Big test
needed. Personally, I like the sanity check of a dark or oddly coloured viewfinder if I’ve got the exposure or white-balance settings wrong. If connectivity is your thing, there are improvements here too. The Mark II supports 5GHz Wi-Fi, upgraded Bluetooth and has a faster USB-C port compared to the Mark I. It can also be used as a webcam without any need for additional paraphernalia. Canon has seen fit to update its Camera Connect app alongside the launch of the R6 Mark II, which boasts a new UI and is more intuitive to set up. We’ll have to take their word on that though.
Other new stuff includes a top shutter speed of 1/16,000sec (electronic shutter), in-camera focus bracketing and stacking, false colour warnings, Dual Pixel Raw mode for making tweaks to focus point and bokeh after the pic has been taken, and Optical Viewfinder Assist (OVA), another feature snaffled from the R3. The Mark II’s EVF is already excellent: big and bright, it makes viewing very simple. But OVA causes the camera to feel like a DSLR. With the option selected, making changes to the exposure isn’t reflected in the viewfinder. It’s a nod back to DSLR tech that I’m not entirely sure is
To be honest, it’s almost academic to discuss what the Mark II is like as a picture-taking machine – such is the reliability and accuracy of modern cameras. I didn’t manage to upset the metering system, and overall I found it to be a thoroughly amiable companion throughout our short time together. I’m genuinely not sure that there are enough changes to make users of the Mark I want to rush and get a trade-in price, but if you’re looking at the Mark II as a powerful, hybrid tool that can turn its hand to practically anything, you will be delighted to know that it delivers in spades. PN
HOLD ON TIGHT A sturdy build with a chunky grip and easy-to-use buttons and dials make this a body perfect for flitting between photo and video mode
PERFORMANCE: EXPOSURE LATITUDE
Final word
Verdict The EOS R6 Mark II sets its stall out as a jack-of-all-trades, but far from being a master of none, it consummately handles all you throw at it. It’s well-specified from a video perspective and delivers high-quality footage, but it also produces exceptional results from a stills point of view. Autofocusing performance is the real standout, especially when tackling subjects on the move – I can safely say that my hit rate has never been higher. 23 /25 FEATURES They’re all there, but some are harder to find than others. The 24.2-megapixel resolution may be a tad weedy for some, but if it’s pixels you’re chasing, this is not the camera you’re looking for
22 /25 HANDLING
-4
-3
-2
Sizeable grip and rubberised finish are both great, plus the weather resistance proved its worth. I did find that getting rain on the eye sensor could fool the camera into thinking it’s up to your eye, switching off the rear LCD in the process
24 /25 PERFORMANCE
No complaints here, whether it’s stills, video or both you want to produce. Expect high-quality results across the board
-1
0
+1
22 /25 VALUE FOR MONEY
£2779 for the body or £3129 with the 24- 105mm STM lens can hardly be described as a bargain, but you do get plenty of bang for your buck Not everyone’s cup of tea, but this is an incredibly well-specified and capable camera. If the future of your image making is likely to involve a reasonable amount of video, it’s time to stop chasing pixels and start thinking hybrids. And the R6 Mark II is one of the finest hybrids available
91 /100 OVERALL
+2
+3
+4
PROS AF and ISO performance, true hybrid machine, equally at home shooting both stills and video, great handling, impressive battery life, overall speed CONS Pixel count for some won’t be enough, OVA not needed, not enough differences to warrant Mark I users trading up
With the underexposed frames, I got a decent result out of the -4 file, though it required heavy colour correction. The overexposed files were less tolerant. Highlights on the +4 file couldn’t be rescued and it wasn’t until the +2 file that I got anything close to the original. Underexpose at will, overexpose with caution!
No real surprises here, with the EOS R6 Mark II falling in line with most other cameras while being more tolerant with underexposure than over. These images show that I under and overexposed this scene by four stops either side of the correct exposure, then saw how much detail could be pulled back during editing.
Issue 103 | Photography News 21
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