EOS6D or 7DMKII ?

[LesC]

Been looking for a replacement for my 40D which is getting a bit long in the tooth & had first thought of going for the 70D but reports of AF problems put me off it. In the meantime I bought an EOS100D/SL1 as I'd fancied a small body too & have been very pleased with it.

Having 17-40L & 70-200 F4L IS lenses, I was looking towards the 6D as my main interest is travel/landscape photography & a bit of airshow stuff (for which the 100D is fine) so FF seemed the logical way to go.

However, the 7D MKII is very tempting; whereas the 6D is kinda bottom of the range FF, the 7DMKII is certainly top of the range APS C sensor.

I do like the 7D's joystick & the new lever round it that you can assign different functions to like Exp comp looks really good. I like the GPS too, shame no wifi or articulating/touch screen but the 6D doesn't have those either.

If the early reports about the 7D MKII's lack of noise are accurate then then I think the IQ between the two is going to be minimal unless you print really large (which I don't).

The 7DMKII just seems a more complete camera whereas the 6D seems more of a compromise? Shame there's (not yet) a wideangle L series zoom for APS C bodies.

So, head says 6D, heart thinks 7DMKII. Any thoughts ?

 

[coreyhkh]

The 6D has great IQ but everything else is not very good, its basically a rebel with a full frame with no bells or whistles.

 

[Khalai]

However, the 7D MKII is very tempting; whereas the 6D is kinda bottom of the range FF, the 7DMKII is certainly top of the range APS C sensor.

Maybe bottom in terms of overall specs, but that 6D sensor is a real beauty. Even slightly better than 5D3. Unless Canon pull off some unicorn magic with 7D2 sensor (rather not I think), 6D will still stomp it to the ground in terms of IQ.

6D is a light travel/landscape/portrait camera. It has a very basic AF (which works just fine for non-moving subjects) and some lower specs, that seem worse on paper than in the field (max shutter speed, max X-sync, really no big deal unless you're shooting f/1.0-1.4 in broad daylight and/or use heavily strobed setup..).

7D series is a beast - tough, heavy, fast, now with Mk II - with one of the best AF. But the sensor will not be better than 6D (that would be very, VERY surprising indeed).

If you're after speed and AF tracking, by all means, get 7D2.

If you want a nice light fullframe (with all its good merits like low noise, shallower DoF, better DR and colour handling) and can cope with rather basic AF and willing to omit some higher-end stuff (dual card slots, 1/8000s max speed, faster X-sync), then get the 6D.

I have both 6D and the original 7D and I love them both, but they are very different cameras. Since I got myself 6D, 7D is just a dust-catcher and backup camera, whenever I'm doing e.g. paid weddings.

 

[pjn0629]

I'm making the exact same decision right now...

Only Difference is that swap out airshows for cyclocross racing, which is bike racing, but on mud and generally at relatively slow speeds and predictable. (some of my best shots have been one-offs and not the result of bursting with the 40D) I'm hankering for better IQ, but the AF and FPS is still really tempting even though I know it'll be overkill for bike racing.

Oh and I've got the same lens line up, but f/2.8, so I'm in pretty much the same boat as you... I'm going crazy trying to figure this out.

 

[Marsu42]

Having 17-40L & 70-200 F4L IS lenses, I was looking towards the 6D as my main interest is travel/landscape photography & a bit of airshow stuff (for which the 100D is fine) so FF seemed the logical way to go.

With these f4 lenses, the af of the 6d should be ok (except from the fact that tracking is absymal and the outer points are non-cross and tend to hunt). Imho the 17-40L is not good on crop but rather soft wide open, if you stay with crop then you should probably upgrade to the new 16-35L/4-IS.

There are so many threads about the 6d that I won't repeat any of it, only that the 6d is not as a "complete" all-around camera like the 7d2 which is bound to be more fun. It depends on how you would use the ff sensor, i.e. do you need the ~2+ more stops for higher shutter speed or less noise? Do you want the 1.6x reach advantage of the crop sensor? Do you want the thinner depth of field that ff provides?

