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John Gough Photography

Canon EOS 6D Mark II Review of Reviews

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Canon EOS 6D Mark II

 

When the Canon EOS 6D was launched, it was a massively popular camera, full frame detail, and brilliance at a price the enthusiast could afford. In August 2017 after a five year wait, it’s successor the Canon EOS 6D Mark II was launched, and frankly, it was a disappointment. Does this camera deserve the slating it has had? Is this camera as poor as critics have made out? Let’s look at the reviews to try to understand what went wrong, and try to understand whether the doom merchants were proved right.

In July last year, the wait was over the 6DII which had been heavily trailed on Canon rumour sites and forums was finally released.

Canon EOS 6D Mark II: Digital Trends Review

Digital Trends was one of the first to review the camera based on a Canon sponsored trip to the Grand Canyon to test beta models prior to release. They were impressed by the new spec’ compared with the old Canon EOS 6D.

  • Digic 7 processor vs Digic 5 in the 6D.
  • An all new 26.2 megapixel full-frame sensor vs a 20 megapixel full frame sensor
  • ISO increased from 25,600 to 40,000
  • Burst rate from 4.5 frames per second (fps) to 6.5.
  • GPS is built in for automatic geotagging without requiring a mobile app as in the 6D
  • The 6D 11 point AF system with one cross-type sensor, is replaced by a 45 point all cross type AF sensor
  • New Dual Pixel autofocus (DPAF) technology
  • New articulating three-inch touchscreen with a 1.4-million dot resolution.

However, they were disappointed that there was no 4K video. Furthermore, despite Canon’s hospitality, there were already the first hints of the disenchantment to come:

After waiting some four-and-half years, it would have been nice to see the 6D take a bigger leap forward, rather than just play catch up to the rest of the product line.

Canon EOS 6D Mark II: Pocket-Lint Review

Pocket-lint were one of the next reviewers on the block. They praised the versatility of the camera, especially with the articulating screen and pointed out how light the camera was compared to the 5D IV, and Nikon.

They were impressed:

  • The 6D 75g is lighter than the Nikon D750.
  • The Dual Pixel AF technology = fast focusing
  • The 7560 RGB+IR metering sensor performed well
  • There was now Bluetooth

However, it was mixed with reservations:

  • The viewfinder only covers 98% field of view, meaning you are likely to be cropping the edges. With the 5D IV it is a 100% field of view.
  • There are 45 autofocus points all cross type, more than the 11 with just one cross type in the 6D, but less than the 61 in the 5D IV.
  • The burst rate of 6.5fps is half a frame slower than the 5D IV.
  • There is only one card slot compared to two on the 5D IV. An annoying restriction for wedding and professional photographers.

At launch, there was around one thousand pounds difference in price between the Canon EOS 6D II, and the Canon EOS 5D IV. However, the reviewers questioned whether for all customers the additional £1000 was worth the few additional features.

For many it will fulfill every need at a far lower price than buying a 5D Mark IV, which gives this full-framer considerable appeal.

Canon EOS Mark II: Ken Rockwell

I respect Ken Rockwell. His reviews are detailed, and he seems to be dead straight, there are none of the current biases e.g. mirrorless vs DSLR, Canon vs Nikon vs Sony, Fujifilm vs the world. I bought the Canon 6D based on his recommendation, so what are his views and comments about the 6DII.

  • The image quality is the same, but it may take more time and trouble to change settings than with more expensive cameras.
  • The 6DII is light compared with Sony’s top full-frame mirrorless cameras which aren’t much lighter.
  • High quality domestic Japanese production, not offshored to China or Thailand like Sony or Nikon.
  • There is no facial recognition, which now comes as standard with most mirrorless cameras
  • There is at least some weather sealing
  • “The rubbery grip material is the best in the industry. It’s super grippy, yet firm. It’s as if it’s made of the same nanomaterial as the footpads of a lizard that grip anything without being sticky”
  • Ken Rockwell has shot the same scene at various ISOs and his conclusion is that the high ISO performance is state of the art and matches other current full-frame cameras like the Sony A7R Mk III.

