Canon EOS R6 Mark II - The Game Changer and My (soon to be) Main Body
The Canon EOS R6 Mark II was just announced by Canon and is scheduled to start shipping later in November/December 2022. This camera is a game changer and will be my main camera body. Read below to find out why and should you upgrade your current camera to the R6 Mark II? I’ll break down the details and help you with that decision!
Background
Before we get into the breakdown of the R6 Mark II, I think it’s important to look back on the R6 Mark I launch. The Canon EOS R6 Mark I was launched in July 2020. This was released alongside the video/photo beast the EOS R5. The R6 was often overlooked and shadowed by the R5 but the R6 was destined to sell more. Even though the R6 had nowhere near the resolution of the 45-megapixel R5, the R6 with its 20-megapixel resolution was the perfect package because of its speed and the fact that it was a full-frame sensor in a mirrorless body.
The R6 was the perfect camera for most photographers who weren’t looking to blow up their images to put on billboards or large prints. The 20-megapixels are great for wedding and event photographers who take thousands of photos per event and don’t want to fill up their cards and hard drives with thousands of 45-megapixel photos.
EOS R6 Mark II vs. R6 Mark I Comparison
Main Differences
So let’s break down the main differences to make that absurd excel spreadsheet more digestible.
Important Upgrades 1: Sensor Size
Canon EOS R6 Mark II: 24.2MP Full-frame Dual Pixel CMOS AF II
Canon EOS R6: 20Mp Full-frame Dual Pixel CMOS AF II
Canon has added 4 megapixels to the new camera, a much-needed upgrade from the R6 Mark I. I’ve been shooting on a Canon 5D Mark IV for the past 3 years and with its 30-megapixel sensor it takes beautiful sharp images. That’s not to say 20 megapixels can’t shoot great images, heck people are taking amazing photos with their cell phones and those are 12 megapixels. However, you will notice a loss in detail when you start cropping or enlarging your images. I’m mostly a lifestyle/landscape/wedding photographer and won’t be printing my work on billboards (at least not yet..) so the addition of 4 megapixels isn’t that important to me but hey, I’ll take it!
Important Upgrades 2: Autofocus
Canon EOS R6 Mark II: Dual Pixel CMOS AF II phase detection with 100% coverage
Canon EOS R6: Dual Pixel CMOS AF II phase detection with 6,072 points in stills and 4968 points in movie mode
So what the heck do these numbers mean? To keep things simple, the autofocus points cover 100% of the sensor on the Mark II as opposed to just 6,072 points (which doesn’t cover the entire sensor), this is good. What it means is the camera will focus better especially if it’s trying to hold focus on subjects close to the edge of the screen. On top of this, canon says they have improved the AI in the camera (this is the part that really gets me fired up) which will help track subjects and hold focus. They say that it is so smart that when focused on a human you can select to focus on the left or right eye and it will hold that focus. If it can’t/loses focus it will resort to focusing on the face, if it can’t/loses focus on the face, it will resort to focusing on the subject or person as a whole. This REALLY excites me because the autofocus on the 5D Mark IV is hit-and-miss, especially in video mode.
Important Upgrades 3: Continuous Shooting
Canon EOS R6 Mark II: Mechanical shutter: 12fps or electronic shutter: 40fps
Canon EOS R6: Mechanical shutter: 12fps or electronic shutter: 20fps
Hold on, did you just read that?! 40fps?! That’s a lot of frames. 20 was impressive, and 40 is … what’s the word…impressiver, yeah that’s it. Now, it’s not a comparison to the R3 which can shoot an insane 195 fps, but, it’s also a fraction of the price and I wouldn’t say the R6 is meant for sport and action photographers. Now, 40fps helps bridge that gap for those photographers (like myself) who like to dabble in different genres, but if you’re looking to be or are only shooting sport or fast action, go with the R3. The added fps will definitely come in handy with my wedding photography though. There are so many fast moments I need to capture and that will be clutch. One problem I’ve found (which I’m sure they will fix with firmware upgrades) is that when shooting fast sports or fast-moving subjects at 40fps, you are getting some distortion in the image.
