p.2 #1 · Canon EOS R vs. Canon EOS R6 for Portraiture
Some months ago I bought a 6D and it disappointed me af wise. I had heard wonders about that central spot for low light focus, but the reality is that it was not as good or accurate. My A73 focused much better on low light than the 6D with the same lens (sigma 35 1.4), even if the A7III is not that good (before I had the EOS R and that is MUCH better than the Sony in low light).
I really like the R6’s and I was waiting for Canon to release a body with ibis to do the switch, but I just wanted an eos R with ibis, and going back to 20mpx, I’m not sure I want to do that.
I’ll wait until real reviews of the cameras to see real life performance and colors, and then I will decide whether to buy an eos R and wait a couple years until I can find a cheap R5 second handed, or go for the R6, or just stay with my Sony and wait...
p.2 #2 · Canon EOS R vs. Canon EOS R6 for Portraiture
Takes two weeks to be comfy. Silly layout though, for sure v
johnvanr wrote:
I rented the R and didn’t like the controls. I’d wait for an update or get the R6. Pretty sure 20mp is fine for portraits and you may even have nicer tonality since the pixels are larger on the R6 than on the R.
p.2 #3 · Canon EOS R vs. Canon EOS R6 for Portraiture
ScottS1957 wrote:
This comment hits well for me. I own the 6D (and the now "fabled 40D....still clicking, though I don't use it much!) My BIGGEST complaint on the 6D is missed focus. Those nine points compared with 5K on the EOS R are the biggest difference-maker to me. I must say that in low light, I have a "candle" in the 6D. And when the light is right, and I compose properly, that is one helluva camera, especially for the money.
But...I need to move into mirrorless. And your "all my images are instantly a lot sharper than they ever were with the 6D..." is an important piece of feedback for me.
Thank-you, Mtmountainman! And YES on RF glass!!!
I've been drooling watching YouTube videos on the RF 85mm 1.2, and RF 50mm 1.2. My only "concern" is which to get first!
ON MY LIST !!!
I spent several weeks agonizing over buying the RF 85mm 1.2 or 50mm 1.2. I decided on getting the 50 and am happy I made that decision. The 50mm allows me to use it inside where the 1.2 is very helpful. It also has enough background separation for my needs. Maybe in the future, I will pick up the 85mm, but it is a fairly low priority now.
p.2 #4 · Canon EOS R vs. Canon EOS R6 for Portraiture
@Djr i too did not love the R, in the beginning. I was gifted an RP from Canon and sent it back, right away. A week later, the R arrived. It took a few weeks before i started to like it, then took it to a shoot and only shot with it, then loved it.
If you currently have an R and don’t need a second body for backup for weddings and events, don’t upgrade. Buy a nicer lens!
p.2 #6 · Canon EOS R vs. Canon EOS R6 for Portraiture
njfantastico wrote:
@Djr i too did not love the R, in the beginning. I was gifted an RP from Canon and sent it back, right away. A week later, the R arrived. It took a few weeks before i started to like it, then took it to a shoot and only shot with it, then loved it.
If you currently have an R and don’t need a second body for backup for weddings and events, don’t upgrade. Buy a nicer lens!
Thanks for your input, njfantastico!
Currently as I don't own one, I am inspired by your "loved it." My singular thought lately is: save some jing on the mirrorless for now, get some RF glass....make more money, then buy the R5!
p.2 #7 · Canon EOS R vs. Canon EOS R6 for Portraiture
Dj R wrote:
I pretty much ONLY shoot people.
Because I’ve owned four > 40 MP cameras in my time - I am accustomed to cropping and keeping amazing image quality. That is one of the two main purposes of all those MP.
R5 if:
....you are used to cropping or/and you print HUGE.
Keep in mind that 99.99% of you (including me) do not print HUGE. If you fall into this category for either of those two reasons, save up. The R5 is the mirrorless Canon for you, don’t settle for the R6.
