Canon Announces the Canon EOS 6D DSLR

[Marsu42]

Focusing. This is aimed at people upgrading from a rebel.... one would expect that the focusing would be better than a rebel. Canon certainly isn't going to make it worse. The low light sensitivity is the best of any DSLR out there.... period! Rather than focus on how many points and what type they are, wait until the camera is reviewed by independant sources..... anything said now is speculation. All that can be safely said is that it SHOULD be better than a rebel and SHOULD be worse than a 5D III.

No, it should be worse than the 5d3 AND rebels with 9 cross points - and it should even be worse than the 5d2 because on the 6d there is *no* cross point at all if you attach a lens with f2.8+ (i.e. fast zooms, most primes). It's no speculation to say that a cross point will provide more reliable af than only horizontal/vertical, no matter what magic you put in the firmware and how dark it can be.

 

[daniemare]

So I wished for a FF Rebel and I guess I just about got it. (I even thought they will call it a 70D)

Am I disappointed about the lack of a Pop-up flash and 7D like AF, yes very much so. Would I have liked a little more fps, yes, but again it is 1fps faster than my current camera (T1i)

Do I care about the view finder (97%), fixed screen and no-touch screen, not at all because it is better than/I do not have it on my current Rebel. Hell from what I understand just being a pentaprism instead of a pentamirror is all the upgrade I need.

Is the GPS and WiFi an unexpected bonus, for sure. And I do not even have to buy new memory cards.

Does the D600 look better on paper, yes. Can I switch??? My 28 F1.8, 50 F1.4 100 F2.8L macro and 70-200 F4 and 430EXII says no. Does this dissapoint me, no. All my lenses were bought used (exept for the 50mm), Canon is far more popular were I live and this make it much easier for me to keep getting what I need at far lower than MSRP through kijiji and craigslist.

This camera is not for those wanting a cheap 5DIII, nor those upgrading at every release. Its for hobbyists like me who can't extract the capabilities of the 6D to its fullest, let alone the incremental difference to the D600.

I am excited and will get one - as soon the first price drops come along.

 

[Don Haines]

Focusing. This is aimed at people upgrading from a rebel.... one would expect that the focusing would be better than a rebel. Canon certainly isn't going to make it worse. The low light sensitivity is the best of any DSLR out there.... period! Rather than focus on how many points and what type they are, wait until the camera is reviewed by independant sources..... anything said now is speculation. All that can be safely said is that it SHOULD be better than a rebel and SHOULD be worse than a 5D III.

No, it should be worse than the 5d3 AND rebels with 9 cross points - and it should even be worse than the 5d2 because on the 6d there is *no* cross point at all if you attach a lens with f2.8+ (i.e. fast zooms, most primes). It's no speculation to say that a cross point will provide more reliable af than only horizontal/vertical, no matter what magic you put in the firmware and how dark it can be.

They have changed the pattern, they have changed the number of focus points, and they have changed the type and levels of focus points. It sounds better than the T3i and the 60D, the T4i sounds better....... but how all the changes work together, coupled with how the target market shoots, remains to be seen. Perhaps the new pattern will work better with the habits of entry level photographers... I suspect that for most pictures taken the focus point is right in the middle, and that seems to be where this sensor is "aimed". Pun intended.

And by the way, I didn't comment that it WILL be worse than the 5D III and WILL be better than the rebels, I commented that it SHOULD be..... not so much for technical reasons as for marketing reasons.

 

[neuroanatomist]

... on the 6d there is *no* cross point at all if you attach a lens with f2.8+ (i.e. fast zooms, most primes). It's no speculation to say that a cross point will provide more reliable af than only horizontal/vertical, no matter what magic you put in the firmware and how dark it can be.

Not quite true. The f/2.8 line is superimposed on an f/5.6 '+' (technically, the f/2.8 line pair is outside the f/5.6 lines). They act in concert. If the f/2.8 line cannot achieve focus, the f/5.6 line is used. Also, the f/5.6 lines are better with substantial defocus, so often with a hybrid AF point, a 'coarse focus' is achieved with the f/5.6 line(s), and that's refined by the f/2.8 line(s).

