New Canon 6D

[William]

Well we were thinking about a 5dmkIII but with the impending release of this new one in December and at Just a smidge over $2000 , Looks good , And its weather sealed , Apparently it will replace the 5D mkII and slip in between the 7D and 5DmkIII

http://www.canonrumors.com/2012/09/canon-eos-6d-specs-leaked/ :th3:

[norwest]

It looks an interesting model, William.

[mikec]

Seems like it's about to be announced. Here are some spec's (http://www.canonrumors.com/2012/09/canon-eos-6d-official-specs/) that also show up on DPReview (http://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/slrs/canon_eos6d).

I think the fact that they've only basically improved the processor to DIGIC 5, a slight bump in FPS, 2 extra AF points and slight ISO increase means most people wouldn't upgrade from a 5DII since it's more like a side step. I'm disappointed to see it uses SD cards too. Probably a body best for those froming from a 60D or Rebel.

It's got GPS and a touch screen to those who care....

[William]

Or somebody with a 30D looking to upgrade when frames per sec dont matter and full frame and weather proofing do :D

[jjphoto]

I wonder what it will be like to focus manually as it doesn't appear to have interchangeable focusing screens (neither has the 5D3)? I suspect anyone considering buying this camera probably doesn't know how to focus manually anyway as it seems aimed at the very low end of the market, but it is the 6D (the higher the number the lower the spec).

Maybe it would be a decent spare for FF users but the fact it uses SD cards only is disappointing.

[mikec]

Surely the MKIII has interchangeable focus screens. A $3k semi pro / pro body without is a joke. Not sure about the 6D though, what does 7D and the xxD's allow regarding focus screens?

William you're right, anyone coming from anything less than a 5D II would be happy with the 6D when looking for FF.

[William]

As a 30D user , What are/is interchangable focus screens ? I never use manual focus for dawn shoots , To dark , Then after that candids and surfing shots would be hard to use manual focus I'm thinking , Think I'll get a shock with a new Camera , Hopfully you can still shoot in full manual nowdays :eek:

[Presotto]

Not being too up with my card knowledge, why is it dissapointing it only uses SD cards?

[mikec]

William I use a focusing screen with a grid in my 5DII I find it allows me line up things an compose a little easier through the view finder, particularly useful for architectural stuff and horizons. You can get others that allow better manual focusing too but that doesn't worry me.

Presotto both the 1D's, 5D's and 7D's use CF cards. It's a little dumb IMO to use a different format just from that aspect considering they are all pro or semi pro bodies.

[jjphoto]

Not being too up with my card knowledge, why is it dissapointing it only uses SD cards?

The pro bodies (and even the 7d and older APSc bodies) normally use CF cards although some allow both. SD are common in P+S cameras. So if you bought a 6D as a backup to a FF body then chances are that you won't have SD cards for it and would have to buy some.

[achee]

I wonder, are CF cards faster / more reliable / ...??? I know they are associated with 'professional' cameras, but I'm ignorant as to why. They are certainly bigger! :)

[norwest]

Well, it's official. There's previews popping up.

[mikew09]

By the time the 6D comes out I am not sure there will be that much of a price difference. If it launches at just over 2K in Dec, I would think by then I could bargain my local dealer down to under 3K, maybe $2700. I have found as a rule there is not room for barter on a new release but that changes say 12 months on. I don't think the weather sealing is as we may interpret it in comparison to the 5D3. I think it said splash proof which is a bit different to 10mm of rain over 10 mins.

There is at least a couple of features on the 5D3 that I didnt see on the 6D that would benefit the land / seascape photographer also. Not sure I seen micro adjust which I have found useful on my 50D. Cant say I am a fan of the new style controls that remove the joystick but that is a personal preference.

The 5D3 allows for up to 7 bracketed shots. Even non HDR users may find the ability to increase the DR and blend in photoshop makes for some good options. I am probably a bit one sided on this as I had a chance to play with my mates 5D3 for a morning and it is a very impressive camera and I mean superb.

