A positive feedback for 6D

[Albi86]

Does anyone who's actually played with the 6D know if the AF on the 6D works BETTER than the 60D? any thoughts or input would be welcome.

i doubt anyone here has real life experience with the 6D yet.
other then touching it on the photokina booth maybe.

but suprise me...

Actually I'm worried about forbidding people to put their SD in and bring some pictures home.

[Act444]

Hmmm if, in real life, the autofocus works better than the 5D mkii and the image quality turns out to be at least as good if not better I might well start getting excited about this camera as a potential 60D upgrade!

I'm in the same boat.  I want to go full frame.  When I shoot weddings, I use the company's 5D mk2/mk3 so I don't really NEED one.  I'd like to have a FF body for personal use for less than the price of a mk3.  If the AF is good, I'd be much closer to a final decision.  My 60D has 9 AF points and all 9 are cross type but I typically just use the center and recompose anyway.

I wish it had AF during video. When I'm shooting videos, I usually like to focus manually and was looking forward to having a DSLR that had AF during video if I wanted to shoot a 2nd angle on a tripod and just let it run while I manually focus with the other camera but alas, I might have to get a T4i just for that purpose.

Does anyone who's actually played with the 6D know if the AF on the 6D works BETTER than the 60D? any thoughts or input would be welcome.

I'd be interested in the answer to that question as well. As a 60D owner I'm actually surprised at how similar the two cameras seem to be. The 6D is not a total "upgrade" though since IIRC the 60D can do 1/8000s, slightly faster flash sync and at least on paper, AF seems to be more well-rounded. (I want to see reviews of the 6D AF in practice before passing judgment, unlike several others here it seems)

BUT, the 6D does have the low ISO 50 option which sort of compensates for the lower 1/4000s max speed I suppose, which the 60D does not have.

[scrappydog]

I'd be interested in the answer to that question as well. As a 60D owner I'm actually surprised at how similar the two cameras seem to be...

I recently upgraded from the 60D to the 5DII.  They seem very similar in most of the ways that I shoot.  A couple ergonomic issues are different, but largely they are the same.  For example, the AF seems identical.  The metering on my 5DII seems a little more accurate.  The key differentiator is the ISO speed and cleaner noise at higher ISOs, which benefits the 5DII (and 6D) substantially.  Regardless of how the 6D performance shakes out, you should consider a 5DII upgrade path because the ISO performance is a real upgrade.

[bbasiaga]

Actually I'm worried about forbidding people to put their SD in and bring some pictures home.

I wouldn't be.  VERY common.  Same stories abou the 1Dx when it showed up pre-production in several places, same stories about the 5DMKIII....the list goes on. 

-Brian

[ishdakuteb]

I'd be interested in the answer to that question as well. As a 60D owner I'm actually surprised at how similar the two cameras seem to be...

I recently upgraded from the 60D to the 5DII.  They seem very similar in most of the ways that I shoot.  A couple ergonomic issues are different, but largely they are the same.  For example, the AF seems identical.  The metering on my 5DII seems a little more accurate.  The key differentiator is the ISO speed and cleaner noise at higher ISOs, which benefits the 5DII (and 6D) substantially.  Regardless of how the 6D performance shakes out, you should consider a 5DII upgrade path because the ISO performance is a real upgrade.

+1

[Imagination_landB]

I can confirm, that the AF works very well. It´s better in low light than the AF build in the 5D Mark III.

But I don´t like the quality of the body and I am not willing to use SD-Cards. The 6D is in my opinion a camera for private use.

a NEW PROTOTYPE EH? and for your comment i'm pretty impressed bye that, an low light af system that is better in a 2000 camera than in the 3500 one.. Mmmmmm

[scrappydog]

I can confirm, that the AF works very well. It´s better in low light than the AF build in the 5D Mark III.

a NEW PROTOTYPE EH? and for your comment i'm pretty impressed bye that, an low light af system that is better in a 2000 camera than in the 3500 one.. Mmmmmm

I would tone down the sarcasm.  The 6D specs indicate that its AF light sensitivity is -3EV.

EDIT: from the Canon USA website:

A new 11-point AF including a high-precision center cross-type AF point with EV -3 sensitivity allows focusing in extreme low-light conditions... http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/slr_cameras/eos_6d

From the same website, re: 5D Mark III:

AF Working Range
EV -2 - 18 (at 73°F/23°C and ISO 100)
http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/slr_cameras/eos_5d_mark_iii?selectedName=Specifications

So, yeah, the 6D has a more senstive AF system in low light.

[Imagination_landB]

I can confirm, that the AF works very well. It´s better in low light than the AF build in the 5D Mark III.

a NEW PROTOTYPE EH? and for your comment i'm pretty impressed bye that, an low light af system that is better in a 2000 camera than in the 3500 one.. Mmmmmm

I would tone down the sarcasm.  The 6D specs indicate that its AF light sensitivity is -3EV.