The review is summed up by some encouraging words.

The original Canon 6D has always been the world’s best low-cost full-frame DSLR, and this new 6D Mark II is even better.

The 6D Mk II is excellent for most DSLR uses like landscapes, however for people pictures I prefer a camera with facial recognition for regular viewfinder shooting, like a mirrorless camera or a higher-end Canon DSLR.

Canon EOS Mark II: Dpreview

Dpreview is another respected source. Here are some of their views and comments that we have not picked up in previous reviews:

  • There is face detect in Live View using the articulated screen rather than the viewfinder.
  •  Not having a flash is not a big disadvantage because the high ISO performance is so good.
  • Canon’s metering system tends to underexpose backlit shots.
  • Subject tracking AF is not up with the best, meaning that there could be some out of focus shots in the middle of a burst
  • The 45 point AF is centred, which can be a disadvantage if you want to compose off centre.

However, the review picks up on the main flaw in the 6DII, which is that the new 26 megapixel sensor is not sensitive at low ISOs especially in terms of dynamic range, which means that recovering detail from dark shadow in RAW is compromised. Images appear noisy which means that the flexibility you might expect in post processing is not there.  Tests by Dpreview show that it is the new sensor that is adding the noise. They conclude that:

the benefits that appeared in the sensors used in the EOS 80D and EOS 5D IV have not been applied to the latest EOS 6D

Sensor performance they claim falls well behind competitors and is no better than the original 6D. So in conclusion:

Let’s be clear: The EOS 6D Mark II is, like so many other cameras, capable of outstanding images in the right hands. But even considering all the traditional Canon bonuses like great color, ease of use for video capture and comprehensive lens ecosystem, the 6D II falls too far short for us to recommend it over the competition, and therefore it doesn’t merit our highest awards.

Canon EOS Mark II: DXOMARK

For definitive laboratory type sensor testing go to DXOMARK.

Picture quality is based on two factors, sensor quality and the quality of the lens you can afford. Here we are looking at one half of the equation. DXOMARK give an overall mark based on their tests of sensor performance. The Canon 6DII gets a score of 85. By comparison, other Canon full frame cameras get a higher score due to their more advanced sensors.  The Canon EOS 1D x Mark II launched in 2016 scores 88, and the Canon EOS 5D MarkIV scores 91. Canon has the technology, but chose not to use it on the 6DII.

In 2012 when the 6D was launched the major competition came from Nikon, but times have changed. Now even the Sony a6300 which is not even full frame, but an APS-C format sensor, scores 85. The full frame Sony A7R launched in 2013 and now priced well below the 6DII scores a whopping 95, and it’s successor the Sony A7R III scores an even more whopping 100. Imagine that with the latest Sony G glass. Read about it.

However, lets leave the last word on the sensor to DXOMARK:

[The score] is a result of notably lower dynamic range recorded by the 6D Mark II at base ISO, which is a concern for photographers after the best image quality in good light. From ISO 800, dynamic range is much closer to the performance of semi pro rivals such as the Nikon D750 and Sony A7 II however, and with good color sensitivity at all settings and well-controlled noise the 6D Mark II lends itself better to low light photography.

Canon EOS 6D Mark II: Conclusion

The 6DII was never going to be a sports or a wildlife camera, the burst rate is too slow and the AF too clunky to follow the action. As a people shooting camera, the lack of face recognition and the centre positioned auto focus make it difficult to use creatively. However, the camera is on paper ideal for landscape and nature, the higher resolution full frame sensor, the weather sealing, and the flippy screen make working on a tripod a breeze. However, lift the hood and the engine has not got the grunt in terms of dynamic range that serious RAW landscape and nature photographers might expect.