Watch this video from Jared Polin for more details and examples: Shutter Speed Field Test
Important Upgrades 4: Video
Canon EOS R6 Mark II: 4K up to 60fps (no crop) , Full HD (1920 x 1090) at up to 120fps - No record Limit
Canon EOS R6: 4K video up to 60fps (1.52X crop) , Full HD (1920 x 1090) at up to 120fps - 30 min record limit
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV: 4K video up to 25fps (1.72X crop) , Full HD (1920 x 1080) at up to 60fps. No IBIS - 30 min record limit
OK, so here is where we get down to the exciting specs for me. Now, it might not seem like much if you’re coming from the R6 to go to the Mark II, but you’re getting is getting rid of that crop when in 4K and the 4K is downsampled from 6K so the footage will look better. For me (shooting on the Canon 5D Mark IV), this is a massive upgrade. The 5D Mark IV is an amazing photo camera but it’s not a great video camera. It’s limited to only 25fps in 4K and there is a large 1.72X crop! If you want 60fps you need to drop down to Full HD (1080p) and if you want to shoot at 120fps? You need to drop down to 720p. The upgrade for me in the video side of camera bodies will be massive! Also, with the addition of IBIS in the R6 Mark II, I can finally use handheld video footage. I’ve been doing a lot of hybrid wedding coverage (photo and video) in which case I shoot without a gimbal, and usually all in 60fps. Currently, that means I can only shoot in 1080p, the ability to now shoot 60fps in 4K will be a game changer. Also, the lack of IBIS in the 5D Mark IV is killing me! I tried shooting some handheld video in 4K at 25fps and it was unusable. The shake was so severe that even warp stabilizer couldn’t sort it out. This will be so important when hybrid shooting because I’m quickly switching back and forth between shooting photos and video, It doesn’t work with a gimbal or monopod so handheld is the only way. Lastly, the no record limit is huge. There have been a few instances when i’m recording a tutorial or video and I need to record longer than 30 minutes. Or when i’m recording a full length wedding ceremony that goes longer than 30 minutes, it’s a huge hassle to run back to the camera, stop recording, and start recording again to get another 30 minutes. I can’t believe they didn’t change this before and the time limit should be removed from all cameras!
Should you upgrade and buy the R6 Mark II?
Yes you should.
I’m kidding, it’s not that simple. It depends on a few things:
What you mainly shoot and what you need to do with the images
What is it that you photograph? The R6 Mark II is great for wedding, portrait, event, brand photography. It can be great for landscape photography as long as you don’t need to blow up the images to billboard size. It can be great for wildlife photography as long as you don’t need to crop in a lot. And it can be great for sport and action photography but has its limitations on very fast sports. Then, what are you looking to do with your images? If you’re taking photos just for instagram or websites, then the R6 is great but you can easily get amazing photos with a camera like the R or RP and save the money. If you’re looking to print large prints (anything over 30” x 30”) then maybe you’d be better off with the R5 with it’s 45 megapixels.
What you currently have
Are you currently shooting on the R6 Mark I or similar mirrorless? I personally wouldn’t upgrade. The upgrades aren’t that major to justify the price tag. Maybe if you’re coming from the EOS RP, R7, R10 and have the money and want to get into a full frame. If you’re coming from a DSLR, definitely upgrade. The benefits in processing power, the autofocus, the IBIS, the weight reduction, the fps, will definitely benefit you.
Will you be shooting photo or video
Are you mainly a photo or video shooter? The R6 Mark II is a great all round camera, great photos, great video, but if all you shoot is video, you may want to invest into something that has better capabilities like the R5, R5C, C70, etc… These cameras are video beasts and will give you a ton more features.
What brand are you currently invested with
This can be huge. Are you currently shooting with Canon or are you a Sony or Nikon shooter? If you’re not with Canon then it will be very expensive to make that big switch. If you have the money or if your current equipment is holding you back and you’re not happy with that brand, then definitely invest in a new brand.
Your budget
If you have the money and want to upgrade your gear because your current gear is limiting you in some way, then go for it.
Let me know in the comments what you’re most excited about launching this year or next year. Is this the camera for you?