CANON EOS 6D MARK II

At launch, the Mark II was nearly twice the price of the original 6D, but is it twice as good?

Announced back in 2012, the original Canon 6D was a DSLR that brought full-frame photography to the masses.

Five years down the line, the Mark ii launched with a giant leap in features and specifications, as well as purchase price.

Key upgrades include a higher-res image sensor that gains ‘dual pixel’ phase-shift autofocus for Live view and movie capture, the latter also benefiting from five-axis stabilisation. The image processor is two generations newer, there’s a 45-point instead of 11-point autofocus module for regular viewfinder-based shooting, and a vari-angle touchscreen instead of a basic, fixed screen. The maximum drive rate is boosted from 4.5fps to 6.5fps and both NFC and Bluetooth connectivity are added to the existing wi-Fi and GPS. All in all, that’s an impressive list.

As for handling, the grip areas are large, comfortable and uncluttered, while the array of controls for quick, direct access to shooting settings have a logical layout. Canon’s typically excellent and highly intuitive ‘Quick’ menu benefits greatly from the rear LCD becoming a touchscreen.

it’s not all good news, though. Compared with the original 6D, the Mark ii has been criticised for relatively disappointing dynamic range and additional High-iso image noise. To some extent, that’s the price you pay for the jump from a 20.2MP to a 26.2MP image sensor. Even so, our lab tests reveal that dynamic range and signal-to-noise performance are pretty much on a par with the other cameras on test. Overall, the 6D Mark ii is a great camera and the price has come down considerably since launch, making it excellent value.