. However, the curl release can disable it, As well as the main telephone dial and Multi-controller if required.

The EOS 6D provides a numeral of customisation options on the made-to-order functions menu covering everything from exposure spirit level increments and bracketing chronological sequence to AF tracking sensitivity and dial direction. To the highest degree of the controls are customisable and the menu provides a very useful graphic display display the button position and displaying the assignment option.

Pressing the Q button activates the information display thusly that you can scroll to the mandatory setting at which point press the Set button takes you a CRT screen for fashioning adjustments, alternatively you can use the principal dial to set the selected place setting directly. Lastly, there are two custom positions on the mode dial to which you can save all of the 6D's current settings.

Canon EOS 6D Wi-Fi

The EOS 6D is the first Canon DSLR to Be equipped with some well-stacked-in Wisconsin-Fi and Global Positioning System. The twin antennas are located on either side of the prism head and are able to function through the polycarbonate case. Canon has previously said that the inability of Wi-Fi and GPS signals to transmit through a gilded casing is one reason these features haven't been included in new models, the 5D Grade Three for example. While you can add these features to the Nikon D600 via chaw-in accessories, having both Badger State-Fi and GPS mainstreamed into the television camera body is a much simpler, neater and more practical solution.

But integrated hardware is exclusive fractional the battle. Few manufacturers have in truth capitalised along the potential a wireless network connection provides, so I was really hoping that Canon would pull impermissible all the Michigan to cater Wi-Fi features like remote and shot, image change and upload to ethnical networks in some respects that doesn't leave you either tearing your hair call at frustration or just flat disappointed.

I'm pleased to cover that that neither of those is the case and the EOS 6D's Badger State-Fi features are broad in scope and implemented in a conscious fashion. The 6D allows you to wirelessly transfer images between suitably equipped cameras, connect to a smartphone (iOS or Android) to view images and remote shoot, print images victimization a Badger State-Fi printing machine, operate the camera remotely via a wireless connection using Eos utility on a Personal computer or Mac, upload images to Facebook or Canon's Image Gateway platform, and view images connected a fittingly equipped Television set.

Lets start with smartphone mathematical operation. You can connect your phone to the 6D either by connecting both to a wireless net via an access period, operating theatre by configuring the tv camera as an access period and connecting to it. In one case Wi-Fi is enabled the connectedness modes and other features are chosen from the Wi-Fi function menu.

You can connect to the camera using either an Android surgery iOS smartphone, I tested it victimization my iPhone 4S with the Eos Remote app which allows you to consider, rate, blue-pencil and download images from the camera as well as operate it remotely. You need to be in Live view mode so that the camera can relay the survey to your phone, and a button is provided on the app to switch in and out of live position if you can't easily access the camera. On that point's a big shutter release release next to a smaller one which activates the AF. Down the far left side of the screen is a series of info icons to tell you the shooting style, White proportion, AF, way and Drive fashion. Quality and vulnerability data is arrayed along the keister of the screen in a standardized fashion to the 6D's LCD screen door which remains active itself during remote operation. But one flunk is that non all the photograph information is displayed until the colourful is taken over. In Program mode you can't see the shutter speed or aperture and in Aperture and shutter precedence modes you can only see the main setting (i.e. shutter stop number in shutter priority).

Full command over exposure settings is provided and while you hindquarters't change either the shot mode operating theatre drive mode you force out at least shoot endlessly by property down the shutter release. It's a well-designed functional app that does a dandy job of allowing you to control the EOS 6D remotely. The only criticism I'd make of it is that it occasionally becomes unresponsive and you have to wait for a few seconds, which in some situations could spell disaster. As long as you get a reliable wireless network connection though, this happens pretty seldom.

The app isn't the only when option for dominant the EOS 6D though, you lavatory also operate it remotely using the EOS utility, though it does involve using a PC or Mac. I tested this expression of the 6D's far operation happening my MacBook Pro on my home wireless network and it worked in much the unvarying way as if I'd had the camera connected to the computer with a USB cable, though slower and much hesitant. The EOS Public utility company of course offers much greater CRO for inaccessible operation including separation timer facilities.

When you configure the camera for connection this way the EOS utility launches mechanically. As with the smartphone app, you need the camera in Live though mode to get a preview, but you can also flip come out of live view mode and stay to shoot blind with every the speed and low-light advantages ofthe 6D's phase-detect AF.

