Why I Chose a Canon EOS 6D over a 5D MKIII

[cayenne]

Dustin,
I currently have a 60D and would someday like to go full frame but the 5DMIII is way out of my price range. So the 6D is definitely appealing from a price perspective but I have the same list of concerns you mentioned in you blog post - so it was nice to read your views and see the wonderful images you've captured with the 6D. Anyway, since you have (had) a 60D also, can you compare the OUTER points of the 60D to the 6D. I frequently use the outer points and that is a concern to me. Are the 60D outer AF points better since they're cross type?

With the recent price drops...is the 5D3 really that much more expensive these days than the next model down (6D)?

C

 

[Fotofanten]

I sold my 5D III and bought a 6D today I've been using the 5d III for about a year. Here is the reasoning behind my choice:

1. I've been using centre point on the mk III for 95% of the time. Old habits die hard i guess. My previous camera was the original 5D.
2. I really care about weight and size, as I shoot street, social events and hike a lot in the mountains.
3. Image quality is pretty much the same.
4. I plan to really use the wifi-capabilities (live images on Nexus 10 at weddings + the possibility of staying in the car when shooting auroras + tripping the shutter with my phone for long exposure work).
5. When using flashes, I often use the 622c in combination with HSS. Therefore the 180/th sync speed should not really affect me.
6. I've growing older and more fond of a slow paced approach to photography.

Time will tell if I made the right choice. I sure hope so!

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Dustin,
I currently have a 60D and would someday like to go full frame but the 5DMIII is way out of my price range. So the 6D is definitely appealing from a price perspective but I have the same list of concerns you mentioned in you blog post - so it was nice to read your views and see the wonderful images you've captured with the 6D. Anyway, since you have (had) a 60D also, can you compare the OUTER points of the 60D to the 6D. I frequently use the outer points and that is a concern to me. Are the 60D outer AF points better since they're cross type?

With the recent price drops...is the 5D3 really that much more expensive these days than the next model down (6D)?

C

That depends on which zone of the world, but even in North America, even excluding the difference in tax the current price on Amazon is $3299 for the MKIII and $1899 for the 6D, so, yeah, that's about as big a difference as there has always been. That is $1400 (not including the tax difference).

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

I sold my 5D III and bought a 6D today I've been using the 5d III for about a year. Here is the reasoning behind my choice:

1. I've been using centre point on the mk III for 95% of the time. Old habits die hard i guess. My previous camera was the original 5D.
2. I really care about weight and size, as I shoot street, social events and hike a lot in the mountains.
3. Image quality is pretty much the same.
4. I plan to really use the wifi-capabilities (live images on Nexus 10 at weddings + the possibility of staying in the car when shooting auroras + tripping the shutter with my phone for long exposure work).
5. When using flashes, I often use the 622c in combination with HSS. Therefore the 180/th sync speed should not really affect me.
6. I've growing older and more fond of a slow paced approach to photography.

Time will tell if I made the right choice. I sure hope so!

I haven't heard of a lot of "downgraders". I hope it works out well for you. I am very pleased with my 6D bodies, but I have also not owned a MKIII.

 

[Fotofanten]

I sold my 5D III and bought a 6D today I've been using the 5d III for about a year. Here is the reasoning behind my choice:

1. I've been using centre point on the mk III for 95% of the time. Old habits die hard i guess. My previous camera was the original 5D.
2. I really care about weight and size, as I shoot street, social events and hike a lot in the mountains.
3. Image quality is pretty much the same.
4. I plan to really use the wifi-capabilities (live images on Nexus 10 at weddings + the possibility of staying in the car when shooting auroras + tripping the shutter with my phone for long exposure work).
5. When using flashes, I often use the 622c in combination with HSS. Therefore the 180/th sync speed should not really affect me.
6. I've growing older and more fond of a slow paced approach to photography.

Time will tell if I made the right choice. I sure hope so!

I haven't heard of a lot of "downgraders". I hope it works out well for you. I am very pleased with my 6D bodies, but I have also not owned a MKIII.

Thanks Dustin. Had the 6D been announced before I got the mk III then I'm sure I would have waited for the 6D, simply because of how pleased I was with the original 5D. I would be happy to provide an update and share my experiences once I've used the 6D for a few weeks.

 

[pensive tomato]

I almost always set ISO manually, but the 6D is the first body that I sometimes set AUTO ISO (I shoot manual almost exclusively). Two reasons: 1) the 6D almost always gets it right, and I do this when I want to hold a certain shutter speed (wildlife or event shooting) and 2) the high ISO performance of the 6D means that I'm not scared to shooting anything up to its normal limit (ISO 25,600) as these shots I posted today show.

