Enter the world of full frame imaging

Compact digital SLR camera with 20.2 megapixel full-frame sensor. Ideal for portraiture and travel, it provides precise control over depth of field and can be used with a wide range of wide-angle EF lenses. Share images and control your camera over Wi-Fi.

20.2 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor

The heart of the EOS 6D is a 20.2 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor and a powerful DIGIC 5+ image processor. They allow you to take perfectly clear photographs and transmit the smallest details. The naturalness of color rendering is complemented by the smooth transitions of halftones.

The benefits of full frame

Now you have the opportunity to use a variety of wide angle lenses EF and discover a completely different vision landscape photography, interior photography and street photography. The increased control over depth of field provided by the full-frame sensor allows you to take even more impressive portraits.

Designed for travel

Lightweight and durable, the camera is ideal for travel photography. The EOS 6D's simple and intuitive ergonomics allow it to be used in any environment.

High image quality in low light

Even in low-light conditions, the EOS 6D captures superb quality photos. The ISO sensitivity range is from ISO 100 to ISO 25,600 (expandable to L:50, H1:51,200, H2:102,400) and the 11-point focusing system allows you to take pictures in lighting conditions as low as -3EV. This sensitivity is enough even for shooting under moonlight.

Wide range of composition options

The EOS 6D's clear full-frame viewfinder lets you choose your composition intuitively. The 7.6 cm (3-inch) 1,040,000-dot Clear View II LCD screen makes LCD viewfinder photography a real pleasure.

Creative Features

High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode allows you to maintain high detail in highlights and shadows and create composite shots using the multiple exposure function. Exposure compensation in ±5 stop increments and AE bracketing in ±3 stop increments allow you to fine-tune exposure.

The GPS module records travel coordinates

The built-in GPS module determines the exact location and writes the GPS coordinates of the location to a data file. The GPS logger function continuously records route coordinates even when the camera is turned off.

Wi-Fi module for wireless connections

Remote shooting from multiple angles: Connect your EOS 6D to your PC, Mac, or smartphone so you can shoot remotely. Wireless image transfer capability makes it easy to share photos with your family and friends.

Video in Full-HD format

Shoot Full-HD video at 1080p resolution? The ability to use fast aperture lenses and full manual control allows you to achieve cinematic effects.

and Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM kit lens

On the Canon website, DSLRs are divided into three categories: “EOS for beginners”, “EOS for amateurs”, “EOS for professionals”. In the professional “weight,” of course, full-frame DSLRs are grouped, the youngest of which is the EOS 5D Mark III. In the amateur category there are half-frame or “cropped” DSLRs, the oldest of which is the EOS 7D Mark II.

Most likely, the creators of the Canon EOS 6D were hesitant to place the full-frame EOS 6D in the amateur group. If only because the “cropped” EOS 7D Mark II is about 20,000 rubles more expensive than the heroine of our test.

All this little information is needed only to select another camera (besides the EOS 5D Mark III) to compare with the EOS 6D. And as good as the 7D Mark II is, it's a poor comparison device. Maybe later, when the 7D Mark II visits our laboratory, we will change our minds, but for now it seems to us that models with the same sensor size should be compared with each other. And then the third model that comes up for comparison is the already middle-aged, discontinued Canon EOS 5D Mark II, released back in September 2008. But this “six-year old” is still being bought and sold. Its price is lower than that of the Canon EOS 6D, and significantly (almost half) lower than that of the Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

* In parentheses - in advanced mode.

** Including battery and memory card weight.

So, the portrait emerges as an “arithmetic mean” between the 5D Mark II and 5D Mark III. In terms of processor, sensitivity, and metering sensor, it is closer to the Mark III. In terms of autofocus, speed and price - closer to the Mark II. And, what’s nice, it stands out from both brands with its reduced weight and built-in Wi-Fi and GPS modules.

It's also a little surprising that the video capabilities haven't changed since 2008. 30 frames per second at Full HD resolution is no longer impressive today; today's videographers prefer to have 60 frames per second on hand (just in case, for highly dynamic scenes).

