First 6DMKII photoshoot (WEDDING P3, DEER P6)

tomscott

Photographer & Graphic Designer
Hi Guys,

Thought I would start this topic off as I went out on the 8th of August to shoot the MPT £350m trafford tram development.

Apologies at the beginning that the shoot is not overly exciting. I have a wedding on Friday, I will post some updated thoughts afterward.

Little bit of background. Had my 5DMKIII stolen and was looking for a new camera anyway, I think the 5DMKIV is still a little expensive and didn't want to buy another 5 year old 5DMKIII as I thought it was feeling its age before it got stolen.

I am a wedding event and motorsport photographer primarily but shoot landscape also for companies like United utilities etc on the other hand I travel a lot and my other passion is wildlife and wanted something that could do all but keep in budget. The F8 AF looks great too but yet to test.

I had a lot of things stolen when my house was broken into so replacing other items had taken up quite a lot of my available collateral. (insurance companies are the worst)

The 6DMKII isnt really the ideal camera for me with only one memory card slot, lack of AF selection joystick and AF modes and was an impulse purchase. I wanted something that I can get my work done but not break the bank. This does that, the 5DMKIV is on another level and fantastic but like the 6D isnt 5 years better. I dont think its worth an extra £1000 over this and the 5DMKIII.

What the 6DMKII does offer is all the latest goodies that make the day to day use of the camera a joy - WIFI, tilt screen, bluetooth, viewfinder II, GPS etc. Many of these things are overlooked with how useful they are and my 5DMKIII felt archaic compared to my 7DMKII when I got it 2 years ago and in this respect and the 6DMKII advances even more.

Before I get to the first real paid shoot with the camera I took the camera out on the 7th August (the day I got it) and shot a few images of sunset down the Manchester Canal. I just let the camera do its thing, AV auto ISO. 24-105mm F4 L see what it could do.

Here are a few images 3200, 6400 and 12800 iso

Manchester Canal 6D MKII Test Images by Tom Scott, on Flickr

Manchester Canal 6D MKII Test Images by Tom Scott, on Flickr

Manchester Canal 6D MKII Test Images by Tom Scott, on Flickr

All of these are full resolution so if you click on the image and have a look on Flickr you can zoom to 100% (apologies for the differing apertures I was playing rather than going out to shoot comparisons and the sunset was disappearing quickly.)

I think these results are pretty damn good. The high ISO is excellent and you can see that DR does suffer a little as you get this high to 12800. I feel its is far superior to the 5DMKIII. The difference is the noise pattern is so much nicer and I have only added 5 on the noise selection slider. It responds to noise reduction in a way I have never experienced in a Canon camera.

On another note the camera exposes to the right compared to the 7DMKII 5DMKIII protects the highlights more than the shadows. Highlight recovery isnt as good as the 5DMKIII I generally shot the 5DMKIII the opposite way to most people, I would shoot to protect the shadows rather than the highlights as I found the highlight recovery excellent but the shadow recovery not so... Purple muddy banding in lifted shadow areas and horrible colour noise that took a lot of PP to sort.

The 6DMKII on the other hand the shadows are easy to recover but it does tend to bring more noise, on the positive side there is non of the above and noise reduction really does a fantastic job, a very natural noise pattern.

IMO this sensor feels very similar to the 5DMKIII without the downsides. It does work differently and you have to shoot and PP differently. My MKIII profiles did not do well with the 6DMKII so there is a little bit of a learning curve to get the best out of the sensor with PP.

Once you start working in a slightly different way I think the results are really excellent.

My main complaint with the MKIII was banding and the purple muddy casts. Not really the DR, more the quality of the shadow areas and the 6DMKII has improved here dramatically.

Here are a couple more images

Manchester Canal 6D MKII Test Images by Tom Scott, on Flickr

This image is at ISO 400 and noise has crept into the bottom right but more than usable.

Manchester Canal 6D MKII Test Images by Tom Scott, on Flickr

Again well handled, there is a lot of range there and the image noise is pleasing.


Onto the first proper shoot.

One of my clients is Globus ltd who are global market leaders in PPE producing gloves, glasses, chemical suits, masks and ear defenders with numerous sub brand companies (alpha solway, riley, skytec, showa.)

