Canon EOS R6 Mark II Review

Although Canon introduced its first full-frame mirrorless camera, the Canon EOS R, in October 2018, it was the 20MP Canon EOS R6 and 45MP Canon EOS R5 that really ignited the EOS R range and the switch to mirrorless photography when they were announced in July 2020.

The Canon EOS R6 Mark II is the replacement for the original R6 camera and it brings a new sensor with a 20% increase in resolution, plus a new processor for faster continuous shooting and enhanced subject-detection, better video and a host of other improvements.

Canon is aiming the EOS R6 II at ‘independent content creators’, especially videographers, wedding photographers and sport or action photographers.

Like the original R6, the Canon R6 Mark II has a full-frame sensor, however its resolution has been increased to 24.1-million-pixels. This is a new sensor but it’s not backside-illuminated (BSI) or stacked. According to Canon, switching to a BSI or stacked design would mean the price of the R6 II would have rise above what it considers acceptable and its launch price is already £2,779.99 / €3,149.99.

The 24MP sensor is paired with a new variation on the Digic X processing engine that we’ve seen in cameras such as the flagship Canon EOS R3 and Canon R5 and R6. In the Canon R6 II, when the electronic shutter is used, the processor and sensor combination enables a top continuous shooting rate of 40fps with autofocus and tracking for up to 75 raw files or 190 Large Jpeg images. This rate can also be slowed to 20fps or 5fps if the top rate isn’t needed. Changing to the mechanical shutter drops the maximum shooting rate to 12fps but the burst depth rises to over 1000 Jpegs, 110 raw files or 1000 CRAW files.

Like the APS-C format Canon EOS R7, the R6 II has a Raw Burst mode in which it can shoot up to 191 raw files at 30fps (with AF tracking) with pre-capture of the images 0.5 second before the shutter button is pressed. That’s ideal for unpredictable action however, individual images must be extracted from the sequence using Canon’s Digital Photo Professional software, or in camera, and then be saved as separate Jpeg, HEIF or raw files.

There’s lots of attention on autofocus systems and subject detection at the moment. The Canon R6 II inherits the R3’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF II and subject detection systems, although it doesn’t have the benefit of the extra speed brought by the flagship camera’s stacked sensor. Nevertheless, it’s sensitive down to -6.5EV, has an improved deep learning algorithm and the eye-detection works in any focus mode or with any focus area. There are also three different sized Zone AF options and ‘planes and trains are added to the list of detectable subjects in the ‘Vehicle’ section, while horses (and zebras) are added to the ‘Animal’ list. That makes the complete list: Humans, Animals (Dogs, Cats, Birds and horses), Vehicles (Racing cars or Motor bikes, Aircraft and Trains). There’s also a new ‘Auto’ subject detection mode in which the camera will look for any of the subjects in its detection list.

With updated eye tracking, it’s possible to specify whether the left or right eye should be given priority for focusing, and when the eyes can’t be detected, the EOS R6 Mark II focuses on the face in the frame. The camera uses a hierarchal approaching to focusing so that if the eyes and face aren’t detectable, it will track the person’s head, and if that’s not visible, it will track their body.

A new Face only AF option also instructs the camera to not focus on the background when the subject leaves the frame. If the subject re-enters the frame it will begin to track them again. That could be very useful with subjects that are tricky to keep up with.

Canon has also given the EOS R6 II Focus bracketing with the ability to composite the images in-camera and Jpeg-only multiple exposure mode that can combine up to 9 shots.

The new camera also inherits the Panorama mode that was introduced with the R7 and that combines the images in camera.

The original R6’s in-body image stabilisation is very capable and rated at 8-stops, but Canon claims that the R6 Mark II has the world’s most effective stabilisation performance and again it comes with a claimed shutter speed compensation of 8-stops.

Canon EOS R6 Mark II video features

Although the R6 can record 4K video at 60p, there’s a 1.52x crop applied. That crop has gone with the R6 Mark II and it can shoot 4K 60p using the full-width of the sensor. Those looking to produce more extreme slow motion video will appreciate the R6 II’s Full HD 179.82fps capability.

Further good news is that all 4K video is created by oversampling the sensor’s 6K output, which boosts image quality.

Thanks to its improved circuit design and the removal of the usual 25 min 59 second recording limit, the Canon R6 Mark II can record over 40 minutes of oversampled 4K 60p footage or up to 6 hours at 4K 30p – provided the ambient temperature is acceptable and there’s enough storage capacity and power.

