Canon EOS R6 Mark II in-depth review
Table of Contents
The Canon EOS R6 Mark II is a 24MP full-frame camera designed for passionate photographers and videographers. While its exterior closely resembles its predecessor, this upgraded model introduces valuable enhancements for both photography and video, delivering a more polished and efficient shooting experience.
Key specifications
The camera features a 24.2MP CMOS sensor and offers impressive performance with a 12fps mechanical shutter and a 40fps electronic shutter. Its built-in image stabilization is rated for up to 8.0 stops. Autofocus includes subject detection for people, animals, and vehicles. For video enthusiasts, it supports 4K/60p video (oversampled from 6K) and 6K ProRes RAW video when paired with a compatible Atomos recorder. The Raw burst mode allows for pre-capture, while the Moving Subject HDR mode enhances dynamic range. The camera also boasts a 3.68M-dot EVF with up to 120fps refresh rate and a 0.76x magnification. The 3-inch rear touchscreen has a 1.62M-dot resolution. It features dual UHS-II SD card slots and provides a 580-shot battery life rating (CIPA).
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What’s new
24MP full-frame sensor
The standout upgrade in the R6 II is its new 24.2MP full-frame sensor, a boost from the 20MP sensor found in the original R6. While the increase in resolution isn’t dramatic, it enables the R6 II to align with the resolution offered by many other popular enthusiast-level cameras.
True to EOS camera design, the new sensor in the R6 II is developed and produced by Canon. While it shares the same size and resolution as the sensor in the Canon R3, it is neither a BSI (Backside Illuminated) nor a stacked sensor. Even so, Canon claims that the rolling shutter performance has been enhanced compared to the sensor in the original R6. The R6 II can reach burst rates of up to 40fps with the electronic shutter, though achieving this speed requires a 12-bit readout.
Video features
The original R6 could shoot UHD 4K/60p video, but it had a few limitations: it applied a slight crop (1.07x) to the full sensor width, and all video modes were limited to 30-minute recording clips. The R6 II improves upon these limitations while introducing exciting new features.
The R6 II now captures oversampled UHD 4K/60p video without any crop, utilizing the full sensor width. It also offers the option to shoot 4K/60p from an APS-C crop of the sensor. Thermal performance is improved in both modes, with Canon claiming up to 40 minutes of 4K/60p recording using the full sensor width and up to 50 minutes in APS-C mode, assuming an ambient temperature of 23°C (73°F). There are no recording time limits for slower frame rates like 4K/30p or 4K/24p.
High frame rate capabilities have also seen an upgrade, with the R6 II able to record 1080p video at 180fps, an improvement over the R6’s 120fps. However, Full HD footage is not oversampled, resulting in a slight loss of quality. Canon states that the R6 II can record for 60 minutes or more in this mode before overheating becomes a concern, providing plenty of slow-motion footage.
Our team at DPReview TV successfully recorded 4K/60p for over an hour at room temperature (presumably under 23°C), suggesting that overheating isn’t a major issue unless you’re shooting long clips, like interviews, at 4K/60p.
The R6 II also supports ProRes RAW video when paired with a compatible Atomos recorder, allowing for 6K RAW video with the full sensor width or 3.7K RAW video using a Super35 crop. It can record Full HD proxy files internally simultaneously when using the external RAW workflow. While Atomos support was unavailable for testing with the pre-production model, it’s typically announced with a camera launch.
Canon has also made several enhancements for video users, including a video-oriented Q menu interface that can be customized. The camera includes various aspect ratio markers, both horizontal and vertical, along with a false color display to help judge exposure. Additionally, a pre-recording mode can buffer video for three or five seconds, automatically saving footage before the record button is pressed.
Finally, the R6 II introduces a new ‘detect only’ autofocus mode for video shooting. When tracking a subject that moves out of the frame, this mode keeps the focus locked on the last position where the subject was, instead of constantly searching for new subjects or refocusing.
Raw burst mode
Raw Burst Mode is a new feature that enhances the camera’s 40fps shooting capability with additional useful functions. It is only available when using the electronic shutter.
When you shoot a burst of Raw images, the camera groups all the photos together and displays them as a single thumbnail with a special icon in playback mode. This allows you to browse the entire series of images from one burst, similar to how burst photos are viewed on many smartphones. You can then select and save the best shots from each sequence.
This feature is particularly beneficial in situations where burst shooting is essential. Typically, in such cases, you’re aiming to capture a specific decisive moment, like a diver just before entering the water. Raw Burst Mode allows you to review the burst sequence and keep the one or two key shots.
Additionally, Raw Burst Mode includes an optional pre-shooting feature. When activated, a half-press of the shutter button starts buffering frames. Once the shutter is fully pressed, the camera captures a half-second of buffered images before the shutter click, followed by the rest of the burst shots.
Moving subject HDR
Canon has introduced a new feature called Moving Subject HDR, designed to capture greater dynamic range with minimal ghosting of moving subjects. However, there are some limitations to this mode. First, it doesn’t output Raw files, so you’re restricted to JPEGs. During our testing with the pre-production model, we noticed a slight slowdown in burst shooting speed. Additionally, this mode increases the base ISO to 800. In our limited tests, the results seemed over-processed, with exaggerated effects that didn’t appeal to us, although we haven’t tested it on a final production model.
The camera is also capable of producing HDR PQ stills, which are high-quality, realistic images that are optimized for viewing on HDR-compatible TVs.
Odds and ends
The R6 II features a high-frequency flicker mode, similar to the one in the R3. This mode allows you to adjust the shutter speed to minimize issues caused by digital scoreboards and LED lighting, which often operate at high frequencies.
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