They recently won a large contract for the £350m Trafford Tram development in Manchester. This development basically extends the tram line past Manchester United all the way down to the Trafford centre and is a huge undertaking.

You can learn more about it here

http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Rail-News/mpt-wins-350m-contract-to-build-metrolinks-trafford-park-extension

I was asked by Globus to photograph the products in situ with workers for a case study to promote the Riley Eyewear and Showa glove brands. Focusing on the Riley Stream and Sisini revo.

http://www.riley-eyewear.com/safety-glasses/stream

http://www.riley-eyewear.com/safety-glasses/sisini

I took the 6DMKII along and found myself using it primarily. Couple of observations...

- Very sharp images - this camera makes my lenses feel super sharp 70-200mm L F2.8 MKII and 24-70mm L MKI F2.8. Really impressed, images really pop compared to the 5DMKIII and the 7DMKII where they feel softer.

- AF system is a bit hit and miss similar to the 7DMKII. I found that when it hit it really hit but I had some images where nothing in the frame was in focus then it would hit, strange. I have this issue with the 7DMKII and 70D and seems this has the same issue. It wasn't a huge amount but I would say 5% suffered. This is a well documented issue with the 7DMKII 70 and 80D and continues with the 6DMKII. Not that big of a deal.

- AF point spread - the points are too tight for portraiture imo. The 5DMKIII has a better wider spread. I also never had much issue with the 5DMKIII missing like the 7DMKII and the 70D. The 6DMKII seems to be somewhere in the middle.

- Mushy AF selector. I am familiar with this with the 70D. It is bigger and has improved feel on the 6DMKII but its poor IMO. It is not accurate in critical situations. Really dislike it. Thankfully you can use the top and middle rotating dials to change AF point. Takes a bit of getting used to but is much more accurate. The AF joystick is by far the best option and would make the difference between being a back up or primary camera. Just much faster with the joystick.

- Exposure and colour are excellent- classic canon and a joy to view afterward.

- Size and weight - grip is very comfortable probably the most comfortable camera I have used from Canon. Much improved especially the grip. I found that the camera felt a little front heavy with my 24-105 and 24-70 in comparison to the 5DMKIII but the weight saving overall was pleasing when shooting for long periods of time.

- I had no issue with the one card slot never had a card fail in the 15 years ive been working as a pro.

Here are some images

whole album here
https://flic.kr/s/aHsm2csqnW

MPT Trafford Tram development - Globus Group product Riley Showa Photoshoot by Tom Scott, on Flickr

MPT Trafford Tram development - Globus Group product Riley Showa Photoshoot by Tom Scott, on Flickr

This image the camera evaluated for the sky and was about 1.5 stops under was a mistake on my part but has lifted fine, it is a little noisy under the helmet but you would never know in print so I was pleased with what I could lift.

MPT Trafford Tram development - Globus Group product Riley Showa Photoshoot by Tom Scott, on Flickr

MPT Trafford Tram development - Globus Group product Riley Showa Photoshoot by Tom Scott, on Flickr

MPT Trafford Tram development - Globus Group product Riley Showa Photoshoot by Tom Scott, on Flickr

MPT Trafford Tram development - Globus Group product Riley Showa Photoshoot by Tom Scott, on Flickr

MPT Trafford Tram development - Globus Group product Riley Showa Photoshoot by Tom Scott, on Flickr

MPT Trafford Tram development - Globus Group product Riley Showa Photoshoot by Tom Scott, on Flickr

MPT Trafford Tram development - Globus Group product Riley Showa Photoshoot by Tom Scott, on Flickr

MPT Trafford Tram development - Globus Group product Riley Showa Photoshoot by Tom Scott, on Flickr

MPT Trafford Tram development - Globus Group product Riley Showa Photoshoot by Tom Scott, on Flickr

MPT Trafford Tram development - Globus Group product Riley Showa Photoshoot by Tom Scott, on Flickr

MPT Trafford Tram development - Globus Group product Riley Showa Photoshoot by Tom Scott, on Flickr

MPT Trafford Tram development - Globus Group product Riley Showa Photoshoot by Tom Scott, on Flickr

MPT Trafford Tram development - Globus Group product Riley Showa Photoshoot by Tom Scott, on Flickr

MPT Trafford Tram development - Globus Group product Riley Showa Photoshoot by Tom Scott, on Flickr

Summary

In practical terms it does everything I need. Expose correctly and the images look excellent and there is a lot of scope to PP.