R6 if:
....you don’t crop, you always nail your composition and so, you don’t see value in getting a clean headshot out of a full body shot and you don’t print billboards. The R5 would be overkill for you.
EOS R - not enough resolution for me, to be my main body. But that’s because I’m used to the cropping ability of an almost medium format camera. But the EOS R is a nice camera that can create incredible images and especially with the new and exciting RF glass (which can be crazy expensive!). It can be a nice little second body or a main body for anyone who doesn’t need insane AF. I got my EOS R as a stepping stone for me to shift to Canon a few months ago.
For me, the RF glass is the gold. If you shoot people, pick your favorite type of weapon - either 28-70 RF, 50 RF, 85 RF, 70-200 RF. If you’re going Canon mirrorless - and you love photography, you deserve one of these lenses. The body doesn’t really matter. Any good photographer can create AMAZING portraits with any of the three.
I’m very black and white with decisions like this. R5 shall be mine in 15-16 days. And the 50 RF is my weapon.
Thanks for this share, Ryan.
The cropping a full body for head & shoulders only IS one of the very common things I do.
One of the reasons I think I "love" the 30.3 MP of the EOS R.
Seems I have a "short-term"/"long-term" issue: as for so many, it's the money.
R5 - Long Term (hopefully not too long)
EOS R - Short Term.
At least until I see that you can crop body shots into amazing head shots on the R6.
p.2 #8 · Canon EOS R vs. Canon EOS R6 for Portraiture
AstronomerXI wrote:
Do you have the latest firmware? For fun, after I installed it, I turned off the lights in my basement studio with the R mounted on a tripod. The only light was a little ambient light coming down the stairs. I was in shadow from my big soft box so it was nearly dark. The eye auto focus locked on my eye every single time, using an 85mm f/1.2. I was impressed, and remain so. The R is a very good camera.
I have the firmware with the latest focus update, but, alas, I have no f/1.2 lenses. Apparently the EOS R can focus in even darker conditions with an f/1.2 lens. In the situation I described, the fault lay squarely with my son, who wouldn't sit still for long enough to allow my whiz-bang camera to focus. Under less difficult circumstances, such as photo sessions BEFORE my son has ice cream, the EOS R focuses like a champ. I too am very impressed.
p.2 #9 · Canon EOS R vs. Canon EOS R6 for Portraiture
johnvanr wrote:
I rented the R and didn’t like the controls. I’d wait for an update or get the R6. Pretty sure 20mp is fine for portraits and you may even have nicer tonality since the pixels are larger on the R6 than on the R.
Thanks for sharing your input, john! I'm going to be researching this!
p.2 #10 · Canon EOS R vs. Canon EOS R6 for Portraiture
numbertwo wrote:
Some months ago I bought a 6D and it disappointed me af wise. I had heard wonders about that central spot for low light focus, but the reality is that it was not as good or accurate. My A73 focused much better on low light than the 6D with the same lens (sigma 35 1.4), even if the A7III is not that good (before I had the EOS R and that is MUCH better than the Sony in low light).
I really like the R6’s and I was waiting for Canon to release a body with ibis to do the switch, but I just wanted an eos R with ibis, and going back to 20mpx, I’m not sure I want to do that.
I’ll wait until real reviews of the cameras to see real life performance and colors, and then I will decide whether to buy an eos R and wait a couple years until I can find a cheap R5 second handed, or go for the R6, or just stay with my Sony and wait......Show more →
Yes, numbertwo. Agreed. That center point focus, while amazing in the dark, is just "too delicate" for me to nail the focus consistently. Could be user error. But I've been using my Canon 6D for three years now, so I think I'm at the "good as it gets" stage
p.2 #11 · Canon EOS R vs. Canon EOS R6 for Portraiture
Mtmountainman wrote:
I spent several weeks agonizing over buying the RF 85mm 1.2 or 50mm 1.2. I decided on getting the 50 and am happy I made that decision. The 50mm allows me to use it inside where the 1.2 is very helpful. It also has enough background separation for my needs. Maybe in the future, I will pick up the 85mm, but it is a fairly low priority now.