 

[libertyranger]

... on the 6d there is *no* cross point at all if you attach a lens with f2.8+ (i.e. fast zooms, most primes). It's no speculation to say that a cross point will provide more reliable af than only horizontal/vertical, no matter what magic you put in the firmware and how dark it can be.

Not quite true. The f/2.8 line is superimposed on an f/5.6 '+' (technically, the f/2.8 line pair is outside the f/5.6 lines). They act in concert. If the f/2.8 line cannot achieve focus, the f/5.6 line is used. Also, the f/5.6 lines are better with substantial defocus, so often with a hybrid AF point, a 'coarse focus' is achieved with the f/5.6 line(s), and that's refined by the f/2.8 line(s).

So the 6D does have a f/5.6 center cross type! And if you use a f/2.8 lens, it becomes a more accurate cross type?

 

[libertyranger]

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Photography-Tips/Canon-EOS-DSLR-Autofocus-Explained.aspx

Read this article today. Guessing it's you neuro? My understanding from it is that f/2.8 cross-types are more accurate (yet slower) than f/5.6. Thus, in the case of the 6D, it has the ability to be more accurate if you have a f/2.8 lens, but also act as a cross-type lens if you have a f/5.6 lens.

 

[Kmccarthy]

So you are a rebel shooter looking to upgrade.....

The 6D has more megapixels than a rebel. We can debate until the cows come home if that is a good thing or not, but the fact remains that more megapixels sell. Look at all the higher end users champing at the bit waiting for Canon to put out a 40+ Megapixel camera..... kind of proves the point.

GPS. Some regard it as useless, some as nice to have.... fact is that the "toy" point and shoots have it, and if you are trying to entice them up to a bigger and better camera, features like that help.

ISO range. The ISO range beats the c**P out of anything in the rebel line. It will be interesting to see what the image quality is, but with a lower pixel density than APS-C and using the latest technology, one would expect to see image quality almost as good as a 5D III.

Focusing. This is aimed at people upgrading from a rebel.... one would expect that the focusing would be better than a rebel. Canon certainly isn't going to make it worse. The low light sensitivity is the best of any DSLR out there.... period! Rather than focus on how many points and what type they are, wait until the camera is reviewed by independant sources..... anything said now is speculation. All that can be safely said is that it SHOULD be better than a rebel and SHOULD be worse than a 5D III. And they have included AFMA that is lens serial number specific and at both ends of a zoom, yet another feature rebel shooters do not have.

The viewfinder.... OK, it's not 100%, but it is way better than on a rebel.

The camera has HDR and multiple exposure modes.... sorry rebel....
63 zone metering... sorry rebel....

I would have liked to have seen the articulated touchscreen of the T4i, but the addition of WiFi brings up the potential for a phone or even Ipad to become the touchscreen and who cares about articulated when you have removable? WiFi is so much more than downloading images. This is a function that has the potential to change the way a lot of people interact with thier cameras. Time will tell how it is implemented, but there is a lot of promise here... and by the way, it is yet another feature to entice rebel shoters to upgrade.

Movie modes....I would have liked to have seen 1920 at 60 hz, but I can understand why it would be left off.

Is it better than a 5D III? Of course not. Is it better than a rebel? Of course so. And it's priced in the middle....

If I were shooting with a rebel and wanted to move up to something better, this is a good place to go.

The problem is that the 6D does not seem much better than the 4 year old 5D II, yet it costs more. On the other hand, the Nikon D600 beats it in every way and would probably give the 5DIII a run for its money for $1500 less. It has built-in flash, better AF, higher megapixels, MFA, headphone jack, and dual SD slots. I'm sure the 6D will be a fine camera and will take great pictures. Unfortunately, it just doesn't make much sense from a strategic perspective in a competitive market environment. But hey, thats life. The same thing happened to Nikon when Canon released the 5DII. It caught them completely by surprise and catapulted Canon to the lead. Now it's Nikons turn!

 

[Hillsilly]

...On the other hand, the Nikon D600 beats it in every way ...

