| Rick McEvoy Photography

What was I writing about this time last year?

12 months ago today I wrote about the new Canon 6D Mark 2, the release of which had just been announced.

I am excited with the news, albeit rumours, that the Canon 6D might be with us this summer.

This is what Canon Rumours are saying

“We’re told that the Canon EOS 6D Mark II will be announced in July of this year, though the exact date is unknown at the time of writing this. The EOS 6D Mark II will also start shipping relatively soon after the announcement, so it’s safe to say you should have your hands on the new camera some time in August, 2017.

Specifications have been extremely hard to come by, and anything out there currently is either made up or just logical features we can expect in the coming body.

We posted a predicted specifications list back in February,

Canon EOS 6D Mark II Predicted Specifications

24-28mp full frame CMOS

45 AF points (all cross-type)
Dual Pixel AF
DIGIC 7

Built-in Wi-Fi®, NFC and Bluetooth® technology
Built-in GPS
Vari-Angle touchscreen LCD

6 FPS Shooting
HDR Movie & Time Lapse Movie
Some form of 4K video

Movie electronic image stabilization
Dual SD card slots
100% coverage optical viewfinder with some new features

but it’s nothing more than conjecture at this point.

We do expect legitimate specifications to leak out in the coming month or so.

We put a [CR2] on this because announcement dates can move, though it’s more common with lenses than with camera bodies.

OK. Good news then.

Also there is the Peta Pixel report which said

“When the Canon 6D was first released in 2012, it was a big deal—a lightweight DLSR that significantly lowered the barrier of entry into the full-frame market. But that was almost 5 years ago, and people are hungry for a Mark II. Fortunately, they won’t have to wait long.

According to Canon Rumors, Canon is finally planning to release the 6D Mark II sometime in July, just two short months away. They’re also being told that wait time from announcement to ship date will be relatively short, claiming “you should have your hands on the new camera some time in August, 2017.”

Unfortunately that’s about all we know. Specs for the 6D Mark II have been notoriously fickle and hard to come by, with most of what’s out there falling into the realm of pure speculation.

As with all rumors and unconfirmed reports, you’ll want to take this with a grain of salt. Even CR, who is pretty confident about this information, admits that release dates are notorious for changing last minute. But if you want to mark your calendar and start saving, July is your tentative release month.”

So I delved deeper…….

Digital Rev reports here

“If you haven’t noticed, the cacophony of rumours has quieted down to gentle whispers. This is the expected calm between the storms of Photokina and CES. Aggravating as that may be, there are still occasional mutterings worth paying attention to, including one choice bit of information on the future of the Canon 6D Mark II.

Canon Rumors has spoken to several of their contacts, who have confirmed that rather than sometime in Q1 (around early February 2017), we will in fact not be seeing the Mark II announced until way into Q2. The site estimates that it will be unveiled sometime in April 2017, after the NAB show, and will be slated for release in May 2017.

Not much is known about the 6D Mark II for sure at this time. Though we’re very appreciative of the probable inclusion of Dual Pixel AF to speed up focus times, we’re more than a little disappointed in the lack of 4K,and it isn’t the first time. Frankly, after 2016, we expected the inclusion of the format to be standard for any major release, especially on a full frame shooter.

Rumors also indicate that the 6D will include a touch screen, although it’s important to note that everything at this point is just speculation.

Canon 6D Mark II Potential Specs:

24MP/25MP sensor
New AF system and Dual Pixel AF
NO 4K

Dual SD card slots
Tilting LCD touch screen
Wifi with NFC activation

GPS”

Tech Radar says

“Predicted specs: At least 24MP full-frame sensor | 6fps continuous shooting | Vari-angle touchscreen

We loved the EOS 6D when it first came out, but at almost four years old, it’s looking quite tired now and its specs don’t compare that well with the Nikon D750‘s. As Canon’s ‘entry-level’ full-frame camera it occupies an important position in the EOS lineup, making it a shoe-in for a refresh.

Until the 5DS and 5DS R came along Canon was quite conservative about pixel count. Jumping from 20 to 24MP would be enough for many photographers, but some may expect closer to 36 million, though that’s unlikely now we’ve seen the EOS 5D Mark IV. A relatively high pixel count would make the 6D Mark II much more attractive to existing Mark I owners.

With just 11 points, the 6D’s AF system is rather lacklustre, and we think the new model will see a big jump in this area, perhaps up to 61 to match the 5D Mark III. Low light and continuous shooting performance also needs to improve, and a maximum sensitivity of ISO102,400 seems likely along with 6fps shooting. Wi-Fi,NFC and GPS technology also seem likely, and we’re hoping there will be a vari-angle touchscreen as well, as on the APS-C format EOS 80D, to make the camera more user-friendly.”

