27Nov So I pre-ordered the Canon 6d
The Canon 6d has had me on the fence for awhile now. It’s as though Canon added just enough features to tempt me, but took away enough to make me think about waiting tell February for the next batch of cameras. On the downside the Canon 6d barely keeps up with the 5d mark II when it comes to AF points which is disappointing when you consider the used price of a 5d mark II body is around $1300 right now. On the other side of things the new single cross type AF point is supposed to be good all the way down to EV -3 which beats the 5d mark III’s EV -2 rating. Also the new 20.2 megapixels CMOS sensor has a large 6.55 µm photodiode size which means it could actually outperform the 5dmkIII (6.25 µm square) in low light and would only be beaten by the 1dx (6.95 µm square) in Canon’s lineup.
Canon has decided not to included dual card slots which is a shame as this is a feature I’ve grown to enjoy on the 5dmkIII. The meager 4.5 fps frame rate doesn’t really make for much of an upgrade from the 5d mark II, yet Canon has made this the first body to offer built in wifi and GPS features. There is no flip out screen like the 60d, but canon reps have pointed out in several interviews that you don’t need a flip out screen because you can simply use your cell phone as an external monitor. Compare this feature to the massive waste of money that is the Canon WFT-E7A. When I say “massive” that’s because the WTF-E7A is about half the size of a DSLR and offers very few features (other then transmission range) for almost $800.
The extreme lack of buttons and that click dial that’s supposed to be a “feature” on the Canon 60d is a big disappointment. Remember how much some people complained about the movement of the focus assist button on the 5dmkIII? Well now they don’t have to worry about that because there are no buttons. You’re left with the bare minimum, a blank shapeless spot for your left hand to occupy. However, unlike the 60d, the 6d is fully waterproofed and sports an Aluminum alloy and polycarbonate body.
I’ve gone back and forth over the past month. Do I want more AF points, or better low-light AF? Do I need all those buttons or will I be just as happy to control the camera with my phone? No one’s been able to tell me if the 6d will have on screen audio level meters. The 6d’s biggest features are low-light performance and wifi, but is that compelling enough for $2099? The positive features are just enough to push me towards pre-order, but don’t be surprised if I trade this back in.
November 27th, 2012 at 7:45 am
Wow, let me know how it goes, I will be getting one in for review.
November 27th, 2012 at 7:54 am
Not sure if it’ll be a keeper. I’d like another great low light camera around on film projects, but not sure if I want to spend an extra $700 for another used 5d mark III. If I hate the 6d, i’ll sell it and grab another 5dmkIII.
November 27th, 2012 at 8:28 am
The button layout alone makes this thing look like a T2i. I hope it’s simple to operate in that sense. Any thoughts on moving to a Sony DSLR since the A99 is all the rage lately? Pricey, but impressive.
November 27th, 2012 at 10:21 am
The T2i still stands as the best bang for your buck out of any current DSLR on the market (with magic lantern). I still film with two of them on a regular bases. It’s the camera I grab when I have special effects blood flying all over the room. For controls on the 6d, I think as long as you can use one click wheel for iso and one for f-stop the lack of buttons shouldn’t be to bad, I’m not really going to miss the “rate” button.
I’ve been seriously looking at the A99, if I was just starting out, and didn’t have my current lens collection, batteries, and so on, I would probably say go Sony. Not quit as good of a low light performer but most of the time you don’t really need to shoot in near darkness. It’s just a shame that Sony wants an extra $800 for the XLR audio adapter.
It will also be interesting to see where the GH3 ends up fitting in. If the xlr adapter is sub $300 and the camera comes in at $1200 that’s not to bad. Lets just hope it can finally do better then the t2i in terms of low light performance.
November 27th, 2012 at 9:35 am
I just pre-ordered mine last night, I am super excited about it. Can’t wait!
November 27th, 2012 at 9:54 am
does anyone know if the audio meters are up full time like the Mark III or are they buried down deep as usual. I can almost live without the headphone jack but not levels. I will use a juicedLink anyway. THANKS!
November 27th, 2012 at 10:01 am
I haven’t been able to find anything either. The on screen audio meters are really a must for me. I often do in camera audio when I’m working by myself and I need on screen meters to at the very least to get an idea of what my levels are.
November 27th, 2012 at 1:22 pm
That would be a deal breaker for me also. I have let our Canon rep know this but he doesn’t seem to have any say. At least Panasonic listens
November 27th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
So what exactly is the advantage of this over the 5d iii/ii?
November 27th, 2012 at 4:59 pm
The 6d (on paper) has better low light performance in both noise and focusing. It also has the built in wifi, which offers up the chance to control the camera remotely from a phone or tablet. It’s also about $1000 less then the 5d mark III, and about $500 (give or take) more then the 5d mark II.
November 27th, 2012 at 8:40 pm
I know it won’t do low light as good, and your lenses won’t work, but what about the GH3? Everyone is raving about the GH2 with the “hack”.
November 27th, 2012 at 11:13 pm
No word on the final features yet for the gh3. The gh2 could offer ultra high bit rates but fell apart above 800 iso. Some will tell you resolution is everything, but there’s a reason why the panasonic af100 (video camera version of gh2) is sold for so cheap on ebay.
November 29th, 2012 at 5:51 am
Johnnie Behiri just did a quick test with a beta model and complained about the morie and lack of audio monitoring, (it didn’t even have audio output over HDMI). He didn’t do any low light testing though. This wasn’t a production model mind you so I’m still hoping for better results after its official release but maybe I’m just overly optimistic. I still think IPB & Intra frame compressions are better than 5D2’s IPP and 6D’s weight would make it easier to balance over the 5D3 so it might be a keeper 🙂