What do you NOT like about the Canon 6D?

[ecka]

Only 2 things, really
1. Single cross-type super sensitive AF point + 10 others I never use (I'd prefer 5 or even 3 point all cross-type super sensitive AF system)
2. Single SD card slot (I'd prefer single CF, over dual SD. Coming from 5D/7D/50D/40D... it's a big downgrade. Let's just hope they'll learn that memory card format switching and mixing is a bad idea).

 

[billnelson75]

I've had the 6D for several months now, and I love the camera. I think the 6D's target market is probably not people who previously owned the 5dII, that is what the 5dIII is for, but instead for those who want to jump from a crop sensor to full frame like I did. I went from a t3 to a t3i to a 5d classic, and now I have my 6D and I couldn't be happier.

I think when you make that jump, unless you are coming from a 7D, the autofocus doesn't seem to be that much of an issue, and in most cases, its an improvement from what you had previously.

The one thing that I don't like on the 6d is the GPS and how you have to turn it off when you aren't using the camera. It will drain the battery to nothing. There have been times I've pulled my camera out and its dead. I'm used to switching it off now, but it seems like the camera should go into some type of GPS sleep when it hasn't moved or it can't get a GPS signal, but it doesn't do that. Even with it turned down to the least frequent settings, it is still firing when the camera is off and draining the battery. I'm sure this could probably be fixed with some type of firmware update, so hopefully Canon does that soon.

Beyond that, I love the camera. It takes beautiful photos, and has a great size for me, not as big or heavy as the 7d or 5d mark III, and it fits my hands well. As for price, its a great value, I bought the kit, sold the included lens, and my total price ended up at less than $1600.

 

[zim]

The one thing that I don't like on the 6d is the GPS and how you have to turn it off when you aren't using the camera. It will drain the battery to nothing. There have been times I've pulled my camera out and its dead. I'm used to switching it off now, but it seems like the camera should go into some type of GPS sleep when it hasn't moved or it can't get a GPS signal, but it doesn't do that. Even with it turned down to the least frequent settings, it is still firing when the camera is off and draining the battery. I'm sure this could probably be fixed with some type of firmware update, so hopefully Canon does that soon.

For clarification:

When you switch the 6D off the GPS continues to operate therefore the only way to really switch it off is to remove the battery?

Can the GPS option be disabled in menu, if so does that stop it from working completely?

 

[bleephotography]

The one thing that I don't like on the 6d is the GPS and how you have to turn it off when you aren't using the camera. It will drain the battery to nothing. There have been times I've pulled my camera out and its dead. I'm used to switching it off now, but it seems like the camera should go into some type of GPS sleep when it hasn't moved or it can't get a GPS signal, but it doesn't do that. Even with it turned down to the least frequent settings, it is still firing when the camera is off and draining the battery. I'm sure this could probably be fixed with some type of firmware update, so hopefully Canon does that soon.

For clarification:

When you switch the 6D off the GPS continues to operate therefore the only way to really switch it off is to remove the battery?

Can the GPS option be disabled in menu, if so does that stop it from working completely?

Negative. You can disable/enable it easily in the menu. What Bill implied is that it is easy to forget to turn it off if you haven't developed a habit of doing so. That's why I've added that, along with the Wi-fi function, to my "My Menu" settings for easy access.

 

[pensive tomato]

For clarification:

When you switch the 6D off the GPS continues to operate therefore the only way to really switch it off is to remove the battery?

Can the GPS option be disabled in menu, if so does that stop it from working completely?

There is the option to disable the GPS via the menu. Doing that stops the battery drain in my experience. I added that option to my star/favorites menu as a shortcut. I think what's being asked is a more efficient energy management routine when the camera is not being used (I wonder if smartphones are more efficient in this regard). That way, you wouldn't end up playing around with the settings much.

EDIT: I can see bleephotography posted on this while I was at it. Same approach here!

 

[Wildfire]

Recently got my 6D after using the 50D for 4 years, and the single biggest con that I've noticed is the AF assist lamp is placed much lower on the body... So low, in fact, that I sometimes accidentally cover it with my finger.