 

[LesC]

Some interesting replies; thanks guys

I think at the end of the day, IQ is one of my main considerations but handling/enjoyment of using the camera is important too, hence my dilemma.

I should have mentioned that I had a 6D/24-105 combo for a couple of days before returning it - I reckon I got a poor copy of the lens as it was incredibly soft in the corners at F4. However comparing shots between the 6D/24-105 & 100D/17-40 showed no discernible difference except that the 6D/24-105 shots at F4 were much softer in the corners.

Another 'fly in the ointment' with the 6D was what standard zoom to go for - the 24-105 F4L I tried didn't impress, the 24-70 F4L reviews I've read suggest is only marginally better (& some reviews mention focus-shift) which leaves the 24-70 F2.8L MKII which does look nice, but very expensive...

Whereas I probably don't absolutely need the AF performance of the 7DMKII, it would be nice to have. Not too worried about shallower DOF with FF & as to 1.6 crop factor, good for some scenarios not for others.

I think I'm going to wait until the 7D MKII has been out for a while to see what real life user reviews are like but i'm expecting the sensor to be the best APS C produced to date by Canon & with Digic 6 too I don't think there's going to be much between the two cameras IQ, at least that's what I'm hoping

 

[dgatwood]

I do like the 7D's joystick & the new lever round it that you can assign different functions to like Exp comp looks really good. I like the GPS too, shame no wifi or articulating/touch screen but the 6D doesn't have those either.

The 6D does have Wi-Fi, FWIW.

 

[pwp]

For the sort of projects you've described, plus the lenses you already have, I'd say go for the 6D. Why not wait until the 7DII actually ships, rent both for a weekend and make a properly informed call.

-pw

 

[pdirestajr]

This reminds me of the 5DII vs 7D debate from years ago.

You either get a camera with great image quality (6D), and not much else; or a top of the line camera with all the features (7DII)... Minus the top sensor.

Back then you had to buy both if you wanted the best of both worlds. Now you can just buy the 5DIII!

Smart Canon marketing.

 

[skoobey]

7DII is your camera. More reach for those air shows, and unless you shoot bathrooms all day long, you don't need the wideness of the 17-40 on a full frame.

Both great cameras, but one is a portrait/fashion/commercial, and other is an action/sports camera. You need the latter=7d.

 

[nda]

I'm surprised you've given the 70d the flick, I have the 6d, 40d, 70d, and 100d and in my opinion the 70d is the way to go! The 6d has the best IQ, but if your gonna do Airshows the 6d is going to struggle, if you liked the 40d and 100d you will love the 70d and remember the IQ of the 7d2 is going to be similar, and bigger and heavier to 70d 8)

 

[zlatko]

For me, heart and head say 6D. It really hits the spot in features, size, weight, image quality and price. I love the way it handles and the fact that it has a big sensor. I don't need the superior AF or other features of the 7D2. I believe the 7D2 is a little heavier than the 6D, even though it has a smaller sensor. I might buy the 7D2 if I shot a lot of sports. Although I might choose the 70D over the 7D2 just based on the big price difference.

 

[Sabaki]

The 6D is more a static, low movement DSLR, perfect for people, landscapes, still life etc.

Have a look at your pics and see if a camera that's best focussing point is dead centre works for you.

The 7D markii has all the tools for action photography but the jury is still out on it's image quality. But as far as I'm concerned, there's enough evidence that it's the best Canon APS-C body IQ wise.

Had the 6D a similar AF system to the 70D, this conversation would be over long ago.

 

[mdmphoto]