Your points are valid, but apart from the better AF (and it remains to be seen if the 6D is actually "bad"), a wide range of people wouldn't care too much about the rest. Many people prefer external flash units, the MP difference is negligible, and the dual card slots, while handy, isn't a deal breaker for a lot of people.

And the 6D has a lot of positive features that are lacking on the D600 which will appeal to a wide range of people. Personally, I like the idea of the faster max shutter speed, higher ISOs, better low light AF capabilities, built in WiFi and GPS. For someone like myself who takes a lot of photos late in the day, or night time sports, it might be ideal. I'm certainly starting to warm to it and can't wait to read some proper reviews.

 

[Daniel Flather]

It's odd that it does not use CF cards. My 50D used CF cards. For a pro that point is hard to overlook.

 

[Stephen Melvin]

I've finally seen a direct head-to-head comparison between the D600 and the 6D, and it's not as cut-and-dry as some people seem to think it is. In three areas that are very important to me, the 6D actually wins:

1. ISO range. The 6D has two full stops more high ISO settings at the top of the range. Based on my experience with Canon cameras, I expect this difference to show up in real world performance. This is an extremely important feature to me.

2. AF sensitivity. Yes, the 6D has a very disappointing 11 point AF system. It's irritating that Canon clings to these basic AF units. On the other hand, the AF is one stop more sensitive in low light than the state-of-the-art unit in the 1Dx and 5D Mk III, and two stops more sensitive than the AF in the D600. I love to shoot in ridiculously low levels of light, and coupled with the superior high ISO sensitivity, the 6D would seem to have the advantage in low light situations.

For my style of shooting, this is much more important than dynamic range, and Nikon's sensors lose that advantage at high ISO's.

3. Weight. I've been dying for a smaller, lighter FF camera from Canon. The 6D is a full 80 grams lighter than the D600 with the battery installed. This sounds like an awesome walk-around and backup camera. I intend to buy one to back up my 5D Mk III, as its specs are superior to the Mk II's in ways that are very important to me.

 

[Stephen Melvin]

It's odd that it does not use CF cards. My 50D used CF cards. For a pro that point is hard to overlook.

CF is obsolete.

 

[Marine03]

I guess I'm one I the few saps who like this camera. Sure I'd like 45 pt AF but for the last 3 years I've been center point only in my 450D. And the high/low iso performance will blow it away. 4.5 fps hmmm could be 5d2 slow but it's not. And. SD cards. Thank you that there will save me 100 or more dollars in new cards. Everyone bent on CF needs go get a life. Plastic body sounds good to me saves weight and plastics are used in guns etc. might take me about a year to save the money but this will be my next body

 

[rjhigh]

.
Is this their first digital SLR that doesn't use a prime number?

No. 30d, 40d, 50d, 60d, t2i, t4i. Also rebels in some countries are 500d, 550d, etc...

 

[Don Haines]

And the Battery in the 6D is the same battery as:
60D
5D II
5D III
7D

That's pretty good for keeping the same battery usable in different models.

 

[Ew]

Like it or not, this body probably will gain acceptance in the market.

This is now the top teir consume camera.

7D 5D 1D line will now be the clear "pro" cameras.

It not be a surprise if non-photo specific chain stores (eg BestBuy) will cap off their on the shelf line with the 6D. If you know that you need more, you obviously "know more than our sales reps working the floor", and will go elsewhere to actually make the purchase. Why deal with the inventory and customer confusion??

 

[DonHorne]

It's odd that it does not use CF cards. My 50D used CF cards. For a pro that point is hard to overlook.

CF is obsolete.

I hope your wrong otherwise I'll be forced to by large cards. A few years back I tried to change SD cards while wearing gloves and ended up dropping cards in the snow. I'll gladly stick with obsolete CF cards.

 

[libertyranger]

... on the 6d there is *no* cross point at all if you attach a lens with f2.8+ (i.e. fast zooms, most primes). It's no speculation to say that a cross point will provide more reliable af than only horizontal/vertical, no matter what magic you put in the firmware and how dark it can be.