I paid £1489 for the camera which is why I bought it. Second hand MKIIIs are currently £1400-1800 in the UK with under 30k shutter actuation pre owned. 5DMKIV anywhere from £2500-3000.

Why did I buy it?

I have been working more and more in the studio shooting the above PPE products. IQ doesn't really make much difference with controlled light but the Tilt screen is a god send.

It was cheap and the only aspect I feel dual card slots is a benefit are weddings. It is coming to the end of the season with only 4-5 left to do this year as its only one part of my business tend to limit myself because of time constraints and my love for travel.

I intend to keep the camera and buy a 5DMKIV to start next season that way I can use the 6D for travel and use it as a secondary at the weddings to replace my 7DMKII. Possibly sell the 7DMKII.

I feel this has 90% of the MKIIIs features with the issues of the sensor solved all the modern additions that make the 6DMKII a joy to use day to day. The viewfinder II is such a great addition for me, where I can see all my settings all the time and GPS for travel is excellent.

One other feature that hasn't had much exposure that saves your ass in speedy situations is the ISO linked focal length setting. It sets auto ISO to a shutter speed equal to the focal length. Fantastic when situations change quickly like they do at weddings or if you quickly change lenses and action starts.

This is excellent value for a camera under £1500, I cant complain at all. It should not be a £2000 camera just like the MKIV shouldn't have been a £3500 launch figure.

Very happy with the camera so far. AF is good not great but the 5DMKIII was excellent and this is better just not 5 years better. IQ is good overall and has more than I need in 90% of situations. The sharpness is incredible, low light performance which I use it most 640-6400 - shooting weddings Motorsport and events is in a different league AF performance in low light is also really impressive too.

Similar to the 5DMKII to III the AF is the difference between getting shots and not. Same here with the 6D if you shoot events and weddings focus recompose is not accurate enough with shallow DOF, although the spread is smaller than the 5DMKIII you have more sensitive points where you need them compared to the 6D.

At the end of the day the 6DMKII is what it is. I wasnt blown away with it on paper but in actual use it is excellent and does what you need. Ok the competition has better DR, I never push that far its very rare and it might be one shot that I got wrong where I may need to. 1.5-2 is as far as I go and this has more than enough for that range.

It is not revolutionary and in a few situations isnt as good on paper. What I want to emphasize is the files are easy to work on and you can get amazing results because it PPs so well. Ok it doesn't have 5 stops but in all the images above I haven't pushed more than 1.5 stops even in the image I got wrong and very very rarely do.

If your a 5DMKIII owner the 6D would be an ideal secondary camera with more modern features. I dont think I would replace it. I would have a MKIV over this all day it really is the no compromise camera in the current canon lineup. A 5DMKIII and a 5DMKIV is a wicked combo for all pros but the 6DMKII is better to travel and walk around with.

If your a 6D owner and shoot more than landscape I think its more than a worthwhile upgrade the AF system will dramatically increase your keepers in fast moving situations and aid with many other situations. 6Ds are still like £1000 preowned too so for an extra £500 new your getting a lot of camera.

If you would like to view some RAW images let me know.
 

candyman

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Re: First 6DMKII photoshoot

Thank you Tom for sharing your experience so extensively. I have similar experience. I use a 5D MK III as well. I can confirm that the 6D MKII sensor has better performance with less /little banding. Files can be treated so well in PP. The AF is very good but for me the AF on the 5D MK III performs better. Though the 27 points f/8 is a great added feature on the 6D MKII. I need to check that out. I have no regrets of my upgrade.
 
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tomscott

Photographer & Graphic Designer
Re: First 6DMKII photoshoot

candyman said:
Thank you Tom for sharing your experience so extensively. I have similar experience. I use a 5D MK III as well. I can confirm that the 6D MKII sensor has better performance with less /little banding. Files can be treated so well in PP. The AF is very good but for me the AF on the 5D MK III performs better. Though the 27 points f/8 is a great added feature on the 6D MKII. I need to check that out. I have no regrets of my upgrade.

Thanks Candyman. I have been reading your positive comments and completely agree.