Alternatively, the EOS R6 Mark II can output 6K raw video to an Atomos Ninja V+ connected via the camera’s HDMI port, giving much more post-capture control.

There’s also a movie pre-recording mode that sets the camera to stream the footage while it’s in standby mode and then record a 3 or 5 second clip from before the record button is pressed (as well as the footage after it is pressed). It’s handy for unpredictable action.

To help nail the exposure in movies, the R6 II has a False colour option that uses 6 colours to indicate the brightness of elements of the scene. There’s also support for HDR via PQ and Canon Log 3.

In addition, the R6 II can use focus breathing correction with compatible lenses so that the framing doesn’t change with focus distance.

Lenses that currently support focus breathing correction (after a firmware update) include:
RF 14-35mm F4 L IS USM
RF 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM
RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM
RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM
RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM
RF 70-200mm F4 L IS USM

RF24mm F1.8 Macro IS STM (no firmware update required)

Connectivity options

Canon has updated the EOS R6 Mark II’s Bluetooth connectivity to v.5 and this plus the Wi-Fi (5GHz) enables the camera to connect to a smartphone or network for high-speed file sharing and FTP/FTPS/SFTP transfer.

As you’d expect the camera can also be controlled remotely using Canon’s free Camera Connect and EOS Utility apps. It can be tethered to a computer (PC or Mac) or a smartphone via Wi-Fi or a USB-C connection.

It’s also possible to use the EOS R6 Mark II as a webcam on Skype, Zoom and Teams etc, without having to install additional software.

In addition, the R6 II has a multi-function shoe for mounting and connecting a range of accessories without the need for cables, and in some cases batteries.

Although it looks very similar to the Canon R6 and has the same level of weather-sealing, the Canon R6 Mark II is 10g lighter and there’s a useful little change to the control arrangement.

Canon has given the EOS R6 II a power switch next to the rear control dial on the top of the camera. This has freed the switch on the left of the top-plate to become the stills/video selector. That means that there’s no need to rotate the exposure mode dial to switch between stills or video shooting and you don’t need to set the video exposure mode via the menu. If you’re not paying attention though, it’s easy to flick between stills and video mode instead of trining the camera on.

Strangely, given the target audience of the R6 II, Canon has added two new scene modes to the mode dial.

The presence of the mode dial distinguishes the R6 II very clearly from the R5 which has a mode button and dial arrangement. It doesn’t take long to get used to the R5’s method of exposure mode selection, but the R6 II’s is faster because there’s only one control involved.

Apart from those changes and the addition of a Cinema EOS style Quick menu view in video mode, the R6 II seems very similar to the original R6 and few users are likely to have any trouble transitioning to the new camera.

Like its predecessor, the R6 II has a magnesium alloy chassis and a large, comfortable grip.

Canon EOS R6 Mark II viewfinder and screen

Canon has stuck with the same 0.5-inch type 3.69-million-dot electronic viewfinder and 3-inch 1.62-million-dot screen on the EOS R6 II as is on the R6. That means that the EOS R6 II’s viewfinder has lower resolution than the 5.76-million-dot viewfinder in the R5, but it still provides a very clear view with plenty of detail and a refresh rate of 120fps.

Similarly, the R6 II’s screen is very slightly smaller and lower resolution than the R5’s (1.62-million-dots vs 2.1-million-dots), but it’s still very good. Like all Canon’s recent mirrorless cameras, you get plenty of touch-control via the screen and you can swap seamlessly between using buttons and dials or the screen to make setting adjustments and selections.

Mounting the rear screen on a vari-angle hinge means you can flip and rotate it to give a clear view from just about any angle and whether you are shooting in portrait or landscape orientation. It can also be flipped to face forwards for viewing from in front of the camera.

The vari-angle screen is very useful when you’re shooting at creative angles, I like shooting at low-level for instance. As with other cameras, it would be helpful if the R6 II’s electronic level indicator good be made bolder so that it’s easier to see when you’re shooting with your eye some distance from the screen.

As before, I found the R6 II’s screen and viewfinder give an accurate view of the colour and exposure of the final image. It means you don’t need to pay much attention to the exposure meter and you can instead be guided by the image you see before you.

