5D4 to Canon R6 mark ii thoughts and experiences

I currently own a 5d4 with numerous L lenses. I have been reading up on the R6ii and was wondering if anyone switched from a 5D4 to the R6ii and what are their thoughts and experiences. I do not shoot video, I do shoot indoor hockey and sports as well as family/grandkids photos. I would like to know if you are happy with the upgrade, was it worth it, would you do it again and how is the focusing with the EF lenses. I am interested in upgrading mainly for the improved auto focus and low light improvement. I am concerned about the 24mp vs the 30mp of the 5D4. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I upgraded from the 5D4 to an R5 about a year and a half ago. It was very hard to choose between R5 and R6, now with R6 II, it’s even harder to choose.  If I had to choose now, I would most likely take R6 II, because it’s low light is said to be a little better and its AF system is better.

I liked the 5D Mark IV a lot.  It wasn’t easy switching.

The AF system accuracy is amazing. It doesn’t always behave the way you want; it’s not quite the same behavior as the 5D4, but when it locks on eyes it’s fantastic.

Adapting the lenses works flawlessly.  I have no desire to buy the RF lenses.  I bought the adapter with the control ring, because I want an Aperture ring. It’s easier to remember Aperture when it’s a dial on the lens.  It has all the same menus as the 5D4 plus a lot of new ones.  I still don’t understand them all, especially the video settings… but I don’t shoot video so it doesn’t matter.

I set up the back button focus with two buttons: AF-ON starts Servo focus with Eye Detection, and the * button starts Servo focus with center point focus, without face detection, like the 5D IV.  From what I understand, this model is improved in the newer AF system of the R6 II, which is a big reason for choosing it over the R5.

As for resolution, I was reluctant to drop down to the 20mp of the R6, but now it’s 24, and the experts here said that the R6 has better low light performance than the R5.  Plus, the 45 mp images of the R5 are difficult to edit; it’s a lot of processing time and every operation takes time.

MarshallG wrote:

The AF system accuracy is amazing. It doesn’t always behave the way you want; it’s not quite the same behavior as the 5D4, but when it locks on eyes it’s fantastic.

I'm not 100% convinced that the current Canon mirrorless AF is superior for hockey, as the helmets do not provide as good of a tracking target.  Provided this is comparing to my R5, but I think I prefer the 5D4's dSLR's AF system better for some sports, such as ice hockey.  It is more consistent and more responsive.  The R5 has more details when downsample to the same resolution though, and the ISO performance seems to be slightly better as well.  I've not shot a R62, so, hopefully, others will chime in on their thoughts.

giraffe wrote:

I currently own a 5d4 with numerous L lenses. I have been reading up on the R6ii and was wondering if anyone switched from a 5D4 to the R6ii and what are their thoughts and experiences. I do not shoot video, I do shoot indoor hockey and sports as well as family/grandkids photos. I would like to know if you are happy with the upgrade, was it worth it, would you do it again and how is the focusing with the EF lenses. I am interested in upgrading mainly for the improved auto focus and low light improvement. I am concerned about the 24mp vs the 30mp of the 5D4. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Went from 5DMIV to EOS RP couple of years back. Now using the R7 and the R6Mii.

First, you won't miss the 30mp. Not that the IQ of the 5DMIV sensor is bad, to be clear. It's just that the R6Mii IQ, just like the R6, is stunning. Clarity, crispness, color contrast, name it.

Speed and accuracy of AF is not comparable to any other EF-mount or RF-mount camera right now, maybe except the R3. It's funny how it makes me feel like such an accomplished photographer because I nail practically every shot I take, regardless of the subject's speed and regardless of lighting condition.

Ray Chen wrote:

MarshallG wrote:

The AF system accuracy is amazing. It doesn’t always behave the way you want; it’s not quite the same behavior as the 5D4, but when it locks on eyes it’s fantastic.

I'm not 100% convinced that the current Canon mirrorless AF is superior for hockey, as the helmets do not provide as good of a tracking target. Provided this is comparing to my R5, but I think I prefer the 5D4's dSLR's AF system better for some sports, such as ice hockey. It is more consistent and more responsive. The R5 has more details when downsample to the same resolution though, and the ISO performance seems to be slightly better as well. I've not shot a R62, so, hopefully, others will chime in on their thoughts.