Finally Camera Times reported

“Canon didn’t announce any new DSLR cameras at NAB 2017 and they recently released the new instant rebates: Save up to $550 on selected Canon Cameras. So, what’s coming next? What can we expect from Canon
in 2017?

1. Canon EOS 6D Mark II: the replacement of Canon 6D, is expected to be announced in late Q2 or early Q3 of 2017, before September 2017. There are some rumors around the web saying that Canon EOS 6D Mark II will NOT come in 2017. I don’t think this is true and I don’t think Canon will abandon the 6D line. We know the Canon 6D has been a great seller for Canon, and Canon EOS 6D successor is eagerly anticipated. So, hard to abandon a product line when it is successful. Join the Canon EOS 6D Mark II facebook groupor follow Canon EOS 6D Mark II facebook page to get all news about this camera in time!

Canon EOS 6D Mark II Rumored Specifications:

24-28mp full frame CMOS
45 AF points (all cross-type)

Dual Pixel AF
DIGIC 7
6 FPS Shooting

4K video
Built-in Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth technology
Built-in GPS

Vari-Angle touchscreen LCD
Dual-pixel autofocus technology
HDR Movie & Time Lapse Movie

Movie electronic image stabilization
Dual SD card slots
100% coverage optical viewfinder with some new features

New connectivity feature on 6D Mark II
Price will be a bit expensive than 6D
Slightly smaller form factor and a reduction in weight”

So what does this mean?

I have had a Canon 6D for over 3 years now. It replaced my beloved Canon 5D, which can still produce great images by the way.

I am very excited to read that there will be a new Canon 6D Mk 2, and also that the Canon 6D line will not be scrapped and replaced by the much reported new Canon mirrorless camera that will accept Canon EF lenses.

So what of these rumoured specification reports?

Sensor – 24 – 28 MP

That is good for me. The current sensor is 20 MP. So an increase of 10 – 20% in image resolution will be nice and not too large in terms of file sizes.

Auto Focus

A reported 45 cross type AF points. Anther thing I will use a lot. I am constantly changing the focus points on my Canon 6D. But there aren’t that many of them.

Dual Pixel AF

Hmmm. What is this?

Well, according to Canon

“Dual Pixel CMOS AF is a sensor-based, phase detection Auto Focus (AF) technology designed to provide smooth, high-performance focus tracking in movies and fast autofocus acquisition when shooting still photos in Live View mode.

It is a unique, Canon-developed technology, ideal for creating professional-looking pull-focus effects and keeping a subject moving towards the user in sharp focus while maintaining a blurred background – a defining characteristic of EOS Movies.

Thanks to this ground breaking advance, capturing a subject and retaining sharp focus, even when moving, has never been easier.

Why was Dual Pixel CMOS AF developed?

With the ability to make a subject stand out with a limited depth-of-field, comes a requirement to keep control over focus, if the main subject moves or the point of focus changes. Dual Pixel CMOS AF was developed so that control of focus during movie making is made easier and smoother – removing the perceived notions that a DSLR’s movie mode is usable only to a professional. Additionally, Dual Pixel CMOS AF was developed to enhance the usability of shooting with Live View – moving closer towards the same performance encountered when using the viewfinder.”

OK – I might find a use for that as I shoot a lot in Live View mode, especially when I am using my tilt shift lenses.

A new processor – DIGIC 7

A new processor. All good. It just means things will be quicker and better.

Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth

I hope the wi-fi is a lot slicker, and that they have done something about the wi-fidraining the battery when the camera is turned off. Not sure about NFC – never used it, and wil be interested to see what the Bluetooth functionality is. Connecting my camera to my iPhone?

Built-in GPS

My current Canon 6D has this, and I would be very disappointed if the Mk 2 did not. This is an incredibly useful tool that I use all the time.

Vari-Angle Touchscreen

I am not sure abut the touchscreen part of this, but I am sure this is only because I don’t have it now, and never have done on any of my DSLRs.

But a vari-angle is exciting, as long as it tilts up and down. I will use this feature all the time as well.

6 Frames Per Second

Not really of interest to me. I shoot one image at a time.

HDR Movie and Time Lapse Movie

I might have a go with these, but these are not significant features for me – I use my iPhone for video and that is enough.

4k video or no 4k video

Rumours both ways – I don’t care wither way. I would be happy if it didn’t do 4k.

Movie electronic image stabilization

Again not of any interest to me at the moment.

Dual SD card slots

I will use these to make an immediate back up f every image I take on a spare card. Very happy with this.

Finally, 100% coverage optical viewfinder

Another big improvement that I will make use of all the time.

Is there anything missing from this list of additional features?

