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Canon EOS R6 II Review

The R6 line is Canon’s bread and butter, offering semi-pros and content creators extremely capable hybrid performance at a competitive price, particularly for a full-frame hybrid mirrorless camera. With the first generation receiving such high praise and collecting an award or two along the way, the updated Canon EOS R6 Mark II has a lot to live up to.

If you’re considering the second generation as an upgrade, or as a new camera for yourself, our Canon EOS R6 Mark II review is packed with everything you need to know, including an EOS R6 Mark I Vs R6 Mark II specs comparison, hands-on video review and sample photos. We also touch on the simultaneous release of another mirrorless RF lens, which arrives in the form of the RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM Lens.

Discover the best features from Canon, designed to help you create amazing content, including the upgraded sensor with 20% higher resolution and the improved video capabilities of this new generation EOS R mirrorless camera.

EOS R6 Mark II sample photo with RF 70-200mm F/2.8L IS USM Lens @147mm. Camera settings: 1/2000sec. f/4.5. ISO 400

Canon EOS R6 Mark I Vs EOS R6 Mark II specs comparison

Let’s jump straight into a Canon EOS R6 Vs R6 II specs comparison in order to discover which upgrades and enhancements Canon has made TO their mid-range full-frame hybrid mirrorless camera.

EOS R6 Mark II sample photo with RF 15-35mm F/2.8L IS USM Lens @15mm. Camera settings: 5sec. f/5. ISO 12,800

When did the Canon EOS R6 II come out?

The Canon EOS R6 II launched 02 November, 2022, following the first generation release of July 09, 2020 in the midst of the global pandemic – although that didn’t stop photographers and moviemakers from clamouring to snag one. The second generation even inherits some features from the R3, which arrived November 2021.

With the world open again this is a great time to get your hands on such a well-rounded camera and head away for the holiday season or simply enjoy a few days off to create amazing content.

EOS R6 Mark II sample photo with RF 15-35mm F/2.8L IS USM Lens @18mm. Camera settings: 1/1600sec. f/2.8. ISO 100

How much does the R6 Mark II camera cost?

As Canon’s mid-range full-frame hybrid camera, which sits below the £3,999.00 R5, the EOS R6 II costs £2,779.00 for the body-only, £3,129.00 for the EOS R6 Mark II with RF 24-105mm Kit or £3999.00 for the EOS R6 Mark II with RF 24-105mm f/4 L Lens.

The first generation mark I is priced at £2,399.00, just a few hundred pounds less, demonstrating what good value both models are, with highly capable features for all sorts of content types.

Sample photo new RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM Lens mounted on EOS R5. Camera settings: 1/3200sec. f/1.8. ISO 400

Most notable R6 Mark II features

The EOS R6 II comes with a host of features which warrant highlighting beyond the specs comparison above, all of which are designed to help photographers and videographers capture the best content possible. This list ensures you know what features to expect and how the second generation camera can work for your style of content:

• Groundbreaking full-frame continuous speed burst shooting at 40fps in electronic shutter mode with AE and AF tracking, which is faster than the EOS R3.
• 8-stop image stabilisation with compatible lenses is amongst the best in the world for any platform
• Moviemakers can record professional quality oversampled 6K full sensor width 4K video
• Enjoy reduced rolling shutter from the faster Canon designed 24MP sensor
• In-camera focus bracketing
• RAW burst mode captures 30 images for you to choose from
• Panorama mode
• Upgraded focusing with subject detect AF, which can be streamlined to face only
• Focus breathing correction with compatible lenses (after firmware update)
• Pre-record 3-5sec. (much like a ‘live photo’ on your smartphone)

Sample photo new RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM Lens mounted on EOS R3. Camera settings: 1/1600sec. f/1.8. ISO 3200

Updated Dual Pixel CMOS AF II

Canon’s updated Dual Pixel CMOS AF II uses deep-learning artificial intelligence to accurately recognise people, animals and vehicles, wherever they move in the frame. People can be tracked if they are wearing a mask, helmet or sunglasses and when photographing vehicles, the EOS R6 II can recognise cars, motorbikes, trains and aircraft.

