Canon EOS R6 Review
Updated: Jun 29, 2022
Hello everyone!
I have been shooting with the Canon EOS R6 for the past 3 months, and would like to share with you my personal experience and review with this camera.
Disclaimer: This is by no means a technical review. There are already tons of that on Google.
For starters, here are the list of lenses and cameras I shoot with at the moment:
Canon EOS R6
Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Canon RF85mm f2.0 IS STM
Canon RF35mm f1.8 IS STM
Canon RF50mm f1.8 STM (Latest addition June 2022)
Canon RF16mm f2.8 STM (Latest addition June 2022)
Canon EF50mm f1.2L USM
Canon EF24-70 f2.8L USM II
Canon EF70-200 f2.8L IS USM I
Canon EF16-35 f2.8L USM II
Canon EF100mm 2.8 USM Macro
Previous cameras:
Canon 500D
Canon 7D
Canon 5Dc
Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 6D
Canon 6D Mark II
Canon EOS R
Upon the announcement of the EOS R6 back in June 2020, I immediately sold my EOS R and pre-booked this model.
The few features that got me sold immediately was the IBIS, dual SD card slot, superb face and eye tracking, 1DX Mark iii sensor with super low light capability, high dynamic range, and of course the return of joy stick + wheel dial that only come with the 5D series.
I didn't like the control buttons of the EOS R and it's single SD card slot. Personally I didn't find the original R very ergonomically functional. Nevertheless, EOS R is still a great camera with good sensor and low light capabilities despite the let downs.
Next question is, why not get the EOS R5? It's much more rugged, more megapixels, more premium right?!
3 main reasons:
Cost - With the RM6k savings, I can pretty much invest in another 1 - 2 lenses, or lighting equipment. R5 comes with a totally new CF express card slot, which costs additional RM750 for the Sandisk CF Express 64GB card. In contrast, a Sandisk UHSI 64GB SD only costs RM90. So, you do the math!
Megapixels - This is very subjective. It's true that more megapixels is better, you get more details and sharpness in your photos, you can have the freedom to crop further, and print larger. However, in my area of works I do not crop very often, and when I do, I don't crop heavily. Having shot with the 5Diii for nearly a decade, 20-21mp is a sweet spot to me. It's much friendlier to my PC when doing photoshop, and saves tons of hard drive space. Each RAW file is about 20-25mp only. Imagine shooting an actual wedding with 1000-1500 RAW files, and you have to store them.
Similar specs - Pretty much both the R5 and R6 come with IBIS, dual card slot, joy stick, tilting screen. The only differences are the megapixels and top display panel, and maybe some other minor features that didn't bother me much. I rarely use the top display panel from the EOS R anyway.
I primarily shoot portraits in the studio, outdoor, events, and weddings. I also do prints per clients' request.
Hence, dual card slot, fast and accurate face tracking, IBIS, dynamic range, and ISO performance are important features in my workflow.
Is 20MP enough?
It's a resounding yes for me. Let's debunk the myth that 20mp isn't sufficient enough for large prints. To put things into perspective, the certificates hanging on the left wall are A4 size prints.
On the right wall, are my prints samples.
The white frame on the most left is a 20x30 inch print, the photo was taken with the EOS R, originally taken with portrait orientation, but cropped to horizontal orientation.
On the right is a 24x36 inch print, the photo was taken with the 5D Mark III.
Take a closer look, do you see any pixelation? Bear in mind, the final cropped jpeg file is about 12mp only, printed on 20x30 inch paper.
As for the one below, shot with 5D Mark III, printed on 24x36 inch paper.
Do you see any deterioration of quality in such close up? Well, I don't.
So, don't worry too much about megapixels. 20 is more than enough for most of us!
Mirrorless battery life sucks:
This new LP-E6NH allows me to shoot up to 1500 images in one charge. But of course, depending on the situation, whether you're leaving your camera on constantly, or shooting with EVF, and etc. I usually shoot mine with LCD, and will switch off when I am not using it. However, it's safe to say you can shoot up to 400-500 images in one charge based on my personal experience. If you are coming from the Canon ecosystem, I'm pretty sure you already have a ton of LPE6 batteries laying around in your drybox.
Here are some of my recent works shot with the EOS R6:
Final Verdict:
If you are coming from the EOS R, RP, or 5D series, it is worth to upgrade to the R6. But if you have the budget, you may go for the R5. I wouldn't recommend though, because you can better spend that extra RM6000 for other equipment, or sign up for photography classes.
Hope this helps you make your final purchasing decision!