Other things I want to see are (this should be in a separate post titled What I want from the new Canon 6D Mk 2)

An increased dynamic range on image capture
Better low light sensor performance

A lower ISO range (what happened to ISO 50?)
A higher top end ISO
In camera HDR with RAW files – now that would be very cool

Improved wireless functionality
Image preview showing the RAW file and not the JPEG interpretation of the RAW file
More Custom Function setting options

Not a lot really. I also want that faultless Canon reliability, consistency of use and image quality.

I have taken thousands of picture with my Canon 6D, and never had a problem with it. The quality is quite extraordinary. Every time I reach for the camera it just works. Every time. Faultlessly.

So yes I am excited about the prospect of the new Canon 6D Mk 2, and am looking forward to buying one.

Of course if Canon want to send me one to try I will happy to help!”

12 months on – what do I want from a new camera?

That is the question.

And what has happened since I looked into acquiring the Canon 6D Mk 2?

In terms of me getting another camera – nothing.

Whilst the Canon 6D Mk 2 has lots of new and useful features, and I would very much like to have one, would it materially improve my image capture?

The short answer is marginally, but not enough to justify the expenditure. If my Canon 6D Mk 1 falls over then I will get the newer version, but to be honest I am happy as I am at the moment.

My Canon 6D is a great camera that has performed faultlessly since I bought it.

And what else has happened?

Canon have announced that they will be producing a full frame mirrorless camera.

This has been widely reported, such as on the Peta Pixel website.

This is of interest to me. When will we see this? This year hopefully. Ort the first quarter of 2019.

Why mirrorless?

DSLRs are great, but I feel that they are lacking in technology that can make a big difference.

I started to think this when using my iPhone 7 Plus which has all sorts of tricks in it. And when I put it on my new DJI Osmo Mobile more technological wonders were unveiled in front of my very eyes. I loved watching the Osmo Mobile move my camera to take a 9 scene auto stitched panoramic picture.

Now I know that photography is not all about the gear, but there are technological advances that I would love to be able to take advantage of.

Some of them will be of significant benefit to me and my work, some are just nice to haves.

So what are these features I would like to see in a new camera just for me?

In-camera HDR

The Canon 6D has this, but only produces a Jpeg file. What I want is to be able to capture a bracketed set of images in camera, with the camera producing a single merged HDR RAW file. This will be a huge timesaver to me, and there is no reason why a camera can’t do this these days.

This is my biggest request for a new camera. I take bracketed sets on every shoot, and have to manually create the HDR files in Lightroom every time.

This single feature may determine which camera I buy next.

Proper wi-fi connectivity

It seems a bit strange that I have a camera which cost £1,500 that has a wi-fi capability that appears to be from last decade. The Canon Connect app is hardly slick when connecting my iPhone to my Canon 6D.

Slick connectivity will improve my productivity significantly.

And when I get home should I really need to remove the memory card, insert it into my PC and import the images into Lightroom?

Surely this should be automatic when I get back to my office? Get back, turn the camera on and press a button to transfer the photos. That is how it should be these days?

If I had this I could leave the camera to it and go and get a beer! Sounds like a much better idea.

This is another feature which would be invaluable for me in many ways. WI-fi connectivity as good as on my iPhone.

Internet connectivity

As with wi-fi, surely cameras should have internet connectivity. If not direct then via slick wi-fi to a connected phone. And with this sharing of photos from in camera is not too much to ask is it?

In camera focus stacking

Very much a nice to have but the only way I will ever do focus-stacking, which I do like the idea of.

Another computational photography task that could be quite easily automated. There was a Kickstarter campaign for a product called Arsenal that had this feature built-in, so why not just add it to the camera?

Video

Better quality video capture with professional standard audio. I have not done much video, well I tried once in Spain one sunrise morning. Why did I say sunrise morning? When else does the sun rise???

This might be a feature where I need to look at myself first!

A big bright tiltable screen

One that you can view in bright sunlight. The screen on my Canon 6D is hardly the best, so much so that I use a viewer to use the screen, which also provides shade from the sun.

This is one of the main shortcomings of the iPhone 7 Plus for me – the screen is useless in bright sunlight, especially with all the Apps where the text is so small to maximise the screen image.

Electronic Viewfinder (EVF)

I would love to have an EVF that gives accurate exposure simulation, showing the exposure as it is.

Apps

We have endless numbers of Apps on phones. Why not on cameras?

Summary

These are the things that would push me to by a new camera. In camera HDR is a definite for me, along with connectivity as good as provided by my iPhone.

I am sure there are lots of other computational things that will be appearing in the near future – I just want them in my camera and not just on my phone.

Rick McEvoy Photography

What do I want from a new camera?