Canon Announces an Affordable Full-Frame EOS 6D – Time to Compare Our Options

I haven’t been following the Canon rumor mill blogs lately so I was a pleasantly surprised to learn that a new, affordable full-frame camera was coming to the market (December 2012 arrival). I was just complaining on the Learning DSLR Facebook page that Nikon is pulling ahead with its  full-frame lineup that includes the new D600 and D800.

I currently own the, excellent but smaller-sensor, Canon EOS 7D. I’ve been craving to go full-frame to get better low-light (high ISO) performance while also achieving shallower depth of field with my existing EF lenses. I’ve been avoiding EF-S lenses to date (other than my great 15-85mm kit lens) as I knew I’d upgrade one day. Getting built-in GPS and Wi-Fi sounds awesome too but is the Canon 6D my next camera?

Built-in GPS and Wi-Fi

Not much of this camera, beyond it’s revised CMOS sensor, is “entirely” new. Even the built-in GPS and Wi-Fi features are probably borrowed chips and software from the Canon consumer point-and-shoot line. Still, I’m happy to report that built-in GPS and Wifi is finally here for DSLR owners and it’s about time.

Shelling out hundreds for bulky accessories was never ideal. The previous Canon wireless file transfer units came as big hand grips (screwed to the bottom of the camera) and the GPS units occupied the flash hot shoe.

GPS of course relates to having each photo you take instantly geo-tagged for later mapping. The Wi-Fi feature goes a bit further and includes these features:

• Direct photo transfer to any computer, phone or tablet
• Direct upload to Facebook, YouTube and other social web services
• Direct printing to Wi-Fi enabled printers
• Use of a phone or tablet as a wireless remote control with Live View

UDPATE: The “Canon EOS Remote” app for iOS and Android is coming soon, see screenshots.

So, for now, built-in GPS and Wi-Fi are unique to the Canon 6D but it’s time to see how it stacks up with its competition in every other regard.

The Competition

To put it into perspective, I’m going to compare the 6D to my 7D and three full-frame cameras that  have been recently released or announced.

Here’s the round-up and body-only prices:

• Canon EOS 6D ($2,100)

• Canon EOS 7D ($,1500)
• Nikon D600 ($2,100)
• Nikon D800 ($3,000)
• Canon EOS 5D Mark III  ($3,460)

Canon 6D vs. Nikon D600

Let’s start here as it’s clear the Canon 6D is meant to go up against the Nikon D600. They are priced identically at $2,100 for the body alone.

In comparison, the 6D has…

• 20.2 MP resolution is smaller than 24.3 MP
• Much worse auto-focus with 11 point vs. 39-points
• Only 1 cross-type AF point vs. 9 with Nikon
• Built-in GPS and Wi-Fi vs. separate expensive accessories
• 97% viewfinder is weaker than 100%
• 3″ screen is a touch smaller than 3.2″ screen
• 1/180th flash sync speed is even worse than the slow 1/200th
• Lacks pop-up flash (doubles as wireless trigger for external flashes)
• Slow 4.5 fps burst rate vs. 5.5fps
• Single SD card slot vs. two SD slots
• No clean HDMI out
• No headphone jack for sound metering

The D600 wins on specs alone and it’s available for order now (the 6D is coming in December). See the comparison chart below for full details. What’s going on Canon!? This is not an exciting lineup of features given that comparison.

Canon 6D vs. Canon D800

It’s barely worth comparing these two given the D600 already beat the 6D in specs and the D800 is a full $900 more than the 6D. Still, since buyers considering the 6D will inevitably compare it to the MUCH more expensive Canon 5D Mark III, the D800 has to be regarded as an option that’s $460 LESS than the 5D Mark III.

If you’re married to Canon (as I am), these Nikon comparisons are purely for interest and bragging rights given the cost of switching is TDH (too damn high)!

The 6D pales in comparison with the D800 due to…

• Low 20.2 MP resolution vs. a whopping 36.3 MP!
• Super weak auto-focus system with 11 points vs. 51!
• 1 cross-type sensor vs. 15!
• Much slower sync speed of 1/180th vs. 1/25oth
• Lacks pop-up flash (doubles as wireless trigger for external flashes)
• Slow top shutter speed of 1/4000th vs. 1/8000th
• Slower USB 2.0 vs USB 3.0 connectivity
• 6D wins only in price and does have built-in GPS and Wi-Fi

Canon 6D vs. Canon 5D Mark III

For some strange reason, Canon has decided to place the 5D Mark III in price league all its own. It’s not fair to compare it with the 6D, right? Think about it, it costs 65% more! A full $1,350 extra for the body alone.

Still, since this is the next full-frame option in the Canon line-up, we must place these two cameras side by side.