Canon EOS 6D Mark II: The Good News and the Bad News

However, in reviewing the 6DII there is good news and bad news. Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. Canon have been too cautious with the 6DII. Keeping it purposely not quite as good as the 5DIV to maintain parity across the product line. The 6DII has taken 5 years to develop and was designed by a committee. During which time it was overtaken by the likes of Sony, and their old rival Nikon, with the matchless Nikon D850.   

Now for the good news. The bad press has actually turned the situation around, and as a result the price of the 6DII is falling. At launch, the purchase price in the UK was £1999. The current price at the time of writing (Jan 2018) is £1728, compared with the Canon 5DIV, which is now almost twice the price at £3229.

If you shop around you can get the 6DII for an amazing £1185.  Ok, the 6DII is a flawed camera, but at that price, it is a great camera.

Where to Buy

I buy all my equipment at Wex because they have great customer service

 

 

 

 

Sony A6300 Image Quality

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Sony A6500

 

I was looking to do some sensor comparisons and headed off to this fantastic site.

I have been researching Sony A6000 cameras for a bit now, because I am looking for the ultimate street camera. I did have a Fuji XT20 but I had to send that back to Wex because the AF was dire. See how I tried to overcome the problem.  Can I just mention that Wex were fantastic and their customer service is second to none.

However back to the Sony 6300. At DXOMARK they measure the image quality of camera sensors, this covers colour sensitivity, noise including dynamic range and tonal range, and ISO sensitivity. The Sony 6300 and Sony 6500 have a score of 85. 

This is on par with the Canon 6D MK2. The prestigious  Canon EOS-1D X Mark II scores 88, the Canon 5D MKIV 91, and the extraordinary new Nikon D850 scores 100. The list here is dominated by Nikon, Sony and to a lesser extent Canon.

Sensor Comparison Mirrorless Cameras

So how about the competitor mirrorless cameras (priced at around £1000), how do they compare with the Sony A6300 score of 85. Unfortunately there are no recent Fujifilm cameras in the list (I wonder why?)

Samsung NX 500                                          87

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II                     80

Canon EOS M6                                              78

Canon EOS M5                                              77

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8                        75

Leica T                                                           75

Olympus PEN-F                                            74

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II                     73

It is interesting reading reviews in which reviewers use their own image quality tests, but on this site it is completely impartial. The numbers do the talking.

 

Where to Buy Your Equipment

I buy my equipment from Wex because of their exceptional customer service. I once returned a camera after 30 days, and the next day they called to return my money to my account. Their prices are always competitive and they offer good prices on the trade in of your used gear

 

 

 

 

 

Sony a6300 Review of Reviews

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Sony a6300

Sony a6300 with Sony Vario-Tessar T E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS

 

The Sony a6300 seems like a good candidate as a great street camera. I have pulled together the best reviews and drawn some conclusions.

DPREVIEW

  • Likely that Sony have retooled to create the a6300, because although it looks like the a6000, it has a more substantial-feeling magnesium alloy construction compared to the composite materials in the a6000 which it supersedes.
  • The menu system is complicated and is beginning to be overwhelmed by the number of functions it contains.
  • Can successfully shoot at 11fps and 8fps with a simultaneous live view
  • Constrained by a relatively small selection of lenses.
  • The AF point can be difficult to position.
  • RAW files have good dynamic range.
  • ‘The a6300’s image quality is excellent – as good as any we’ve seen from an APS-C camera of any type, from any manufacturer’.
  • ‘dynamic range and noise performance of the sensor are as good as things get in an APS-C camera’.
  • ‘If you’re looking for a camera with great image quality, excellent autofocus and top-notch video, it’s the strongest all-rounder’.
  • ‘Overall, then, the [Sony] a6300 is a camera where you benefit from putting in the work required to get the best out of it. It’s worth it, though, since it’s probably the most capable stills/video camera I’ve ever used. If the lenses you want are available, unless you really need a specific feature of one of its rivals, it should be at or very near the top of your list’.

