Photography News Issue 48

Photography News | Issue 48 | photographynews.co.uk

Camera test 32

Canon EOSM6 Canon’s mirrorless EOS M range is growing and here we test out its mid-range, monitor-only model that offers the option of an add-on EVF

Specs

Price £729 body only, £799 with the EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM Sensor CMOS 24.2-megapixels, DIGIC 7 processor with optical low pass

filter, 14-bit Raw Sensor format

APS-C 22.3x14.9mm, 6000x4000pixels ISO range 100-25,600 Shutter range 30secs to 1/4000sec, bulb, flash sync 1/200sec Drivemodes Up to 7fps with AF, 9fps with fixed AF Metering system Evaluative, centre-weighted, spot and partial Exposuremodes PASM, creative assist, scene intelligent, hybrid auto, SCN, 2x custom Exposure compensation +/-3EV on 0.3EV steps, AEB +/-2EV – three frames at 0.3EV steps Monitor Tiltable 3in, touch screen, 1.04k dots Viewfinder Optical EVF EVF-DC2 available Focusing Contrast detect, phase detect, multi-area, centre, zone, single point select, face detect, tracking, single, continuous, manual Focus points 49 points, Dual Pixel CMOS AF Video Full HD, 1920x1080 at 24p/30p/60p Connectivity Bluetooth, WiFi, NFC, USB2.0, micro HDMI Other key features Five axis digital IS, integral flash with GN5 (ISO 100, m), time-lapse movie mode Storagemedia 1xSD card Dimensions (wxhxd) 112x68x45mm Weight 390g body only Contact canon.co.uk

Words and pictures byWill Cheung

Canon’s its mirrorless range has been ramped up a little in recent times and there are now four attractive models to choose from. That said, the EOS M10 won’t be in the shops for long as it has just been replaced by the just-announced EOS M100, priced at £570 with lens. At the top of the tree is the EOS M5, which sells for £999 with lens. commitment to Finally there’s the EOS M6, tested here, in the mid-range. It is priced at £729 body only and £799 with the EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM. The EOS M6 is a very compact mirrorless camera, its small bodyform helped by the fact there is no integral electronic viewfinder. Monitor-only cameras are common nowadays so the lack of a viewfinder shouldn’t prove a detraction to would-be purchasers. However, should you want a viewfinder – even for the odd occasion – Canon has thought of that and you can buy one as an optional accessory. The EVF-DC2 is priced at £198 and this gadget slides into the EOS M6’s accessory shoe. There is a lock to stop it sliding off and it has a built-in dipotre correction eyepiece, too. An eye-detection sensor is also built in, so the view automatically switches from the monitor to the EVF when the camera is brought up the eye.

Above The EOS M6 on its own is compact and streamlined. Slip the £198 EVF-DC2 onto the accessory shoe and you gain a good quality electronic viewfinder image.

The image provided by the DC2 does not appear especially large but it is good, bright and contrasty. Exposure information is provided across the bottom and out of the image frame. The focus point is also shown – in the case of wide-zone focusing, active groups of AF points are shown. The EVF image can’t be adjusted which is a shame because on my sample, the EVF differed by some degree from the monitor view. The EVF image looked saturated and underexposed while the monitor’s image was correct. Anyway, back to the camera, minus the optional EVF. actual viewing The sensor is a 24.2-megapixel APS-C format CMOS unit that works with Canon’s DIGIC 7 image processor, giving an ISO range of 100 to 25,600. I shot Raws and fine JPEGs simultaneously. The former were

processed through Canon’s free DPP software as well as Lightroom. ISO performance and exposure latitude are discussed in detail elsewhere, so I will focus here on general picture quality. I was impressed with what the EOS M6 produced, viewing results on screen and in the form of A3 prints made on an Epson SC-P800 printer. Colours were accurate and lifelike and images showed good contrast, and fine detail was nicely recorded. On straight-out-of-the- camera JPEGs, shot in the standard colour mode, colour reproduction was vibrant, too. (On some family portraits I would have preferred a more delicate presentation, but this is a matter of taste and easily rectified in editing. For future shots, the camera has plenty of internal options.) The M6 has a fully rounded exposure system with the standard