MY REVIEW OF YOUR REVIEW: '1 STAR ' ... which I award only for entertainment purposes during reading this "review". This was literally the furthest thing from a review I have ever read. Even the one where one chap didn't even write about the camera but just clicked on a few boxes.
borulom341 wrote:
I am a long time photographer and about a year ago obtained a M6. I am not a photo geek, and place more value in Photoshop than cameras.
<facepalm> I'm just going to play Devil's Advocate here (especially since this is your first post on DPreview and on the Forums... as well as being your first Camera review (which is suspicious as just about anything else I've seen here). But, as a lecturer in Advanced Photoshop and someone who has been using Photoshop since its inception (literally PS v1.0), I'd say you seem to be picking a poor argument with this opening statement. You clearly don't see any value in digital cameras since giving up film - if your additional comments are to be accepted...
That said, I appreciate the look of film
Oh my freakin' sweet cheese & crackers... Since you're obviously a Shoopfan, why don't you download the NIK collection of Pluggin Filters to your Photoshop edition and then just add all the Film Grain you want? It's so easy! You can even select which TYPE of film grain characteristics to apply, based on film stock and ISO !
, not HDR, focus stacking, or over the top edits. Most of the bells and whistles found on digital cameras have little use in my photography. I prefer to tweak an image to my liking in Photoshop, rather than allow the camera make my decisions.
Which means you obviously only shoot RAW. Why not just say that? And surely being able to shoot RAW with the EOS M cameras means you can then PIXAR the heck out of your images later with your preferential tweaks?
My first complaint is battery life.
Congratulations: This Battery Life is the best reason to buy the M6. But you found an issue with that? (Thank GOD you didn't buy a new M50)...
A day of shooting, often drains the battery even when consciously turning the camera off when not in use. Despite the small battery it takes far longer to charge than batteries from for my 80D (which I never turn off, yet the battery lasts far more than a day) The M6's small battery and slow charger are annoying.
Since I've thrice obtained over 3,000 photographs on a SINGLE battery charge using the EF 100-400mmL II lens on the M6, I am literally stunned by this statement. You DO KNOW that leaving the camera with Continuous Focus turned on all day results in additional battery drain, right? And that someone who observed the linked necessity for Exposure and Focus lock controls ought to know this... hmmm? And that "slow charger" for the batteries?... why didn't you buy a second battery? I bought two batteried when I picked the camera up and I still haven't needed to use a second battery in a single day. Curiouser and Curiouser....
Small cameras like this should have a way to lock out controls to prevent changing settings unintentionally. It is hard to handle this camera without accidentally pressing buttons.
A 'child lock' would have solved so much more.
Both focus and exposure should be locked in with partial shutter press, rather that requiring pushing a second button to lock exposure. That way the intended focus and exposure could be set. The framing or composition of the scene could then be altered without changing focus or exposure.
There's only ONE flaw in the interface of the M6 and it relates to the ease of changing the ISO by accident if you don't realize what you're doing. Which you didn't even mention. Are you SURE you bought an M6?
The focus point is easily dragged around the screen, which may be useful, but it should have a function to lock it place to prevent it from being moved accidentally. It is aggravating to find it hiding off in a corner of the screen or viewfinder.
Would you like me to wipe your chin when there's soup on it? That little AF reticule moves ONLY when you choose to move it. And if it's not in the middle on the screen you only need to touch a single button and PRESTO! It's right back in the middle again. How long did you say you've been a photographer again?
Manual and auto focus is toggled on and off at the quick control dial, and it is annoying to find auto focus often turned off due the fact that it is hard to handle this camera without inadvertently pressing controls.
I don't have small hands or small fingers... they're not large either. But I'm clumsy and I still don't seem to have this problem. Wouldn't it have been better not to have bought such a "tiny" camera in the first place if interface and size was likely to be an issue?
The optional electronic viewfinder (DC1) is a necessity for me. The camera's screen is often difficult to use in some situations. The DC1 pivots upward which is great in many situations, but it is often bumped into partially raised positions. In normal use I want the viewfinder aligned with the lens, which makes framing subjects more intuitive. The electronic viewfinder should have a catch or detent to lock it in place aligned with the lens.
