Canon M6 Comparison Review

The Canon EOS M6 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was officially introduced in February 2017 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 24 megapixel.

Is the Canon M6 a good camera? The M6 has a Camera Elo of 2458. This rating puts the M6 among the top 50 percent of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the M6 ranks among the top 30 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 3.5-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

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Canon M6 vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Canon M6 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 M6	4.4 in	2.7 in	1.8 in	13.8 oz	295	n	Feb 2017	779
	Canon M50 Mark II	4.6 in	3.5 in	2.3 in	13.7 oz	305	n	Oct 2020	599
	Canon M6 Mark II	4.7 in	2.8 in	1.9 in	14.4 oz	305	n	Aug 2019	849
	Canon M50	4.6 in	3.5 in	2.3 in	13.8 oz	235	n	Feb 2018	779
	Canon T7	5.1 in	4.0 in	3.1 in	16.8 oz	500	n	Feb 2018	449
	Canon 77D	5.2 in	3.9 in	3.0 in	19.0 oz	600	n	Feb 2017	899
	Canon M100	4.3 in	2.6 in	1.4 in	10.7 oz	295	n	Aug 2017	499
	Canon SL2	4.8 in	3.7 in	2.8 in	16.0 oz	650	n	Jun 2017	549
	Canon T7i	5.2 in	3.9 in	3.0 in	18.8 oz	600	n	Feb 2017	749
	Canon M5	4.6 in	3.5 in	2.4 in	15.1 oz	295	n	Sep 2016	979
	Canon M3	4.4 in	2.7 in	1.7 in	12.9 oz	250	n	Feb 2015	679
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 M6 was launched in the US market at a price of $779. 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 imaging sensor is a crucial determinant 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. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Canon M6 features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.6. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Canon M6 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). 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 M6	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	..	..	..	..
	Canon M50 Mark II	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/24p	..	..	..	..
	Canon M6 Mark II	APS-C	32.3	6960	4640	4K/30p	..	..	..	..
	Canon M50	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/24p	..	..	..	..
	Canon T7	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/30p	..	..	..	..
	Canon 77D	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.6	13.3	971	78
	Canon M100	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.5	12.9	1272	78
	Canon SL2	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.6	13.4	1041	79
	Canon T7i	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	..	..	..	..
	Canon M5	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.4	12.4	1262	77
	Canon M3	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/30p	22.8	11.8	1169	72

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. The M6 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the M6 can use is 1080/60p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Canon M6 and comparable cameras.

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 M6	optional	n	3.0	1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	9.0	Y	n
	Canon M50 Mark II	2360	n	3.0	1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	10.0	Y	n
	Canon M6 Mark II	optional	n	3.0	1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	14.0	Y	n
	Canon M50	2360	n	3.0	1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	10.0	Y	n
	Canon T7	optical	n	3.0	920	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0	Y	n
	Canon 77D	optical	Y	3.0	1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	6.0	Y	n
	Canon M100	none	n	3.0	1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	6.1	Y	n
	Canon SL2	optical	n	3.0	1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0	Y	n
	Canon T7i	optical	n	3.0	1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	6.0	Y	n
	Canon M5	2360	n	3.2	1620	tilting	Y	1/4000s	9.0	Y	n
	Canon M3	optional	n	3.0	1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	4.2	Y	n

One convenient feature of the M6 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

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 M6 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 M6	Y	stereo	mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
	Canon M50 Mark II	Y	stereo	mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
	Canon M6 Mark II	Y	stereo	mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
	Canon M50	Y	stereo	mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
	Canon T7	Y	mono	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
	Canon 77D	Y	stereo	mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
	Canon M100	-	stereo	mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y
	Canon SL2	Y	stereo	mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
	Canon T7i	Y	stereo	mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
	Canon M5	Y	stereo	mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
	Canon M3	Y	stereo	mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-

It is notable that the M6 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 specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the M6 in practical situations. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. 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 M6	..	80/100	4/5	4.5/5	4/5	Feb 2017	779
	Canon M50 Mark II	..	..	..	..	..	Oct 2020	599
	Canon M6 Mark II	+	85/100	4/5	..	4/5	Aug 2019	849
	Canon M50	+	79/100	..	4/5	3.5/5	Feb 2018	779
	Canon T7	o	..	3.5/5	..	3.5/5	Feb 2018	449
	Canon 77D	..	82/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4/5	Feb 2017	899
	Canon M100	+	..	4/5	..	3.5/5	Aug 2017	499
	Canon SL2	+ +	78/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2017	549
	Canon T7i	..	80/100	4.5/5	4/5	4/5	Feb 2017	749
	Canon M5	+	82/100	4/5	4.5/5	4/5	Sep 2016	979
	Canon M3	o	75/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4/5	Feb 2015	679
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just use the search menu below. 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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