I have the 6D and 7D, along with the 50D. Since getting the 6D last Spring, it has become my walk-around camera. I never leave home without at least 1 body, and if I'm only carrying 1, it is the 6D. The IQ is ar, far beyond the capabilities of my beloved 7D. I routinely use iso 3200 (mostly when shooting at night) on the 6D, but I don't trust the 7D past iso 800 for night shots, 1600 in daylight. Beyond those iso settings the images become too noisy for me. The higher I've pushed the iso on the 6D, the more amazed I am at its performance.
However.
Nearly ANY moving subject negates the 6D IQ due to its very basic AF. The center point is cross- and dead-on fast and accurate. The few others are not so.
The 7D AF is way superior speedwise, and accuracy-wise as well. There's also plenty more AF points, and the AF area is denser with these points. It's actually kind of hard to not get a focussed shot of a moving subject with this camera. If I know I'm going to be shooting sports, birds, and anything else with quick movement, then the 7D is my choice.
Someone else mentioned what may be the best solution: get a 5D Mk III, or better yet, hold off and get a 5D Mk IV. When I settle down and do the math, I've bought two bodies to cover diffeerent types of photography when I could have just bought the one higher-priced body and covered all my shooting. The 6D's IQ is said to be slightly better, but not so much as to negate all the 5D Mk III's superior feature set. The 7D is faster (fps), and offers the artificial FoV advantage of a crop - sensor (although I've found crops to my FF shots to be superior to any advantage seemingly offered by the crop sensor). The 8fps of the 7D vs 6 fps by the 5D Mk III is not significant enough to favor the 7D. I suspect these comparisons will be borne out when the 5D Mk IV debuts in the Spring(?). Then, there's also the high-mp Canon whose announcement seems to be eminent.Whatever you do, I'd also look at keeping the older body for backup and other purposes.
Having two bodies is a good thing, imo, as in the field I keep one set-up for wide-angle and the other set-up for tele which keeps me ever prepared for come what may; but if I could only have one body I'd want the IQ low-noise latitude FF offers, with good AF i.e. 7D or the even better AF of the 5D Mk III Sorry to be so long-winded and circuitous, but I am working out similar issues myself...

 

[LesC]

Interesting to see so many differing comments.

I'm happy to keey the 100D for any long-range airshow type shots & I'll br honest, I use only the centre AF point for 99.9% of my shots so the logical choice would be the 6D.

Only thing is that I like the controls of the 7D MKII & I'm not sure what lens I'd get as a walkabout for the 6D.

Ideally I'd like a 5D MKIV + 24-70L F.8 MKII. Wouldn't we all.....

 

[Dylan777]

As many already mentioned, 6d & 7D II are two dif animals... ;D

I would go for 6D since your lenses are more for FF. If you can add one or two fast primes 50mm f1.4 and/or 85mm f1.8 to the 6D, I think you will appreciate what FF has to offer even more.

 

[Sabaki]

Interesting to see so many differing comments.

I'm happy to keey the 100D for any long-range airshow type shots & I'll br honest, I use only the centre AF point for 99.9% of my shots so the logical choice would be the 6D.

Only thing is that I like the controls of the 7D MKII & I'm not sure what lens I'd get as a walkabout for the 6D.

Ideally I'd like a 5D MKIV + 24-70L F.8 MKII. Wouldn't we all.....

Build quality a consideration? Mud and dirt flying everywhere...

 

[LovePhotography]

I've been looking at 7Dii. I own a 6D and a T5i and EOS M. Image quality of 6D is significantly better, and really, IQ of 7Dii isn't all that much better than T5i or EOS M when you compare them side to side... http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/COMPS01.HTM
To me it's mostly about IQ. If I want video I get my camcorder. And I don't much care about the bells and whistles. My main wish for the 6D would be faster AF and faster frames per second. Otherwise, I pretty happy with, and just love the warm IQ. I'm holding out and saving up for the next gen 1DX even if it's a small fortune.

 

[Helios68]

I ask myself the same question, for the same reason.

As it was really difficult to answer it, I focused on the most important features I wanted to see in a new body and I found the good combination. My dream camera would be a combination of the 6D and 70D called 6D mk II with all AF features of the 70D and the IQ of a FF sensor of the 6D. I do not know the development effort such a camera needs for canon, but I really hope they will add it to their product list. I want them to answer Nikon by releasing a good competitor to D750 for example. But please do not beat the MP count... It is not necessary.

So I decide to wait and see what's happening.

With the 6D you cannot be wrong if you don't need tracking a lot. For me IQ should really be your first focus. If you do not need the best AF and highest burst rate, you should also have a look to the 70D. I expect IQ of the 7D mk II and 70D to be really similar... But wait the first reviews anyway