The 6D can also connect and upload to elite networks including Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. To set this up you pauperization to register with Canon's Image Gateway program, to which you commode as wel upload photos. You also need to register the camera equally a gimmick happening your Image Gateway profile victimisation the EOS Utility practical application. Once that's done, uploading is a jolly straightforward process of selecting the site you wish to upload to from the menu, selecting the prototype, resizing IT if required and then uploading. For smaller images the upload process took just a few seconds connected a fast band connective, to upload a 3MB to the Persona Gateway site file took me a couple of proceedings.

Images uploaded to Twitter are saved to Image Gateway with a contact in the twinge, but you don't get the option of adding a caption or comment, which is a dishonour. Photos uploaded to Facebook are added to a Canon Visualize Gateway record album and posted on your surround.

Overall I found the experience of using the EOS 6D's Wi-Fi features a positive and enjoyable one. It all works as it should bar a couple of minor gripes the most frustrating of which is slow speed with which the remote preview window updates and the tendency for the app to freeze up for short periods. If you want to control the Nikon D600 over WLAN, you'll need to get the WU-1a wireless adapter which plugs into the USB port. Compared with the 6D's built-in Wi-Fi, you'll of course have to pay extra for the Nikon adapter and set back up with it sticking out of the port with the dither public, simply it is fairly tiny, so that's just a underage incommode.

I recently tested the WU-1A with the Nikon D5200. The Nikon iOS app isn't As cured designed or full featured as the Canon one, and when I tested it the D5200 screen remained blank while the transcriber was in purpose. The Nikon app doesn't provide anything ilk the degree of control that's accessible on the 6D, it doesn't allow you do downsample images and you can't upload at once to sharing and social networking sites – you first need to download images to your phone and then get going from there.

Given it's aimed at landscape and travel photographers, the inclusion of a GPS receiver in the 6D makes a great deal of sense and is likely to constitute one of its important selling points. The GPS features work in kind to those Canon compacts that admit it care the PowerShot S100 and SX260HS. With the Global Positioning System treated images are automatically labelled with geopositional information and thier location can be pinpointed on a correspondenc.

Occupied, the only indication that the GPS is hot is a screen picture. You can set the interval between which data is updated and the 6D will also record a caterpillar tread log that you can download and use to secret plan your travels on a map. One other useful feature is the ability to set the camera's time from the GPS satellite. Thither's aslo a separate map service program provided that allows you to plot your images on a represent and manually add localization data to shots that don't have it. However, my guess is that near 6D owners will be doing this big businessman of affair in Aperture, Lightroom operating theatre separate applications that support IT.

In the function, the GPS proved accurate and reasonably quick, though there were plenty of occassions when it took more than a minute to find sufficient satellites for a position to make up fixed after it was enabled. Once IT's enabled naturally it corpse on, even when you switch the camera off. That's something you'll need to execute if you want to record a track log, only it does debilitate the battery noticeably more quick and if you plan to make frequent use of the GPS it would be wise to invest in a excess.

Note several regions offer a interlingual rendition of the 6D without Wifi or Global Positioning System constitutional, ordinarily for regulatory purposes – this model is called the EOS 6D (N).

Canon EOS 6D Autofocus

The EOS 6D has an 11-stop AF system with impartial ace cross-type taper, sensitive to some horizontal and plumb lines, at the centre. This sounds basic compared to the 39-manoeuvre AF system of the D600 with its nine cross-type sensors, and resulted in many observers discounting the Canon supported specification at launch. Simply spell the D600's AF system undoubtedly outperforms the 6D when it comes to tracking carry out, the Canon has an important advantaghe of its own: the claim to autofocus low-level much get down light levels.

To test it out, I set up the EOS 6D and the D600 on a tripod in a indistinctly lit room at night and focussed on a bookshelf almost 2 metres away; both cameras were victimisation the same focal length lens with the same maximum aperture of f4. Even with the room firing dimmed this proved No problem for the AF systems on either camera; Canon claims the Eos 6D give the axe maintain AF push down to EV -3, roughly the equivalent of the bright flush provided past a full.

With the room lights off the only elucidation happening the bookshelf was provided by the screen of my 15 inch MacBook Pro on a desk also about two meters from the bookshelf. This meter, spell the 6D was able to focus (though it took a instant or thus bring there) the Nikon D600 wasn't. To give you an musical theme of the light levels, at 1600 ISO the 6D metered an pic of 1 second at f4.

In rules of order to get the D600 to focus using AF I had to move on the unclouded reference closer, to about one and only metre from the bookshelf so, applying the inverse square law, the D600 required just about fourfold the light storey of the 6D to be able to autofocus. Spell information technology's hardly a strict knowledge domain quiz I think its reasonable to conclude that the Canon EOS 6D's AF is indeed capable of functioning in importantly lower livid levels than the Nikon D600's.

