New M6 On the Way

I was planning on getting a M5 body with and 11-22 during the current "Best in Glass" sale but ended up with:

M6 with 15-45
EVF-DC2 for just $50
This is comparable in price to the current sale price of the M5 with the kit lens but offers the ability to go small when I want and add the EVF when I need it.
The Camera Store also threw in a EF mount adapter which I don't need and a wrist strap.

I also ended up grabbing the 28mm macro as they offered an additional $100 off the lense when purchased with the kit on top of the existing $130 off so the net cost was $199. Not bad for a normal prime albeit a little slow.

I also ordered a second LP-E17 battery at the same time. Some reviews suggest that two batteries may be sufficient for normal use. Time will tell
 
Congrats, sounds like a nice kit.

Having the ability to "go small" without the EVF is a big advantage of the M6 over its larger cousin.

I currently own all the EF-M lenses except for the 28mm macro for my M5. I definitely recommend getting a 11-22 at some point. It might be the best EF-M lens with the exception of the 22 f/2.
 
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jolyonralph

Game Boy Camera
CR Pro
Aug 25, 2015
1,423
944
London, UK
www.everyothershot.com
I now have both the M5 and the M6. I got the M6 because I wasn't really happy with the M5 in a number of ways, and I thought the M6 with the EVF-DC1 (which I already owned) was a better combination.

Some observations.

The silver & black M6 looks very nice. I've never bought a camera before significantly because of how it looks, but I did this time.

The M6 does everything the M5 does *except* it doesn't do touch and drag focus. For this reason alone I'll probably end up keeping the M5 as well. Touch and drag focus is really very good.

The EVF-DC1 is better than the DC2 because you can angle it. This is really useful.

The ergonomics on the M6 are slightly better than the M5 (and significantly better than the M3).

You can never have enough LP-E17 batteries. I think I have 6 now (one each came with M3/M5 and M6 and bought 3 extra). I'd go for at least 3 if I were you.


I got the M6 in the kit with the 18-150 lens. This is a surprisingly good lens! The 15-45 is quite underwhelming, the old discontinued 18-55 is a better quality lens. But do get the 11-22, it's a cracking lens.
 
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jolyonralph said:
... The silver & black M6 looks very nice. I've never bought a camera before significantly because of how it looks, but I did this time.

...

I got the M6 in the kit with the 18-150 lens. This is a surprisingly good lens! The 15-45 is quite underwhelming, the old discontinued 18-55 is a better quality lens. But do get the 11-22, it's a cracking lens.
i ended choosing the silver and black as well. The discounted price was only on the DC2 and that is available in silver as well. I don't normally buy based on appearance either but this combo looks remarkably similar to my IV-Sb with the universal finder and since I also have a threadmount adapter for S mount I'll be able to use my silver Serenar lenses and, as an added bonus, won't have to run ML for focus peaking.

I'd read that the 15-45 was a little underwhelming but decided to go for it anyway over the 18-150 as I'd rather go with the 11-22 and 55-200 combo and primes as they are, hopefully, released. The extra 3mm over the 18-55 which I have already is compelling as I often found on the M 18mm not wide enough. As the kit lens ionly added about $125 to the cost over the body, which in body-only form, isn't even available for sale in Canada yet worst case it can be the "beach" lens for my M system.

Unfortunately I waited too long to pull the trigger on the M6 and retailers and Canon are now showing no stock for the 11-22 so I'll have to wait for the fall or winter sales.
 
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I also got M6 with EOS-M 28mm macro and a discounted DC2 from the same dealer. I intended to use it as a third body along with 5DSR and 7DII. But it quickly replaced both for walk around and casual use. M6 with EOS-M 28mm macro is a very good combination. The DC2 is lighter, smaller and has faster refresh rate than DC1 on M6. I tested the combo to take quick photos of small objects such as flowers and insects in ordinary day light. A picture taken with this combo is attached below. As a nice to have feature I wish it had electronic silent shutter, too.
 

