Reference is made to this thread:
6D- Early Impressions thread (for early adopters?)
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1172848/0?keyword=6d,impressions#11179739

What do y'all 6d owners think of it after a little time? Honeymoon still going strong?

Thanks in advance, cause I'm really interested in what 6D owners say. Is the (relatively) smaller size/weight noticeable from, say, a 5D? Is the 97% VF noticeable? Anything. The camera has a hook in me, looks great for my shooting (landscape, stills).
Basically want to hear trusted synopses about how good it is

Well I dont own one but I'm pleased with the one I've had for a month.

Not sure I would upgrade from a 5d2 though its overall a better landscape body, from crop its a big shift.

Oh. You had to send it back? :-(

Still got it, not sure for how long though! Havnt heard from canon since before xmas...

The 6D is a great tool. As are most modern full frame cameras at this price point or higher.

I have owned mine since the week of release. It does everything I ask of it, when I ask it, and if my technique is correct, the results are nothing short of extraordinary. I would put IQ on par with any modern Canon or Nikon full frame offering. It simply takes wonderful photos.

To my eye, all the full-frame offerings of Canon, Nikon, ect have very good IQ. I would say your buying decision should be based on the feature set that you are looking for. For example: Wifi, autofocus designed for sports shooters, Multiple SD card slots for event shooters, live-view, etc....

A few features that drove me to 6D: Wifi, better Live-View than Nikon's similar offering, interchangable focus screens for useing non-autofocus lenses, good low light performance (high ISO).

I had been considering a used 5D2 after using my 5D for a while for the improved LCD, live view and other features and couldn't justify the extra cost of the 5D3 also the features of the 5D3 was overkill for my needs. Looked at the early impressions of the 6D on the forum specifically Ralph Conway first impressions thread and a thread discussing the wifi feature of the 6D. Those 2 threads about did it for me and I went ahead and bought the 6D.

For me it's a big step up from my 5D. I currently use the 85L, 135L and the MPE-65, while the focus speed for the 85L and the 135L seem very slightly better the MPE now is a lens that's handholdable due to the high ISO image quality of the camera. For me upto ISO 12800 seems usable.

To me the best and most used feature is the wifi and remote shooting with my ipad/iPhone. It takes a minute to set it up and while the camera is set to shoot RAW images all the ones I grab on my ipad for viewing are jpegs. So I can instantly view and share while keeping the RAW images for processing later.

So all in all I'm very happy with it and contrary to what to what some posts mentioned about the polycarbonate upper plate of the body, it feels solid.

Edit: the earlier post reminded me of the interchangeable focusing screen. I have the Ee-s screen installed on my 5D and intend on installing a similar one for the 6D.

Hope that helps.

Two weeks isn't really longer term, but I can offer this: the only surprise the 6D has given me has been a positive one: it is far better at BIF than I expected. Some context here: I've owned 1D2N, 1D3, 1D4, 7D, 5D, & 5D2 bodies. Contrary to expectations and some other's experience, I got decent AF tracking when using the 5D2 center point (but the shutter lag & frame rate made it unusable for certain tasks), and was frustrated by my 7D's erratic performance. I have found the 6D's AF/AI servo performance to be pretty darn good with the 100-400L. Of course the frame rate and center AF-only limitation will prevent it from being a primary action camera; but still, I'm getting good tracking and deadly accurate focus even with the slow 100-400, and combined with the lack of troublesome shutter lag this makes the 6D more versatile than I expected.

But I didn't buy the 6D for action shots. Like you I shoot mostly stationary subjects. Interchangeable focus screens are important to me, & so I passed on the 5D3. The 6D is a companion to my 5D2, and having the stock screen in one body and the EG-S in the other comes in very handy when I need to switch from using fast to slow glass. The wifi is another welcome bonus: it remotely triggers my Yongnuo RF multi-flash setup perfectly via an ipod touch. Also, keeping track of my location when shooting is important to me (I had been using an external GPS unit), and the built in GPS simplifies things there.

Size? Noticeably smaller than the 5D2 and does feel better in my medium sized hands...that's a minor plus for me. Wasn't thrilled about a 97% VF, but that hasn't yet caused any problems. The joystick replacement is a downgrade for sure, but I'm adapting to it. I've grown to like the new magnification arrangement for image playback: using the top dial to increase/decrease viewing size works for me.

I waited for the first price break ($1900 USD shipped) and am satisfied with the 6D from both a pefomance and value standpoint. I'm liking it more as time goes on, and that doesn't always happen for me.

Ralph Conway wrote:
Oh. You had to send it back? :-(

Bah just got an email...

Oldraven wrote:

<snip>

The wifi is another welcome bonus: it remotely triggers my Yongnuo RF multi-flash setup perfectly via an ipod touch.

<snip>



This kind of setup is news to me. A quick search didn't immediately lead me to a discussion of how this works - could you point me in the right direction, and/or explain (at least briefly) here?

Thanks!

I've had mine for what? two weeks or so now... not sure if that qualifies for "longer-term" but I still am very impressed with the camera. Especially the ISO performance.

The only reservations I have is whether or not to get a LCD protector and if I want the battery grip. Otherwise, I'm tickled stiff with the camera.

paulfeng wrote:
Oldraven wrote:

<snip>

The wifi is another welcome bonus: it remotely triggers my Yongnuo RF multi-flash setup perfectly via an ipod touch.

<snip>



This kind of setup is news to me. A quick search didn't immediately lead me to a discussion of how this works - could you point me in the right direction, and/or explain (at least briefly) here?

Thanks!