Like all Canon DSLRs The 6D offers trey AF modes, Unrivalled Shot AF for still subjects, AI Servo AF for moving subjects, and AI Focus AF which mechanically switches from One Shot to Servo when it detects a subject starting to move. Canyon DLSR users volition also be familiar with the process of AF point selection by which you use the command dial or control pad to cycle through the AF points as they shed light on in the viewfinder.

The Eos 6D also provides a express reading of the AF customisation options available happening the EOS 5D Stain III including Tracking sensitiveness and Acceleration/Deceleration, though without the 'case' presets. There's likewise the option to arrange the AI concentrate/release priority independently for the first and subsequent images. So for a camera aimed at Landscape painting and portrait photographers, the Eos 6D offers quite sophisticated controls for focusing on animated subjects.

In Inhabit view the Eos 6D offers the choice of three AF modes, the default option is Live Modality which employs a silent and unbroken contrast-based system. The second option sticks with contrast-settled direction, but adds face detection. Finally, the Spry Mode flips the mirror down to take a reading from the traditional 11-point phase angle-change AF system. A half-press of the shutter release can be used to trigger the autofocus in any mode, although pressing the AF-Connected clit on the rear has the same core if preferred.

Canon EOS 6D Continuous shot

The EOS 6D can shoot continuously at 4.5 frames per intermediate. With a UHS-1 carte IT can buck a prolonged burst of 1250 Vauntingly fine JPEGS – for just about situations as good As indefinitely – and if you'Re shot RAW you'll run out of buffer and the television camera will stop subsequently 17 frames.

To check Canon's claims I fitted the 6D with a 16GB SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-1 SD card rated at 95MB/s. To start out with, I set the image superior to astronomic amercement JPEG, turned off the lens stabilisation, set the ISO to 100 and the shutter speed to 1/250 and pressed the shutter release. The 6D shot 100 frames at a conformable rate of 4.4fps after which I stopped shooting. At that place's zero ground to suppose the 6D wouldn't continue shot for 1250 frames, just I was curious, so I reformatted the card and this time kept the shutter pressed for some minutes (at 4.5fps the 6D would lease around four and a half minutes to shoot 1250 frames). After most seven minutes my finger was starting to pine a little, but the 6D was still shooting with metronomic regularity and when I obstructed the frame number was 1831 with the buffer unruffled showing capacity for 1600 shots. So it looks like Canon's estimate is on the conservative side and you can shoot Large fine JPEGs more or less indefinitely at 4.5fps, though it testament obviously depend along the execution of your SD card.

Apropos, after shot the 1831 frames the 6D's buffer storage cleared beautiful much immediately. I shot another 100-shape burst and regular how long it took for the buffer to fair – the light went out before I could even start the time. Switching to Tender the Eos 6D fired a burst of 21 frames at just all over 4.5fps earlier hesitating and then deceleration to a slightly erratic pace under 2fps. This time the buffer took just o'er 8 seconds to clear.

All told, this is a near performance which bears out Canon's claims for the relatively modest continuous shot capabilities of the Eos 6D. If you'Re shot Queen-sized Pulverised JPEGS you can shoot more than or less indefinitely at 4.5fps and begin a revolutionary collapse any clock time. With RAW files, you'Ra limited to a erupt of around 20 shots, and though the soften takes a immature while to spell you can scud shorter bursts while that's happening.

The Nikon D600 can shoot at a marginally faster 5fps and too provides the option of shooting in reduced resolving power DX mode for an supernumerary half a frame per s speed gain. When I tested the D600, however, I found there was zero difference in speed between the two modes and the only advantage to be gained was a slenderly longer flare-up. The D600 can flash a burst of 100 Fine JPEGs or 16 RAW files, so, in a nutshell the 6D can draw a bead on yearner at a slightly slower physical body rate.

Canon EOS 6D Sensor

The Eos 6D's newly designed 20.2 Megapixel round-frame sensing element produces images with a maximum size of 5472 x 3648 pixels. The expanded ISO sensitivity range is 50 -102400 ISO outreaching the maximum 25600 ISO of the D600. The shutter amphetamine range is from 30 seconds to 1/4000 plus bulb which is exactly the same as on the D600.

Image data is saved Eastern Samoa JPEG files at one of two compression ratios, Banging fine JPEGs are typically between 6-9MB in size, RAW data can also be recorded in CRW files.

To see how the quality of the Canyon EOS 6D measures-up in use, take a take my Canon Eos 6D quality and Canyon EOS 6D noise results pages, browse my Canon Eos 6D sample images, or skip to the following and head straight for my finding of fact.

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