Animal AF has also been enhanced with the addition of horses, perfect for all you equestrian photographers out there.

Updated ergonomics and body design

Canon has also turned their attention to the exterior design of the EOS R6 Mark II body, which includes the following changes:

• New multi-function shoe for cable-free and often battery-free accessories
• Upgraded Bluetooth V.5.0 / 5GHz WiFi
• New flip-out screen
• Optical EVF simulation
• A new photo/video switch
• Redesigned multi-controller
• Extended battery life
• Durable/lightweight magnesium alloy body

Best accessories for the R6 II camera

In order to capture the best images and videos you’ll need some accessories and the R6 Mark II camera boasts plenty to help you create every type of content. The best accessories for the EOS R6 Mark II also include some, which are compatible with the newly added multifunction hot shoe.

A simultaneously launched speedlite arrived with the Canon Speedlite EL-5 Flash. This includes a Multi-Function foot interface, bright GN60 Guide number and built-in transmitter for up to 15 flashguns. The Canon DM-E1D digital microphone is another Multi-function Shoe accessory which doesn’t need any cables, nor battery to capture high-quality digital audio. You can add the Canon BG-R10 battery grip, which offers extended shooting capabilities with two LP-E6NH batteries and you might also want to buy a high-speed UHS-II SD card to make the most of high-speed shooting and video performance. For RAW recording to an external monitor you’ll want the Atomos Ninja V+ recorder, which will enable you to capture 6K RAW at up to 60p.

New Canon RF 135mm f/1.8 L lens

Alongside the new camera body, Canon has released a completely new RF 135mm f/1.8L IS USM Lens. This short telephoto prime provides excellent optical performance with 3-UD elements, 8-stops of stabilisation when paired with the R6 Mark II (and other cameras with combined body/lens IS) and fast Nano USM focus technology.

This particular RF lens performs incredibly well, with L series build quality and optics, which are comparable, if not better performing than Canon’s own RF 85mm F/1.2L and RF 50mm Lens F/1.2 L USM. Although perhaps a more niche focal length than those two lenses, there are surprisingly many uses for 135mm lens. Subjects include portraits and pets, distant landscape and architectural details as well as product photography, which you can see in the sample images included in this review.

Extensive mirrorless lens options

There are currently around 30 Canon RF Lenses to choose for photography and videography and the RF system also offers the ability to shoot with your existing EF mount DSLR lenses via an adapter. These come in various forms, from the basic Canon EF-EOS R Mount Adapter through to the advanced Canon Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R.

You’ll find that native RF lenses perform extremely favourably, designed with outstanding image quality and smart features which are lens control rings, programmable custom function buttons and more to support individual workflows.

Canon R6 II First Look Review Video | Super Fast Upgrade

Who is the R6 Mark II for?

The simple addition of a dedicated photo/video switch highlights the R6 Mark II as a throughly proficient hybrid camera, with class-leading performance across several features. Despite the updated 24 megapixel sensor you can capture incredibly fast burst rates and record higher quality 4K 60p internal video, as well as external 6K RAW.

Additional features have been added for both stills and video, such as focus stacking, Pre-shooting burst mode, focus breathing correction and much more, which are all designed to help you make better content, more easily.

Although it doesn’t offer the crop factor for wildlife, which the APS-C format EOS R7 provides, you do get instant in-camera 1.6x crop with a digital teleconverter, faster burst rates, RAW burst mode and slightly better low light performance. This suggests it would even make a great camera for wildlife, sports and action as well as any kind of general day-to-day photography, including portraits and travel. Ultimately this is a system for content creators who shoot both stills and video, and it’s very, very good at both.

Reserve your Canon EOS R6 Mark II today, or choose from either of the lens kits, with the EOS R6 Mark II with RF 24-105mm Kit or the EOS R6 Mark II with RF 24-105mm f/4 L Lens and start making the best content ever for your audience.

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By Nick Dautlich on 02/11/2022