Very powerful but not perfect (M6 mark ii Review)

So I've been a happy owner of the Canon EOS M6 Mark ii for about a year now. And I'm about 10000 shots in. When I was in the buying phase I was debating between this camera, and the m50 mark ii. I chose the m6m2 for the better controls and (believe it or not) the removable EVF. I wanted to couple the m6m2 without the evf with the 22mm as an every day carry. I already had some ef(-s) glass from my 100d, so a kitlens wasn't really necessary. I have the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 (great lens, just large). This was suppose to be my main lens and then I would have the 22mm for on the go.

I was very happy with the 22mm, very sharp and nice rendering. However, I'm not a 35mm (equiv.) shooter, I prefer 50mm or 28mm. But for the size I thought it was worth the trait off. The 22mm with the m6m2 is not pocket able, for me that is. Those where the exact reasons I sold my 22mm.

Later I bought the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 and a Nikon Coolpix A (as my everyday carry).

The Sigma 30mm is on my m6m2 most of the time. It's a killer combo.

What I like about the camera:

First of all, the AF, it's great. Most of the time I use the small single point AF and it's spot on every, single, time.

Whenever I shoot my cats I use Servo tracking, it works well, but can miss from time to time. Probably user error, so I don't blame this camera.

The IQ is also great. 32.5mp is an insane amount of pixels to work with. I think my sigma lens can only deal with it @f/5.6. But that's fine. The Dynamic range is also very good and the recovered shadows have nice "grain-like" noise.

Unedited

With extreme recovered shadows

As for low-light performance, I would say it's pretty good. I would use iso 3200 in every situation. 6400 with some noise reduction (DXO PureRaw is great), and 12800 in certain situations.

What I dislike:

The battery-life. It isn't terrible, but not great. Especially the last two bars drain rather quickly. I can burn through 2 batteries with ease on a single day of moderate shooting.

I'm also not a huge fan of the handling. It's not bad for short periods of time, but when I'm holding the camera for longer than 30 minutes it becomes a bit of a pain. That's why I bought the SmallRig L-bracket. This really helps, especially with larger lenses. I'm lucky since my dad also enjoys photography and has a 70-200 and a 100-400, whenever I loan these lenses I start to appreciate the SmallRig grip more and more. The buttons and dials are really nice and great to use.

The removable EVF comes in handy whenever I'm using a tripod since I don't need it then. Still, I would have liked this camera with a m5 style EVF. At the start I said I bought it for the removable EVF, however, I started using this camera more as a would a DSLR, instead of a pocket camera.

My front dial also has this weird issue where it sometimes just starts scrolling without me touching it. That's why I have turned it off completely since my aperture would suddenly be 1.4 instead of the one I wanted. In menus it's annoying though since I can't turn it off there. Just a note.

Shot with the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 @f/2 (a friend lend me this lens)

I'm very happy with this camera, it can handle almost everything I throw at it. This camera doesn't really inspire me as my AE-1 does, but that isn't a big issue. I will probably use this camera until it's broken since I don't see the value of the M system rising any time soon, and I do not want to sell this camera right now.

TL:DR: Very powerful, can do a whole lot, mediocre battery, lacks personality, great IQ. If you are happy with the current available lenses, buy it.

There are more pictures from this camera on my IG: chrism.pictures

Ionised Snail wrote:

Nice shots .

I agree about the flash.

About the largest thing that feels OK mounted on the hot shoe is a flash trigger.

To carry a large flash with the M6II I have to use it mounted on a bracket on the left side with a handle and trigger it with the built in flash so I can still use the viewfinder.

Crazy looking rig but powerful. 

Thanks for the review and impressions, the time you spent is appreciated.

I love the M6ii camera and shoot with 2 of them. Removable EVF is great for using the camera on a telescope too. For the 2nd body I got the tilting EVF-DC1 which is really useful for some situations as well like video on a tripod in bright sunlight.

I recently got an M200 as well which unexpectedly, I really like a lot as a carry-around camera. I live in Florida, and the m200 is so small that with 18-150mm zoom it fits in the pocket of my gym shorts and disappears when I take walks! I can take that powerful combo to places they don't like to see cameras (like the roof of parking garages) and it is very unobtrusive. Of course with the 22mm f2 it is ridiculously small.

m100 wrote:

Ionised Snail wrote:

Nice shots .