In the default settings, the Canon ROS R6 Mark II can generally be relied upon to produce attractive images. The auto white balance system, for instance, tends towards creating slightly warm images, which means the images tend to look more pleasing.

The Auto Picture Style can made fresh new grass look a little on the verdant side, but it tends to strike the right balance.

The Evaluative metering system also does a great job and, backed by the excellent preview in the viewfinder and screen, it delivers good exposures. You may see the exposure change as the autofocus point moves around the frame, skewing the exposure a little towards the subject under the focus point, but that’s easily compensated for. It also means that the R6 II isn’t overly distracted by large bright or dark areas in the scene. When I was photographing some daffodils against a bright sky, for example, the camera delivered a balanced exposure that looks natural and doesn’t require any post-capture adjustment.

Canon EOS R6 Mark II autofocus performance

In relatively low light, the Canon R6 II does a great job of spotting human eyes (and other subjects) in the frame, even when the subject is moving quite quickly. It also jumps to the face, head or body, depending upon what’s visible in the frame. It did a great job of tracking dancers around when I shot stills and video.

I was very impressed with the original R6’s ability to spot animals and animal’s eyes in the frame, and the R6 II also does a great job. It makes wildlife photography and videography much easier than it used to be, keeping moving subjects sharp in many instances. Occasionally, however, it needs a little help. For example, if the subject is very far out of focus, the camera cannot recognise it as the subject and you need to focus on something near it to get the AF system on track. Also, when photographing a duck splashing in a pond, it jumped to the water rather than the duck when the splashes and spray were nearer to the camera than the subject.

Canon EOS R6 Mark II image quality

Some photographers were disappointed that the R6 only has a pixel count of 20-million, but the jump to 24.2MP with the Canon R6 II is likely to be warmly received as its a popular resolution that balances image size, detail and noise control. Canon claims that the R6 II is able to control noise as effectively as the R6, and  it does a very good job.

Even at ISO 12,800, the Canon R6 Mark II controls noise extremely well. The in-camera noise reduction that’s applied to Jpeg images is very well-measured so that there’s still plenty of detail visible in ISO 12,800 images at 100% on-screen, but the noise isn’t immediately obvious. Naturally, the raw files have more luminance noise visible but it’s not excessive, and I’d be very happy to use ISO 12,800 or ISO 25,600 when light levels falls.

According to Canon, the R6 II’s Focus bracketing feature is designed for use when the camera is on a tripod. I’m sure this is how you’ll get the best from it, but I was able to get a few perfectly sharp images when hand-holding the camera. As usual with these systems, it takes some practice to workout the best settings to use with a particular scene and focus depth. However, with the ability to shoot from 2 to 999 images, there’s plenty of scope to get front to back depth of field in macro or landscape images.

I found that underexposed images from the original R6 can withstand brightening by around 3-4EV and the same seems to be true of the R6 Mark II. Going beyond that starts to introduce noise into low-ISO shots.

Like the Canon R6, the R6 Mark II has 5-axis in-body image stabilisation built-in and it can work with stabilised Canon RF lenses to extend the safe hand-holdable shutter speed by as much as 8 stops.

I pushed the limits when shooting video by using the RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L IS USM hand-held, and the results are surprisingly good. As you might imagine, I got the best results when resting my elbows on a fence or the ground, but I even got acceptable footage at the 500mm end of the lens.

Activating the Digital Stabilisation improved the situation albeit with a crop.

Follow the link to browse and download full-resolution images from the Canon EOS R6 Mark II.

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These images below were shot using a beta sample of the Canon EOS R6 Mark II and image quality may change a little from the final production camera. They were shot in a meeting room using standard room lights rather than photographic lights. They illustrate the R6 II’s ability to spot eyes in the frame and to track the subject.

This video was shot on the Canon EOS R6 Mark II in 4K (3840×2160) 50fps IPB. It was shot with the RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L IS USM mounted – deliberately pushing the limits of the IBIS and Digital IS.

The move to a 24MP sensor on the Canon EOS R6 Mark II is a good step that will be appreciated by many photographers. It’s a popular pixel count and it still affords plenty of scope for noise control.

There are also a few nice improvements to the autofocus and subject-detection systems and its great to see the crop and time limit for 4K video recording removed.

All things considered, the R6 II is a well-rounded camera that should appeal to lots of enthusiast and professional photographers, but the price is will be a barrier for many.