EDIT: from the Canon USA website:

A new 11-point AF including a high-precision center cross-type AF point with EV -3 sensitivity allows focusing in extreme low-light conditions... http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/slr_cameras/eos_6d

From the same website, re: 5D Mark III:

AF Working Range
EV -2 - 18 (at 73°F/23°C and ISO 100)
http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/slr_cameras/eos_5d_mark_iii?selectedName=Specifications

So, yeah, the 6D has a more senstive AF system in low light.

I was not sarcastic at all. I didn't see these specs. and for the new prototype comment just look at his gear list..

[Act444]

I'd be interested in the answer to that question as well. As a 60D owner I'm actually surprised at how similar the two cameras seem to be...

I recently upgraded from the 60D to the 5DII.  They seem very similar in most of the ways that I shoot.  A couple ergonomic issues are different, but largely they are the same.  For example, the AF seems identical.  The metering on my 5DII seems a little more accurate.  The key differentiator is the ISO speed and cleaner noise at higher ISOs, which benefits the 5DII (and 6D) substantially.  Regardless of how the 6D performance shakes out, you should consider a 5DII upgrade path because the ISO performance is a real upgrade.

Thanks for the insight...interesting. I really do like the 60D- it even exceeded my expectations when I shot some action last week- for having "only 9" AF points I got quite a few keepers. My only complaint about it, and it's not really a complaint per se as it's a wish - I would like better high ISO performance. There are times that I'm feeling the limits of ISO 3200 (yes, even with an f2.8 lens) and would like to go higher but can't due to the excessive noise levels. Hoping the new 7D II has this, and I can keep the crop factor for my long lenses.

To clarify, any use for a FF camera like the 6D would be mostly travel, walkaround and events. If I chose to go this route, I would almost certainly keep the 60D to get maximum reach out of my telephotos (70-200 2.8 and 70-300). Lens-wise, I have mostly EFs anyway - the only EF-S I have is the 17-55 (but it's one of my most used ones).

I'd like to see how the 6D's AF performs in practice, and whether it is at least on par with the 60D, because it sounds like at least on paper, with the exception of the low-light rating, it's somewhat of a downgrade. Plus, if it's true that FF cameras require more accurate focusing due to more limited DOF, this would seem even more critical...?

[scrappydog]

I have not noticed any difference in AF performance, at least with the 5DII.  Depth of field has not been an issue, although admittedly, I have not been taking a lot of f/1.4 to f/2 shots with it.  I have taken a fair number of f/2.8 shots and have not noticed any challenges. 

I keep my 60D for wildlife shots in decent light conditions, as the crop really helps a lot. 

I think the 6D would be an excellent travel camera.  With a FF sensor, you can just bring a pancake and you are good to go, even in low light situations.  The -3EV AF is a terrific feature.

[scrappydog]

I was not sarcastic at all. I didn't see these specs. and for the new prototype comment just look at his gear list..

No worries.  The -3EV AF feature and FF were the two that stuck out to me.  It's probably why they are touting it as a street camera.  All we need is a 0.95 Noctilux with an EF mount and I am there.

[Act444]

I think the 6D would be an excellent travel camera.  With a FF sensor, you can just bring a pancake and you are good to go, even in low light situations.  The -3EV AF is a terrific feature.

That's exactly what I'm thinking here. I already have the 24-105, slap that on and that's the travel pack right there. The high ISO would be perfect for no-flash places & evening excursions, the wider view fine for landscape and tourist shots, and the sealing good for unexpected weather conditions. Not that the 60D wouldn't do a fine job in that regard- it would- but eventually, when it's possible to take that next step, this might be an option.

Still, the price must come down several hundred dollars first. I'm also interested in that new EOS M camera (different reason - might get good use in areas where DSLRs are too bulky/attention-grabbing/suspicious/etc.) so (after reviews) might spring for that and then see what next year brings.

[DzPhotography]

I was there too. They were all preproduction models with the card compartment taped shut. The AF is really really fast believe me

[Ryan_W]

I tend to wonder if not allowing people to keep any photos might be an indication that they aren't quite done with the design process yet. If it was a model ready for production, reviewers would already have full reviews on and it would have a hard shipping date.

If they aren't ready to finalize the design, perhaps there's hope that some of the sticking points will be resolved as well.

[Marsu42]

I tend to wonder if not allowing people to keep any photos might be an indication that they aren't quite done with the design process yet.

I'd rather day manufacturers don't want horrible "sample 6d" shots all over the internet as a bad reference, since the "real" reviews might take a while and take more than taking a few pictures.

A lot people was wondering why 6D had only 11 AF and only the center is cross-type? I suspect it might due to design, current technology and cost limitation... may be to increase an AF point sensitive

Does anyone know if the other non-center points are -3 ev sensitive, too? If not that couldn't be the reason for the non-cross type points, leaving marketing and cost.