??

The 6D doesn't have an AF assist lamp! You need a speedlite to gain that functionality -- I know the front of the body has an IR sensor near the grip to detect a Canon remote shutter, but AF assist on Canon bodies is news to me! (The "lightning storm" provided by the Rebels does not count as AF assist )

 

[zim]

For clarification:

When you switch the 6D off the GPS continues to operate therefore the only way to really switch it off is to remove the battery?

Can the GPS option be disabled in menu, if so does that stop it from working completely?

There is the option to disable the GPS via the menu. Doing that stops the battery drain in my experience. I added that option to my star/favorites menu as a shortcut. I think what's being asked is a more efficient energy management routine when the camera is not being used (I wonder if smartphones are more efficient in this regard). That way, you wouldn't end up playing around with the settings much.

EDIT: I can see bleephotography posted on this while I was at it. Same approach here!

Ah thanks, as long as disbling in the menu stops drain then for me it's a non issue although I can see why a better management routine for it would be clearly beneficial.

Regards

 

[Loswr]

How about you show yours first, since I'm such a liar, you would just cut them to pieces and claim I didn't shoot them or something.

Get over yourself, you know full well that you SAID YOU SELECTED A SIDE AUTOFOCUS POINT AND THEN EXPECTED IT TO HAND OFF TO OTHER POINTS. An impossibility with the 6D, but a reality with the 5D3 and 1DX.

"When I tried servo tracking with an outer point on the 6D, it would frequently start out in focus then drift successively to backfocusing as the kid ran closer."

How can you "try" a single outer AF point without selecting it? You can't. What you said was intentionally misleading, if you are now claiming you did not select that point. If you had all AF points active, then that's what you're doing...you're not "trying" an outer AF point.

Case closed on that, you lost.

How about this? Rather than me posting pictures of minors who are my relatives on the internet...why don't you give me your phone number and we can discuss this on the phone, Dr. bigshot. I am open to an autofocus shootout with anyone who ever happens to travel into my area. You could...unless of course you're afraid to travel in the South. I have no doubt you can travel anywhere you wish on a whim, Dr. bigshot.

Btw, I've been to Boston quite a few times. I have cousins who grew up there. Both my uncle and one of his sons attended MIT, and the son taught there for a number of years. The daughter got married on the Harvard campus in the chapel. I attended the wedding...a few months before 9/11/01. I'm grateful the wedding wasn't in september, or my family and I might have been on one of those airplanes!

Your part of the country has its strengths and its weaknesses...so come down off your high horse Dr. bigshot, and act your age. There's no need for this constant petty snideness you're happy to hurl at me...calling me a liar. At least I know how to use a "crude" autofocus system.

For the record, of course I selected an outer point, and put it on the subject. No, I did not expect a handoff. Yes, I kept the selected point on the subject. The 6D failed to track, and shots got successively backfocused. It was evident that the AF point remained on the subject, otherwise it would have locked on to something else. The subject was not a blurry mess with something else in focus, s/he was just out of focus enough so the shots became useless as the camera failed to track properly.

Independently, I used the center point to start in 11-pt auto select. There, I expected the camera to hand off focus to the outer points. Many times, it did. Other times, it failed miserably. Frequency of those failures was unacceptably high, to me.

Case closed, the 6D lost.

As for the rest of your thoroughly insulting post, it's apparent that you will often meet criticism of the 6D with vitriol and personal attacks. Give you my phone number so I can be subjected to verbal insults as well? Don't be ridiculous.

It would be nice if you would stop misinterpreting my statements and overtly misquoting me to support your opinion. But rather that hope for something that may not happen, I'm not going to continue this discussion further. I will simply ignore your posts, and trust the mods will deal with the situation appropriately if the insults continue.

 

[bholliman]

For the record, of course I selected an outer point, and put it on the subject. No, I did not expect a handoff. Yes, I kept the selected point on the subject. The 6D failed to track, and shots got successively backfocused. It was evident that the AF point remained on the subject, otherwise it would have locked on to something else. The subject was not a blurry mess with something else in focus, s/he was just out of focus enough so the shots became useless as the camera failed to track properly.