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leadin2

CR Pro
Apr 3, 2017
83
30
Singapore
I went for the M6 for the Color (silver) and size. There wasn't any PIP (purchase-in-purchase) price for the evf. Now I'm missing viewfinder for a few situations but not a big concern so far. Got the EF-M 22mm f/2 (it was terrific) and EF adaptor plus stand for my EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS which I intended to sell initially. My M6 worked pretty good with the EF 100mm f/2.8 L IS, giving me the extra 1.6x reach. Didn't consider the EF-M 28mm because the focal length is too close to the 22mm. The next lens I'm waiting for is the EF-S 35mm macro, which I will be able to cover 35mm and 50mm fixed focal range. Very happy with the M series so far.
 
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Fleetie said:
What does twisting that knurled knob on the new EVF do?
diopter adjustment for us old farts and others that need glasses. I mean honestly it's been about 5 years since I had a camera strap long enough to actually be able to see a image on the screen without glasses. Gone are the days that the 2" 230,000 pixel display on the 1Ds Mk II was adequate for chimping :mad:
 
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HaroldC3 said:
jolyonralph said:
The silver & black M6 looks very nice. I've never bought a camera before significantly because of how it looks, but I did this time.

Same here. The silver looks really good. I like the EVF that goes with it as well.
The more things change ...
IMG_1568_edited-1-L.jpg
 
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Loving it so far.

Showed up on Thursday after a slight detour to Montreal via Canada Post.

Have to admit that the 22 is still my favourite lens but haven't played with the 28 enough. Fun playing with my vintage Serenar lenses via my S-mount adaptor but they are noticeably softer at the pixel level but the focus peaking with DPAF is bang-on still not to shabby being able to use 63 year old Canon lenses on a modern body so I won't complain about no EXIF data ::)

The 15-45 is definitely a step down in build quality from the 18-55 but I'll reserve judgement on the optical quality until after I use it for some real work. If the quality is acceptable then it will be more likely to be the primary lens on the camera due to the range, weight and size.

The EVF is nice. Enough diopter that I can use it with and without my reading glasses and nice and tight with no leakage as others have commented on in the M5 discussions. I know it is over saturated but it just doesn't bother me that much. I like being able to remove it and can see how shooting from the waist with the touchscreen flipped up 90 could be nice on the street to be discreet and give a view closer to the pavement.

I'm thinking I should get my 40mm pancake back from the friend I lent it to so I can try it out with the adaptor and get a comparison going between it and the 22 and 28. Hmm ... GAS is setting in and the 35 f/2 ... Nope let's try and keep it simple and light.

I'm seeing people complain a lot about the lack of native fast primes for the M mount and while I do like fast primes (I've been known to shoot my 85 F/1.2 II on my M) I find that my compromise is about weight and portability and the current lineup is pretty close.
 
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May 4, 2011
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The M6 really is a great camera, I enjoy using it.

I considered the viewfinder at one point but ultimately decided against it as I didn't feel I would use it enough to justify its price. Besides, I got it specifically to reduce size and weight when traveling.

I have also thought about the 28mm macro but again, seems to be a bit too similar in FL to the 22 f2. The lens I'd really like for this system would be a 35mm f1.8.

I used to be cool with the 15-45 initially, but for some reason using it on the M6 has really exposed its flaws. Must be the higher 24MP count...but the edge/corner sharpness on that lens is just...nonexistent. Heck, even when heavily downsized the soft corners remain very noticeable. And the lower left seems worse than the others (indication of slight de-centering?). It's poor enough that I've relegated that lens to solely work use - otherwise I will use the excellent 11-22 for wide-angle coverage and the 18-150 for general shooting. The 15-45 pales in comparison to those - and the 18-55 that was recently discontinued.
 
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Act444 said:
The M6 really is a great camera, I enjoy using it.

I considered the viewfinder at one point but ultimately decided against it as I didn't feel I would use it enough to justify its price. Besides, I got it specifically to reduce size and weight when traveling.

I have also thought about the 28mm macro but again, seems to be a bit too similar in FL to the 22 f2. The lens I'd really like for this system would be a 35mm f1.8.