Construction, design, management

When we tested the Canon EOS 6D, there was no plan that we would compare this camera with any other. But then, when I started looking at the test results, the comparison literally asked itself. I was wondering who makes the least noise: the Canon EOS 6D or the closest competitor camera, the Nikon D750. Here it was a fighting draw with Canon having a slight advantage, see the “Noise” test for details. But in terms of functionality, Canon loses in two ways: the EOS 6D does not have a built-in flash, and the screen is fixed, not folding. True, some believe that a fixed screen is better than a folding one (more reliable). So let’s not yet declare this an unconditional blessing. But the built-in flash certainly expands the functionality of the camera.

	There are no control buttons visible on the front of the EOS 6D. Of course, in addition to the obligatory ones: shutter button, lens unlock button and aperture repeater (on the left under the lens). The fact that the camera is full-frame indicates the absence of a built-in flash. So far, Canon believes that full frame and built-in flash are incompatible. It is quite possible that fashion will change in the next couple of years.
	If you look closely, you can see an infrared remote control sensor on the handle, and behind the handle there is a self-timer indicator. The external power connector is located at the bottom of the handle, on the lens side, under a rubber plug. On the right under the EOS 6D label are the holes for the built-in microphone (monaural).
	The EOS 6D has one memory card slot. Canon signals in separate strokes that the EOS 6D is a very serious camera (no built-in flash), but not serious enough for a cool pro (one slot, one memory card). At the top of the rear panel we see two buttons: exposure lock and focus point selection (from other angles these buttons are not very visible).
	The location of the control buttons on the rear panel seems strange - almost all the buttons are placed under the right hand. Typically, Canon DSLRs have a row of buttons to the left of the screen. The exception is for models that have a screen that flips to the left, but the EOS 6D doesn't have a flip screen. All icons are clear and practically no explanation is needed. Button "Q" - call quick menu. “Lock” - joystick lock (so that an accidental touch does not disrupt the autofocus position, for example).
	The connectors are concentrated on the left side. Under the open rubber plug in the photo are the connectors for the remote control and external microphone. Under the adjacent closed flap: HDMI mini (bottom) and combined A/V out and USB (top).
	The mode dial is the same as the Canon EOS 70D. It can be called “semi-professional”, since it mixes amateur and professional modes. For example, the EOS 7D Mark II has a "pro" drive, the same as the EOS 5D Mark III, without Scene Scenes (SCN) and Creative Auto (CA).
	To the right of the lens on the top panel: large information display, main control wheel, row of buttons: AF - autofocus mode selection Drive - select the “drive” mode ISO - sensitivity selection selecting exposure metering mode information display backlight
	There is no separate connector on the bottom panel for the battery grip (Canon BG-E13 battery pack or compatible from other manufacturers). During installation, the grip contacts are inserted into the camera's battery compartment (a rather elegant and reliable design solution).

To summarize the external examination, the Canon EOS 6D has a distinctive design that is simultaneously reminiscent of the “big sisters” of the EOS 5D series and the “little sister” of the EOS 70D. But it does not coincide with either one or the other. The result is something in between - a signal to the consumer so that he is at the same time proud of the full frame, but understands that the EOS 5D is higher in the hierarchy.

This is manifested in the icons on the shooting mode dial, fewer buttons on the rear panel - all of them are concentrated under the right hand, and the left seems to have no work to do. We've already seen a similar button arrangement on the EOS 70D, but it had a folding screen, so we had to move all the buttons to the right hand.

In the case of the Canon EOS 6D, this distribution of buttons does not seem very logical. And yet, the camera is convenient and pleasant to work with, no discomfort, no feeling that the traditional control scheme has been “destroyed”.

Now you can move on to the “internal” inspection and get acquainted with the EOS 6D menu. As usual, we present slides that at least say something about the camera. Most of them fit into the standard menu, common to Canon cameras of both amateur and professional level.

