Appreciation through Understanding
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One gets the impression that the Canon 6D was designed without serious consideration about what the competition might do. The 6D is an affordable full frame DSLR, but its feature set looks very weak when compared with that of the recently released Nikon D600.1,2 The D600 offers 14 stops of dynamic range at low ISO,3 a 24 megapixel sensor, dual card slots, 39-point AF system with 9 cross-type AF points, built-in flash, and 100% viewfinder coverage. In contrast, the 6D lags in all these areas and is missing the dual card slots and the flash unit. As some compensation, the 6D offers build-in Wi-Fi and GPS. In essence the 6D is a full frame version of the Canon 60D (APS-C sensor) with the serious omission of the flash and the articulated LCD screen.
The elephant in the room is the large number of Canon shooters like me with collections of Canon and Canon compatible lenses who are not likely to buy a Nikon DSLR. The question for the Canon shooters is whether to go with the 6D or wait for Canon to catch up in the features game. I think the answer depends on what the camera will be used for. The 6D does offer very good signal-to-noise ratios at high ISO setting, the ability to focus in low light situations, and of course access to a wonderful set of lenses. Furthermore, Wi-Fi is well implemented on the 6D, and the built-in GPS is useful for nature photographers.
So can I justify buying the Canon 6D? I am mainly a nature photographer. I love to shoot landscapes and the night sky when I have the opportunity. I also photograph birds and larger wildlife when I get the chance. My kit consists of a Canon 7D with telephoto lenses and a 60D with wide angle lenses. I get along well with this setup and dont really need anything else.
The truth is that I got a good deal on a Canon 6D with a 24-105mm f/4.0L lens and I bought it. I also got a Samyang 14mm f/2.8 lens, and I have been trying out the new gear. So far I am quite pleased. The performance at high ISOs is far beyond anything I have experienced. Indoors I can set the F-stop and an acceptable shutter speed and then just go with auto ISO. When the camera selects ISO 10,000, I am still happy with the results. I have also compared landscapes taken with the Samyang 14mm lens on the 6D with similar shots taken with the Canon 10-22mm lens on my 60D. The Samyang is clearly superior with sharpness throughout the frame. In exploring the features I found that I am no longer limited to automatic three shot exposure bracketing, and there is also in camera HDR at least for jpg images.
Weather has not cooperated, and I have not been able to compare night sky and landscape astrophotography with my previous results. With the 60D I was using the following lenses: Canon 10-22mm, f/3.5-5.6; Canon 35mm; f/2.0, and Sigma 10mm f/2.8 fisheye. With the 6D I will be using the Canon 35mm, f/2.0; Samyang 14mm, f/2.8; and Sigma 15mm, f/2.8 fisheye. I hope to have some results soon.
In the meantime I am happy with my purchase. I hope that firmware updates will permit autofocusing with telephoto lenses that give a maximum F-stop to 8.0 and will reduce the GPS associated battery drain. For future camera updates, I encourage Canon to restore the articulated screen, restore the internal flash, increase the pixel count, and improve the low ISO dynamic range.
1. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canon-eos-6d/
2. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-d600/
3. http://luminous-landscape.com/essays/dxomark_sensor_for_benchmarking_cameras2.shtml
© Charles S. Johnson, Jr. 2013
charles in General
07:21AM May 04, 2013
Comments [4]
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Hey,
I'm thinking about getting the 6D since I mainly shoot landscapes and night time stuff (Milky Way, haven't seen an aurora yet). I'm curious to see if you were able to get out there and compare your astrophotography on the 6D with your other cameras. Since that is my main focus, I'm hoping it did well! I am currently using an SX40 HS, so any SLR is an upgrade... but I'm prepared to go up to the price range of this camera to get full frame if I know it takes better quality photos.
-Tom
Posted by Tom on August 31, 2013 at 02:15 AM EDT #
I am still quite pleased with the 6D. However, I have not had a chance to do any night sky photography with it. My trip to Ocracoke in April was spoiled by clouds and rain. This week in the Blue Ridge Mountains we had clouds and fog. In September I plan to spend some time in the Canadian Rockies. There is a good chance that I will see some stars.
The 6D beats any APS-C camera that I have used, and it is certainly very far ahead on any small sensor point-and-shoot camera in high ISO performance.
Posted by charles on August 31, 2013 at 05:15 PM EDT #
Charles:
As I'm seriously considering the 6D (my 7D was stolen) for much the same work as you describe, I would love to know how this camera is working out for you. In some brief testing I found the 24-105 to be so front heavy as to make the camera somewhat awkward to use for a full day of shooting. Your experience?
Posted by DaveT on September 25, 2013 at 02:07 PM EDT #
The strong point of the 6D is low noise at high ISO. The 24-105mm L is heavy. I used a 15-85mm and a 10-22mm on my 7D and 60D. Now I need to buy a 17-40mm.
The Samyang 14mm f/2.8 is great on the 6D. If you don't need the high ISO performance, the new 70D would have a lot of advantages.
I still do not have night sky comparisons. We are in the Canadian Rockies and the weather is not cooperating.
Posted by Charles on September 25, 2013 at 10:31 PM EDT #