Whilst I battle along saving every spare penny for my 5d3 with a purchase maybe early next yr (if saving goes well) I still think I can get within $500 of the 6D price and I see more than $500 worth of features.

Well that is my rant :-). Probably biased by my handling of the 5d3 but there you go. Having said that Bill, for your style of photography I think the 6D may be just the ticket and maybe any cash saved could go towards a 16-35 L


:)

[mikec]

Well it's officially a lack lustre camera if I ever saw one...

[norwest]

With the way William makes music with the 30D, with a full frame we'll hear a full orchestra.

[William]

Here's the official release from Canon Australia : http://www.canon.com.au/About-Canon/News-Events/News-Press-Releases/Worlds-lightest-Full-Frame-DSLR Well I would have been pushing to get the MKIII , It's an upgrade from the 30D , I was thinking of the MKII , But this is looking good for me

[norwest]

Low light focus a full stop better than the 5D3 and if the high ISO performance is also close I can't see why it wouldn't be damn good body, William.

[Bennymiata]

The 5D3 doesn't need interchangeable focussing screens.
You can have a choice of grids showing up in the OVF, and I use the coarse one all the time.
It's really good to have.

I reckon the 6D sounds really good.
It's got some great features that even the 5D3 doesn't have like inbuilt GPS and wireless file transmission, and full time auto focussing for video.
Give it 6 months or so, and the price will drop below $2K, and I reckon it wil be a great seller.

In my 5D3, I use a Lexar 1000X CF card and a Lexar 600X SD card (90MB/Second), and I find this SD card to be fast enough for almost anything, and it's faster than any 2 year old CF card, so there's nothing wrong with newer SD cards as far as speed or capacity goes.
I think the 6D will appeal to those moving up from crop sensor DSLR's and about the only thing against it would be that these people will either have to have EF lenses, or get rid of their EF-s lenses and trade up.

It'll be interesting to see a comparison of the Nikon 600 and the Canon 6D in the near future.

[jjphoto]

The 5D3 doesn't need interchangeable focussing screens.
...

If all you do is use AF then of course it doesn't matter but it seems the standard screen in the 5d3 doesn't allow for accurate focus with fast lenses, see some of the links below.

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1149172
http://blog.planet5d.com/2012/03/questions-answered-for-the-canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-hdmi-video/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/carlzeisslenses/discuss/72157629902849374/

[mikec]

The 5D3 doesn't need interchangeable focussing screens.
You can have a choice of grids showing up in the OVF, and I use the coarse one all the time.
It's really good to have.


There you go, I just assumed it would. You know what they say about assuming though....

[Arg]

.... it doesn't appear to have interchangeable focusing screens ....

Yes it does

[jjphoto]

There you go, I just assumed it would. You know what they say about assuming though....

The 5d3 only has a fixed focusing screen, you can't replace it.

http://usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/slr_cameras/eos_5d_mark_iii#Specifications

http://www.zeissrumors.com/2012/03/canons-new-5d-mk3-disadvantages-manual.html


Yes it does

That's interesting (I looked for that but didn't see it in any of the original specs). It then has an advantage over the 5d3 for manual focus usesrs, such as with Zeiss ZE lenses, or the vast list of older manual focus lenses.

http://photocornucopia.com/images/Lenses/General/g_026_400.jpg http://photocornucopia.com/images/Lenses/General/g_025_400.jpg http://photocornucopia.com/images/Lenses/Industar_502/ind_011_400.jpg

It might be a good spare or first camera for manual focus users as it takes the EgS screen (which works OK in the 5d2).

[achee]

Why do you think this camera is referred to as a 'enthusiast' level camera? Its specs stack up very well against the 5D mkII, which is certainly a pro-level camera.

[Xenedis]

Not being too up with my card knowledge, why is it dissapointing it only uses SD cards?

Canon DSLRs traditionally used CF cards. Within the past few years Canon switched to SD cards.

The main advantages of CF cards are as follows:


they've traditionally been available in larger sizes;
they have faster write speeds; and
they're more durable.



Additionally, if you own multiple cameras, it's far more convenient to maintain only one type of storage media, as it's usable across multiple cameras.