In comparison, the 6D has…

• Slightly smaller 20.2 MP resolution vs. 22.3 MP
• 11 auto-focus points vs. a stunning 61!
• A measly 1 cross-type sensor point vs. an amazing 41!
• 97% viewfinder instead of 100%
• Flash sync of 1/180 vs 1/200
• 3″ screen vs 3.2″
• Same silent shutter
• JPEG only for in-camera HDR and multi-exposure modes vs. RAW and JPEG
• Single SD memory card vs. support for SD and CF
• Much lighter at 770g (1.7lb) vs. 950g (2.1lb)
• Slower 4.5 fps burst rate vs. 6 fps
• Single axis-level instead vs. dual-axis

Canon 6D vs. Canon 7D

And finally, let’s see how the 6D stacks up as an upgrade option for me. The big plus is a full-frame sensor – you simply can’t beat that – but I don’t want to take a step back either.

I like the rugged semi-pro feel of the 7D. It’s a solid weather-sealed camera with a ton of great features. In Canon-land, the 7D’s auto-focus system has been the best available until the 5D Mark III came out for much more money three years later (I’m not including the 1D pro series as that’s not a fair comparison).

In comparison, the 6D has…

• Much larger full-frame sensor vs APS-C, that is major
• Slightly higher resolution at 20.2 MP vs. 18 MP
• DIGIC 5+ processor presumably beats dual-DIGIC 4
• 11-point auto-focus is still weaker vs. 19 well spread out points
• 1 cross-type sensor is much worse 19!
• Again, 6D is the only one with built-in GPS and Wi-Fi
• Slower top shutter speed of 1/4000th vs. 1/8000th
• 97% viewfinder with 0.7x magnification vs. 100% at 1x
• Much worse flash sync of 1/180 vs 1/250 second (see section below on this)
• Lacks pop-up flash (doubles as wireless trigger for external flashes)
• Worse burst rate of 4.5 fps vs 8fps (full-frame cameras are always slower)
• Single axis-level instead of 2-axis (yes, I use this feature and use it in the viewfinder)
• Only supports EF  lenses vs. support for EF and EF-S lenses (of course)
• A bit lighter at 770 g (1.70 lb) vs. 860 g (1.90 lb)

Flash Sync Speed Issue

What’s perhaps most disappointing is the flash sync speed of 1/180th. This is worse than both the Canon 5D Mark III and the new Nikon D600. Note that flash sync speed is well explained in my “Back to Basics” video episode #8, “Flash Basics“.

So why does it matter so much? David Hobby (a.k.a. Strobist) explains the flash sync issue best when he discusses the D600′s poor performance in this area (1/200th) which is BETTER than that of the new 6D (1/180th):

Out of Sync

The Nikon D600 has a 1/200th sync speed. Which for me means game over.

And as soon as I mentioned it on Twitter, I got a flurry of “Why does that matter?” tweets back. Here’s why it matters.

When you are balancing flash in bright ambient, you start at your max sync for your shutter speed. That will give you the most flash-friendly corresponding aperture, whether you are normally exposing or underexposing the ambient.

Some cameras, including some Nikons (remember when you really cared, Nikon?) had standard syncs of 1/500th of a second. Which instantly made every flash you owned twice as effective.

Think about it: 1/250th at f/16 equals 1/500th at f/11. Since the flash only cares about the aperture, you could balance in the same light with half of the flash power.

Put differently: an Einstein 640ws monobloc, when used with a 1/500th syncing body, effectively becomes a 1280ws flash because that power is going up against an easier aperture in a daylight balancing situation.

Even better, due to the magic of some Nikons’ electronic shutters, they could sync at any speed so long as the speed was longer than the flash’s pulse length. Higher sync speeds equal much more flexibility with your flashes. Which means you can nuke the sun at distance with just a speedlight. Which is awesome.

The D600 takes a step backwards, with a max sync speed of 1/200th. This is the same math, but working in reverse.

True, it is only a third of a stop as compared to 1/250th. But with speedlights and daylight, that is a critical third of a stop. To be clear,this camera makes every single flash you own less effective.

Also, the difference between 1/250th and 1/200th sync is deadly when it comes to stopping action when balancing flash and ambient. 1/250th is dicey enough. 1/200th just doesn’t work.

Tale of the Tape

The site dpreview.com has a great side-by-side comparison tool. I compared these cameras and added some notes. See the original full comparison chart. Click the images below to see them larger.

Basics

Sensor

Image

Optics and Focus

Screen and Viewfinder

Photography Features

Video and Storage

Connectivity and Physical

Other Features

Conclusion

Well, I can’t say I’m sold on the 6D being “the” upgrade for me. If my 7D died tomorrow, which it might, then I would probably buy it. I’m just not super excited about some of the 6D specs as they’re a step backwards.

That said, the temptation of a full-frame camera is its AMAZING low-light performance at high ISO values. That might be enough in the end for me and the price is right (and will only drop from here). I have until December to decide which is plenty of time. Canon won’t be introducing a new full-frame option anytime soon and the 5D Mark III is simply TDE (too damn expensive).

What are you thoughts on the 6D? Might you upgrade? What about you Nikon fans, is the D600 tempting you?

Update February 20, 2012: Dpreview has now posted their Canon EOS 6D in-depth review and gave it an 83%. Checkout the conclusion for all the pros and cons as they see it.

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