Dustin,

Thanks for your review back in February, as it was instrumental in my decision to buy a 6D. I'm still astounded by the results I see with high ISO performance coming from a 7D. But I wonder, what settings do you use in your 6Ds regarding long exposure NR and high ISO speed NR?

Thanks again for sharing your views, they've been quite informative!

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

I almost always set ISO manually, but the 6D is the first body that I sometimes set AUTO ISO (I shoot manual almost exclusively). Two reasons: 1) the 6D almost always gets it right, and I do this when I want to hold a certain shutter speed (wildlife or event shooting) and 2) the high ISO performance of the 6D means that I'm not scared to shooting anything up to its normal limit (ISO 25,600) as these shots I posted today show.

Dustin,

Thanks for your review back in February, as it was instrumental in my decision to buy a 6D. I'm still astounded by the results I see with high ISO performance coming from a 7D. But I wonder, what settings do you use in your 6Ds regarding long exposure NR and high ISO speed NR?

Thanks again for sharing your views, they've been quite informative!

To be honest, neither of those features mean much to me because (if I understand correctly) they are native to JPEG output (the onboard JPEG engine) and have no real bearing on RAW output, which is what I shoot exclusively. But, just for the fun of it, I looked at my settings. I have Long Exp. Noise... turned off. High ISO speed NR is currently on the middle setting.

BTW, I also keep the camera picture style set on "Faithful". It doesn't really affect my still image output (because I shoot RAW). I use the Adobe RGB color space. Why do I even bother to set it on "Faithful"? Short answer is video. I get a nice, neutral look to start with that gives me better latitude for tweaking in post.

 

[pensive tomato]

Dustin,

Thanks for your review back in February, as it was instrumental in my decision to buy a 6D. I'm still astounded by the results I see with high ISO performance coming from a 7D. But I wonder, what settings do you use in your 6Ds regarding long exposure NR and high ISO speed NR?

Thanks again for sharing your views, they've been quite informative!

To be honest, neither of those features mean much to me because (if I understand correctly) they are native to JPEG output (the onboard JPEG engine) and have no real bearing on RAW output, which is what I shoot exclusively. But, just for the fun of it, I looked at my settings. I have Long Exp. Noise... turned off. High ISO speed NR is currently on the middle setting.

BTW, I also keep the camera picture style set on "Faithful". It doesn't really affect my still image output (because I shoot RAW). I use the Adobe RGB color space. Why do I even bother to set it on "Faithful"? Short answer is video. I get a nice, neutral look to start with that gives me better latitude for tweaking in post.

Thanks for sharing your settings. For some reason, I thought long exp. NR affected both JPEGs and RAW files. I went to the manual, but couldn't find a direct answer. Not that it matters in your case, as you set it off in the first place.

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Here's another High ISO shot. This is 12,800.


Bull Moose Portrait by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

 

[wsheldon]

To be honest, neither of those features mean much to me because (if I understand correctly) they are native to JPEG output (the onboard JPEG engine) and have no real bearing on RAW output, which is what I shoot exclusively. But, just for the fun of it, I looked at my settings. I have Long Exp. Noise... turned off. High ISO speed NR is currently on the middle setting.

I think you're right about High ISO NR, but Long Exp. Noise Reduction is different. The camera records a second dark field image for removing hot pixels before saving the raw.

That said, there are reports that the overall effect is not great, potentially even adding more fine-scale noise in the process (see http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=13876.0). I'd leave it off too unless doing astro-photography.

BTW, I got a lot out of your review too -- thanks for sharing your perspective. I'm definitely enjoying my 6D so far.

 

[Fotofanten]

^^ That moose shot is impressively clean for ISO 12800!

I have to say, after shooting a thousand frames or so, I am really enjoying my downgrade to the 6D so far. Of all the features they decided to omit, I do no miss a thing. Even the perfectly placed reprogrammable dof-preview button on the mk III which I really came to appreciate has its equivalent on the 6D, only now I have to use my left index finger instead of my right ring finger to push and hold it down for those occations where I need to quickly shift from One Shot to AI Servo. It is slightly more fiddly. I even gave birds in flight a go (gulls and ducks, more parallel to the camera than perpendicular), and AF was spot on using the 100L. I also have the 50L, the 40mm pancake and the 35L, all of which required a little higher AF adjust values than they did on the mk III, using the fully automatic feature in FoCal Plus, though no more than +10, which I find comforting. The centre AF point has been highly accurate and reliable so far, on par with the double cross point on the mk III I would say, at least for casual shooting. I haven't tried anything really fast paced like people running towards me, race cars or jet fighters, and to be honest I don't think I will anytime soon. GPS really does drain the battery, and it is not something I will leave activated just in case it comes in handy. The -3 EV ability is very useful, this camera is truly is a low light low weight monster. Coming from the mk III, the 50L almost feels unbalanced on the 6D. With the pancake attached it feels like the worlds most competent point-and-shoot.

