The EOS 6D is one of the smallest
full-frame SLRs available and is taking on the excellent Nikon D600, which
impressed us when we reviewed it last issue. At $2,473, its Canon’s most
affordable full-frame SLR to date, sitting between the EOS 60S and the more
expensive 5D Mark III. The 6D is still around $300 more expensive than the
D600, but it’s a tempting proposition for amateurs who want the low noise and
big viewfinder that come with a full-frame camera.
It’s also the first Canon SLR to
incorporate Wi-Fi and GPS, features that are only optional extras in the D600.
The GPS function keeps working when the camera is powered down as denoted by an
icon on the passive LCD screen – which means you don’t have to hang around
missing potentially excellent photographic opportunities while it spends ages
recalculating its position.
The
EOS 6D is one of the smallest full-frame SLRs available and is taking on the
excellent Nikon D600
Its Wi-Fi capability enables you to connect
the 6D to the free EOS Remote iPhone app, which has a remote shooting mode
complete with live view, autofocus point and exposure control. An elegant image
browser offers swift full-screen views and the ability to embed star ratings
back onto the camera’s SD card. The other wireless functions are rather fiddly
to set up, but the list is impressive, with tethered Mac shooting, uploads to
social media, wireless printing and DLNA streaming.
Its full-frame 20-megapixel CMOS sensor may
be similar to the one in the luxurious and rather more expensive EOS 5D Mark
III, but its controls have more in common with the cheaper 60D. They’re
generally well laid out, but a dedicated white balance button is notably
absent. The Q button and its associated menu are the quickest means of access,
but manual white balance calibration is available only via the main menu.
However, the 6D regains ground over the D600 with its AF-On button. This
triggers autofocus, giving the option to use the shutter release button to take
photos without having to refocus before each shot, which is a useful trick for
rapid-fire photography. Performance is generally excellent, but continuous mode
is, according to our tests, only 4.3fps; the D600 managed 5.5fps.
The 6D’s JPEGs edged into the lead;
making it the best low-light camera we’ve ever reviewed
The
GPS function keeps working when the camera is powered down – as denoted by an
icon on the passive LCD screen
Unlike the D600, there’s no integrated
flash, which some potential buyers will see as a drawback, but others will
consider a testament to the camera’s incredible low-light performance. It also
lacks an autofocus assist lamp. It’s something that Canon omits from all its
SLRs, but autofocus in extremely low light can suffer as a result of this.
As well as picture styles such as
Landscape, Faithful and Monochrome, the 6D has a Creative Auto mode that lets
you alter background blur without fiddling with aperture settings, not to
mention a range of ambience settings such as Warm and Intense.
The 6D’s weakest area is its autofocus
sensor. As with the Nikon D600, the 6D’s AF points are bunched towards the
center of the frame more than we’d ideally like, but while the D600 has 39
points with nine cross-type for increased sensitivity, the 6D has only 11
points, with a single cross-type point in the center. This is surprising, as
the 60D and even the 650D have nine cross-type autofocus sensors. Having so few
AF points’ means that automatic subject tracking isn’t available on the 6D. It
also meant that we often found ourselves having to focus and then recompose the
shot. There was a palpable difference in the responsiveness of the center
cross-type point compared with the others, so we tended to leave this point
permanently selected.
How much of a drawback this is depends on
the kind of subjects you tend to shoot. It makes little difference for
landscape photography, it’s a bit of a nuisance for portraits, but it’s a
disaster for sports and other action photography. It bugged us for the first
couple of days of testing, but we soon became used to it.
There are no such issues to report
regarding image quality. The 20-megrapixel sensor is a little lower than the
D600’s 24 megapixels, but there really isn’t much in it. All three excel for
low noise at fast ISO speeds, but the 6D’s JPEGs edged into the lead, making it
the best low-light camera we’ve ever reviewed.
Photos were fit for publication up to
ISO12800, and even ISO51200 produced passable snaps. Details at lower ISO speeds
were crisp and precise, accurately picking out fine textures such as hair and
fabric. Automatic exposures were expertly judged and, as always, there’s ample
scope to customize the JPEG processing settings. Comparisons with the D600 fall
somewhere between subjective and negligible – both take sublime photos.
The
EOS 6D is an excellent choice for Canon users who are considering moving to a
full-frame model.
The two cameras’ video modes are easier to
tell apart, though. Compared with the D600, the 6D’s output looks like a
lower-resolution picture with aggressive digital sharpening applied, and its
punchy contrast comes at the expense of clipped highlights. Both cameras
include a microphone input the 6D lacks a headphone output, which might put off
videographers. However, it does provide full access to exposure controls, where
the D600’s aperture is fixed while recording.
The EOS 6D is an excellent choice for Canon
users who are considering moving to a full-frame model. The lower noise,
shallower depth of field and larger viewfinder that come with a full-frame
sensor, along with the built-in Wi-Fi and GPS functions, add up to a
significant upgrade. However, the 6D’s autofocus system doesn’t compare well to
that of the Nikon D600. It’s a very close-run thing, but the D600 remains our
top choice in this bracket.
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Canon EOS 5D
specs
§ Pro:
Price – Outstanding image quality – Sophisticated Wi-Fi and GPS functions
built in – incredible low-light performance
§ Con:
Autofocus system limits its appeal – Video has too much digital sharpening
and suffers from clipped highlights
§ Price:
$2,473
§ Verdict:
4/5
§ Packaged
Quantity: 1
§ Product
Type: Digital camera - SLR
§ Resolution:
12.8 megapixels
§ Optical
Sensor: Type CMOS
§ Total
Pixels: 13,300,000 pixels
§ Effective
Sensor Resolution: 12,800,000 pixels
§ Optical
Sensor Size: 23.9 x 35.8mm
§ Image
Processor: DIGIC II
§ Auto
Focus: TTL phase detection
§ Auto
Focus Points (Zones) Qty: 9
§ Image
Recording Format: JPEG, RAW, RAW + JPEG
§ AV
Interfaces: Composite video/audio
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