Who really is the target demographic for the 6D?

[ahsanford]

My friend and I have been exchanging messages back and forth about the 6D's target demographic. He would believe that this is aimed at wealthy folks who might leave the camera in an auto mode. (Hence, no need for the nicer AF of more recent systems.) I really think otherwise, that it's aimed at enthusiasts. I'm not looking to win an argument here, I'm just curious what you folks think (by demographic / bucket of people) about to whom this new rig is aimed?

I think we'd all agree that this is principally aimed at people looking to get their first FF camera. But who are these people? Just spitballing here, I would guess...

• Enthusiasts who always wanted FF but have always blanched at the price. This thing seems dead nuts aimed at 60D and 7D users that don't value those cameras for the APS-C length / speed but value them for being 'higher end'. (I know some sports and birding folks who love their 7D for length / speed reasons -- this would not be aimed at them.)
• Journalism / photography students -- textbooks are still built around FF old-school 35mm film lengths and rules, right? Wouldn't APS-C multiples just foul that up?
• Perhaps a just-starting-out pro photographer's choice until he makes enough money to warrant a pro rig.
• Serious tourists / landscape fans -- people who own tripods and spend a day shooting a national park.
• People who often enlarge their shots and long for better IQ over their APS-C rigs?

Personally, I think the 6D is really a 5D2 with a few nice features to buoy the price for the next 2 years. The 5D2's price would have plummeted were it left on the market and this was not released, right?

But what do you folks think? Who is this really aimed at?

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Isn't obvious? Its intended to fall between the 7D and the 5D. Its a upgrade for the 60D users or even 7D owners. Its a low cost entry level FF.
Wealthy buyers will get a M9, they don't go for low end models.

 

[jfretless]

Show up with $2100 and Canon will surely explain to you why you are the exact person they made the camera for.

After a morning of being frustrated at Canon, I'm finished trying to figure out the why's and who's of this camera.

It's unhealthy getting worked up at company that surely does not have you in their thought process.

Oh, and more thing, what exactly a "pro rig"? How much money do I have to spend on equipment to become a pro? ...and once I cross that threshold, do I get a membership card and/or a t-shirt?

I'm certain that this camera in the hands of a "pro" is surely capable of capturing images that can make money.

 

[Fishnose]

A number of things come to mind:

1. Compacts such as mirrorless etc are getting pretty darn good and are squeezing the market for low-end DSLRs - time for Canon and Nikon to push upwards, dragging their customers with them, to more advanced and more expensive cameras.

2. Getting people into FF opens up the secondary market for higfh quality lenses.

3. Interest in photography has grown absolutely enormously since digital became the norm. This gives a far greater potential market.

4. China and other countries where buying power is increasing exponentially are extremely important. A wider range of models means more potential buyers climb on board.

Canon and Nikon don't care who buys their products. All money smells the same.

 

[V8Beast]

My friend and I have been exchanging messages back and forth about the 6D's target demographic. He would believe that this is aimed at wealthy folks who might leave the camera in an auto mode. (Hence, no need for the nicer AF of more recent systems.) I really think otherwise, that it's aimed at enthusiasts. I'm not looking to win an argument here, I'm just curious what you folks think (by demographic / bucket of people) about to whom this new rig is aimed?

I think both you and your friend are right. The 6D will appeal to both rich people that will leave it in green square mode, and some tech savvy enthusiasts. I'd consider getting one as a backup to my 5D3 if it weren't for the small form factor, but it's micro-body size is a deal breaker for me even as a backup. The 6D's AF looks very underwhelming on paper, and it's burst rate is quite lethargic, so I'll just keep my 5DC as a backup since it already has the underwhelming AF and lethargic burst rate factors covered ;D

I almost never go to my backup body, but if I do ever upgrade my 5DC, I'll skip right past the 6D and go with a 5D2 or a 1D4.

 

[crasher8]

It's for people who would like to buy a D600 but have too much invested in Canon glass.

 

[Stewbyyy]

The 6D is nearly perfect for me. I'm an aspiring professional, I get most of my work photographing music events. I've been looking to upgrade from my 60D to a full frame camera for quite a while now, I'm after the improved low light performance really.