So, the initial examination showed that:

• The design of the Canon EOS 6D is somewhat unusual; there is no complete analogue in the Canon lineup. The Canon EOS 6D's screen is fixed, but all the buttons on the rear panel are shifted to the right hand. True, the convenience of working with the camera did not suffer from this (or did not suffer much).
• Both in the menu and in the external controls, it is felt that the Canon EOS 6D combines the features of amateur and professional cameras. The camera is focused on the “golden mean”.

* - in advanced mode.

Image quality - noise

It turned out that two cameras Canon EOS 6D and Nikon D750 were tested in different times, but the articles were prepared almost at the same time, with a slight gap. Not on purpose, it just happened that way. And, of course, I couldn’t resist making comparisons, it was interesting “who has the coolest noise” - after all, cameras of the same class, about the same price, from leading DSLR manufacturers. Both Canon and Nikon lenses used in testing were of the same class: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM and Nikon 24-85mm f/2.8-4D IF AF.

In short, in this article I decided to deviate a little from the usual scheme and at the same time give samples from the Canon EOS 6D and its closest competitor, the Nikon D750. Please ignore the differences in color: in the case of the Canon EOS 6D, installing an “incandescent lamp” gave a temperature of 3150 Kelvin, in the case of the Nikon D750 - 3000 Kelvin. Although even when installing same temperature, you won’t get the same color, we will touch on this topic later.

	Noise test gray card
	Canon EOS 6D, JPG noise filter “normal”	Nikon D750, JPG noise filter “normal”
ISO 100
ISO 800
ISO 1600
ISO 3200
ISO 6400
ISO 8000
ISO 12 800

Perhaps someone will find visible differences, but I think this is the case when you can mix up the photos, leave only the inscription “ISO XXX”, and few people will be able to determine whether this photo is from a Canon EOS 6D, and this one is from a Nikon D750. I think so - if you convert the pictures to b/w. Otherwise, the characteristic shades of Canon and Nikon will confuse us. Or rather, they will tell you where the Canon photos are and where the Nikon ones are.

And setting the same RAW development temperature is unlikely to help. Canon and Nikon understand photorealism differently, Canon's images are traditionally warmer and softer, Nikon's are cooler and sharper. Theoretically, if you tinker with the RAW settings, you can achieve complete similarity between photos from Canon and Nikon. But why? Each manufacturer has its own understanding of photorealism, and each photographer too.

However, we can move away from comparing the Canon EOS 6D and Nikon D750, we can return to the essence of the matter - demonstrating how well the Canon EOS 6D copes with noise.

Canon EOS 6D noise test fragments of pictures of the test bench
RAW filter off light scene	JPG filter on light scene	RAW filter off dark scene	JPG filter on dark scene
Clicking on each fragment will open a window where the fragment will be presented in 6 options: with sensitivity 100 - 1600 - 6400 - 10,000 - 16,000 - 25,600 ISO.

The samples in the table give an almost complete picture of how the Canon EOS 6D will photograph recognizable objects in good light and in semi-darkness, in RAW and JPG. Small text and worlds show the level of resolution or detail. This is a good guideline for everyone - to determine for themselves the so-called working sensitivity, above which it is better not to rise, which can be set in the camera settings as the upper ISO limit.

If we translate the picture quality into numbers (the best meter for this so far is radial worlds; the best, but far from ideal), we will get almost familiar dependencies. “Almost” - because each camera gives its own indicators, but the nature of the curves can be predicted: the RAW resolution will be higher than that of JPG by about 0.1 lines per pixel.

In addition, you can expect that Canon's "soft" image will provide slightly lower resolution than Nikon's "hard" image. Yes, all this can be seen on the graphs. The JPG with a noise filter produced a slightly unexpected result. Typically the filter will attenuate JPG resolution by another 0.05 line, but we don't see this with the Canon EOS 6D. The curves with the filter turned off and on are approximately at the same level. Perhaps this shows the advantages of a “soft” picture.

Optics - Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM

The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM is considered a Canon EOS 6D kit lens. In addition to the fact that the camera and the lens are really worth each other - both in terms of capabilities and price, when buying a “whale” you can save fifteen thousand rubles. In early January 2015, Yandex.Market showed average price“carcasses” - 91,600 rubles, the average price of a “whale” is 122,000. In this situation, the price of the lens is approximately 30,000 rubles. And separately they are asking about 45,000 for it.