Ken Rockwell

  • ‘I love its EVF, speed, tiny size, tough build and great looking pictures in any light — as well as its completely silent operation’
  • The EVF works flawlessly whatever lighting condition.
  • The silent mode is a considerable benefit
  • ‘Once you get the camera set it works very fast, but getting it set can be maddening since important menu options are carelessly spread all over its arbitrary menu system. Expect to wade through the entire system every time you want to find something. It takes a long time to learn this camera’.
  • If you dont get a sharp image with this camera it is because you are doing something wrong.

TechRadar

  • ‘425 phase-detect AF pixels that reach almost to the peripheries of the frame. This is the highest number of phase-detect points we’ve seen on an interchangeable-lens camera to date, and this density, together with 169 additional contrast-detect points, is said to enable the camera to focus on moving subjects in as little as 0.05 seconds’.
  • ‘Dynamic range in raw files starts at a reasonable level, although by ISO400 this starts to slip, and at the highest settings performance from the Panasonic GX8 and Olympus Pen-F is considerably stronger’.
  • ‘In the absence of any significant failings, it’s only really a handful of smaller shortcomings that let the A6300 down. The screen feels somewhat underpowered; some of the controls aren’t quite as accessible as they could be; and the lack of in-camera raw processing is a shame. Furthermore, while the tiltable LCD is great, it’s shame it’s not a touchscreen’.
  • ‘Sony A6300 represents an exceptional value for a camera which offers so much in such a compact package. It packs one heck of a punch in both features and performance, and undoubtedly gets two thumbs up as a Dave’s Pick‘.

Sony a6000 for Street Photography

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Sony a6300

The Baron of Beef / John Gough / Sony a6300

I am researching what the Sony a6000 and its’ derivatives the a6300 and a6500 are like at street photography. Not so long ago (well 60 years ago) you set forth into the streets of New York. (See Joel Meyerwitz) with Leica in hand. Now we are all striving to be street photographers, and there are lots of alternatives to a Leica. These include the mirrorless Sony, Fuji, Panasonic and Canon cameras. But how good are they? Concentrating on the Sony a6000s, here are some views from some street photography bloggers: Thomas Fitzgerald Photography
The big advantages of the A6000 for street photography are as follows:
    1. It’s really fast in operation. The camera responds quickly and you are never left waiting for it to catch up, which can be an issue with some older mirrorless cameras, especially in this price range.
    2. The flip up screen is great for shooting from the hip. It’s great for being stealthy when shooting on the street.
    3. The autofocus is superb. It’s still one of the better autofocus systems that I’ve used on a mirrorless camera. I find it better than my X-Pro 2 for autofocusing (send your hate mail to….) especially when shooting street photography. It’s very fast and it locks on really quickly. Also, the face detection works well, and is a really useful option when shooting street shots.
    4. It’s really small and discrete. When coupled with a small lens it’s not much bigger than a compact camera.
    5. You can adapt it to an incredibly wide range of lenses (pretty much anything). While it doesn’t autofocus with adaptors as well as the newer A6500, if you’re willing to manual focus, and have old glass, there is more than likely an adaptor for it. And some of these adaptors are pretty cheap too.
Steven Brokaw Photography
There are MANY reviews on the A6000 focusing on features & performance, so I won’t try to do one myself.  I would recommend if you are looking at an ILC for street then check out the online reviews, blogs and go to your local camera store to get the feel of the Sony A6000. However, I did want to highlight what I liked about the camera.  They are:
  • Lighting fast focus,
  • Easy to use menus & menu layout,
  • Fine lineup of Sony lenses and readily available adapters for non Sony lenses,
  • Focus tracking is awesome,
  • Burst rate is stupid fast,
  • OK (but, not great) low light performance,
  • Feels good in my hand (very sticky),
  • APS-C sensor,
  • Good video,
Crazyaboutcameras http://crazyaboutcameras.com/best-cameras-for-street-photography/

The main benefit of the a6000 is its portable size. The ability to put a camera in a coat pocket and take it out everywhere with you is not to be underestimated. Especially with street photography where you may want to be discreet.