I agree about the flash.

About the largest thing that feels OK mounted on the hot shoe is a flash trigger.

To carry a large flash with the M6II I have to use it mounted on a bracket on the left side with a handle and trigger it with the built in flash so I can still use the viewfinder.

Crazy looking rig but powerful.

If the flash feels too big the mounted lens is too small.  With the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 on the adapter a big flash is no problem, as the lens acts as a grip.

No viewfinder in these cases is - in my opinion - a bigger issue, however, that's discussed before......

thunder storm wrote:

m100 wrote:

Ionised Snail wrote:

Nice shots .

I agree about the flash.

About the largest thing that feels OK mounted on the hot shoe is a flash trigger.

To carry a large flash with the M6II I have to use it mounted on a bracket on the left side with a handle and trigger it with the built in flash so I can still use the viewfinder.

Crazy looking rig but powerful.

If the flash feels too big the mounted lens is too small. With the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 on the adapter a big flash is no problem, as the lens acts as a grip.

No viewfinder in these cases is - in my opinion - a bigger issue, however, that's discussed before......

I am thinking my big flash could easily bust that camera hot shoe off ?

Have not seen a M6II tear down but have seen other  M camera tear downs and

I am not mounting a large flash on it.

That and I need a viewfinder outside in the sun and use fill flash a lot.

You're a little late, now that it's discontinued. I was preparing a long post for the unwary, so they know some of the problems and workarounds, but now I don't need to.

This camera allows me to take fabulous pictures that I would otherwise not get. Except for the mechanical shutter, the quality is first-rate.

It's also a camera I have struggled with more than any other. After a couple of years or so I have finally tamed most of the complexity and handling quirks.

It would never occur to me to criticize it because it's small, or to attach a gadget just to make it larger. But YMMV.

I can't imagine the front scroll wheel going berserk. If that's happening, it's a malfunction. It seems more likely that you may have touched or gotten too close to the touch screen, which can easily mess with your settings. I now just turn the camera off when I let it hang from the strap.

m100 wrote:

thunder storm wrote:

m100 wrote:

Ionised Snail wrote:

Nice shots .

I agree about the flash.

About the largest thing that feels OK mounted on the hot shoe is a flash trigger.

To carry a large flash with the M6II I have to use it mounted on a bracket on the left side with a handle and trigger it with the built in flash so I can still use the viewfinder.

Crazy looking rig but powerful.

If the flash feels too big the mounted lens is too small. With the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 on the adapter a big flash is no problem, as the lens acts as a grip.

No viewfinder in these cases is - in my opinion - a bigger issue, however, that's discussed before......

I am thinking my big flash could easily bust that camera hot shoe off ?

YN685 is no problem, and I need the power for bouncing.

Have not seen a M6II tear down but have seen other M camera tear downs and

I am not mounting a large flash on it.

I'm not doing it very often as low light is actually the R5 it's job.

That and I need a viewfinder outside in the sun and use fill flash a lot.

thunder storm wrote:

m100 wrote:

thunder storm wrote:

YN685 is no problem, and I need the power for bouncing.

Yes. Big flash for bouncing and fill flash !

Bouncing can change the whole scene. Then bounce it the other way and wow that looks really different too !

I am think I would like bouncing around light even if I had a R5.

I walk into a room and right away case it out for light bouncing.

m100 wrote:

thunder storm wrote:

m100 wrote:

thunder storm wrote:

YN685 is no problem, and I need the power for bouncing.

Yes. Big flash for bouncing and fill flash !

Bouncing can change the whole scene. Then bounce it the other way and wow that looks really different too !

I am think I would like bouncing around light even if I had a R5.

Bouncing is the best fill flash, and yes, you will need this,  even with the R5 when if there's a bright window behind your subject.

I walk into a room and right away case it out for light bouncing.

Very nicely done. Great illustrations!

It never ceases to amaze me how varied the users are. Love your story!

R2

+3 to bouncing a flash. For quick and easy I like to aim an Omnibounce straight up. Works great. I also like the Gary Fong Lightblade. Works similarly. Very effective.