But in any case, it’s interesting what characteristics the representative of Canon’s elite L-series with a red stripe on the front lens will show.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. FR = EGF = 24 mm

At the short focus Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM we see a very noticeable “barrel”, vertical distortion is D = −3.97, horizontal distortion is much less - D = −1.21. Distortion of the order of 4 is a bit too much for an elite lens, although for a full frame 24 mm is not such a small focal length.

The resolution in the center of the frame and at the edge does not fall below 0.65 lines per pixel, as a rule, it remains above 0.7. This is a very good result when you don’t have to worry that an open or closed aperture will blur the frame. Unfortunately, when the Canon EOS 6D was in our laboratory, we only shot the “optics” test in JPG. It's quite possible that shooting in RAW would have produced results that were 0.1 lines per pixel higher (as was the case with the Nikon D750 and Nikon 24-85mm f/2.8-4D).

As for chromatic aberrations, they are at a very low level, not exceeding 3% even at the edge of the frame. In order not to clutter the article with samples, further we will present only the graphs “Dependence of resolution on aperture” and “Dependence of the level of chromatic aberrations on aperture”. All measurements were taken at the following values: f/4 - f/7.1 - f/13 - f/22 (a lens with a constant aperture allows you not to “twitch” when changing focal length).

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM EGF = FR = 24 mm

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. FR = EGF = 50 mm

We move to the middle focus and see that the very noticeable “vertical barrel” has turned into a moderate “vertical cushion”. Here, too, the distortion appears more vertically - D = −1.99, and is barely noticeable horizontally - D = −1.02.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM EGF = FR = 50 mm
Dependence of resolution on aperture	Chromatic aberration level

Resolution at mid-focus remains high at the extreme apertures and very high (maximum 0.85 lines per pixel) at medium apertures, with resolution generally higher at the edge of the frame than at the center, but there is no big gap. And chromatic aberration remains very, very modest, less than 2 percent.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. FR = EGF = 105 mm

And finally, at the long focus, the moderate “cushion” becomes quite moderate: vertically D = 1.63, horizontally D = 0.85. The resolution both in the center of the frame and at the edges drops slightly, but rarely drops below 0.65 lines per pixel. And “chromaticity,” on the contrary, is growing, but still remains at the “virtually invisible” level, less than 3 percent.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM EGF = FR = 105 mm
Dependence of resolution on aperture	Chromatic aberration level

Of course, it’s a pity that in this testing we didn’t do two things: we didn’t shoot in RAW and we didn’t see how the lens behaved with the “Aberration Correction” option turned off. But if anyone is preparing to throw a stone, please don’t throw it. It is almost impossible to explore all the capabilities of the camera, and with each new test we become smarter, we pay attention to things that we previously considered unimportant.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. Stabilizer.

Methodology for testing the stabilizer in detail. Testing is carried out at a focal length of 50 mm, when to obtain sharp frames it is desirable to use a shutter speed no longer than 1/50 of a second. The stabilizer allows you to use a longer shutter speed and “gives” the photographer additional exposure steps.

According to our assessment, the stabilizer works effectively at shutter speeds of 1/7 second and shorter. Which gives the photographer an additional 2.7 stops of EV compared to shooting without a stabilizer. And although our result differs from the 3 stages declared by the manufacturer, the discrepancy is small. And taking into account the error of our measurements - approximately 1/3 EV - we can confirm that the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM stabilizer is a “three-stage” stabilizer.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. Results.

So, let's sum up the balance of pros and cons.

Lens advantages:

• Quite high and constant (independent of focal length) aperture ratio.
• Very good speed and focusing accuracy.
• Normally working “three-stage” stabilizer.
• Very moderate distortion at medium and long focal lengths.
• Enough high resolution at any aperture, at any focal length, both in the center of the frame and at its edges.
• Very low level of chromatic aberrations.