Thanks for the info on these two, "Double Mountain Man !!" I'm leaning 85 just because MOST of my portrait work is outdoors these days. But a very good photographer on YouTube (Alex Barrera) has connected with me on why he is most in LOVE with the 50.
Kind of just awesome that Canon makes both at such a high level !!
p.2 #12 · Canon EOS R vs. Canon EOS R6 for Portraiture
deepbluejh wrote:
My thoughts are as a portrait photographer, 30MP+ versus 20 MP won't make any difference in how happy your clients are with the work you do for them.
And deepblue, you may be exactly right!
Hence my "dogged" search on this forum, one other, and questions to three photographers in the field whom I respect. I just want to believe that I can get all those features with the R6 and not "lose" anything.
Still skeptical on cropping.
I guess it comes down to whether I'll "hit it" each time as I frame it. I know that there are many much BETTER photographers out there (I've been shooting professionally for just over two years). There are just so many times in my editing at home that I pull, pull, pull in my subject and go "WOW....much better!" I would just hate to "lose" that with the 20MP.
Again, you might be right on for me. Then there's the additional things like IBIS that create keepers for other reasons.
I know, I know....I'm circling the "fire," and pondering.
And if I can say boldly ~ this Covid has me so isolated, that finding something to talk about that I care with a passion...on a forum such as this ~ has made my week better!
p.2 #13 · Canon EOS R vs. Canon EOS R6 for Portraiture
bcguy wrote:
I have the firmware with the latest focus update, but, alas, I have no f/1.2 lenses. Apparently the EOS R can focus in even darker conditions with an f/1.2 lens. In the situation I described, the fault lay squarely with my son, who wouldn't sit still for long enough to allow my whiz-bang camera to focus. Under less difficult circumstances, such as photo sessions BEFORE my son has ice cream, the EOS R focuses like a champ. I too am very impressed.
"BEFORE my son has ice cream!!!"
I LOVE IT!
This is why I needed to post on this forum this week! I'm in need of meeting people with great humor and creativity !!
p.2 #14 · Canon EOS R vs. Canon EOS R6 for Portraiture
For the record, as a user camera I much preferred the 6D to the 5DIV which is what I have now. I don't really notice the increase in resolution as I do generally shoot without cropping, got used to that back in the slide days. AF in the 5DIV is better and I prefer the higher FPS for sports events too, but the size of the 6D was perfect and the price of the 5DIV was too high for the extra benefits. As a semi-pro it was not really a worthwhile return on investment.
I do agree that my desire for the R6 to be a cheap IDXIII may be pushing it, but I sure as hell will not be paying $4000 for an R5. All of my prints are 13 x 19, or an occasional larger portrait (school team portrait). I generally now shoot m43, but I still want FF for fast action sports photography in very low light (12,800+) where the FF is superior noise wise, hence my interest in the R6.
p.2 #15 · Canon EOS R vs. Canon EOS R6 for Portraiture
ScottS1957 wrote:
Thanks for this share, Ryan.
The cropping a full body for head & shoulders only IS one of the very common things I do.
One of the reasons I think I "love" the 30.3 MP of the EOS R.
Seems I have a "short-term"/"long-term" issue: as for so many, it's the money.
R5 - Long Term (hopefully not too long)
EOS R - Short Term.
At least until I see that you can crop body shots into amazing head shots on the R6.
if you haven't shot with 40-45 mp, you are in for a treat. let me tell you! the resolution of an R5 and RF glass will blow your mind.
I've owned D850 Z7 A7RIII and when you crop down to get "2 for the price of 1" images, you really can't see any loss of image quality, it's amazing.
I can't wait.
imp to note, high resolution bodies, and cropping with RF glass, or Sigma Art glass is recommended....
b/c some of the old canon glass was NOT created with 45 mp in mind.