Independently, I used the center point to start in 11-pt auto select. There, I expected the camera to hand off focus to the outer points. Many times, it did. Other times, it failed miserably. Frequency of those failures was unacceptably high, to me.

Case closed, the 6D lost.

No doubt, the 6D AF system is lightyears behind that of the 5D3 or 7D. The key question for users is will it work for the type of photography they do. In my case the answer is "YES".

I take mostly landscapes, portraits and shots of kids including some sports activities. I find the 6D AF system very good for all of the above except sports and kids running around where it is just acceptable. I expect some out of focus action shots, but overall I prefer it to my 7D for that type of shooting since the in-focus shots have much better image quality and lower noise.

I could have purchased a 1DX or 5D3 instead of the 6D, but couldn't justify the additional expense to myself for features that would not make much difference in my photography. Photography is a hobby for me and not a vocation. The 6D is what it is, and entry level full frame camera with excellent image quality and limited AF. I'm very happy with mine.

 

[CarlTN]

I've had the 6D for several months now, and I love the camera. I think the 6D's target market is probably not people who previously owned the 5dII, that is what the 5dIII is for, but instead for those who want to jump from a crop sensor to full frame like I did. I went from a t3 to a t3i to a 5d classic, and now I have my 6D and I couldn't be happier.

I think when you make that jump, unless you are coming from a 7D, the autofocus doesn't seem to be that much of an issue, and in most cases, its an improvement from what you had previously.

The one thing that I don't like on the 6d is the GPS and how you have to turn it off when you aren't using the camera. It will drain the battery to nothing. There have been times I've pulled my camera out and its dead. I'm used to switching it off now, but it seems like the camera should go into some type of GPS sleep when it hasn't moved or it can't get a GPS signal, but it doesn't do that. Even with it turned down to the least frequent settings, it is still firing when the camera is off and draining the battery. I'm sure this could probably be fixed with some type of firmware update, so hopefully Canon does that soon.

Beyond that, I love the camera. It takes beautiful photos, and has a great size for me, not as big or heavy as the 7d or 5d mark III, and it fits my hands well. As for price, its a great value, I bought the kit, sold the included lens, and my total price ended up at less than $1600.

Agreed on most of your points. I suppose many people might buy the kit and sell the lens. I probably should have, but I had too many lenses to sell at the time as it was.

I do like the 24-105, and I may buy one at some point. But I think a 24-70 would be more useful for me overall. Before that I really need a wide angle, possibly a zoom.

 

[CarlTN]

How about you show yours first, since I'm such a liar, you would just cut them to pieces and claim I didn't shoot them or something.

Get over yourself, you know full well that you SAID YOU SELECTED A SIDE AUTOFOCUS POINT AND THEN EXPECTED IT TO HAND OFF TO OTHER POINTS. An impossibility with the 6D, but a reality with the 5D3 and 1DX.

"When I tried servo tracking with an outer point on the 6D, it would frequently start out in focus then drift successively to backfocusing as the kid ran closer."

How can you "try" a single outer AF point without selecting it? You can't. What you said was intentionally misleading, if you are now claiming you did not select that point. If you had all AF points active, then that's what you're doing...you're not "trying" an outer AF point.

Case closed on that, you lost.

How about this? Rather than me posting pictures of minors who are my relatives on the internet...why don't you give me your phone number and we can discuss this on the phone, Dr. bigshot. I am open to an autofocus shootout with anyone who ever happens to travel into my area. You could...unless of course you're afraid to travel in the South. I have no doubt you can travel anywhere you wish on a whim, Dr. bigshot.

Btw, I've been to Boston quite a few times. I have cousins who grew up there. Both my uncle and one of his sons attended MIT, and the son taught there for a number of years. The daughter got married on the Harvard campus in the chapel. I attended the wedding...a few months before 9/11/01. I'm grateful the wedding wasn't in september, or my family and I might have been on one of those airplanes!

