What is the 6d actually good at (*positive* fact list)?

[Marsu42]

Marsu42 will you please just buy a full frame camera before you drive us all insane

Huh? How's that? Sorry if I'm being too vocal on my decision what camera to get, it's just that for example €3000 for a 5d3 Is.A.Lot.Of.Money.To.Me. so I want to make a good decision - and I guess others are in the same boat.

The 6D actually slightly outperforms the 5D3 in higher ISO settings:

But only very slightly if you apply stronger chroma nr to the 5d3 (nearly no iq loss), downsize the 5d3 shots a bit and then keep in mind that the 6d shots are softer.

 

[rafaelsynths]

WIFI FEATURE ;-)

 

[Area256]

I have a 60D and have got very fluid with it, altho the 9 AF points all correspond to a spot on the D-pad. 11 Is going to be interesting to choose with a D-pad.

Overall I like the control layout of the 6D a lot better than the 60D, although it takes a bit of getting used to - I've had it for a week, and I'm still pressing the wrong buttons out of habit. However when it comes to AF point selection it's just not as good. The 60D was really fast with the D-pad + set button. The 6D doesn't work like that. You have to "scroll" through the points, and the diagonal buttons are almost pointless, since you normally hit one of the other directions instead.

Since this is a positive list though, the way the zoom button works is awesome. You can set it to default to any zoom level you want, and with one press check your focus. Way faster then the 60D move your thumb all over the place dance.

Other button notes: the buttons have a nicer "feel" to them. They feel a little more real, like you are actually pressing something. Although on the D-pad this seems to have made the diagonals impossible to hit as noted above. The DOF preview button while still in a bad location, feels much nicer.

And switching to movie mode no longer takes a stupid amount of turning.

 

[Area256]

if you wanna take photos it is a great camera.... if you want images of lens targets etc.. who know or cares...

+1 I end up looking at the tests anyway, but in the end I like to take pictures, and it's a great camera for that.

WIFI FEATURE ;-)

+1 This feature just awesome for some applications. I used to have really complex setup to do self portraits, and I'd frequently give up on getting the focus to work and shoot at f/8. Now I can put the focus right on my eyes with ease.

I set the camera to a 2 second timer. Use the phone to focus and make sure my location is good. Press the shutter button on the phone, and keeping my head in place, slide the phone out of view - and 2 seconds later bang! perfectly focused self-portrait on a f/1.4 lens. It's almost cheating...

 

[verysimplejason]

Marsu42 will you please just buy a full frame camera before you drive us all insane

I find him and everybody entertaining to our otherwise boring forum.

 

[Nazareth]

Marsu- tak all the time you need- it's a big decision- I went back and forth between the 1dx, the 5D3, the 6D or the nikon D800 or even hte D600- it was a LOT to choose from, and took me a long time to decide- I finally went with hte tank- but based on my clumsiness and need for a rugged camera- plus the blazing speed for wildlife photography- It cost me my left kidney and three toes, but I think my choice will last a good long time.

It seems htere is ALWAYS soemthign that we have to 'sacrifice' when choosing one model over another- I wanted the 6D at first, but then was disuaded because of hte slower FPS, thought about D800 because of the high resolution, but was disuaded again because of the really slow fps- thought abotu hte D600- saw soem great photos from them, and almsot went that route (Yep- almost took the plunge for all new everythign- lenses etc etc etc) but in the end- I figured the 1DX with it's massive 400,000 shutter life expectancy was a great feature- (it would be abotu 2 1/2 5D3's to + that kidn of shutter life expectancy), and hte rugged weather resitance of the 1DX sold me- bit the bulelt and went for it- Now I just need to get my ulcers from all the pre decision worryign fixed and I'll be good to go

 

[Marsu42]

Marsu- tak all the time you need- it's a big decision- I went back and forth between the 1dx, the 5D3, the 6D or the nikon D800 or even hte D600- it was a LOT to choose from, and took me a long time to decide- I finally went with hte tank- but based on my clumsiness and need for a rugged camera- plus the blazing speed for wildlife photography- It cost me my left kidney and three toes, but I think my choice will last a good long time.

Thanks for understanding!

It is indeed a decision that should last for some time, i.e. the next 4-5 years, no matter what Canon releases next. And considering alternative uses for that money I can understand everyone who went through not picking the old 5d2, being surprised by the 5d3 price tag and then waiting if the 6d is an alternative. At least selling my Canon gear is no real option, I just want to have access to Magic Lantern.