I ran into this problem with nikon. only the Z mount glass (S glass) or their E version glass had high enough resolution in the LENS!
the lens doesn't have enough fire power to go with the body, sometimes!
sony was fine, mainly when using GM glass or Zeiss. their FF glass was made with 50-100 mp in mind, smart.
p.2 #16 · Canon EOS R vs. Canon EOS R6 for Portraiture
Either one will ace portraiture, and since the R is thousand dollars less, I would get the R. Spend the extra thousand dollars on something more significant.
And I agree, the R is a very, very good camera. It feels a little cheap, but the sensor is great, focusing is great, very good battery life, Relatively light weight…A real bargain these days.
p.2 #17 · Canon EOS R vs. Canon EOS R6 for Portraiture
ScottS1957 wrote:
Thanks for the info on these two, "Double Mountain Man !!" I'm leaning 85 just because MOST of my portrait work is outdoors these days. But a very good photographer on YouTube (Alex Barrera) has connected with me on why he is most in LOVE with the 50.
Kind of just awesome that Canon makes both at such a high level !!
I actually talked to Alex Barrera on Instagram about what lens he would recommend since he has handled both. To be completely honest, I was really hoping the 85mm would suit my needs better. I ended up realizing that I mainly wanted the 85mm because it looked cooler than the 50mm. I really hope Canon comes out with an RF 35mm 1.2 or 1.4 in the future. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the L series RF lenses!
p.2 #18 · Canon EOS R vs. Canon EOS R6 for Portraiture
ScottS1957 wrote:
This comment hits well for me. I own the 6D (and the now "fabled 40D....still clicking, though I don't use it much!) My BIGGEST complaint on the 6D is missed focus. Those nine points compared with 5K on the EOS R are the biggest difference-maker to me. I must say that in low light, I have a "candle" in the 6D. And when the light is right, and I compose properly, that is one helluva camera, especially for the money.
But...I need to move into mirrorless. And your "all my images are instantly a lot sharper than they ever were with the 6D..." is an important piece of feedback for me.
Thank-you, Mtmountainman! And YES on RF glass!!!
I've been drooling watching YouTube videos on the RF 85mm 1.2, and RF 50mm 1.2. My only "concern" is which to get first!
ON MY LIST !!! ...Show more →
I also owned the 6D before I purchased the R this January. I very much loved my 6D, but taking pictures of my kids was a chore. Really, I struggled with most "people" photography. The AF on the 6D was fast and accurate, but those 9 pts were hella limiting. Worse, not having a focus point on a subject also meant that the metering was usually not correct for the subject.
I rented the RP in November to take some family Christmas card photos, and I knew immediately that I couldn't go back. In December they had some even more ridiculous holiday sales and I snagged an R at a very low price. It's simply a game changer for people and family photos. I've gotten more "keepers" of my family in the last 7 months than I think I've gotten in over 2 years with the 6D. The combination of much more accurate metering and focus means I get a lot of great shots straight out the camera that I used to have to manipulate more in post (plus I've finally set some custom picture styles, which also improves the shots SOOC).
The only downside is that I finally bumped up against the limitations of my older 24-70mm f/2.8L that I believe has a decentered element. I suspected it did while using my 6D, but it's way more obvious on photos with the R. I also kind of miss the in-body GPS, but I'm glad I no longer have to deal with dead batteries due to the GPS.
p.2 #19 · Canon EOS R vs. Canon EOS R6 for Portraiture
ScottS1957 wrote:
The buzz is on with the announcement of the new Canon EOS R5 & R6.
Clearly, with the dual card slots, IBIS, improved Digic X processor, and increased video possibilities, there is joy in "Bean Town!"
However, as a mostly portrait photographer (non-wedding), I am wondering about the EOS R (still) over the R6 because of one issue: the MP IQ. Canon released the R6 with 20.1MP, and the EOS R has 30.3.
I know that IBIS creates additional f-stops and that you can do wonders with 20 megapixels. Still, I am somewhat disappointed in this release not at least achieving the MP of the EOS R.
!!!
and you don’t print billboards. The R5 would be overkill for you.