[William]

:D Phew, Lucky I only have one CF card 2gb , If I get one I have'nt lost to much , The plan is Joel and I buy two Cams, , A 5DMKIII for his fashion shoots and the 6D for me for Landscapes and morning Candids of beach life , Dont need the fast burst , I only ever shoot off one shot , Even for Surfing , The weather (Splash) resistent is a big bonus mainly cause I have to shoot each week day Rain/Hail or shine , Be good not to have to carry the Garbage bag around to protect the gear ;)

[Xenedis]

Why do you think this camera is referred to as a 'enthusiast' level camera? Its specs stack up very well against the 5D mkII, which is certainly a pro-level camera.

Canon considers the 5D range of cameras to be in the 'Enthusiast' segment of its market, the other segments being 'Entry Level' and 'Professional'.

The Enthusiast segment also includes the 6D, 7D, 60D and 60Da.

[achee]

Canon considers the 5D range of cameras to be in the 'Enthusiast' segment of its market, the other segments being 'Entry Level' and 'Professional'.

Ah, yes, I just looked that up. Surprising, but you're right, the 5D range is classed as an enthusiast camera. I do find that a bit odd, because I know that many working photograhers are using 5D's, and it's not a stepping stone while they try to save enough money to afford a 'professional' camera!

[Xenedis]

Ah, yes, I just looked that up. Surprising, but you're right, the 5D range is classed as an enthusiast camera. I do find that a bit odd, because I know that many working photograhers are using 5D's, and it's not a stepping stone while they try to save enough money to afford a 'professional' camera!

Remember that there's marketing involved.

The fact that Canon classes a camera as an intermediate (or 'enthusiast') product says nothing about its ability to deliver, and desirability to professional shooters.

Yep, plenty of professional shooters use 5Ds, but they're as equally appealing to hobbyists like myself (I've been shooting with 5Ds since 2006, and would probably continue with that line of cameras when it's time to upgrade).

[Arg]

....The main advantages of CF cards are as follows:


they've traditionally been available in larger sizes;
they have faster write speeds; and
they're more durable.



....

Although, regarding larger sizes, max CF is 256 GB whereas SDXC allows up to 2TB - eventually. :p

[Xenedis]

Although, regarding larger sizes, max CF is 256 GB whereas SDXC allows up to 2TB - eventually. :p

It doesn't appear that any of the major memory card manufacturers offer CF cards (or SDXC cards) greater than 128GB at present.

It is conceivable that Canon will eventually stop supporting CF cards in its cameras, although the latest 1-series camera (EOS-1D X) supports only CF.

[Ms Monny]

Oh, if only I won the lottery!!

[ricktas]

I wonder if Canon will rush to get it to market, seeing its competitor the Nikon D600 was only announced the other day, and is in stores already. Might put some pressure on Canon to get it released ASAP.

[mikew09]

Just read the release details and the features that the original dpreview didn't list are included such as bracketed exposures of up to 9 from memory - same as the 5D3 I believe. It certainly stacks up well now I have read teh official release. I think it will be just the ticket for you Bill and I was seriously considering the 5D3 in my saving goal but I may now consider the 6D and have a little extra to through to a 16-35 L to replace the siggy that wont fit the FF body. I will let the dust settle a little and see what my bartering skills do for me so maybe April May next yr for me. Just when I thought I had it figured out along comes another body.

[Roosta]

As you say Bill, she's a step up from your O'l faithful, but I'd get my hands on it first, make sure it feels the goods. Have you held a 5d3 yet? They feel like a toy camera, everything is tooo compact for my liking, and for a FF it's small. I would take that into consideration that's all.

[William]

I've held a D800 :D No I have'nt Roosta, But maybe I should , Just had a Google for the difference in weight and size of the 30D compared to the 6D , Not much in it : The 30D - 784 g (27.7 oz)
Dimensions 144 x 106 x 74 mm (5.7 x 4.2 x 2.9 in), The 6D - 27.16 oz. (770g) - 145 x 111 x 71mm

[zollo]

although the latest 1-series camera (EOS-1D X) supports only CF.