Of course some or most professionals just grab the tools that suit them like a couple of 5d3 or an array of flashes, but that's not me, at least not yet. And finding out "what's best" for me when spending €5000-€6000 is not as easy as picking an ice cream flavor. But I guess I'm pretty there now, I know I want/need a ff because the iso is very limiting on the 60d (though I'll happily keep it as backup), and I'll wait a bit for the 5d3 af assist bug and price tendency because I won't buy the 6d camera at the starting price in any case - so you'll be spared further posts like the above

Unfortunately, unlike in the US in Germany there are nearly no "deals" or "instant rebates", just the regular Canon rebates (more limited than in the US and not including the gear I want) or eBay EU imports that aren't much cheaper either. For lenses, there is no Craiglist-equivalent, and camera dealers get a heart attack if you try to haggle :-o so it's just wait and see.

 

[vlim]

This is an apparently very good body especially for travelers but not for action photo (sport or wildlife in mouvment) and/or extreme conditions...

 

[MintMark]

The 6D actually slightly outperforms the 5D3 in higher ISO settings:

But only very slightly if you apply stronger chroma nr to the 5d3 (nearly no iq loss), downsize the 5d3 shots a bit and then keep in mind that the 6d shots are softer.

Softer 6D shots... do we think it's those shots in that comparison or is it 6D shots in general? It makes me a little nervous... at the moment I'm waiting for comprehensive reviews and tests, but the temptation is growing I actually worked out how much I might get for trading in EF-S lenses and a crop camera...

 

[Ryan708]

I would like to keep my 60D of I got a 6D, but have a feeling im too poor for that option haha. Im still thinking about a 5dMkII but im a sucker for high-iso Low-noise.

 

[verysimplejason]

I would like to keep my 60D of I got a 6D, but have a feeling im too poor for that option haha. Im still thinking about a 5dMkII but im a sucker for high-iso Low-noise.

Hmmm... why not, sell the 60D, get the 6D then get a G15? Since I doubt that you're into fast moving sports, a G15 with its super fast lens (F1.8... wow!) will enable you to get good quality pictures for those times that you leave your 6D at home... Currently I have a 500D + G11. I'm planning to get a 6D and give my wife the 500D. The G11, we can share between ourselves. Sometimes, I leave my DSLR at home and just brings the G11 due to convenience. In good light, I can still take very nice pictures of my daughter and do some macros and landscape with it.

 

[eyeland]

Switching to movie mode no longer takes a stupid amount of turning.

Hmm, does this mean that C1 and C2 becomes viable for video settings as well? If so, then that would be another awesome feature for me.
I really find it rather frustrating that I have to turn the mode-wheel to go into video mode, especially in situations where I switch back and forth between photo and video alot (like concerts, performances etc)
As I have mentioned in many other threads (like Marsu, I am taking my time to decide and the research has almost turned into a part time job ) the only thing I need to overcome before pulling the trigger is my fear of the AF being the one thing that I will keep me thinking that I should have gone 5Dmk3. Apart from that, it looks like a killer camera for me. Now, if an app came out that would allow wifi-remote control in video mode as well, I'd have to get a new phone as well.. that would eliminate the need for a swivel LCD

 

[Wildfire]

keep in mind that the 6d shots are softer

What? Where did you get that from?

I've never shot a 5D3 but the 6D shots are just as sharp as my 5D2 shots... why would there be a difference in sharpness between any of the full frame sensors?

 

[unfocused]

Marsu- tak all the time you need- it's a big decision...

Thanks for understanding!

It is indeed a decision that should last for some time...

...Unfortunately, unlike in the US in Germany there are nearly no "deals" or "instant rebates", just the regular Canon rebates (more limited than in the US and not including the gear I want) or eBay EU imports that aren't much cheaper either...

Well, if I were you, I'd hurry, because it sounds like the rest of the EU is going to empty the pockets of everyone in Germany before too much longer.

 

[Wildfire]

keep in mind that the 6d shots are softer

What? Where did you get that from?

I've never shot a 5D3 but the 6D shots are just as sharp as my 5D2 shots... why would there be a difference in sharpness between any of the full frame sensors?

no.

actually the 5D MK2 has the highest spatial resolution of the three cameras.
a lot of reviews confirm this.

but you have to shoot testcharts to see it or pixelpeep the same motive to notice it.
yet it IS visible.

the reason is a marginal lower MP number (but that is really marginal) another reason could be a stronger AA filter. if thatß s the case it is a shame that there is so much moire in 6D videos.

anyway, not all FF sensors are equal...

I can believe that. But should any of that really affect your decision to get one of the 3 cameras over the other? I would say I'm part of the pixel peeper crowd (returned a perfectly good 85mm f/1.8 just because the photographs didn't look as good at 100% as the ones from my 70-200L II) but I seriously would never consider a 5D2 over the 5D3 because the sensor produces sharper images when shooting test charts.

 

[Marsu42]

i guess the 6D has a stronger AA filter then the other two cameras.

Looking at the 6d moiré, it doesn't seem to be the aa filter but that 6d has more forced noise reduction even in raw, thus the large difference in chroma noise to the 5d3. The result is about 1/3 stop more usable iso but with a visible loss of sharpness - both not important enough as a deciding factor, but it adds to the list.