There are two compact flash units that pair especially well with a body like the M6ii. The Godox TT350c (Adorama Flashpoint Zoom-mini) is quite light, and the Nissin i40 is just as compact but uses 4AA instead of 2 AA (it's more powerful, faster cycling).

I especially like their (external) controls because I set flash power manually. I have scads of other flashes, radios, and light modifiers. Holler if you have any questions.

BTW if you want to be able to shoot flash at 14 FPS, then “tape over” the flash communication terminals on the hotshoe, leaving just the larger x-sync terminal open, and then set flash power manually. This gets rid of any lag.

Happy shooting!

R2

I use 11-22 or 32 with back screen and odin trigger and OCF.  I use 60 inch umbrella or just OCF

I have mag mod globe, grids, and gels

but flash bounced to a back or side wall works well too

or even pointing OCF directly at subject

the 32 is my go to lens for sharp eyes wide open

Ionised Snail wrote:

My front dial also has this weird issue where it sometimes just starts scrolling without me touching it. That's why I have turned it off completely since my aperture would suddenly be 1.4 instead of the one I wanted. In menus it's annoying though since I can't turn it off there. Just a note.

I have had my M6ii for almost 2 years and have noticed a problem with the front dial, but only in a very specific situation.  For Image Playback mode, I have the front dial set to jump forward/back 10 images, and the back dial set to zoom in/out.  If, when using my thumb to scroll the back dial to zoom in/out, my index finger accidentally touches the front dial (without actually turning it), the image being displayed will start jumping forward (or backward) very rapidly until I remove my index finger.  This can happen with the slightest touch, and no actual pressure applied.  Depending on how quickly I remove my finger, it might jump forward/back 100 or 200 photos.  I haven't noticed this unintentional activation of the front dial in any other circumstance so far.

B_Gardner wrote:

...my index finger accidentally touches the front dial (without actually turning it), the image being displayed will start jumping forward (or backward) very rapidly until I remove my index finger. This can happen with the slightest touch, and no actual pressure applied.

That sounds like a malfunction to me.  Those mechanical dials should not respond at the slightest touch.

Wow, cool shots.

My fav is the first one (of the cat).

I just wanted to share my experiences with this camera, it might be discontinued but it's still a fine camera.

I bought the camera for the small size in the first place, however I found that it wasn't quite small enough for what I wanted to accomplish with it, but it's powerful enough to act like a beefy camera. Later I bought the 2013 release Nikon Coolpix A, discontinued for a long time now, and I still bought it ;). I absolutely love it. Great lens, good sensor, killer battery life (One battery lasts me all week of intense shooting), very compact and robust. This was the camera I was looking for in the first place. You might be able to say that I made a mistake buying an M6m2, however, it's not a terrible mistake because this camera can do so much and still fits my needs (with the grip).

As for the scroll wheel, I found another thread where someone has the same issue: https://www.canonrumors.com/forum/threads/canon-eos-m6-mkii-front-dial-problem.40563/

Thank you, mounting my m6m2 on a telescope is definitely a dream of mine. The coast of the Netherlands is just way to light polluted that it's not worth it.

Thank you very much, great to hear!

Ionised Snail wrote:

I just wanted to share my experiences with this camera, it might be discontinued but it's still a fine camera.

I bought the camera for the small size in the first place, however I found that it wasn't quite small enough for what I wanted to accomplish with it, but it's powerful enough to act like a beefy camera. Later I bought the 2013 release Nikon Coolpix A, discontinued for a long time now, and I still bought it ;). I absolutely love it. Great lens, good sensor, killer battery life (One battery lasts me all week of intense shooting), very compact and robust. This was the camera I was looking for in the first place. You might be able to say that I made a mistake buying an M6m2, however, it's not a terrible mistake because this camera can do so much and still fits my needs (with the grip).

As for the scroll wheel, I found another thread where someone has the same issue: https://www.canonrumors.com/forum/threads/canon-eos-m6-mkii-front-dial-problem.40563/

if portraits is your thing, the m32 f1.4 will blow your cool pix away

This exactly! Thank you!

I just set the dial to only jump 1 image per tick instead of 10, saves some time.

I also noticed it happening when I held my camera in portrait orientation, and in very cold situations.