I reckon more to do with photographers perceptions than an inability of sd cards to match cf cards on performance, but I'm no technology expert, and maybe at the maniacal burst rates the 1dx is capable of shooting at, there could be a difference

[flashc]

Surely the MKIII has interchangeable focus screens. A $3k semi pro / pro body without is a joke. Not sure about the 6D though, what does 7D and the xxD's allow regarding focus screens?

William you're right, anyone coming from anything less than a 5D II would be happy with the 6D when looking for FF.

The 7D was the first Canon DSLR, as far as I know, that has the ability to switch off all the display lights/points and markings on the viewfinder focusing screen so you can have a completely unobstructed view of the subject. There are no permanent etched markings in the viewfinder screen view and a grid pattern can be switched on (or off) and overlaid on the focus view.

I believe the 5D MKIII has the same system as the 7D.

There are 3rd party companies who make various configurations of focusing screens that will fit into the 7D and 5D MkIII as a replacement.

The 7D also has a 100% field of view through the viewfinder. I do find it hard to focus manually with the fixed focusing screen type when doing any macro closeup.

[bobt]

Well, personally I'm going to be buying one as soon as possible - along with the G15 which was also announced. The only thing lacking from my perspective is the slow shots per second, so I'll hang on to my 40D for that.

The combination of the G15 for those accasions when a DSLR is too big, and the 6D as a full frame, low light DSLR - I reckon the combination will be very good indeed! The 6D is considerably lighter and more practical than the 5DIII, and it has all the promise of being a great camera. I think sometimes people expect too much, but this one seems to be about right.

[mikew09]

Cricky, got my wires crossed somewhere, maybe with the price of the 5D2 & 5D3. For some reason was thinking the 5D3 was around 2600 but in followup I see I was a k off target - embarrassment. So this 6D could be maybe 1700 under the price of 5D3 - WOW. On looking at it again and reading others comments I have to say the 6D is looking more attractive.

[norwest]

I'm sure there will be plenty of hands on reviews coming out of the woodwork very soon, Mike.

[Tannin]

An interesting camera. Some nice things about it - price should be good, I'll bet the ISO performance is outstanding, GPS is a very welcome trick - and some doubtful changes - buttons relocated to less useful spots, multi-controller hard to reach, and most of all the focus points are still (from what I read) grouped right in the centre of the frame just like the 5D Mark I and 5D Mark II where they don't cover the points of photographic interest and you have to focus/recompose all the time. Honestly, there isn't much point (no pun intended!) in the 10 focus points that aren't the centre point. They might as well just have one. Well, almost.

But then, as always, there has to be a reason there to push you up to the next model.

Me, I doubt I'll get one. My 5D II is, all things considered, just as good for most purposes, and I'm happy enough with my other bodies at this stage. Next thing I buy will probably be a lens. (Err .. same as usual. Sigh.)

[enVision]

I think I'll be upgrading to the 6D on its release. I was speaking with a professional photographer friend of mine though and he was adamant to save and get the 5DIII. Honestly I just can't see myself justifying that kind of expenditure at my experience level.

Just as it is being marketed, I think the 6D is an excellent camera for enthusiasts looking to move into FF or upgrade on a budget.

[bobt]

I think I'll be upgrading to the 6D on its release. I was speaking with a professional photographer friend of mine though and he was adamant to save and get the 5DIII. Honestly I just can't see myself justifying that kind of expenditure at my experience level. Just as it is being marketed, I think the 6D is an excellent camera for enthusiasts looking to move into FF or upgrade on a budget.

I was toying with the 5DIII, but you have to factor in how big the damn things is, and that's not a plus as far as I'm concerned. The 7D was another option, but not full frame and also fairly large. The 6D looks like the best compromise if you want full frame but not bulk. I don't care about GPS or whatever - I just want to shoot pictures. I have a 40D and I think that apart from the slower shooting speed, the 6D should be a huge upgrade for me - can't wait! I'll also probably buy the G15 because that looks like a great secondary travel camera for those less obvious shots. Looking forward to more detailed reports on both from Dpreview.