Looking forward to trying out the multiple F8 focus! Will give it a go tonight.
 
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Jack Douglas

CR for the Humour
Apr 10, 2013
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Re: First 6DMKII photoshoot

hbr said:
Thanks Tom for all the photos and for sharing your experiences with us. It seems to me that all the armchair quarterbacks are falling all over themselves to tell us how bad this camera is, but those of us that actually own it are enjoying the heck out of it and have no regrets that we purchased it.

Brian

I was going to buy this hammer but I read that it's a gram too heavy and the handle is slightly imbalanced and it feels kind of plasticy so I gave up on the idea. Has anyone else read the specs on it and can advise me? I simply don't know what to do! ;)

Jack
 
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SecureGSM

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Feb 26, 2017
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Re: First 6DMKII photoshoot

great post, Tom. Thank you.

It looks like the street price of 6D II will be at $/£ 1,500.00 level sooner than I expected. It is a great camera for the price though. That said, I expect to see you stepping up to 5D IV body sooner rather than later :D

on unrelated note: do you own the ColorChecker Card? If so, could you please do me a favour and take 3 shots of the card in AV mode on tripod for stability, at 90 degree angle to the card and identical framing, at ISO 100, constant aperture around F8 to minimise vignetting and resulting images exposed to: -3 stops, 0 stop, +3 stops. I would need RAW files, please.
I would like to run an analysis of the DR rage of 6D II at ISO 100.




tomscott said:
... I paid £1489 for the camera which is why I bought it. Second hand MKIIIs are currently £1400-1800 in the UK with under 30k shutter actuation pre owned. 5DMKIV anywhere from £2500-3000 ...

... If you would like to view some RAW images let me know ...
 
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Feb 28, 2013
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Re: First 6DMKII photoshoot

I'm jealous that you only paid £ 1,489 as I paid £ 1,999.00! (are you excluding VAT as your a business?)

Like you and Ive posted elsewhere I find the camera to be no where near as bad as "professional reviewers" are saying and I make my living from renting equipment all the way up to very serious motion picture tools. I found in the limited shots Ive taken so far that pulled shadows appeared cleaner from noise at 400iso than 100iso and that surprised me. My old presets in LR for the 6D no longer work which is understandable and applying sharpening to raw images is much less with better results. My bug bear with the 6D was low level banding in large grey sky or blue sky areas or in lifting shadows in say beige walls of a room so far against pretty grey skies on Dartmoor this past weekend Ive not seen any or in lifting deep shadows in undergrowth on the Dart river.
Its early days but the flippy touch screen was great on low level tripod shots on long exposures on the river so much easier to adjust framing. I am going to try it for a model shoot I have this coming weekend although primarily I will be using the 5DS however I have used the 6D and recomposed with a fairly high success rate so I don't expect the 6D MKII to be too different.
 
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Re: First 6DMKII photoshoot

tomscott said:
- AF system is a bit hit and miss similar to the 7DMKII. I found that when it hit it really hit but I had some images where nothing in the frame was in focus then it would hit, strange. I have this issue with the 7DMKII and 70D and seems this has the same issue. It wasn't a huge amount but I would say 5% suffered. This is a well documented issue with the 7DMKII 70 and 80D and continues with the 6DMKII. Not that big of a deal.

I believe this is an issue with all DPAF cameras
 
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hbr

Oct 22, 2016
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Re: First 6DMKII photoshoot

Don Haines said:
I have been playing around with high ISO on the 6D2...... it is freakin amazing! Low ISO, works great too!
Hi Don, it is good to hear from you again after you posted those iso comparison shots. I wondered what happened to you.

But don't forget that the DR is terrible! :)
Canon is doomed! :)

Brian

PS any regrets that you ordered it? I surely don't have any regrets.
 
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Re: First 6DMKII photoshoot

Thank you for putting all of this together. Nice images. Looks like a solid paying gig.

I'm is a similar position regarding my old 5D3. Smash and grab out of my car along with a bag of EF primes. Not fun. I feel for you. My insurance company was a good sport about it though and paid up pretty quick. I had a rider for all of my gear though so they really had to. I spent the settlement on a 1DX2 as I didn't see any point in getting another 5D3 and the 5D4 wasn't out yet. A conspicuous brick of a camera but really outstanding in every other regard.