But apart from the portability, we are just amazed by the image quality that a camera of this size can produce. The a6000s sensor is incredible and is widely regarded as being one of the best in this “size class” of cameras. It picks up colors well and the processor that powers the whole product can accurately adjust the balance on auto mode.

Some other cameras without a digital viewfinder can struggle in bright lighting conditions making the shot reasonably difficult (or impossible) to take. The OLED viewfinder on the a6000 makes it well suited to shooting in bright conditions. It is perfect for the street where you never know when the next shot might arise.

Tim Brookes MakeUseOf http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/mirrorless-cameras-great-street-candid-shy-photographers/
For street photography, this matters. As someone who’s always been a bit shy when it comes to pointing a camera in people’s faces, a smaller and more discreet camera allowed me to get closer and push myself further than an SLR ever has. The amazing thing is that modern mirrorless cameras don’t require you to sacrifice image quality — I’ve been shooting 24.2 megapixel images in RAW format images in RAW format and the excellent low-light performance and 425 points of autofocus on the A6300 allowed me to trust the camera completely. Aforementioned street photographer Eric Kim notes that “ultimately capturing the moment, emotion, and feeling of a scene is more important than how many pixels or how sharp it is.” This could apply to a whole manner of photographic applications, but it’s especially true for street photographers and anyone who wants to get into candid photography. Kim’s top pick for a dedicated street camera is the Richoh GR-II, a compact camera with a fixed lens and an APS-C sensor that retails for around $700.

Considering the flexibility offered by an interchangeable system, Sony’s A6000 is cheaper and ultimately more versatile. The newer A6300 has a groundbreaking autofocus system and full silent shooting for around $1,150 with a kit lens. These are easily two of the best mirrorless cameras on the market in terms of value for money, raw performance, and overall size — so be sure to check them out if you’re planning your next move as a photographer.

The Phoblographer
Review: Sony a6300
In many ways the Sony a6300 is an excellent camera. Great image quality, very versatile RAW files, a small size, great autofocus, and more. What more could you possibly ask for? My qualms with it have to do with the fact that the high ISO output is starting to fall behind the competitor and that I genuinely feel like the ergonomics need to take a step up at this point. Otherwise, it’s a very solid camera.
It is interesting gaining the views of actual users. The Sony a6xxx have fantastic autofocus, good IQ and are small and discrete, ideal for street work. May also have to invest in some primes. the Sigma 30mm 1.4 looks a good option very highly rated by DPReview. Plus a top tip,  if the 30mm is too tight then take a few pictures and stitch together in Lightroom

Where to Buy Your Equipment

I buy my equipment from Wex because of their exceptional customer service. I once returned a camera after 30 days, and the next day they called to return my money to my account. Their prices are always competitive and they offer good prices on the trade in of your used gear

Camera Wrist Strap

I have avoided dropping my camera so many times using a simple inexpensive wrist strap like this one. Cameras and expensive lenses do not bounce! UK USA

Fujifilm XT20 Setup

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How to Setup the Fuji XT20

Getting a new camera can be daunting. I could not get my Fuji XT20 to work the way I wanted it at first because it was switched to Auto instead of a dot! I spent about an hour figuring out how to setup aperture priority which is the usual way I shoot.

There are some really useful videos on YouTube on how to setup the camera: Firstly Tony and Chelsea Northrop who seem to have a fantastic home and brilliant life travelling the world doing photography videos. They are worth watching though if you have not caught up with them yet. This video is an overview which is useful if you have just taken the camera out of the box:

 

 

Fuji Guys is a great channel for all things Fujifilm, this video is particularly useful as it goes into detail re the menu options, which is not easy to find in the manual.

 

 

Then there is Omar Gozalez who shoots mainly Canon (as do I), but is into the Fujifilm XT20 because it is small and fun to shoot with (as I am).