... and +1 for not countering a tech discussion with "get a life, got out and shoot more" - that mixing apples and oranges with an insulting tendency because obviously even the "anti-gearheads" read these tech threads or they wouldn't be able to post replies.

Btw: I added the fact to the above list that the 6d has a high(er) dr vs. the Canon counterparts, but of course is sunk by any current Nikon sensor - see http://www.sensorgen.info/

 

[sdsr]

I can believe that. But should any of that really affect your decision to get one of the 3 cameras over the other? I

i agree, but that is a different point.

in this forum a lot of people spend more time arguing about technical stuff then shooting.
so you have to be technical correct!

the canon fanboys can talk hours about sharpness of one lens vs. the other.

but don´t you dare to say canon sensors lack behind sony/nikon.. then you will hear that doesnt matter.
i guess that is called "selective reality".

i find it somewhat interesting that a 5 year old canon sensor produces sharper images then the new FF sensors.
it´s not much, sure.
but be honest, you would expect sharper images not softer images from a new sensor.

Whether it matters depends on whether it makes a difference to the sort of photography you do. I own a 5DII and, within the past couple of months I've rented the 5DIII, 6D and D600 (the latter two simultaneously). I haven't performed any properly controlled tests - certainly nothing compared to what someone conducting a serious review involving test charts, etc. - but merely used them as I would normally use a camera (except that with the 6D and D600 I kept switching back and forth, photographing the same thing from the same place at the same time). While the D600 made good photos, not one ever struck me as superior to those I took with the 6D in any way; at most the differences were fairly small/trivial, and where I had a preference it was for the Canon, mainly because I preferred the colors. So other features were decisive - Nikon's absurdly complicated controls, the weird greenish cast to the D600's monitor, its drab viewfinder (so what if it's 100%?), etc. Relatively trivial stuff I would put up with if it made noticeably better photos, but for my purposes it didn't. I will cheerfully concede that others may conclude otherwise.

As for whether the sensor of the 6D makes "softer" photos than the 5DII or 5DIII, while it's true that it has slightly lower resolution than the sensors of the other two, that's only one factor that determines the sharpness of a photo, and those differences may work in favor of the 6D or 5DIII vs the 5DII. I wonder how many people, in a "blind" test, could tell the difference (and how many of those who have remarked on the softness of 6D images were looking at images from RAW files).

 

[zim]

Whether it matters depends on whether it makes a difference to the sort of photography you do. I own a 5DII and, within the past couple of months I've rented the 5DIII, 6D and D600 (the latter two simultaneously). I haven't performed any properly controlled tests - certainly nothing compared to what someone conducting a serious review involving test charts, etc. - but merely used them as I would normally use a camera (except that with the 6D and D600 I kept switching back and forth, photographing the same thing from the same place at the same time). While the D600 made good photos, not one ever struck me as superior to those I took with the 6D in any way; at most the differences were fairly small/trivial, and where I had a preference it was for the Canon, mainly because I preferred the colors. So other features were decisive - Nikon's absurdly complicated controls, the weird greenish cast to the D600's monitor, its drab viewfinder (so what if it's 100%?), etc. Relatively trivial stuff I would put up with if it made noticeably better photos, but for my purposes it didn't. I will cheerfully concede that others may conclude otherwise.

+100 I doubt many people have actually done this. So what 's your preference 5D3 or 6D after using them?

 

[Marsu42]

I wonder how many people, in a "blind" test, could tell the difference (and how many of those who have remarked on the softness of 6D images were looking at images from RAW files).

According to a good German review 6d/5d3 on traumflieger the difference is visible when shooting details like a fern with tiny leaves - and of course they used raw files. But again, nothing very important if not shooting specialized shots like product shots or maybe some architecture.

So what 's your preference 5D3 or 6D after using them?

You didn't ask me, but here's my 2ct anyway after a 3/4 hour side-to-side comparison in a shop just now: The 5d3 is clearly the more professional camera with absolutely superior af - though for some reason or another the 7d grip fits my hand better than the 5d3, 6d is also just fine.

But all things considered, the 5d3 is just like the 6d a typical Canon dslr, I doubt my current shots would improve that much when getting the higher spec'ed camera. So there's no way I'd spend nearly €3000 for a camera body with a soon-to-be-replaced sensor if I'm note having a guaranteed return of invest like a pro would.

And last not least I'm more used to the 60d-style multicontroller and always feel like there's the buttons missing on the wheel - but that would certainly change sooner or later when using a 7d/5d2/5d3-type.

Disclaimer: Of course I would buy a 5d3 for the 6d price or exchange my 70-300L for the 70-200Lii for free.

 

[emag]

Low noise at high ISO, WiFi. Works for me, that's a plus when it's hanging on the telescope.