Not quite true. The f/2.8 line is superimposed on an f/5.6 '+' (technically, the f/2.8 line pair is outside the f/5.6 lines). They act in concert. If the f/2.8 line cannot achieve focus, the f/5.6 line is used. Also, the f/5.6 lines are better with substantial defocus, so often with a hybrid AF point, a 'coarse focus' is achieved with the f/5.6 line(s), and that's refined by the f/2.8 line(s).

Okay, I've spent some time researching this tonight, but I'm still not too sure. So how is this cross type AF point on the 6D different from the cross type AF point on the 5DII or T3i?

 

[Marsu42]

... on the 6d there is *no* cross point at all if you attach a lens with f2.8+ (i.e. fast zooms, most primes). It's no speculation to say that a cross point will provide more reliable af than only horizontal/vertical, no matter what magic you put in the firmware and how dark it can be.

Not quite true. The f/2.8 line is superimposed on an f/5.6 '+' (technically, the f/2.8 line pair is outside the f/5.6 lines). They act in concert. If the f/2.8 line cannot achieve focus, the f/5.6 line is used. Also, the f/5.6 lines are better with substantial defocus, so often with a hybrid AF point, a 'coarse focus' is achieved with the f/5.6 line(s), and that's refined by the f/2.8 line(s).

Ah, thx for the explanation, the Canon spec does not only seem to be a mystery to me - are you sure it is this hybrid af? So does this mean, do you expect the center point af on the 6d to be "better" overall than on the 5d2, or does the hybrid construction (first f2.8, then f5.6 line) slow it down? This really will be the decisive point when people want either a 6d and the added gimmicks or a new/used 5d2.

 

[libertyranger]

... on the 6d there is *no* cross point at all if you attach a lens with f2.8+ (i.e. fast zooms, most primes). It's no speculation to say that a cross point will provide more reliable af than only horizontal/vertical, no matter what magic you put in the firmware and how dark it can be.

Not quite true. The f/2.8 line is superimposed on an f/5.6 '+' (technically, the f/2.8 line pair is outside the f/5.6 lines). They act in concert. If the f/2.8 line cannot achieve focus, the f/5.6 line is used. Also, the f/5.6 lines are better with substantial defocus, so often with a hybrid AF point, a 'coarse focus' is achieved with the f/5.6 line(s), and that's refined by the f/2.8 line(s).

Ah, thx for the explanation, the Canon spec does not only seem to be a mystery to me - are you sure it is this hybrid af? So does this mean, do you expect the center point af on the 6d to be "better" overall than on the 5d2, or does the hybrid construction (first f2.8, then f5.6 line) slow it down? This really will be the decisive point when people want either a 6d and the added gimmicks or a new/used 5d2.

This is what I'm trying to figure out too. I know with certain EOS bodies (T4i, 7D), when you use a f/2.8 lens you get a dual cross-type point. One of them is an f/5.6 cross point and the other is a diagonal f/2.8 cross type. For the 6D, you don't get the dual, but rather an superimposed high precision f/2.8 vertical sensitive point. I can't seem to find any info. on the net as to whether or not the 5DII had this or if it had both horizontal and vertical lines at f/2.8 when using the appropriate lens.

 

[neuroanatomist]

Okay, I've spent some time researching this tonight, but I'm still not too sure. So how is this cross type AF point on the 6D different from the cross type AF point on the 5DII or T3i?

The 5DII and T3i have a center point with one horizontal f/2.8 line and one vertical f/5.6 line - that makes the cross. The f/2.8 line is more accurate, but only works with vertically-oriented features. Worth noting is that all of the 39 cross-type points on the 1DIV are this type, too. for this type point, it's a cross only with an f/2.8 or faster lens (and only half f/2.8-accurate), with an f/4 or slower lens, it's just a single vertical line (although there are f/4 exceptions on the 1-series).

The 1D X, 5DIII, 7D, 40-60D, and T4i have a dual cross center point - an f/5.6 cross in a '+' shape with and f/2.8 cross in an 'x' superimposed. This point type is fully cross type with any lens down to f/5.6.

The 6D center point has an f/5.6 cross in a '+' shape with a single f/2.8 horizontal line '-' superimposed. It behaves like the first type (5DII etc.) with an f/2.8 or faster lens, but is better in that it remains cross type down to f/5.6.

Hope that clarifies.