MEMBER TEST THE GUIDE
A DSLR for advanced amateurs The latest full-frame offering from Canon is reviewed by Tom Soper LRPS ON TRIAL Canon 6D MkII INTUITIVE DESIGN The Canon 6D MkII is aimed at the serious hobbyist
SITTING ATOP THE ENTHUSIAST range, the 6D MkII is aimed at the serious hobbyist, or perhaps a photographer turning pro.
FEATURES This camera has many of the features we expect these days: plenty of resolution (26.2MP), live-view shooting, variangle screen, good battery life and excellent ISO performance, plus Bluetooth and GPS capabilities. The touch-sensitive screen is intuitive and responsive, with beautifully punchy colours, and it is easy to work through the menus. However, with only a single card slot, not the fastest frame rate and questions over its dynamic range, the 6D MkII seems more a choice for the serious amateur, or maybe as a back-up body for a pro. HANDLING The 6D is comfortable to hold. It is solid but not too weighty, nicely balanced – at least with the 18-105mm test lens I use – and its leather-effect finish gives a pleasant and secure grip. The focus is generally quick and accurate. The camera manages some great results shooting flowers and bees in bright sunshine. I am also impressed with the number of in-focus photos when using burst mode to shoot my son running towards me in a fairly gloomy garden. The only time focus really struggles is when I am photographing my baby son indoors in very low light.
TOM SOPER LRPS A UK-based commercial and wedding photographer, Soper has contributed to National Geographic Traveller Magazine. To see some of his work visit tomsoper photography.com
PERFORMANCE For interior photography the 6D MkII is a revelation due to its fully articulating screen. It makes a huge difference being able to see what I am shooting when the camera is positioned right up in the corner of a small room. In semi-automatic modes the metering performs well but needs the occasional tweak. However, the lack of a dedicated exposure compensation button makes the required adjustments a little slow to perform. In post-processing the images are pretty sharp and, as with most Canons, the colours are exceptional. Jpegs straight out of the camera are top quality and noise levels are good: I found images up to ISO 6,400 are just about usable.
THE VERDICT
Overall I enjoyed my week shooting with the Canon 6D MkII. If you are looking to step up to full frame, this all-round performer is an excellent choice.
NIGEL SPENCER ARPS
GEAR SPY GAVIN STOKER KEEPS HIS EYE ON FORTHCOMING RELEASES l The subject of a successful Kickstarter campaign at the time of writing, ‘Reflex’ claims to be the first update on a manual 35mm-film SLR in more than 25 years. Promising an
interchangeable lens mount, the Reflex can be used with a variety of other manufacturers’ lenses, while a daylight-changeable film back purports to allow users to swap
quickly to a different film mid-shoot. l With fewer people making hard copies of their digital images, Canon is offering a couple of sub-£50 printers in the Pixma TS205 and TS305.
The latter features wi-fi and Bluetooth, making it easier for smartphone and tablet photographers to print their snaps as borderless 6x4” prints. Speeds are a zippy 65 seconds per copy.
FEBRUARY 2018 / VOL 158 / THE RPS JOURNAL / 145