Get into the full-frame game: Canon EOS 6D Mark II

Calling astrophotographers, landscape shooters, and light chasers alike: Canon’s EOS 6D Mark II camera puts full-frame performance into a compact, fully featured DSLR

Canon EOS 6D Mark II
Sensor size             35.9x24mm
Megapixels              26.2
ISO                          100–40,000 (exp. 102,400)
Shutter                    1/4,000s
Burst shooting        6.5fps
Autofocus               45-point PDAF
Dimensions             144x111x75 mm
Weight                    765g
 

Nearly five years after the original EOS 6D full-frame camera was launched, Canon has unveiled a successor. The EOS 6D Mark II improves on the past model in practically every way, offering increased resolution, faster autofocus, and higher sensitivity. It’s a considerably more powerful camera than its predecessor, but retains the light weight and good handling users loved about the original.

At first glance, the EOS 6D Mark II is exactly what you’d expect — the physical interface of the camera is largely unchanged from that of the original 6D. Even when the two cameras are compared side by side, there are more similarities between the models than there are differences.

Canon’s recipe clearly works: the body is ergonomically efficient and intuitive, and anyone with experience of a recent EOS-series DSLR will be able to find their way around the camera without any trouble at all. For this reason, there’s a large proportion of APS-C shooters for whom the EOS 6D Mark II would be a very sensible upgrade — aside from a quick crash course on focal lengths, there’d be virtually no learning curve.

At its heart, the new Canon EOS 6D Mark II boasts a 26.2MP full-frame CMOS sensor paired with a DIGIC 7 image processor for sharp, vivid, image rendition. With incredible low-light performance, the camera’s native ISO sensitivity span of 100–40,000 allows flexibility, so that photographers can shoot with the confidence that details will be retained even in the darkest nights. That’s a dramatic increase from the 32,000 maximum sensitivity of the original 6D, once championed as a low-light marvel. Astrophotographers, get excited: this camera is capable of taking dark frames, bias frames; flat frames; and, most important, the light frames you need.

With Canon’s ultra-fast Dual Pixel autofocus system, photographers can command greater control over their creative vision. With 45 cross-type autofocus points at its disposal covering 80 per cent of the image plane, the EOS 6D Mark II accurately locks on to subjects, even in the lowest lighting. Now fully articulating and touch-sensitive, the camera’s rear vari-angle LCD offers the option to set focus point by touch, too. This addition brings the EOS 6D Mark II in line with recent Canon DSLRs — but it’s the first fully articulating screen of its kind on a full-frame DSLR. Whether you’re shooting a starry night or the city lights, there’s never been more flexibility in getting your shot.

As Canon’s first camera to offer both 4K time-lapse movie mode and a built-in intervalometer, getting creative is made even easier. In addition, the EOS 6D Mark II can record consecutive frames in pre-selected intervals, and track auto exposure for each image taken during the time-lapse sequence, allowing photographers to capture day-to-night time-lapse sequences, proving that this camera is versatility at its finest.

On top of having Wi-Fi, as before, new wireless features include Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC, making it a lot easier to set up, shoot remotely, and sync with your phone. Plus, with Canon’s Camera Connect app, images can travel from the shutter straight to social media. And, if you’re travelling, the camera’s built-in GPS keeps track of location, allowing you to pinpoint that favourite spot or shooting location.

For more information on the Canon EOS 6D Mark II, available at leading photographic retailers, visit canon.co.nz.