Your part of the country has its strengths and its weaknesses...so come down off your high horse Dr. bigshot, and act your age. There's no need for this constant petty snideness you're happy to hurl at me...calling me a liar. At least I know how to use a "crude" autofocus system.

For the record, of course I selected an outer point, and put it on the subject. No, I did not expect a handoff. Yes, I kept the selected point on the subject. The 6D failed to track, and shots got successively backfocused. It was evident that the AF point remained on the subject, otherwise it would have locked on to something else. The subject was not a blurry mess with something else in focus, s/he was just out of focus enough so the shots became useless as the camera failed to track properly.

The way you worded it made it sound like you selected the point then it did not hand off properly. You're saying it failed to servo track to an identical degree with both the 70-200 ii and the 85L? How do you know for sure? You can't exactly repeat the exact same movements of children at the same distances and speed. In any case, mine has not had this problem. It is able to servo track with any of the points, even the side points. It seems to be fastest with my 70-200 f/4, and I suspect it is because its focusing elements are lighter in weight than the ones in my 135 f/2 (I'm guessing but it seems logical). To do a more fair and scientific comparison, a more controlled test would have to be done.

Independently, I used the center point to start in 11-pt auto select. There, I expected the camera to hand off focus to the outer points. Many times, it did. Other times, it failed miserably. Frequency of those failures was unacceptably high, to me.

Never been my experience with my camera at all.

Case closed, the 6D lost.

I have my doubts that the unit you used was even functioning properly, and I certainly know that you are biased against it in any case.

As for the rest of your thoroughly insulting post, it's apparent that you will often meet criticism of the 6D with vitriol and personal attacks. Give you my phone number so I can be subjected to verbal insults as well? Don't be ridiculous.

Not ridiculous at all. You continually insult me in this forum with no provocation whatsoever. It's time to talk man to man. I am certainly as cordial as you are.

It would be nice if you would stop misinterpreting my statements and overtly misquoting me to support your opinion. But rather that hope for something that may not happen, I'm not going to continue this discussion further. I will simply ignore your posts, and trust the mods will deal with the situation appropriately if the insults continue.

Fine with me, because I learn more from you when you are not attacking me personally for no reason other than chest thumping. As I've said, I'm here to learn, and to share.

And I do apologize again to anyone who feels I insulted them. Definitely not why I come here at all. I suppose we are all passionate about photography and its various aspects including the "gear". There's no reason we can't do our best to keep passions in check. I continue to work on my own failings as I age.

 

[AudioGlenn]

whoa! what happened here? wtf did I miss? are you guys arguing about if a camera's AF is good or not? really?

the 6D is great for what it is at the price point it's at. If the 6D's features don't fit your needs, get the mk3 or 1DX. it's not that complicated. It didn't happen to meet my needs for what I wanted from a backup camera but that doesn't mean it isn't right for someone else. Heck, for me, I just didn't like it not matching the feel/button layout of my 5D mk3... again, first world problems.....sheesh, I'll live.

as far as who's lying and who's had real world experience with the camera, go try it out for yourself. a consumer's own personal experience/opinion with the body is what matters the most anyway. They're the ones shelling out the cash to purchase the product. share your thoughts on it if you care to share but my goodness, let's keep it civil. name calling and insulting each other is just useless and to be honest, I'm surprised a moderator hasn't put a stop to this discussion already.

go shoot some pictures guys/gals. I still think that's more entertaining than writing essays on CR about

 

[CarlTN]

whoa! what happened here? wtf did I miss? are you guys arguing about if a camera's AF is good or not? really?

the 6D is great for what it is at the price point it's at. If the 6D's features don't fit your needs, get the mk3 or 1DX. it's not that complicated. It didn't happen to meet my needs for what I wanted from a backup camera but that doesn't mean it isn't right for someone else. Heck, for me, I just didn't like it not matching the feel/button layout of my 5D mk3... again, first world problems.....sheesh, I'll live.