• Very noticeable distortion at short focal lengths.

To put the balance in other words: the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM is an outstanding lens that provides high-quality images in all conditions (regardless of the chosen aperture and focal length). Its only drawback is high distortion at short focus. Its high price can also be considered a minus, but a simple rule works here: “If there is an opportunity, buy, if there is no opportunity, look for optics that are not so expensive and not of such high quality.”

Features of Canon EOS 6D

Speed, autofocus

The Canon EOS 6D came to our laboratory, accompanied by three lenses. In addition to the “whale zoom”, we had two high-aperture “fixes”: Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM and Sigma AF 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Canon EF - we decided to highlight their test in a separate article.

The primes focus faster, as one would expect. At the level of expert assessment it is difficult to say who issued best result- Canon EF 24mm or Sigma AF 50mm, even in semi-darkness they capture the frame instantly. So we carried out the shooting speed test with a Canon EF 24mm, and not with a “whale”.

The Canon EOS 6D has only two speed modes: continuous shooting and continuous silent shooting.

We consider “infinity” to be options when the camera can take more than 100 frames in any mode or is capable of operating in this mode for more than 2 minutes.

Shooting, called “silent”, is of course not completely silent, but very gentle. Here you do not need to rely on the soundtracks that we post in the block for downloading test results. The phonograms were amplified (loudness normalized) to make the shutter pulses easier to count in an audio editor.

Tests were carried out with a Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM lens and a high-speed SanDisk Extreme Pro 16 GB 95 MB/S card. Just in case, I remind you that when checking the shooting speed, we always set JPG and RAW to maximum quality.

Shooting at high sensitivity

The highest standard sensitivity of the Canon EOS 6D is ISO 25,600. You can go further (in extended mode) up to 102,400 units, but there is little point, the picture quality will be no higher than at ISO 25,600, that is, even worse. So we’ll limit ourselves to the standard mode, especially since in this range we can continue comparing the Canon EOS 6D and Nikon D750, although Nikon has the upper limit of the standard range - ISO 12,800. But here, most likely, manufacturers are more guided by marketing considerations than technical.

	Noise test gray card
	Canon EOS 6D, JPG noise filter “normal”	Nikon D750, JPG noise filter “normal”
ISO 16 000
ISO 20 000
ISO 25 600

When reaching extreme sensitivity, the Canon EOS 6D is more confident than the Nikon D750. This may be partly due to the lower resolution (20 megapixels versus 24). But in any case, the above fragments have the meaning of illustrating “what will happen if you need to turn up the sensitivity”; their practical meaning is small.

Video

At the beginning of the article, we already noted that the maximum video resolution of full-frame Canon DSLRs remained at the level of 2008 - Full HD with 30 progressive scan frames. The only exception is the coolest Canon EOS-1D C, which can shoot 30 frames per second with 4K resolution and 60 frames with Full HD resolution. The new “half-frame” Canon EOS 7D Mark II also gives 60 frames.

Why Canon “froze” video at 30p for almost all of its models can only be guessed at. Most likely, two years ago the company's marketers decided that 30 frames per second was enough, and 60 frames was too exotic. Probably, the Digic 5+ processor pulls Full HD 30p to the limit (the Canon EOS 7D Mark II has Digic 6, and the Canon EOS-1D C has two Digic 5+ processors).

In any case, the buyer is informed - 60 frames will appear in new Canon DSLRs gradually, but for now most cameras in the model range can only shoot at 30 frames of progressive scan (this limitation applies only to Full HD; with a lower resolution of 1280x720, Canon cameras can easily handle 60 frames per second).

We have already emphasized more than once that the video test in our section is essentially not a test, but a general check. We make sure there are no dropped frames, exposure or white balance errors. Special attention We pay attention to how quickly autofocus adjusts after zooming or quickly changing the subject. Can he cope on his own, or is it advisable to help him? To what extent does the help spoil the shooting, for example, with completely unnecessary autofocus adjustment sounds?

