CANON'S EOS M6 MARK II A PORTABLE POWERHOUSE OF A CAMERA
COULD THIS PORTABLE POWERHOUSE INJECT SOME MUCH-NEEDED ENERGY INTO CANON’S M SERIES?
LAUNCHED AT THE same time as the Canon EOS 90D DSLR, the EOS M6 Mark II is not only an evolution of the previous M6; in some respects it’s a miniature 90D, as the two cameras share the same sensor.
Canon’s M range of mirrorless APS-C cameras have been playing second-fiddle to its full-frame options lately, and while some of Canon’s M-series models are underrated, decent performers, the original M6 arguably wasn’t the easiest to fall in love with.
The EOS M6 Mark II represents a fairly dramatic overhaul of that camera. Canon’s decision to place a high-resolution sensor inside a miniature body along with a range of impressive, action-friendly specifications is a fairly bold move for a model which might otherwise only appeal to travel photographers.
The M6 Mark II isn’t only replacing the M6, but also, apparently, the EOS M5. Unlike the M6 the M5 came with a viewfinder, and you can purchase a detachable OLED viewfinder either separately, or as part of a kit package if that’s a feature you like to have.
FEATURES
The sensor in the EOS M6 Mark II gets a dramatic boost in resolution over the one in the M6, packing more pixels than ever before on a Canon APS-C sensor. To go with it, there’s the latest Digic 8 processing engine, which gives the M6 Mark II an impressive speed boost over the M5 and the M6 – specifically 14fps shooting with continuous autofocus at full resolution. A 30fps raw burst mode is also available, if you can live with
‘just’ 18 megapixels.
Another welcome improvement is the addition of uncropped 4K video recording, and this, along with its tilting screen, microphone socket and small size, could make the M6 Mark II an interesting choice for vloggers.
Autofocus wise, we’ve got some new functionality in the form of eye-detection, which we’ve seen previously on Canon’s EOS R and EOS RP full-frame mirrorless models – although don’t expect to use it for more than one subject.
When it comes to design, Canon has essentially refined what it already had. It’s ditched the exposure compensation dial on the top plate to equip the camera with a Dial Func control which can be switched up to control a variety of settings.
BUILD AND HANDLING
The small size of the Canon EOS M6 Mark II belies what it’s capable of under the hood, with Canon packing an impressive array of specs into the relatively unassuming-looking body.
A new grip helps the M6 Mark II to feel noticeably sturdier than its predecessor, although it’s still nice and light at just 408g. There’s no built-in viewfinder, which will be a negative for some traditionalists, but for those coming from a smartphone it’ll be less of an issue – and if you do need one, the detachable EVF-DC2 finder is available as an optional extra.
The 1.04 million-dot tilting LCD screen is the same as the panel on the first-gen M6. This pivots to face all the way forward for selfies, as well as angling down to 45 degrees for shooting from high angles.
On the top plate are a trio of dials. There’s a mode dial which features all the usual semi-automatic and manual modes, alongside some helpful automatic, scene and custom modes, while encircling the shutter release button at the front is a scrolling dial which can be used for different functions depending on which mode you’re using – aperture when you’re in aperture priority mode for example.
The third dial, towards the back of the top plate, can be customised via a function button in its center, and is handy for making quick changes to settings such as ISO, white balance, and focusing mode.
AUTOFOCUS
Compared to the original M6, the Canon EOS M6 Mark II has a baffling-sounding 5481 AF points, but don’t worry – you won’t be expected to scroll through that many. In essence, it just means that you can tap pretty much anywhere on the screen to select an autofocus point. If you choose to leave the camera to make a selection, it will do so using 143 AF areas.
Focusing from the M6 Mark II is impressively speedy – there’s no hanging around here. In good light, the camera will lock onto targets with impressive speed and accuracy. In very low light you might find there’s a little hunting, but it’s incredibly rare for a false confirmation of focus to be presented.
PERFORMANCE & IMAGE QUALITY
Going on appearances, the Canon EOS M6 Mark II may not immediately strike you as being suited to action, sports and wildlife photography, but for a camera so diminutive it’s actually packing some impressive specs that will appeal to photographers working in those genres.
One such feature is 14fps shooting, which takes advantage of the sensor’s full resolution, or if you’re happy to drop down to 18-megapixel shooting, there’s a dedicated 30fps RAW burst mode. On the downside, the buffer isn’t huge – you’ll get 54 JPEGs or 23 raw files before it slows down, and a good workaround is to set it to capture smaller C-raw files, of which you’ll get 36.
We took lots of shots using the different Picture Style options, but our favorite is probably the Fine Detail setting, which takes advantage of that ultra-high pixel count to deliver images which almost pop from the screen, with excellent colors and bags of detail. Of course, many will also shoot in raw, and the M6 Mark II’s raw files are fairly malleable, giving you good scope to adjust exposure in post-production.
VERDICT
By using the same sensor as found in the enthusiast-level 90D DSLR, Canon is telling us that the M6 Mark II is actually also suitable for serious photographers, who shouldn’t dismiss it out of hand. While many enthusiasts will crave a viewfinder, the lack of one isn’t a serious omission given that one can be purchased separately – and using just a screen will barely be an issue for those used to shooting on their phone, and vloggers.