Everything about the 6D is great for me, it's a perfect upgrade from the 60D. Except the AF system... having only one cross type point seems to me like it's a worse AF system than the 60D? The 60D is fine for what I do, it manages. The only reason I never upgraded to a 5D Mark II was because of the poor AF system... I'm disappointed that Canon seem to have flopped with this AF system.

 

[V8Beast]

It's for people who would like to buy a D600 but have too much invested in Canon glass.

Good one ;D

 

[AvTvM]

Wealthy buyers will get a M9, they don't go for low end models.

almost correct. Wealthy people go for Leica M -> http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/09/17/Leica-M-full-frame-24MP-CMOS-rangefinder-with-focus-peaking-live-view-and-1080p-movies
Not so wealthy people get a stripped down, but still all looks Leica M-E ... http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/09/17/Leica-M-E-18MP-stripped-down-full-frame-rangefinder
;D

Canon 6D will be bought by family snapshooters and by old farts, who believe FF to be the holy grain, but where on APS-C up to now, because they are not wealthy enough to afford a 5D 3 or even better a Nikon D800 for only 800 more than what the pitiful 6D costs.

 

[dash2k8]

"2. Getting people into FF opens up the secondary market for higfh quality lenses."

I totally agree with this.

Someone else said that it's for ppl who want a D600 but invested too much in Canon glass. I agree, too. It's the Canon equivalent of the D600.

I speak from experience that the word (or words) "full-frame" has a mythical aura to it for people who've only ever used APS-C. Once they actually go FF, the novelty lasts maybe a month or so (for me, anyway) before it becomes the norm. I recall entering a vast new realm of visual freedom with my 1Ds3, then eventually took that for granted. So maybe the 6D is a cheaper fix for ppl who dream of entering said realm.

 

[pdirestajr]

It's just another price point being offered by Canon. The 5DII will be soon discontinued leaving this as their 2k model.

I seriously dont understand all the angry/ complaining posts- every camera model that is released isn't intended to be sold to every Canon user. If it is not for you, move on.

 

[Albi86]

It's for people who would like to buy a D600 but have too much invested in Canon glass.

Good one ;D

Exactly. If you have money for such an investment in lenses, you have money for the body too. Those people are not buying a 6D.

 

[ahsanford]

Isn't obvious? Its intended to fall between the 7D and the 5D. Its a upgrade for the 60D users or even 7D owners. Its a low cost entry level FF.
Wealthy buyers will get a M9, they don't go for low end models.

Fair, but a number of 7D users choose it not because they can't afford FF, but because they want the best APS-C SLR they can buy:

1) They won't have to lug as large/expensive of a lens for a given target, or if they want their long glass to go 1.6x longer, it can.
2) They want a working AF system! The 7D AF is widely considered better than the 5D2 (and by extension, one would think this new 6D as well).
3) Is there another recent 8 FPS Canon DSLR under $2k? I'm not aware of one.
4) For some folks, the IQ that FF brings is secondary to just getting the shot.

Birders and sports guys are awfully fond of their 7D cameras from what I'm told. This shouldn't get them flipping over to FF, IMHO, as that may be the last thing they want to do.

 

[ahsanford]

A number of things come to mind:

1. Compacts such as mirrorless etc are getting pretty darn good and are squeezing the market for low-end DSLRs - time for Canon and Nikon to push upwards, dragging their customers with them, to more advanced and more expensive cameras.

2. Getting people into FF opens up the secondary market for higfh quality lenses.

3. Interest in photography has grown absolutely enormously since digital became the norm. This gives a far greater potential market.

4. China and other countries where buying power is increasing exponentially are extremely important. A wider range of models means more potential buyers climb on board.

Canon and Nikon don't care who buys their products. All money smells the same.

(1) and (2) above are Canon strategic goals, but not necessarily target demos for the camera. From the user perspective, who will want this with a little more description than 'people between product A and product B'?

I think (3) and (4) are excellent insights. In theory, there are so many (for example) people running around with Rebels that they are up for their 2nd or 3rd body purchase and wonder what is a step up.

That said, I still feel this is a 5D2 with a few user-friendly upgrades.

 

[verysimplejason]

If somebody can make a very good lens adapter (aperture/AF) so I can use a Nikon body, I'll buy D600 in an instant. I'm an enthusiast photographer who's still learning to be a professional. Right now, I'm disappointed with 6D. I'll just save my money for 5D4.

 

[ahsanford]

It's just another price point being offered by Canon. The 5DII will be soon discontinued leaving this as their 2k model.