Starting to feel like I have a pretty good sense of the IQ on the 6D2. At least for a camera I've never even held in my hands. AF is still a bit of a wildcard for me though. That rocker looks a bit sketchy relative to a joystick. It does support BBF though as far as I can tell which helps a lot if you have to recompose. Sounds a lot like my 5D2 now that I think about it. Have read a few folks saying it's better to use the dials so that's good to know.

I do a lot of hand held low light street and venue work and I have an extended international trip coming up and need a lightweight body. The 5D3 was OK in low light in that it was accurate but slow. Hate to ask, but if you get the chance could you give us some feed back on focusing and shooting in low available light. No hurry, I'm not doing anything right away. Seems like the high ISO image quality is going to be pretty good but if I can't get accurate focus wide open that doesn't do me much good.

If the AF is workable I'll probably let the dust settle and then pick one up to use as a light weight inconspicuous body for street, travel and events. It seems like it has just the right feature set for those. Wildlife maybe not so much. Thanks again.

Maybe Canon will come out with a 5.5D for those of use that can live without the fancy features but want top notch IQ and AF.
 
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Oct 26, 2013
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Re: First 6DMKII photoshoot

Thanks Tom (and others, too) for your actual use reviews of the 6D II. As seems to be the case with every Canon release, the early pre-release reviews are negative and the nay-sayers, whiners, and DRones come out full force with all their ammunition to bad mouth Canon and ridicule those that like and enjoy shooting Canon. Then real photographers actually use the camera and find it is better in practically every way than the early reviewers thought.

Although I am going to be passing on this release, it is good to hear that the camera - in real world usage - is giving you really good results.
 
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Jack Douglas

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Apr 10, 2013
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Re: First 6DMKII photoshoot

dak723, isn't it a pain we have to go through that for every new camera. I'm interested, so I follow the threads until I can't bear it and unnotify. Then I check after a few days to see if sanity is returning and repeat. Seems we live in an "I/me" world where Canon is expected to cater to every individual. On the other hand, maybe I'm just too old to remember my own immature behaviors! ;D

Jack
 
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Talys

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Re: First 6DMKII photoshoot

Graphic.Artifacts said:
That rocker looks a bit sketchy relative to a joystick.

I'm not a fan of the joystick, but at the end of the day, I don't use the rocker anymore, either. Can't speak for others, but the touchscreen controls are so intuitive and well organized that I use it for all the Q menus and to pinch/zoom magnify.

The back dial is solid, like every Canon with one, and is a staple for exposure control.
 
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stevelee

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Re: First 6DMKII photoshoot

Jack Douglas said:
dak723, isn't it a pain we have to go through that for every new camera. I'm interested, so I follow the threads until I can't bear it and unnotify. Then I check after a few days to see if sanity is returning and repeat. Seems we live in an "I/me" world where Canon is expected to cater to every individual. On the other hand, maybe I'm just too old to remember my own immature behaviors! ;D

Jack

But isn't it wonderful that cameras that were so ridiculously awful years ago when they came out have suddenly now become wonderful, and the new model pales in comparison? If Canon would spend as much energy improving the new model as they apparently do on the old ones, they could make some decent stuff.
 
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Jack Douglas

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Re: First 6DMKII photoshoot

I love the technology but clearly a fancy camera doesn't make me a good photographer. There is so much more to it. That's why it's not unsettling for me to have some element of my gear that isn't the best and that's why I always had praise for my 6D in spite of it's minimal specs. Four years of great fun.

Once again I have to wonder if all the photos taken a few years back are trash and by what standard we would judge them to be trash. There is so much more than just the technical IQ that makes a great photo.

When I shoot a bird in its beauty doing nothing much then of course what is there that is great; really only the IQ which is very much camera dependent. People view it and say, oh that's so sharp, and then it's ho hum because there are now millions of technically excellent photos of everything.

Shoot a hummingbird and then Google it and you'll see it's nothing outstanding compared to all that have been posted, or is it? To be outstanding there will have to be something very unique about it and that won't be dependent on which excellent camera you used. It'll be dependent on who's behind the camera and what they've been able to create using what's between their ears, not more DR.

That's how I see it. I need to improve far more than the camera needs to improve. Yet even that is secondary because for me number one is just simply having fun.

Jack
 
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