as far as who's lying and who's had real world experience with the camera, go try it out for yourself. a consumer's own personal experience/opinion with the body is what matters the most anyway. They're the ones shelling out the cash to purchase the product. share your thoughts on it if you care to share but my goodness, let's keep it civil. name calling and insulting each other is just useless and to be honest, I'm surprised a moderator hasn't put a stop to this discussion already.

go shoot some pictures guys/gals. I still think that's more entertaining than writing essays on CR about

+1

 

[Hannes]

For me the AF is a deal breaker. Had it had the af capabilities but most importantly the spread of even the older 40/50D AF array I wouldn't have hesitated. I could live with inferior AF compared to the 5DIII if it is priced accordingly. I could live with SD cards and the lack of the joystick but something as important as AF isn't nice to scrimp on.

One thing I would have like to see would be an option like a 6D mod. B that replaced the gps and wifi with a pop up flash. While it wouldn't be used much having one as a back up is always nice for when one is taking snapshots and if it could act as a master it'd be awesome.

 

[bholliman]

I could live with inferior AF compared to the 5DIII if it is priced accordingly.

The 6D is currently selling for around $1600 in the US and the 5D3 for $3000+. Considering the image quality is very similar, I think that makes the 6D a bargain.

 

[randerson5726]

I really don't like the fact that when you switch into video mode, all your settings you had in photo mode transfer to video mode. Video settings are far different than photo. They should be independent like on the 60D.

I find the wifi menu very confusing. I often reset the wifi settings to get it to work with my iPhone.

I also miss having the pop up flash for remotely firing a speedlite.

Otherwise I think it's an amazing camera for the price.

 

[bdunbar79]

It's great for what it was made to do. That aside, this thread needs to give up:

 

[Hannes]

I could live with inferior AF compared to the 5DIII if it is priced accordingly.

The 6D is currently selling for around $1600 in the US and the 5D3 for $3000+. Considering the image quality is very similar, I think that makes the 6D a bargain.

The 6D is priced much better on your side of the pond, here the price difference is about $1000-1100 making the gap smaller between them. It is interesting that the 5DIII costs about the same but the 6D is more expensive here.

Going grey import you can get down to $1600 for a 6D here but then the 5DIII would be about $2800 from the same place.

 

[Marsu42]

The 6D is currently selling for around $1600 in the US and the 5D3 for $3000+. Considering the image quality is very similar, I think that makes the 6D a bargain.

You're correct about Canon's *relative* internal product differentiation, they take great care here. But the alternative view would be that *both* the 5d3 and the 6d are rather expensive in *absolute* terms. No, I don't want to start another flame war nor would I want to switch brands due to Magic Lantern, but it's really all about personal preferences (ii.e. if a camera has just what you want and how much value this has for you) and the question if you just compare Canon with Canon or dslrs in general.

Going grey import you can get down to $1600 for a 6D here but then the 5DIII would be about $2800 from the same place.

Where is your "here" ? And how would a grey import work - at least for Germany you'd have to pay ~20% vat plus 20% import tax if customs happen to inspect the camera, making it much less of a bargain ... plus is there any warranty at all on grey imports to the EU?

 

[Hannes]

The 6D is currently selling for around $1600 in the US and the 5D3 for $3000+. Considering the image quality is very similar, I think that makes the 6D a bargain.

You're correct about Canon's *relative* internal product differentiation, they take great care here. But the alternative view would be that *both* the 5d3 and the 6d are rather expensive in *absolute* terms. No, I don't want to start another flame war nor would I want to switch brands due to Magic Lantern, but it's really all about personal preferences (ii.e. if a camera has just what you want and how much value this has for you) and the question if you just compare Canon with Canon or dslrs in general.

Going grey import you can get down to $1600 for a 6D here but then the 5DIII would be about $2800 from the same place.

Where is your "here" ? And how would a grey import work - at least for Germany you'd have to pay ~20% vat plus 20% import tax if customs happen to inspect the camera, making it much less of a bargain ... plus is there any warranty at all on grey imports to the EU?

UK from HDEW who buy their stock from hong kong since it comes out cheaper than getting it from Canon UK. They will also supply you with a three year third party warranty since Canon UK won't touch the equipment.