6D Experience

[schmidtfilme]

Great review, thanks.

I just bought last week the Canon 6D. Actually I was always a Nikon shooter since 1991.

I went with Canon instead of Nikon due to the fact that I like the pictures better. Mainly the color rendition and they feel more organic. On film I was always shooting Fuji Velvia 50. Some here might remember.

So far I am very impressed with my new 6D. I didn't buy the 5D because the pictures are more or less the same and I didn't like the big body.

[verysimplejason]

I got my 6D yesterday and thought I will share my initial impressions. These impressions are from a Canon shooter coming from Rebel bodies (450D & 500D) and I thought it will help someone that is in the same boat as I was in figuring our whether or not to upgrade to the 6D.

What I use a camera for:
Family (with kids running around) and Travel.  Nothing for payment

Physical Attributes
Weight: Heavier than anticipated and with the 24-105 kit much more than the Rebel.  I had a 17-50 F2.8 Sigma on my Rebel which made it heavier than the out of the box kit already, but the 6D is beyond that.  I am glad I have a Black Rapid strap.  Would not like this around my neck.  However, the balance (not tipping over so much) is better than my 500D/Sigma combo and although heavier, definitely usable all day long.
Size: I like the physical size over the Rebel.  Using both hands on it feel much more comfortable. I handled a 5DIII&5DII in the store, and I prefer the 6D size. For me, coming from a Rebel, the 6D feels great in the hand while the 5DIII felt like a stretch.
Feel & Buttons: Everything felt better - body, buttons, shutter sound (love that  ).  I have to get use to using the top plate buttons, but the rest of the button layout felt very familiar even to the dated 500D.

Operation
Name an attribute, and it is better than the 500D, and you can't help but think that "this is how it is supposed to be".  The level of customization really impressed me. I appreciate that the 5DIII and 1DX is even better at this, but coming from a Rebel, WOW! What I particularly liked is:
- C1 and C2 functions
- Minimum shutter speed setting
- Customisation options in general. Like AI Servo assignability to the DOF button, ISO limits, Different Focus points in Portrait v Landscapes
- Direct access to Drive, ISO etc. on top plate
- GPS & Wifi: Did not explore this other than pairing to my iPhone and (it has a slight lag) I can see this being handy for shots where I am in front of the camera with the family.
- HDR: I liked that this is built in.
- WB: I might miss a dedicated button for this, but the Q menu does accomodate this.

Performance
ISO: High ISO is so much better than the 500D. Expressing it in Stops is beyond my ability, but with the 500D I did not use 1600 (except in the rare circumstances where shutter speed was more important than IQ). Now with this I can see no problem going to 6400 and I think 12800 will become the new 1600 (which is still 1 stop below native max). So what is that 3 Stops  ? Off course this is dependent on what you can tolerate in terms of noise.
FPS: It’s faster than my 500D so that’s an improvement for me and I see it as adequate for the "action" type shots I sometimes need.
Focus: I played with it indoors (dark outside) and with the 24-105, 50 1.4, 100 L Macro and 70-200 F4 Non-IS.  My approach was not scientific at all but the focus on the centre point was snappy and quicker than my Rebel.  The Macro was slow as usual.  I used the outer points, and as I Rebel user could not complain about speed or accuracy.
Viewfinder: Forget that it is not 100%, this is much better/brighter than the Rebel's

Conclusion
Yes I am sure a lot of people can and will nitpick over many of the (missing) features. But coming from a Rebel, most will be blown away. So, is the upgrade worth it? Well, I felt I had to upgrade from my 500D. So it was either a 60D/650D (body only) at $800 or this. So does the extra $2000 ($1200 body + 800 lens) make you a better photographer? No, but it will make the pictures you do take look better, especially in low light. 
Why not 5DII? I liked the smaller/lighter size, Overall newer tech, Digic 5+, GPS & WiFi options and I am confident that this will now last me a very long time.
Why not D600? To commited to EOS (Lenses and Flashes) and I handled it in the shop, it felt very foreign.

Thanks for sharing your experience.  I'm coming from the same rebel too.  I'm still waiting for the 7D2 and will decide after its release.  Have fun!

[T-RonX]

Does Auto ISO work in manual mode? My 500D is stuck on ISO400 in manual and Auto ISO.

[dexstrose]

yes, auto iso range works in M mode on 6d. you can set low to a 100 and max up to 25600.