First step is to dowload & install the free app "EOS Remote". I got that from Apple's APP Store. (I think my 3rd gen ipod touch is the oldest hardware that works with this app. Newer ipods, iphones, & ipads are also good to go, naturally). Once you've downloaded the app into itunes, your next sync will put it into your ipod/phone/pad. Then you get the 6D's WiFi to recognize & talk to the i/device via EOS remote, at which time the i/device becomes a surrogate controller for the 6D, with the device's screen substituting for the camera's LCD back (Live View on the i/device, for example). A virtual shutter button is now provided on the i/device for triggering the camera.

I can now change camera setings and trigger them without leaving the remote location, and that's something I find very useful.

I think EOS remote is also available in another ios for non-Apple devices, but I am totally ignorant on that subject. Hope this primer helps. As for links, arghh, I researched a whole lot of sources in re compatibility and functionality of this setup, and can't remember any of them. Perhaps someone else can contribute here.

EOS remote allows modification of flash settings?

They caught you on here chatting about it!

RobDickinson wrote:
Ralph Conway wrote:
Oh. You had to send it back? :-(

Bah just got an email...

I like mine so far.
The ergonomics have been good, it fits really well in my hands, and I do not miss the joy stick. I was at B&H today (to get the sigma 35 1.4) and had a chance to handle both 5DMKIII and 6D, I actually liked the 6D better, I found the 5D a little too big. The 97% viewfinder is a non issue, I tried to see the difference and could not see any.
The autofocus has been very good so far, but I am center point recompose kind of guy, and I do not shoot sports or wildlife.
I really like the magnifier glass button on the 6D which allows you to immediately look at your image at 100%, very handy.
The thumbwheel is a little small, but not a deal breaker.
High ISO image quality and noise control is just amazing !

On the negative side I found the 6D to under expose a little, I am not sure if the others have noticed. I set the camera to over expose by 1/3 of a stop. This was a surprise to me as normally I had to under expose my other Canon bodies.

Conclusion ; For the price of the 5DMkIII body, I have a 6D with the Sigma 35 mm 1.4. ! I am happy with that.

RobDickinson wrote:
EOS remote allows modification of flash settings?

Just re-read my post. WHAT was I thinking? The only place I've changed flash settings remotely is in my dreams. To be clear: EOS remote changes camera settings like ISO, aperture, exposure comp & so on, just as you'd expect. Flash settings must be set & changed on the camera, and these settings can then be executed remotely. It's great not to have to walk to the remote flash(es) to change exposure comp, zoom setting etc, but the camera & transceiver handle that, not EOS remote.

I've been field testing so much new gear lately that I inexplicably lost track of what does what. I'll edit the post above to correct the misleading info. Mea maxima culpa.

Luta13 wrote:
The 6D is a great tool. As are most modern full frame cameras at this price point or higher.

I have owned mine since the week of release. It does everything I ask of it, when I ask it, and if my technique is correct, the results are nothing short of extraordinary. I would put IQ on par with any modern Canon or Nikon full frame offering. It simply takes wonderful photos.

To my eye, all the full-frame offerings of Canon, Nikon, ect have very good IQ. I would say your buying decision should be based on the feature set that you are looking for. For example: Wifi, autofocus designed for sports shooters, Multiple SD card slots for event shooters, live-view, etc....

A few features that drove me to 6D: Wifi, better Live-View than Nikon's similar offering, interchangable focus screens for useing non-autofocus lenses, good low light performance (high ISO).


Luta pretty much perfectly summed it up.
As a stills camera, and as an alt platform, it is great. I've had mine since week 1 as well, and just couldn't be happier with it.

Like others have said, great tool, and a solid upgrade from my 5Dc. The wifi has been wonderful to proof session photos, at the session - I have the clients go through and star their favorites as it saves me some time in post.

Just figured this out today: push the AF selection button, and then use the wheel by the shutter to move along the long axis of focus points. I did miss the joystick, but this little factoid helps since I wasn't a fan of using the multi-pad with the camera to my eye. And yes, I just checked that the 5D does this too, but never used it since it has the joystick. Yeah, I feel pretty silly for just finding this out

I have had my 6D since the beginning of December. It is an absolutely brilliant piece of equipment. Image quality, user friendliness, autofocus are all right on. The high ISO performance is over the top. Since I previously had a 60D (in addition to a 7D and a 5D2) the controls felt natural to use.

Almost two months in and I remain in love with this camera body.

Thank you for the clarification, Oldraven. I was thinking that maybe you were saying that the camera was signaling over wifi to the iPod that the shutter was being tripped, and that the iPod was somehow triggering the flashes. My imagination run away with an improbable or impossible notion (timing impossible to achieve with wifi?).

Glad to hear of people's good experiences with the 6D.

Oldraven wrote:
RobDickinson wrote:
EOS remote allows modification of flash settings?

Just re-read my post. WHAT was I thinking? The only place I've changed flash settings remotely is in my dreams. To be clear: EOS remote changes camera settings like ISO, aperture, exposure comp & so on, just as you'd expect. Flash settings must be set & changed on the camera, and these settings can then be executed remotely. It's great not to have to walk to the remote flash(es) to change exposure comp, zoom setting etc, but the camera & transceiver handle that, not EOS remote.

I've been field testing so much new gear lately that I inexplicably lost track of what does what. I'll edit the post above to correct the misleading info. Mea maxima culpa.

I'm curious about this...here's the set up that I had: 6D w/ Cactus V5 triggers, speedlites with Cacti (my normal 'studio' set up). What I've found is that when I am connected via remote camera and tap the shutter release on my smartphone, the flashes will not fire. This tells me that my camera's hot shoe is not going hot at shutter release.

If I walk up and manually release on on-camera shutter (still connected via wifi), that the triggers will fire the linked speedlites.

So, unless I'm missing something (I very may well be), remote shutter release will not activate the hot shoe...I haven't tried an on-camera speedlite.

Thoughts, or conflicting experiences?