Oh my freaking lawd.... Why didn't you buy an M5 or an M50 with a darned EVF BUILT INTO THE CAMERA BODY if it's a necessity? Was this a continuation of the M6 "review" or an additional rant of the DC1 accessory for M cameras? I'm going to take out my M6 and just slap the heck out of it for having such a crappy OPTIONAL external viewfinder. Is there any way I can edit my earlier review of the M6? I really want to bash that viewfinder now since Canon didn't include one in the box.
The tripod lug position sucks. Nearly everyone these days, I assume, uses a tripod with a quick release plate, yet those plates, when installed, prevent opening the door for access to the battery, or memory card. Makes me wonder if Canon has their designs tested by actual photographers . . .
This isn't a DSLR with a slide-out dual-battery extended grip... this is the same any PowerShot or Compact camera. The Tripod Mount was place DEAD CENTER in alignment with the sensor and the lens mount. The flip-open base-plate is the traditional location for Battery and SD card. You could perhaps mount the SD card slot in a side compartment but the reason it works that way on a DSRL is because there's plenty of real-estate to put it there. The M6 is a super compact mirrorless APS-C substitute for a DSLR with the same APS-C sensor size. Canon made the right call here.
Last . . a proper printed manual should be furnished. The PDF manual is great when a computer is available, but I don't care to drag extra gear around when in the boondocks. The printed manual that comes with the camera is tiny, and hard to read.
You picked a camera with WiFi and Bluetooth on it so Canon wanted it to appeal to people that like to upload directly to the internet... which is why they believed you could download the Manual (for FREE) off the internet. Apparently, you are unaware that Canon stopped supplying printed manuals for all their cameras years ago. Surprise!
Also the manual should be written in clear language that can be understood. I find too much of the manual is unclear or apparently inaccurate.
I think I found a flaw in the M50 manual. And on the M6 manual it's not exactly clear why Canon use certain terminology until you read the whole page of any said section. Some of it might be a translation issue but I'm yet to seek out a feature in the PDF manual and not be able to find it.
One plus for Canon, they offer pretty good telephone support.
Now I KNOW you are not telling the truth. Canon shut down all local support and moved it overseas. As a former Canon licensed dealer, I can assure you that the biggest GRIPE today among existing dealers is how their technical support is now offshore and can't even answer simple questions about their own products (including filter sizes!). And Canon also shut down local in-house repairs in my country. Every phone call to Canon for service and support now goes to a third-world nation.
Also . . . . I am sure similar complaints apply to other cameras of this type. I am not saying the M6 is junk, it is simply not totally to my liking.
You just "REVIEWED" the camera <cough> and yet you made no observations on AF speed, build quality, features or image quality. What the heck did you think was going to happen here when your FIRST and ONLY Post on this forum is to bash a camera that you so clearly have no interest in using? I also suspect you clicked "Like" on your own post. Nobody who has used the M6 could agree with your comments. I'm baffled but suitably entertained... hence the 1 STAR that I award this "review".
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When you write a negative review about a product, you can't expect people to take it seriously if the "review" doesn't address the actual performance of the product. You started out by saying you prefer film cameras and dong care for the image-processing features of Digital Cameras because you prefer to "edit them (presumably to death) in Photoshop". I'm sure my friends over at PIXAR could use you as a poster artist.
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I'm sorry you didn't like the lack of a Printed Manual (which has nothing to do with the camera's performance) and that using a touchscreen irritates you (which is in fact one of the best features of the newer generation of EOS M cameras). But what really bothers me is how you failed to note the difference that Canon's new DPAF sensor makes on a mirrorless camera compared to a DSLR. Very strange. I'm certain that your 80D - which has the very same sensor as the M6 - is capable of the very same quality of images and has virtually the same menu options for output. Which makes me seriously ponder if you actually ponied up the cash for an M6 or not.
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Thanks for the entertainment and it's just a shame that your unsolicited feelings on the matter have tainted the previous review averages for this camera. I ought to do this to the Sony forum and see how well it goes down.