As a result of this test, only good words can be said about the video quality of the Canon EOS 6D. The camera gives a clear, beautiful picture. Autofocus in AI Focus mode (automatically switches between single-shot and servo) picks up new subjects quite quickly - faster than the Nikon D750 at 60fps.

Results

Now we can sum up the main result - break down the pros and cons of the Canon EOS 6D. So, the main advantages:

• The EOS 6D has good basic quality: color rendition, exposure metering, and autofocus are very, very good.
• The EOS 6D is convenient, even comfortable to use, and gives the impression of being very reliable.
• EOS 6D has quite high functionality, which is also provided by built-in Wi-Fi modules and GPS.
• The EOS 6D gives a wonderful picture at high sensitivity, up to ISO 6400. Beyond that, the noise becomes very noticeable, but not ugly. The relatively low resolution of 20 megapixels is rather a plus of the camera, a guarantee of a relatively low noise level, which becomes noticeable at ISO above 12,800.
• The EOS 6D has the qualities of both an amateur and professional camera - a typical representative of the “golden mean”. Including price. The camera isn't cheap, but it's definitely worth the money.

The main disadvantage of the Canon EOS 6D is this:

• The EOS 6D does not quite fit the image of a modern DSLR; it cannot be called innovative; its wide functionality is still limited in places (no flip-up display, no built-in flash, and there are limitations in video shooting).

The fact that the Canon EOS 6D is not entirely modern does not in any way affect its main characteristics - image quality, exposure quality, autofocus speed and accuracy (including in Live View mode and video shooting). Although very interesting innovative models appear in the EOS 6D price range (Nikon D750, Sony Alpha 7R), in terms of basic indicators they cannot “jump” above the Canon EOS 6D. And their higher resolution sometimes leads to worse images (at high sensitivity). The Canon EOS 6D is a conservative model in a good sense, an excellent choice for those who do not chase fashionable new products and prefer solid basic quality. But when choosing the EOS 6D, you need to think carefully about how important the built-in flash, flip-out screen and 60p Full HD video shooting are to you.

Gallery

The gallery frames, as usual, are sorted by sensitivity - from ISO 100 to ISO 12,800. Notice how wonderfully the Canon EOS 6D reproduces colors and halftones; the “picture” of this camera is literally beautiful. All gallery frames can be downloaded in JPG, most of them in RAW.

Gallery
		Video	Video 44 seconds, 1920×1080@25p, 157 MB
Continuous shooting	Audio recordings of the “burst shooting” test, 2.2 MB
Gallery

Canon is an impressively established player in the photography and videography market. Managing to sit on several chairs at once, the giant of technical thought managed to gain a place for itself in almost all areas of technology, truly becoming a famous and recognizable brand of tools for creative people.

By releasing its 5d Mark III, for example, the company not only showed that in the world of studio photography someone other than medium format could be king, but also proved that people who cannot imagine their life without video do not need heavy and expensive video cameras. To this day, the “brand” remains a recognized leader, choice and object of desire for many. And with the release of their affordable FullFrame DSLR, Canon proved that not everything good has to come with a high price tag. Let's look at the Canon EOS 6D.

Video review of Canon EOS 6D

Design, buttons, wheels

The first thing that comes to mind when you pick up the “six” is “Wow, 60D in a different guise.” In fact, the camera is much closer in design and ergonomics to the younger model than to the Mark III. Similar dimensions, arrangement of control elements, the very execution of these same elements. But first things first.

The body is made of magnesium alloy with small inclusions of plastic. All parts that somehow come into contact with the user’s palms are rubberized. The pleasant-to-touch material will prevent slipping even with sweaty hands, but I would like to feel a little more comfortable in the grip - the body is a little small for my huge palms.

There's nothing on the front of the device other than a protruding right-hand battery grip and a bayonet release button on the left. Only after some time did I find a weakly protruding aperture repeater button slightly to the right of the bayonet mount.

Everything on the bottom is standard: a tripod socket and a battery compartment.

On the right, under the cover, there is a compartment for just one memory card.

