M6 II "hidden features" thread

I am trying to do some "hacking" stuff to my m6 ii. If I am lucky I might be able to unlock some hidden features in the camera.

Please note that these experiments are unsafe. If things go wrong I might brick my camera.

So far I tried:

1. Be able to use electronic shutter in all drive modes except the 14fps mode (H-cont, L-cont, c-timer). By default it can only do single mode.

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/65843953

2. Close the shutter by command. When the camera is turned off the shutter can remain closed. Shutter will open automatically once the camera is turned on again. This is a feature in R/R5/R6.

If you have a 90D and are able to take a picture of its shutter, please let me know. I would love to compare them and see if 90D and m6 ii share the same shutter. I am still sore about not having EFCS in m6 ii.

I will update here if there is any progress.

wddxnyr wrote:

I would love to compare them and see if 90D and m6 ii share the same shutter. I am still sore about not having EFCS in m6 ii.

The shutters have different specs.  The M6II can shoot at a higher repeat rate.

ken_in_nh wrote:

ThrillaMozilla wrote:

wddxnyr wrote:

I would love to compare them and see if 90D and m6 ii share the same shutter. I am still sore about not having EFCS in m6 ii.

The shutters have different specs. The M6II can shoot at a higher repeat rate.

Isn't that because of the dslr mirror, not the shutter itself?

Good point, but I don't think so. According to the manuals, in Live View the 90D takes up to 11 shots/sec, while the M6II takes up to 14.

I suppose it could be due to the back panel display, but I doubt it because the display can show video, which requires a much faster refresh rate.

Maybe someone can just take a picture, and maybe that will settle it.

wddxnyr wrote:

If you have a 90D and are able to take a picture of its shutter, please let me know. I would love to compare them and see if 90D and m6 ii share the same shutter. I am still sore about not having EFCS in m6 ii.

I will update here if there is any progress.

Would you tell me why you feel sore about not having EFCS in m6mk2? As far as I know, EFCS is adopted to reduce the shutter lag of mechanical shutter. But it cuts off bokeh at high speed shutter. According to the Imaging Resource site, prefocused shutter responses are as follows:

https://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/canon-eos-m6-ii/canon-eos-m6-iiA6.HTM

Prefocused Shutter Response
(Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.)

M6mk2: M, 0.052; E, 0.098 second
M50: EFCS?, 0.053 second
RP: EFCS, 0.055; E, 0.159 second
R: EFCS, 0.052; E, 0.099; M, 0.123 second
5Dmk4: M, 0.057 second

I do not know why EFCS is faster than even electronic shutter. But M6mk2's mechanical shutter looks as fast as EFCS of R/RP/M50. And interestingly it is as fast as 5Dmk4's mechanical shutter. Is it really fully mechanical shutter?

I am asking out of a pure curiosity or ignorance. What is the issue of not having EFCS? Do all other Ms have EFCS from the original M to M5 or M50 mk2?

23speaker23 wrote:

lumenite wrote:

I am asking out of a pure curiosity or ignorance. What is the issue of not having EFCS? Do all other Ms have EFCS from the original M to M5 or M50 mk2?

The problem is in the shutter shock which results in slightly blurred images on pixel level with smaller efm lenses with image stabilization.

Is it partly because the combination of a small lens and body is too light? So if IS is off, is the shutter shock gone?

wddxnyr wrote:

It could be a combination of many things. But the result is that we see shutter shock when using some native zoom lens.

so are all of 11-22, 18-55, 15-45, 18-150, and 55-200 in the blacklist? How about EFS 55-250 STM, one of the favorites in the forum?

23speaker23 wrote:

However, I've had the m6-ii for about a month now and have yet to see the shutter shock. I admit I mostly use primes with the 11-22 being my only IS lens I use often enough. Plus I did not do a lot of shooting this past month.

+1 I've had the M6ii for well over 2 years and have not had an issue with shutter shock (12+ lenses and counting).  Many tens of thousands of shots.

Here's a previous discussion of the topic...

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4532326#forum-post-64566243

R2

wddxnyr wrote:

I am sure that shutter shock may never ruin a good image. It really is a minor issue 99% of the time. But the truth is that the shutter shock is there, based on controlled tests. While the camera is certainly very capable, sometimes we just don't get the full IQ that we paid for (and they advertised).