 

 

My Setup for Fuji XT20

These are my notes about the basic setup:

    • I may just shoot in P, ie Program mode most of the time as it is possible to adjust the aperture and shutter speed combinations using the rear command wheel, which is really useful.
    • The screen seemed too cluttered, so I have switched a lot of the icons off. This is done via Menu OK>spanner>screen set up>screen 2>Display settings. From here it is possible to configure what is shown and what is not.
    • I have switched the image being displayed after every shot as it was confusing especially when shown in the EVF. This is done Menu OK>spanner>screen setup>image display>off.
    • My camera locks occasionally and the green light blinks continually. It is annoying and all you can do is take the battery out and put it back in.
    • I was confused about manual focus. This is activated from the focus mode selector on the front of the camera on the right of the lens, by switching to M.
    • Shooting single and burst is on the drive dial on the top right of the camera.
    • A useful tool is the the auto focus distance indicator which is MenuOK>spanner>screen set up>screen 1. When shooting quickly it is useful to have an idea of the depth of field for a chosen aperture.
    • The quickest way to change the ISO is the quick menu button Q, scroll to ISO and change using the rear command wheel. I would have liked that on the front command wheel. Is that possible? Please let me know.



Camera Wrist Strap

I have avoided dropping my camera so many times using a simple inexpensive wrist strap like this one. Cameras and expensive lenses do not bounce!

UK

USA



Canon EOS M3 Review

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I thought I would explore mirrorless cameras. Will they take over from DSLRs or are they just a jumped up compact camera?

I chose the Canon EOS M3 because it was on offer at a great price at Amazon and these are my notes. I am doing a lot of street photography and I wanted a camera that was discrete, and which I could use without raising it to my eye. The EOS M3 fitted the bill with its neat articulated screen. The camera is also so small that it is lot less noticeable than a big DSLR.

How did I get on.

  • The 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor coupled with the EF-M 15-45 zoom lens capture excellent detail, as can be seen from the image above. Especially considering there has been some of cropping involved.
  • A big plus is that there is an adapter that joins the camera to your big DSLR lenses so your investment in Canon glass is safe.
  • The handling is easy, it is smaller than a DSLR but bigger than many of the compact cameras we have all used, so it’s size is not as big a deal as many commentators make out. I did not miss the viewfinder, although an external EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) can be bought separately which clips onto the hot shoe.
  • I have big hands and the camera felt comfortable. The build quality is good and the grip was nicely proportioned.
  • I loved the flippy screen, which articulates to 180 degrees. OK not much can be made out in strong sunshine, but it is convenient and covert enough for street photography.
  • There has been criticism of the battery life, but I think that must be when used for video, I had no issues on a photographic shoot.
  • Autofocus is an issue. Reviews complain that it is too slow. My reservation is about the inconsistency and accuracy. Often a shot would be brilliantly in focus, and then another would be off. Perhaps it was the complexity of a street scene, but even when I used the touch control on the screen it often did not pick up the focus zone.
  • Another issue is the small buffer when shooting continuously in RAW, the camera almost starts to pant with exhaustion after a few shots.
  • It is a bit unfair because the sensor is getting a bit long in the tooth, but the dynamic range is challenging. Digging for detail in RAW that just is not there in post processing.

So what is the conclusion? I like cameras this size and weight that can produce fabulous images just like those from a good DSLR. So I want to explore going mirrorless. My issue with the Canon EOS M3 is that it is inconsistent. I cannot guarantee good results in the quickfire arena that is street photography. However, if you are thinking of buying a good walkabout camera to record family and events, forget those little compact cameras with their small sensors and lenses and instead look no further. For less than £500 it is a steal.

 

Where to Buy Your Equipment

I buy my equipment from Wex because of their exceptional customer service. I once returned a camera after 30 days, and the next day they called to return my money to my account. Their prices are always competitive and they offer good prices on the trade in of your used gear.