Wifi is proving useful, and the app is looking promising, though it is still extremely unpolished and needs a heck of a lot of work. I tried Chainfires DSLR Controller app which is far more sophisticated than Canons app offer, but I ran into some trouble and had to give it up temporarily. Using Canons app, I can make images pop up on the tablet 1-2 seconds after the shutter has closed (mind you it is a very reduced size, about 2 megapixels probably). I miss some more advanced options like a well made bulb mode and the ability to export images full size, amongst other things.

 

[bholliman]

Funny how the perception of the 6D has changed over the 6 months since it was released. Back in November and December many were critisizing it (before actually using one) based on its specs, calling it a crippled version of the 5D3. And hammering the 6D for its autofocus system and slow frame rate.

Now it's widely regarded as an excellent camera. Perfect for those photographers looking for excellent image quality who don't need a high end AF system. The 6D fits nicely into Canon's DSLR lineup between the 5D3 and 7D.

 

[leGreve]

Many of you know that I recently acquired a Canon 6D, and I have been asked by multiple posters both in the forum and by email to give my reasons why I made the decision I did. I have wasted far too much time doing just that today ;D

Here is the link to my website where I shared my findings: http://www.dustinabbott.net/2013/02/why-i-chose-a-canon-eos-6d-over-a-5d-mkiii/

Also, if any of you are interested in adapting old M42 lens to the new 6D, here are my findings with my little kit of vintage glass: http://www.dustinabbott.net/2013/02/the-new-canon-eos-6d-and-classic-m42-lens/

Disclaimer: I have no intention of starting a flame war. I believe that the 5D MK3 is overall the better camera and I intend to upgrade my MK2 to a MK3 down the road. I came to the conclusions that I share for myself and felt those conclusions and hands on experiences might help others making a similar type decision.

Who are you?

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Many of you know that I recently acquired a Canon 6D, and I have been asked by multiple posters both in the forum and by email to give my reasons why I made the decision I did. I have wasted far too much time doing just that today ;D

Here is the link to my website where I shared my findings: http://www.dustinabbott.net/2013/02/why-i-chose-a-canon-eos-6d-over-a-5d-mkiii/

Also, if any of you are interested in adapting old M42 lens to the new 6D, here are my findings with my little kit of vintage glass: http://www.dustinabbott.net/2013/02/the-new-canon-eos-6d-and-classic-m42-lens/

Disclaimer: I have no intention of starting a flame war. I believe that the 5D MK3 is overall the better camera and I intend to upgrade my MK2 to a MK3 down the road. I came to the conclusions that I share for myself and felt those conclusions and hands on experiences might help others making a similar type decision.

Who are you?

Ummm, Dustin Abbott No one more or less famous...

 

[MLfan3]

the 6D is really really impressive. imho, the 6D and the RX1 are the 2 best lowlight cameras available for now.
I had the D600 but I never liked its poor lowlight AF and terrible AWB , with lots of dust spots on the sensor.
so, while keeping my D800E and lenses , I decided to get a Canon6D with the new 24-70f4LISUSM and I did extensive comparison tests between the A99v(borrowed), the 5D2, the D600, D800E and the6D in extremely lowlight.
the 6D always comes out top in real life lowlight noise comparison and to my eye, the 6D is at least a full stop better than my D600 and 2 stops better than my D800, 5D2 and my friend's A99v, and probably as good as the Sony RX1.

as for the always bashed poor AF system of the 5D2 or the 6d ,I think the 6DAF is really good , more reliable than the AF of the D600 and obviously more efficient AF system than the AF in the 5D2.
it actually nails it every time even in extreme lowlight , where my D600 , 5D2 and my D800E ,etc definitely fail.
so it is not how many AF points it's got but how many usable AF points it's got or how low light it can go with it.

I do not know how good the 5D3 AF has to be but I think the 6D AF is quite good in real life, at least the center point is extremely reliable and sensitive as well.

 

[bseitz234]

Many of you know that I recently acquired a Canon 6D, and I have been asked by multiple posters both in the forum and by email to give my reasons why I made the decision I did. I have wasted far too much time doing just that today ;D

Here is the link to my website where I shared my findings: http://www.dustinabbott.net/2013/02/why-i-chose-a-canon-eos-6d-over-a-5d-mkiii/

Also, if any of you are interested in adapting old M42 lens to the new 6D, here are my findings with my little kit of vintage glass: http://www.dustinabbott.net/2013/02/the-new-canon-eos-6d-and-classic-m42-lens/

Disclaimer: I have no intention of starting a flame war. I believe that the 5D MK3 is overall the better camera and I intend to upgrade my MK2 to a MK3 down the road. I came to the conclusions that I share for myself and felt those conclusions and hands on experiences might help others making a similar type decision.