There is no excuse for Canon. If customers don't complain, they always get away with crippling features by removing a few lines of code. If enough of us complain, they may just make a update just like the 4k 24p option. I am always shocked that people can be so defensive about the brand.

If you're including me in your rant, don't.  My info is from user experience.  The reality stemming from shooting many tens of thousands of shots.

Here is my controlled test from the thread I linked to (so you don't have to read it)...

"I really wouldn't worry about shutter shock. Seriously, it hasn't affected any of my shooting thus far (through tens of thousands of shots over the past year [now 2 1/2+ years]). Other M6ii owners here have had similar experiences.

In fact, I just performed the exact same test as the author of the blog you linked to here, using the same camera (M6ii), same lens (EF-M 18-150), same focal length (122 mm), same shutter speed (1/60 sec), same IS (on), same ISO (100), etc etc etc.

I took two shots in a row, handheld, using the 2-second self-timer. The first was with the Mechanical shutter, and the second was with the Electronic shutter. I can detect a difference in the images, but it's quite small and only when viewed at 100%. I'd really consider it inconsequential (for anything I'd like to shoot with this lens), and it certainly is nothing like what the tester posted in the blog above!

mShutter. 100% crops (very large files). Click on "original size"

eShutter.  Click on "original size""

A lot of new owners come here and post about stuff that they've read about, then later (after gaining more experience with the camera) see what the actual reality is (and that it may be no big deal because it doesn't affect them, or that they've found a work-around).

Personally, I don't see Canon giving the M6ii any kind of meaningful shutter update.  The "firmware update" for the M5 was the M6ii.  The "firmware update" for the M50 was the M50ii.  Maybe we'll see an M6iii (likely just a firmware update as well).  Either way I'll be happy. 

R2

wddxnyr wrote:

Your test was not well controlled, because the shots were taken handheld. The pixel density on this camera is so high that the 1/eqv. FL rule from the past is vastly inadequate. 1/60s is way to slow for about 195mm even with some help from Is. A little motion blur can wipe out any difference in sharpness.

Again, you don't see the issue in your use (or there is workaround) does not mean that the issue does not exist.

All my shutter shock tests failed.  I posted them some where but I gave up.

No one could tell me how to do shutter shock.

I am hanging on to my 15-45MM lens because I think it is special because I could not get it to shutter shock.

I sure have not tested every lens but for sure some do not shutter shock on the M6II.

My 32MM lens is stuck on my M6II.  It won't come off. 

wddxnyr wrote:

Your test was not well controlled, because the shots were taken handheld. The pixel density on this camera is so high that the 1/eqv. FL rule from the past is vastly inadequate.

True, for handheld shots without IS.

1/60s is way to slow for about 195mm even with some help from Is.

Nonsense. The IS on this lens is good for about 4 stops. That means that 1/60 with IS is equivalent (in hand shake terms) to about 1/1000 without IS. That's plenty fast enough, even with the higher pixel density sensor.

A little motion blur can wipe out any difference in sharpness.

Yes, but there was no motion blur here. You probably mean hand shake, but again, as I explained above, the IS is more than adequate to negate that.

Again, you don't see the issue in your use (or there is workaround) does not mean that the issue does not exist.

wddxnyr wrote:

Your test was not well controlled, because the shots were taken handheld. The pixel density on this camera is so high that the 1/eqv. FL rule from the past is vastly inadequate. 1/60s is way to slow for about 195mm even with some help from Is.

R2D2 not only can take sharp photos at 1/60 s, 200 mm, but he did.  The photos he posted are quite sharp.  I also posted sharp photos taken under similar conditions.  The IS is a huge help, and he also has steady hands.

A little motion blur can wipe out any difference in sharpness.

In R2D2's pictures, do you see any motion blur that wiped out any difference in sharpness?  I don't.  You might have a point if his pictures were fuzzy, but they're not.

Again, you don't see the issue in your use (or there is workaround) does not mean that the issue does not exist.

You got that right.  Other people, including me, have reported problems.  We don't know why some people such as R2D2 do not experience a problem.  The problem is not what I would call severe, and there are workarounds.

Camera-induced motion artifacts are not unique to this camera.  Even some flagship DSLRs from recent years have shown serious to severe problems.