I seriously dont understand all the angry/ complaining posts- every camera model that is released isn't intended to be sold to every Canon user. If it is not for you, move on.

+1 on both points. Dead on.

 

[DB]

As a 7D shooter I would not opt for the 6D but would rather wait and save up for a 5D mark III. But the market for xxD and xxxD is very different, in that it is populated 50:50 between photographers:videographers. These are camera owners who will put L glass on a T2i/550D and shoot videos (I had a T2i with 24-70 and 70-200 L lenses) as well as fast primes. They want to go FF primarily because their shutter speed and aperture values are manually preset when shooting video, so using the 'photographic triangle' (for exposure purposes) only ISO remains. This is where the 6D comes in, with usable 12,800 ISO. These people can now film indoors.

Secondly, as others have correctly pointed out, Canon makes a lot of money selling lenses (this past August, they sold their 80 millionth lens, having only passed the 40 millionth in April 2008 - so you see they now sell a lot more lenses than camera bodies). By getting 60D/T2i/T3i/T4i owners to sell their existing gear and trade-up to the FF 6D, Canon will achieve 2 distinct objectives (1) expand the universe of potential EF & EF-S purchasers (as there will be more DSLR shooters), and (2) encourage those new 6D owners to buy some more EF glass.

So, to cut to the chase, the target demographic is the xxD/xxxD shooter who likes to take landscape/travel photos and/or shoot HD video. Undoubtedly these are the people that Canon Inc. is targeting with this new DSLR

Finally, as an additional boon to Canon, by pricing this new camera above two thousand dollars, they also achieve a 3rd objective - they've persuaded many other xD owners (5Dc/5D2/7D) who are considering upgrading their body to bite the bullet and pay up for a new 5D mark III.

 

[x-vision]

But what do you folks think? Who is this really aimed at?

If you think about it, this camera is really for those who were buying the 5DII as a point-and-shoot camera.

These buyers don't need a better AF system, since they are using a slow kit lens anyway (the 24-105 F4/L).
Everything else in the camera has been simplified too, thus making it easy to use for amateurs.

So, although marketed as an 'enthusiast' camera, the 6D is really an expensive amateur camera, appealing mostly to well-heeled amateurs.

Enthusiasts are of course rightfully disappointed because of the basic specs.

Canon obviously thinks that well-heeled amateurs outnumber enthusiasts.
If they are right, then the 6D will be successful, regardless that it's priced the same as the better spec'd D600.

Only time will tell if Canon is right.

I think, though, that Canon is misjudging the 6D market the same way they've misjudged the 60D market.
The 6D will have a tepid reception and sales will pickup only after the price drops to say $1600-1700.
At this price all that would matter is that it's a FF shooter with a native EF lens mount.
The shortcomings of the camera would be easily forgiven.

 

[distant.star]

.
I don't know who it's for, but I sure know who it is NOT for.

This was not designed to appeal to photographers. This is for people who want to take a few pictures once in a while.

And the ultra-dark capable AF is because once buyers realize what the have they will only use it at night when there is not as much chance of being embarrassed.

 

[unfocused]

I'm amused by people who say Canon didn't listen to their customers because it is not the camera they wanted. The problem is that Canon did listen to their customers and you just weren't typical of their customers.

Face it, Canon did extensive market research to determine what features people wanted and what features would sell more cameras and what features wouldn't. If there is a feature you wanted that is missing, it's not because Canon wasn't listening to customers, it is because your wants are not shared by others.

I think the OP probably had a lot of things right. I would add that I can see it as an appealing second body for many users. At this point, I'm interested in a second body. When the 7DII comes out, I'll compare it to the 6D and decide which to go for. If the 7D is only a marginal upgrade, I may consider this. If the 7D improves on the things I want it to improve on, I'll go that route.

The autofocus is not a major concern of mine, because the 7D is better suited for subjects where I need good autofocus. If I have the time to compose a shot carefully, a single autofocus point is sufficient. With the 6D's slow frame rate and 60% less focal length, I wouldn't be using it for action shots anyway.

It will be an individual decision for every customer, but the beauty of modern research methods is they can take thousands of those individual opinions, aggregate them and then design a product that meets enough needs to sell.

It's funny, everyone says they want to be an individual, but if you tell someone that no one else shares their taste, they feel left out.