I’m only gone for a week, and a flood of cameras are announced. Out of all of these announcements the Canon 6d shouldn’t be to much of a surprise for most of you. The 6d has been rumored to be on the horizon for quit a few months, with the only real question being final specs and release date.

Here are a few of the Canon 6d specs:

  • 20.2 megapixels CMOS sensor (6.55 µm square pixel site)
  • Max shutter speed 1/4000
  • IPB and All-I Video compression formats at 1920 x 1080 (30 fps/25fps/24fps)
  • 11-point cross type auto focus
  • Continuous shooting 4.5 fps
  • SD, SDHC, SDXC card slot
  • 97% view finder
  • Built-in Wireless and GPS
  • Aluminum alloy and polycarbonate body

There are of course more specs I could list, but those seem to hit the heart of the matter. The first thing that jumps out at me is the “11-point cross type auto focus” which is better then the 9 points on the 5d mark II but less then the 19 points on the 7d. Also note the 97% view finder v.s. the 7d’s 100% view finder. These seem like another example of Canon holding back features to keep other cameras relevant.

The Canon 6d is at least weather sealed with a Aluminum alloy body, making it more rugged then Canon’s entry level models. The SD Card slot seems to have reduced the overall size and weight of 6d when compared to the 5d mark II which could be considered a good thing. Notice however the lack of any buttons next to the left hand side of the screen and that the scroll wheel is the somewhat spongy design used in the 60d. Neither of these changes are deal breakers but I do prefer my playback button on the left hand side of the screen.

Another Item on the list that seems interesting is the 6.55 um pixel size. Pixel size is usually an indicator of low light performance (bigger number is better). The Canon 6d‘s 6.55 um size is .15 um bigger then the 5d mark II and .3 um bigger then the 5d mark III. There are of course other things that effect low light performance, but I suspect the 6d will at least equal the great low light abilities of the 5dmkIII.

According to Canon’s press release the Built-in Wifi will work with the “free Canon EOS Remote app available for iOS and Android systems which will allow a smartphone or wireless device such as a tablet to remotely connect, control and operate the connected EOS 6d”. I wonder how this new feature will work with video, and if you’ll be able to monitor audio from a headphone jack on the tablet since the Canon 6d doesn’t include a headphone jack on the camera. If these new apps offer the ability to use your phone or tablet as a wireless monitor and controller, I could see the 6d becoming a very popular camera to have.

If you’re interested in pre-ordering the 6d you can find it on Amazon (here), and B&H for $2099 (here). I’ll see if I can get my hands on a review model when it’s released, but I don’t think I’ll be pre-ordering the Canon 6d in the near future, there are just too many cameras being announced right now for me to add any new bodies to my collection.

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