I used to be cool with the 15-45 initially, but for some reason using it on the M6 has really exposed its flaws. Must be the higher 24MP count...but the edge/corner sharpness on that lens is just...nonexistent. Heck, even when heavily downsized the soft corners remain very noticeable. And the lower left seems worse than the others (indication of slight de-centering?). It's poor enough that I've relegated that lens to solely work use - otherwise I will use the excellent 11-22 for wide-angle coverage and the 18-150 for general shooting. The 15-45 pales in comparison to those - and the 18-55 that was recently discontinued.

Glad you are enjoying your M6!

My M5 came in a kit with a EF-M 15-45 and it used it a fair amount for 4-5 months, but ended up selling it, my 18-55 and 55-200 and currently own the 22, 11-22 and 18-150 and am very happy with this combination. I give up a little on the long end, but I seldom use the M5 for longer tele stuff anyway.

I found the 15-45 to be softer than the other EF-M zooms, my copy wasn't as bad as you describe, but in side-by-side shooting, it was softer. I've been surprised at how good the 18-150 is optically, of the 3 EF-M standard range zooms I owned at the same time my copy was slightly sharper than my 18-55 and much sharper than the 15-45, the opposite of the lenses tested by TDP here:

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=1114&Camera=812&Sample=0&FLI=0&API=0&LensComp=1134&CameraComp=0&FLIComp=0&APIComp=0
 
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May 4, 2011
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To be clear, the 18-150 is, in my opinion, an OK lens...just OK. The wide end is good, but does soften up once you pass the 70mm mark or so. By 150mm there is little to no punch left - but I can tolerate that as a compromise for cramming that amount of reach into a small all-purpose lens. I did hang onto my 55-200 which is both sharper and faster than the 18-150 in those ranges, and will go to that lens if telephoto coverage (and small size) is desired.

Frankly, with the exception of the 11-22mm, all the EF-M lenses I've tried leave something to be desired one way or another IMO. Either in image quality, speed, build, or combination thereof. In other words, the sacrifice(s) made for the compact size & weight is/are quite clear. The 22 f2 I'd say is the best of the rest, but I still found the EF-S equivalent to be sharper.
 
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Act444 said:
To be clear, the 18-150 is, in my opinion, an OK lens...just OK. The wide end is good, but does soften up once you pass the 70mm mark or so. By 150mm there is little to no punch left - but I can tolerate that as a compromise for cramming that amount of reach into a small all-purpose lens. I did hang onto my 55-200 which is both sharper and faster than the 18-150 in those ranges, and will go to that lens if telephoto coverage (and small size) is desired.

Frankly, with the exception of the 11-22mm, all the EF-M lenses I've tried leave something to be desired one way or another IMO. Either in image quality, speed, build, or combination thereof. In other words, the sacrifice(s) made for the compact size & weight is/are quite clear. The 22 f2 I'd say is the best of the rest, but I still found the EF-S equivalent to be sharper.

I agree, I should have quantified my remarks to say the 18-150 is very good for a zoom with 8x range. I generally shoot mine between 18-55mm so I seldom use the longer end. But, its nice to have up to 150mm if needed for casual shooting. I do 99% of my landscape, nature and wildlife photography with my 5DsR and L lenses and generally use my M5 to document family outings and casual uses.

My 18-150 compared very well with the 55-200 I owned, I did quite a bit of testing side-by-side before I decided to sell the 55-200. Not sure if my 18-150 is above average or 55-200 below average since I've heard several others state the 55-200 is superior; and a 3.6x zoom should be better than a 8x. The 55-200 is faster at all focal lengths. I'm very happy with my 18-150 as a single lens compact combination with the M5. I just use the 22 when I want a really small system (certainly not as compact as the M6+22 however)

I also agree the 22 and 11-22 are the best EF-M lenses. I would love to see some high quality f/2 or faster primes (12mm/31mm/53mm) and a higher quality constant aperture std. zoom but I'm sure the later would be large - maybe too large to really fit a compact system.
 
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Dec 18, 2014
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HaroldC3 said:
jolyonralph said:
The silver & black M6 looks very nice. I've never bought a camera before significantly because of how it looks, but I did this time.

Same here. The silver looks really good. I like the EVF that goes with it as well.

Cute, kinda like my M with the OVF... A popup EVF behind the flash would be cooool... M6ii?

i131106%231924.jpg
 
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