Canon has announced the next generation of their popular EOS R6 camera, the EOS R6 Mark II, adding a larger 24.2 MP full-frame CMOS sensor, 40fps shooting speed and improved autofocus system.
Like the original, the R6 MK II is being positioned as a high-performance, hybrid “workhorse” type of camera with a ton of user-friendly features well suited for those looking for both robust stills and video capabilities.
Appearance
Appearance wise, the R6 Mark II keeps the same basic body design as its predecessor, but it there a couple of changes, mainly to the layout of the top of the camera.
The first is that power switch has been moved from left of the electronic viewfinder to the right side of the body with a switch that toggles between photo and video modes replacing it in the old position.
The other is that one of the command dials (on the back of the camera below the new power switch location) has been reduced in size (compared to the R6) presumably to accommodate the power switch in its new position.
On the back of the camera, there is a 3.0″ 1.62m-dot vari-angle LCD touchscreen that allows for front-facing recording or shooting from high and low shooting angles.
New Sensor and Improved Autofocus
Unique to the R6 Mark II, the new 24.2-megapixel sensor offers a relatively modest increase in size over the original’s 20.1-megapixel sensor but is not a stacked sensor design, nor backside illuminated.
It is however backed by a few new intelligent features including advanced eye-tracking, with the ability to switch focus between a subject’s eyes and what type of subject to prioritize. It also adds a pre-record burst mode and HDR capture for moving subjects.
When activated, the pre-recording burst mode starts to capture 3 or 5 seconds of footage as the shutter is half pressed capturing footage prior to full recording.
View Canon EOS R6 Mark II Pricing and Availability at Vistek
The R6 Mark II’s advanced Dual Pixel CMOS AF II system boasts 1053 automatic AF points covering the entire sensor area and thanks to its low-luminance limit, can focus without problems in low light conditions down to an impressive -6.5EV.
Continuous shooting speeds of up to 40 fps can be achieved when using the electronic shutter and up to 12 fps with the mechanical shutter.
Shutter sync speeds are 1/200 second with the electronic shutter and 1/250 second with the mechanical one.
Autofocus performance has been given a big upgrade (Canon says up to 80% faster performance) borrowing the deep learning AF intelligence from the EOS R3 and adding new features to deliver “highly accurate” subject detection.
Speaking of subject detection, in addition to human, animal and vehicles, the new system adds horses, trains and airplanes into the mix.
The camera also utilizes a sensor-shift, 5-axis in-body image stabilization (IBIS) system offering up to 7 stops of shake compensation when shooting handheld and up to 8 stops of shake compensation with a compatible lens featuring their own optical image stabilization capabilities mounted.
Canon EOS R6 Mark II | First Impressions
Video Capabilities
For creators looking to use the camera for video content, the R6 Mark II’s video capabilities have also been updated.
The R6 Mark II can capture 4K 60p UHD video (over sampled from the sensors 6K output), using the full width of the sensor, with simultaneous Dual Pixel CMOS AF II focusing.
ProRes RAW footage up to 6K 60p using the full width of the sensor as well as 3.7K raw recording with a crop can also be captured when paired to a compatible recorder such as an Atomos Ninja V+ via the micro-HDMI port.
Canon Log 3 is available and internal recording of up to 4:2:2 10-bit either in H.264 or H.265 to the dual UHS-II Sd card slots is also supported.
In terms of recording times, Canon says that the R6 Mark II is capable of “unlimited” recording times when capturing 4K 30p or slower footage, and over 40 minutes (based on memory cards sizes) when recording in oversampled 4K 60p footage.
Key Features
- 24.2 megapixels, full-frame image sensor
- 4K 59.94p video recording
- External 6K RAW video recording / Internal 4K video recording oversampled from 6K
- High-speed burst shooting
- Canon Log 3 maximizing dynamic range
- Autofocus (AF): highly accurate subject detection with human, animal, vehicle and automatic settings
- Horses, trains, and airplanes are newly detectable through the use of deep learning technology
- Continuous movie recording that exceeds 30 minutes
- Up to 12 frames per second mechanical shutter
- Up to 40 frames per second with electronic shutter
- In-body Image Stabilization as effective as up to 8 stops faster shutter speed