Who are you?

Ummm, Dustin Abbott No one more or less famous...

google must be hard for some, huh?

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Many of you know that I recently acquired a Canon 6D, and I have been asked by multiple posters both in the forum and by email to give my reasons why I made the decision I did. I have wasted far too much time doing just that today ;D

Here is the link to my website where I shared my findings: http://www.dustinabbott.net/2013/02/why-i-chose-a-canon-eos-6d-over-a-5d-mkiii/

Also, if any of you are interested in adapting old M42 lens to the new 6D, here are my findings with my little kit of vintage glass: http://www.dustinabbott.net/2013/02/the-new-canon-eos-6d-and-classic-m42-lens/

Disclaimer: I have no intention of starting a flame war. I believe that the 5D MK3 is overall the better camera and I intend to upgrade my MK2 to a MK3 down the road. I came to the conclusions that I share for myself and felt those conclusions and hands on experiences might help others making a similar type decision.

Who are you?

Ummm, Dustin Abbott No one more or less famous...

google must be hard for some, huh?

Well, in all fairness, I am in the "reputation building" stage, so I can understand some confusion. That being said, I am the top returns for the name in a typical Google search.

 

[Shield]

For me, the choice for the 5d3 is pretty simple.
The CF card allows write speeds fast enough for raw 1920x1080 video.
The 6d has a moire / aliasing issue in video mode.
If I ever shot weddings I'd be too nervous not having dual slots.
6fps *does* make a difference shooting sports. So does the 5d3's larger buffer - I get 30 shots @ 6FPS with a 1000x card.
Little extra resolution can't hurt, and the 5d3's AF system is just ridiculously good.

Having said all that, I really like the 6d. If I didn't have kids in sports or care about video, I'd sell the 5d3 and get a 6d.

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

For me, the choice for the 5d3 is pretty simple.
The CF card allows write speeds fast enough for raw 1920x1080 video.
The 6d has a moire / aliasing issue in video mode.
If I ever shot weddings I'd be too nervous not having dual slots.
6fps *does* make a difference shooting sports. So does the 5d3's larger buffer - I get 30 shots @ 6FPS with a 1000x card.
Little extra resolution can't hurt, and the 5d3's AF system is just ridiculously good.

Having said all that, I really like the 6d. If I didn't have kids in sports or care about video, I'd sell the 5d3 and get a 6d.

That's a pretty fair assessment. I think it really boils down to one's shooting style/priorities.

 

[CarlTN]

For me, the choice for the 5d3 is pretty simple.
The CF card allows write speeds fast enough for raw 1920x1080 video.
The 6d has a moire / aliasing issue in video mode.
If I ever shot weddings I'd be too nervous not having dual slots.
6fps *does* make a difference shooting sports. So does the 5d3's larger buffer - I get 30 shots @ 6FPS with a 1000x card.
Little extra resolution can't hurt, and the 5d3's AF system is just ridiculously good.

Having said all that, I really like the 6d. If I didn't have kids in sports or care about video, I'd sell the 5d3 and get a 6d.

That's a pretty fair assessment. I think it really boils down to one's shooting style/priorities.

Agreed, however, regarding video and the aliasing issue. It's possible ML could help alleviate some of it, if there is ever a RAW video hack for the 6D. Regarding the autofocus...the 6D's works well enough in good light, even for sports. Obviously you pay more for the 5D3's AF sensor and its fast processing. Regarding the 6 fps vs. 4.5....that's an extra 1.5 frames per second. Not much difference...the real advantage here is obviously the buffer (as was mentioned), and the ability to use those pricey 1000x CF cards. Fps differences are more noticeable when you jump to 8 or 10 fps...or 12+.

Regarding "extra resolution"...at higher ISO there is no real advantage here, because the 6D's luminance noise (or lack thereof) absolutely murders the 5D3's. Above ISO 12,800 or so, yes the 5D3 has slightly less chrominance noise...but this noise is still high on both cameras. Given my own experience editing the RAW files of the 5D2, 5D3, 1DX, and 6D....the 6D has the least luminance noise of all of them below ISO 12,800 or so. And luminance noise is what truly robs "detail resolution"...since at these boosted ISO levels, color resolution is already very compromised on all digital sensors (even on "Nikon's"). Fortunately reducing chrominance noise seems to destroy the least amount of detail, such as with Lightroom and Photoshop...at least up to a certain point.

Canon didn't make the 6D to compete with the 5D3, though...so there really should not be any difficulty choosing between the two. They are clearly meant for different photo/video work, and the one that costs more to produce, and more oriented for pro use, is priced accordingly.