Canon 6D Mark II Comparison Review

The Canon EOS 6D Mark II is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was officially introduced in June 2017 and is equipped with a full frame sensor. It offers a resolution of 26 megapixel.

Is the Canon 6D Mark II a good camera? The 6D Mark II has a Camera Elo of 2574. This rating puts the 6D Mark II among the top 20 percent of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (full frame cameras), the 6D Mark II ranks among the top 50 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 4-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The physical dimensions of the Canon 6D Mark II relative to a credit card are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Canon 6D Mark II alongside a set of comparators. If you want to review a camera pair side-by-side, just select a right-side comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

	Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
	Canon 6D Mark II	5.7 in	4.4 in	3.0 in	27.0 oz	1200	Y	Jun 2017	1,999
	Canon R	5.5 in	3.9 in	3.3 in	23.3 oz	370	Y	Sep 2018	2,299
	Canon 5D Mark IV	5.9 in	4.6 in	3.0 in	31.4 oz	900	Y	Aug 2016	3,499
	Canon 80D	5.5 in	4.1 in	3.1 in	25.8 oz	960	Y	Feb 2016	1,199
	Canon 5D Mark III	6.0 in	4.6 in	3.0 in	33.5 oz	950	Y	Mar 2012	3,499
	Canon 6D	5.7 in	4.4 in	2.8 in	27.2 oz	1090	Y	Sep 2012	2,099
	Canon 5D Mark II	6.0 in	4.5 in	3.0 in	30.0 oz	850	Y	Sep 2008	3,499
	Nikon D750	5.6 in	4.4 in	3.1 in	26.5 oz	1230	Y	Sep 2014	2,299
	Nikon D610	5.6 in	4.4 in	3.2 in	30.0 oz	900	Y	Oct 2013	1,999
	Nikon D600	5.6 in	4.4 in	3.2 in	30.0 oz	900	Y	Sep 2012	2,099
	Sony A7 III	5.0 in	3.8 in	2.9 in	22.9 oz	610	Y	Feb 2018	1,999
Notes: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Metric

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Canon 6D Mark II was launched in the US market at a price of $1,999. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Canon 6D Mark II features a full frame sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Canon 6D Mark II among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of comparator-cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

	Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
	Canon 6D Mark II	Full Frame	26.0	6240	4160	1080/60p	24.4	11.9	2862	85
	Canon R	Full Frame	30.1	6720	4480	4K/30p	24.5	13.5	2742	89
	Canon 5D Mark IV	Full Frame	30.1	6720	4480	4K/30p	24.8	13.6	2995	91
	Canon 80D	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.6	13.2	1135	79
	Canon 5D Mark III	Full Frame	22.1	5760	3840	1080/30p	24.0	11.7	2293	81
	Canon 6D	Full Frame	20.0	5472	3648	1080/30p	23.8	12.1	2340	82
	Canon 5D Mark II	Full Frame	21.0	5616	3744	1080/30p	23.7	11.9	1815	79
	Nikon D750	Full Frame	24.2	6016	4016	1080/60p	24.8	14.5	2956	93
	Nikon D610	Full Frame	24.2	6016	4016	1080/30p	25.1	14.4	2925	94
	Nikon D600	Full Frame	24.2	6016	4016	1080/30p	25.1	14.2	2980	94
	Sony A7 III	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	25.0	14.7	3730	96

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The 6D Mark II indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the 6D Mark II can use is 1080/60p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the 6D Mark II has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 98% and a magnification of 0.72x. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Canon 6D Mark II along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

Core Features

	Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Size (inch)	LCD Resolution (000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Mech Shutter Speed	Shutter Flaps (1/sec)	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
	Canon 6D Mark II	optical	Y	3.0	1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	6.5	n	n
	Canon R	3690	Y	3.2	2100	swivel	Y	1/8000s	8.0	n	n
	Canon 5D Mark IV	optical	Y	3.2	1620	fixed	Y	1/8000s	7.0	n	n
	Canon 80D	optical	Y	3.0	1040	swivel	Y	1/8000s	7.0	Y	n
	Canon 5D Mark III	optical	Y	3.2	1040	fixed	n	1/8000s	6.0	n	n
	Canon 6D	optical	Y	3.0	1040	fixed	n	1/4000s	4.5	n	n
	Canon 5D Mark II	optical	Y	3.0	920	fixed	n	1/8000s	3.9	n	n
	Nikon D750	optical	Y	3.2	1229	tilting	n	1/4000s	6.0	Y	n
	Nikon D610	optical	Y	3.2	921	fixed	n	1/4000s	6.0	Y	n
	Nikon D600	optical	Y	3.0	921	fixed	n	1/4000s	5.5	Y	n
	Sony A7 III	2359	n	3.0	922	tilting	Y	1/8000s	10.0	n	Y

One useful feature of the 6D Mark II is a presence of a top-level LCD. While being, of course, smaller than the rear screen, the control panel conveys some of the essential shooting information and can be convenient for quick and easy settings verification.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Canon EOS 6D Mark II and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

	Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Microphone	Internal Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
	Canon 6D Mark II	Y	stereo	mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
	Canon R	Y	stereo	mono	Y	Y	mini	3.1	Y	-	Y
	Canon 5D Mark IV	Y	mono	mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	Y	Y	-
	Canon 80D	Y	stereo	mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
	Canon 5D Mark III	Y	mono	mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	-	-	-
	Canon 6D	Y	mono	mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
	Canon 5D Mark II	Y	mono	mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
	Nikon D750	Y	stereo	mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
	Nikon D610	Y	mono	mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	-	-	-
	Nikon D600	Y	mono	mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	-	-	-
	Sony A7 III	Y	stereo	mono	Y	Y	micro	3.1	Y	Y	Y

It is notable that the 6D Mark II has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the 6D Mark II in practical situations. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is where reviews by experts come in. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog).

Review Scores

	Camera Model	camera   labs	dp review	ephoto   zine	imaging resource	photography   blog	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
	Canon 6D Mark II	+	80/100	4.5/5	4/5	4/5	Jun 2017	1,999
	Canon R	o	79/100	4.5/5	4/5	4/5	Sep 2018	2,299
	Canon 5D Mark IV	+ +	87/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2016	3,499
	Canon 80D	+ +	84/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2016	1,199
	Canon 5D Mark III	+ +	82/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2012	3,499
	Canon 6D	+ +	83/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	2,099
	Canon 5D Mark II	91/100	79/100	4/5	5/5	..	Sep 2008	3,499
	Nikon D750	+ +	90/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2014	2,299
	Nikon D610	+ +	87/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2013	1,999
	Nikon D600	+ +	87/100	5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	2,099
	Sony A7 III	+ +	89/100	5/5	5/5	5/5	Feb 2018	1,999
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review of this and another camera, just make your choice using the following search menu. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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