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 p.32 #18 · Official: Canon Announces the EOS 6D Mark II | |
My Canon "Dear John" letter
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Canon, it's not me - it's you! I know that you're solid and reliable, but that isn't enough.
In 2005, the original 5D was launched as the first affordable FF DSLR, and many landscape photographers considered it to be ideal.
In 2008, the 5D MkII was launched, and was a considerable upgrade on the original. I purchased one, and have been very pleased with it.
In 2012, the 5D MkIII was launched. There was a small increase in resolution, but DR was marginally less. I did not see this as an upgrade, and kept my MkII. And, by the way, the price had increased from $2,699 to $3,500 ie. by 30%,
Later in 2012, the 6D was launched. It seemed to me that this was the more in the spirit of the original 5D: a realistically-priced landscape lens. And the MP/DR balance was good - fewer MP than the 5D MkIII, but more DR. It seemed to be a higher DR / lower resolution alternative to the 5D MkIII, and that was fine by me!Since the introduction of video, the 5D had moved away from its roots, and was now a multi-purpose camera, with a price tag to match. I felt that the 6D did not warrant changing from the 5D MkII, but I thought that the 6D MkII would do so. And I waited……
In 2016, the 5D MkIV was launched. It was tempting, but only a little: the DR was much improved, and the resolution was very reasonable, but the price was high. At this point, I heard about the A7R II, but after researching it on the internet I concluded that it was clunky and unreliable when used with Canon lenses, and ultimately was more of a gadget than a camera.
On 29 June, Canon announced the specifications of the 6D MkII. They seemed reasonable - provided that the 6D MkII followed the example of the 6D by providing a higher DR / lower resolution alternative to the latest 5D model. But comments from Canon staff on an early hands-on review that the 6D MkII "may not offer the same kind of dynamic range and absolute resolution of the EOS 5D Mark IV", and similar comments from a Canon representative on a B+H video, made me nervous.
On 4th July, I read:
RustyBug wrote:
NOTE: Fred Miranda himself uses Canon glass on Sony bodies
On 5th July, I researched the A7R II in more depth. I liked what I saw, and wondered whether the improvements to the Metabones adapter (now at Mk V) had resolved most of the issues.
On 6th July, I went to my local store, and to compare exposures between my 5D MkII and a A7R II + Metabones V adapter. I shot 3 frames at each end of the zoom range of the following lenses: 8-15mm, 16-35mm f/4, 24-70mm f/4 and 70-200mm f/4. All the shots (other than some under-exposed by 4 stops at the end) were at 1/160 sec at f/11 and ISO 100. The A7R II handled extremely well. Autofocus was fast ( - I cannot say whether it was as fast as with the 5D MkII, but it was certainly fast enough for my purposes). I would prefer an OVF to an EVF, but the EVF was certainly good enough. And focus peaking was something that I would find extremely useful when manual focusing in the field ( - I still use manual focus a great deal).
On 7th July, I made detailed comparisons of the test shots: the A7R II had behaved flawlessly, and the resolution was a revelation. There was no sign of camera shake. (I had used the lens stabilisation only, and some say that the in camera stabilisation is superior to the lens stabilisation.) I also pushed the shots that were 4 stops under-exposed, and the difference between the 5D MkII and the A7R II was dramatic.
In the evening, I decided that I would be moving to Sony bodies.
On 8th July, the first results of tests of the 6D MkII's dynamic range came through……..
It is worth comparing the 5D MkII, the A7R II, the 5D MkIV and the 6D MkII. The following are the specifications that are of particular interest to me:
.....................................5D MkII...................A7R MkII...................5D MkIV...................6D MkII
.....................................---------...................----------...................----------...................----------
Launch date....................Sep 2008.................Jun 2015...................Aug 2016.................July 2017
Original price....................$2,699....................$3,198.......................$3,499....................$1,999
Current price..................................................$2,698.......................$3,299..........,,........$1,999
Effective sensor pixels.......21.1MP....................42.4MP.......................30.1MP....................26.2MP
Dynamic range ................11.9 EV..................13.9 EV.......................13.6 EV..................12.1 EV ?
Color depth.....................23.7 bits.................26.0 bits.....................24.8 bits...............23.8 bits ?
Max. shutter speed.........1/8000 sec..............1/8000 sec................1/8000 sec...............1/4000 sec
Max. frame rate.................4/sec......................5/sec........................7/sec.......................6.5/sec
AF points............................9...........................399...........................61...........................45
Viewfinder magnification.....0.71x.....................0.78x........................0.71x......................0.71x
Viewfinder coverage...........98%......................100%........................100%.......................98%
GPS...................................No.........................No............................Yes..........................Yes
Screen.............................Fixed........................Flip..........................Fixed..................Articulated
Weight (incl. battery)............................810g......................625g..........................800g.......................765g
Dimensions.................152.x113x75mm......127x96x60mm......151x116x76mm......144mmx110x75mm
NB. The A7R II's weight and price advantages are illusory. The weight of a Metabones adapter and at least 2 spare batteries needs to be added to the 625g figure for the A7R II. Similarly, the need for the Metabones adapter must also be considered in relation to its dimensions / bulk.
The 6D MkII is struggling to better a camera that is nearly a decade old!
For me, the choice is very clear: the resolution / DR combination of the A7R II - a camera that is already 2 years old - way exceeds the current offerings by Canon. I find it shocking. The A7R II has deficiencies that would be deal-breakers for some (eg. single card; lack of weather-sealing), but these are not deal-breakers for me.
My main interest is in landscape photography. For a long time, I mainly used non-Canon lenses (Carl Zeiss Contax/Yashica T* 35-70mm, Olympus 21mm, Nikon 17-35mm, Nikon 14-24mm, and I even dabbled with an old Nikon 8mm) with my 5D Mk II. But I have now replaced them all with the superb wide-angle and f/4 lenses that Canon has released in recent years. I am not impressed by the price/performance of the Sony lenses, and I shall continue to use my Canon lenses with the A7R II. But it is ironic that for years I was using a Canon body with 3rd party lenses, but in future I will be using a 3rd party body with Canon lenses!
So, Canon, it is adieu - but not necessarily farewell. If in the future you come up with a body as attractive as Sony's I will consider having you back. But you're really going to have to up your game!
Edited on Jul 09, 2017 at 08:25 AM · View previous versions
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), equivalent or better AF and only 4MP fewer. And it is about the same price... 