The left side is given over to ports for connecting accessories, which are hidden behind rubber plugs. Here are the connectors for the remote control remote control and an external microphone, next to it is a port for MiniHDMI and AV/TV out. They decided to sacrifice the headphone output, although I don’t understand this move. There is enough space, the market price of MiniJack is cheap. But more flexible control over the quality of the recorded sound is invaluable. I hope this is not a marketing ploy like “if you want more, pay more for the Mark III - just twice as much.”

On the upper left side there is a mode selection wheel with an accidental rotation lock and a lever to turn the device on/off. On the right is the display for displaying additional information and five buttons for quick access to device functions: selection of autofocus options, “film advance” modes - single frame, series or self-timer, ISO, metering mode and the backlight key for the additional display.

In the center of the top edge there is a classic protrusion in which the pentaprism shaft and the hot shoe on it are hidden. But there is no internal flash. This is another minus - despite the fact that the camera is still aimed at more serious work than just photographing drunken groups, a light source would not hurt - for example, in order to “set fire” to external light sources in slave flash mode .

The rear part is also not replete with controls - only the necessary minimum. Slightly shifted to the left side of the device, there is a three-inch TFT display with a resolution of 720 x 480 pixels. According to the manufacturer, there is a double anti-reflective coating. In fact, the viewing angle is about 150-170 degrees; the main information, although difficult to read, is legible even in bright sunshine. Above it are only the Menu and Info buttons, next to it is an optical viewfinder with 97% frame coverage and 0.71x magnification. As for me, it’s not enough, it could be more. The diopter adjustment wheel is hidden a little higher.

On the right is a lever for switching between photo and video modes and a Start/Stop button for quickly recording video. On the far right side there are Af-On buttons, a function key and a button for selecting focus points.

The rest of the space is occupied by the zoom buttons, viewing footage, and the quick settings Q, a five-way joystick with a SET button in the center, a wheel, a delete button and a focus point lock lever.

All controls are tactilely very similar to those in the Canon EOS 60D, they have the same travel and sound when pressed. The wheel is just as slippery; sometimes your fingers can run over it in warm, dry weather. While wearing gloves, you will have to try hard to perform the scroll.

I would immediately like to talk about the disadvantages, as well as compare it with the closest competitor in this price category and segment - you can read its full review.

Firstly, the dimensions could have been made larger. And there is no sparing to place the controls - there is enough space. The same competitor has two memory card slots, which increases the convenience of shooting and storing data. And now we are not talking about the fact that there is more space, but about the fact that you can easily separate photos and videos, making your life easier at the stage of sorting the material. Nikon has the same headphone port, despite its bug with the aperture mode in LiveView. And the internal flash won't hurt. By the way, during the operation of the “six” another small and annoying drawback emerged - after frequently changing storage media, the cover covering the memory card slot became a little loose and did not fit tightly to the body. Firstly, this has a negative effect on dust and moisture protection (which, after all, is present), and secondly, it leaves a feeling of unreliability or something.

Hidden from view

Inside there is a 20 MP full-frame sensor and a Digic V+ processor. This combination ensures excellent responsiveness of the device not only in vacuum conditions, but also during real operation. The continuous shooting speed is 4.5 fps, which is not so much, especially in comparison with, which boasts six frames. Regarding the buffer capacity – parity. The hero of the review begins to choke on 12 RAW+Jpeg and 15 RAW. And this is when using a fast memory card (its review).

Light sensitivity - from 100 to 25600 ISO in normal mode and from 50 to 102800 in extended mode. The quality of photos and the amount of noise are as expected. Up to 12800 you can shoot in Jpeg and not worry about the quality of the images, but starting from the specified value, development from RAW is required. But values ​​above 25600 are for those cases when you need to shoot a report or photograph for a family album.

By the way, I was also pleased that when printing, operations with photographs can be performed up to 25600 and even A4 formats can be printed with proper RAW development. In this case, things are a little worse.

The dynamic range is sufficient for most situations. Lights and shadows are transmitted correctly, but in a situation with difficult lighting on a cloudy day, you should still turn on HDR so as not to get a gray sky that looks like a rag.