[Blackberner]

The 6D has wifi for wireless control of the camera from ipads, and iphones. Canon are apparantly working on apps for it. Considering this is a $900 plus add-on for the 5D series, it sounds like extremely good value for someone considering upgrade to full frame........

[acko]

Hmmm....having read this thread, I think I will still buy the 5D Mk 3.
I guess Canon are just plugging a gap with the 6D.

[spademan]

I'm currently using the 7D & have been looking for a FF for a while. 6D - Answer to my prayers :D

[flashc]

I have a 7D and would have liked the new 6D to be able to control my Canon 580EXII Flashguns remotely as I can now. A popup flash is handy for fill in flash too...

[ice]

I'm loving the sound of the 6D.. have wanted to get into ff for awhile and really want the ISO benefits that my 550D just can't provide. The 6D is nice and light too! (compared with the 5D range) and will still be a practical camera. Has anyone bought one yet?

[bobt]

I'm loving the sound of the 6D.. Has anyone bought one yet?

Just patiently biding my time. I'll get one sometime in the next couple of months, but I'm just hanging off for a couple of reasons. Firstly, there may be a glitch or two showing up early in the peace, and I'd like someone else to find it first! There has already been a minor issue concerning the transfer of video footage to You Tube, and although this doesn't matter to me, it's been necessary to update the firmware. Secondly, I'm hoping the price may drop a tad - I have already bought the G15, and the price dropped a few weeks later. Lastly, I'd really like Dpreview to do a real full-on review rather than the interim one they've already done.

I'll probably buy it online as it'll save a reasonable amount. There will be those that get all anguished over that, but I have been buying cameras online for years and I'm so ahead financially that this one would probably be a freebie with the savings I've made.

Look like a great camera though ... really looking forward to it (except for the GPS which I don't need and the slowish burst mode).

[El Pedro]

I picked mine up last week. Grabbed the kit at an unbelievable price of $2850. Canon have a $300 cashback on the kit so i will just sell the lens and it should end up costing me around $1800.

Coming from a 60D the controls were very familiar to me which was good. The IQ and high ISO performance are a huge improvement over the 60D.

I do miss being able to use my 17-55 but will be picking up the 24-70 in the next week or two which will compliment the 6D nicely.

[photofigure]

How do you feel the AF performance in the canon 6D? i am having a canon 60D as well at the moment, and contemplating my next path of camera upgrade between 5D mark 3 and 6D, money is the issue :2apolo:

[El Pedro]

I was on the fence between the 5D3 and the 6D as well. Both were affordable for me but I didn't see the need to spend the extra on the 5D3 if it wasn't warranted.

Coming from the 60D I haven't had an issue with the autofocus, the centre point is noticeably better particularly in low light. I'm sure the 5D3 autofocus is loads better but for me it wasn't a deal breaker. The outer points although they are not cross type seem similar to those of the 60D.

The other gripe lots of people have with the 6D is the button layout and size, coming from a 60D you will be very familiar with this camera so I actually see it as a positive.

[Dylan & Marianne]

The 2 things I have found an absolute win for the 5dmk3 over the 5dmk2 have been :
1. AF points
2. 1-2 stops better iso performance allowing cleaner nights shots of stars (ie able to print them)

The 6D lacks 1. and probably has 2.
So I guess it depends on what your main purpose is - if you shoot a lot of night shots, and if the sensor performs like the mk3, it will be an amazing world of difference. If you're after better AF, 6D looks unimpressive. I would guess that weather sealing (a sore point for me at the moment) isn't great on either :(

ps. someone in this thread mentioned about the mk3's size. Sure specs-wise it reads bigger but in terms of real world difference, I found it no more cumbersome to use on full day wedding shoots than the 7D or mk2 so this really shouldn't deter you unless you're already struggling with the weight of the smaller DSLRs?

[photofigure]

Yeah AF is my only concern only, as I am preety sure that IQ will be same or even better than mark 3. I'll probably try that outer point focus performance in low light and compare it with mark 3 as I am planning to use it for portrait indoor.