Autofocus

But here it’s worth crying - there are only 11 points, of which only the central one is made of a cross type. If you don’t take into account those who like to aim at the central point and ignore all the others, there are frankly few points. Very little. Autofocusing is also complicated by the fact that the entire array is concentrated in the central part of the frame, so the edges suffer. Add to all this poor lighting and slow optics and we have a small problem - either with our hands or with false passes, grabs, focus locking and camera shift. And then I remember with its 39 points, of which 9 are cruciform

Among the interesting features, in addition to the basic image post-processing tools that have already become so familiar to us, are Wi-Fi and GPS. And if the latter is intended for writing geotags, then the first, according to trends, is used not only for sharing pictures, but also as a remote control via a phone or tablet.

But there are several nuances that left a very unpleasant aftertaste. In order to download the EOS-Remote application, you need to go to the American App Store - it simply isn’t available in the Ukrainian one. Unfortunately, it is impossible to check how things are with other stores. Secondly, after a lengthy setup of the camera-smartphone pair, during which I repeatedly consulted the manual, I saw the message “video recording not available” on the screen. That is, with the remote control I can only control photos in this way. What? Why?

OK. When testing the capabilities, I realized that exchanging photos and managing basic settings such as exposure, exposure compensation, etc., shutter release, etc. happens plus/minus in the same way as with competitors. But the delay in displaying the picture on the smart screen of three to five seconds and terrible lags forced me to delete the application, not use it until it was fixed, and write - it would be better not to do it than to do it for show.

Video shooting

Videos are recorded in 1920 x 1080 pixels, with 30p and 50i modes available. Of course also available intermediate values. To obtain higher-quality video, there is a port for an external microphone, manual audio sensitivity settings, manual control of aperture and shutter speed in LiveView mode - all this provides videographers with additional freedom. But there is no headphone output to monitor the sound while recording. And this is a failure, because at the fasting stage annoying interference or noise may appear. Life is unfair - the D610 has such an output, but there is no aperture control in LiveView mode.

Be that as it may, almost all of our reviews were shot specifically on the “six” - take a look.

Fine

• small sizes;
• ergonomics;
• external microphone port;
• high speed;
• photo and video quality;
• Availability of GPS and Wi-Fi;
• good and bright display;
• working ISO even at high values.

Badly

• “slippery” mode selection wheel;
• continuous shooting speed of only 4.5 fps;
• small buffer;
• lack of built-in flash;
• no headphone output;
• 11 AF points, of which 1 is cross-type;
• 1 memory card slot;
• implementation of Wi-Fi operation.

Which glass to take

The choice of glass for the Canon system is rather a philosophical question. A-brands can, naturally, boast a huge fleet of optics, and not only proprietary ones. Considering the fact that the Canon 6D is not exactly a budget thing, and that in order to unlock the full potential of the matrix it is worth using high-quality optics, we will not look at the cheapest options on the market.

- not the lightest option for a dollar, but at the same time you get all the current focal lengths - in most cases you will not experience any difficulties. In addition, the lens belongs to the L series, so both plastic and design will be there.

This is the glass for you if you need a universal lens for every day, which can be used to shoot all kinds of scenes, from landscapes to portraits. In addition, beautiful bokeh and high aperture will only work to your advantage. This lens costs about $450.

Sony Alpha A7

The main and main mirrorless alternative to the hero of our review. FullFrame matrix, small dimensions, availability of all necessary ports, price - all this will play into the hands of the owner. True, there are not so many optics with E mount. In addition, the body does not have an optical viewfinder, but an electronic viewfinder, so many people simply will not like this solution. Watch our video review Sony Alpha A7 By link, as well as a preview review.

Resume

In the end, we get Canon's most affordable full-frame device for $1,700. With its own shortcomings, with its own advantages, with some solutions “at the level of others.” This is an excellent workhorse for every day, which simply cannot leave indifferent those who need full frame, high-quality photography and videography, but at a low price. And choosing a Canon 6D or one of the alternatives is rather a matter of faith.

Image gallery:

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Video review of Canon EOS 6D