You could be right. When you aren’t using Eye Detect AF, the Canon mirrorless cameras detect contrast, same as the 5D Mark IV. But they don’t have cross point technology. Not certain, but I think they only detect vertical contrast, not horizontal. The 5D Mark IV has several cross point sensors in the center which detect both horizontal and vertical contrast.

On the other hand, the mirrorless cameras have autofocus sensors across the entire frame, and there’s no parallax error like on the DSLR’s.

giraffe wrote:

I currently own a 5d4 with numerous L lenses. I have been reading up on the R6ii and was wondering if anyone switched from a 5D4 to the R6ii and what are their thoughts and experiences. I do not shoot video, I do shoot indoor hockey and sports as well as family/grandkids photos. I would like to know if you are happy with the upgrade, was it worth it, would you do it again and how is the focusing with the EF lenses. I am interested in upgrading mainly for the improved auto focus and low light improvement. I am concerned about the 24mp vs the 30mp of the 5D4. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm reading this thread with interest. I'm still using the 5Ds since 2015 but have tried mirrorless with Sony APS-C since almost inception. Thus I know the advantages of it.  I shoot mainly portraiture and some sports (I use Sony A6600 for indoor volleyball and outdoor tennis).

I tried the R6MKII at a store about two weeks ago. Cameraman put it side by side with the Sony A7IV. Just on mere handling I prefer the Canon.

I'm still debating whether I should take the plunge especially after looking at my 5Ds files. I think the IQ is fantastic! Moreover the most recent software i.e. DXO PL 6 Elite, Photoshop and Topaz suite of products are outstanding. As if I have a pseudo eye-AF technology in the 5Ds with Topaz Photo AI

I might hold off for awhile until Canon makes an announcement with the R5MKII.

José B wrote:

giraffe wrote:

I currently own a 5d4 with numerous L lenses. I have been reading up on the R6ii and was wondering if anyone switched from a 5D4 to the R6ii and what are their thoughts and experiences. I do not shoot video, I do shoot indoor hockey and sports as well as family/grandkids photos. I would like to know if you are happy with the upgrade, was it worth it, would you do it again and how is the focusing with the EF lenses. I am interested in upgrading mainly for the improved auto focus and low light improvement. I am concerned about the 24mp vs the 30mp of the 5D4. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm reading this thread with interest. I'm still using the 5Ds since 2015 but have tried mirrorless with Sony APS-C since almost inception. Thus I know the advantages of it. I shoot mainly portraiture and some sports (I use Sony A6600 for indoor volleyball and outdoor tennis).

I tried the R6MKII at a store about two weeks ago. Cameraman put it side by side with the Sony A7IV. Just on mere handling I prefer the Canon.

I'm still debating whether I should take the plunge especially after looking at my 5Ds files. I think the IQ is fantastic! Moreover the most recent software i.e. DXO PL 6 Elite, Photoshop and Topaz suite of products are outstanding. As if I have a pseudo eye-AF technology in the 5Ds with Topaz Photo AI

I might hold off for awhile until Canon makes an announcement with the R5MKII.

Let me help:

The R6 II costs about $2,500 USD in the States

The R5 II will probably cost between $3,700 and $4,000 in the States.

MarshallG wrote:

José B wrote:

giraffe wrote:

I currently own a 5d4 with numerous L lenses. I have been reading up on the R6ii and was wondering if anyone switched from a 5D4 to the R6ii and what are their thoughts and experiences. I do not shoot video, I do shoot indoor hockey and sports as well as family/grandkids photos. I would like to know if you are happy with the upgrade, was it worth it, would you do it again and how is the focusing with the EF lenses. I am interested in upgrading mainly for the improved auto focus and low light improvement. I am concerned about the 24mp vs the 30mp of the 5D4. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm reading this thread with interest. I'm still using the 5Ds since 2015 but have tried mirrorless with Sony APS-C since almost inception. Thus I know the advantages of it. I shoot mainly portraiture and some sports (I use Sony A6600 for indoor volleyball and outdoor tennis).

I tried the R6MKII at a store about two weeks ago. Cameraman put it side by side with the Sony A7IV. Just on mere handling I prefer the Canon.

I'm still debating whether I should take the plunge especially after looking at my 5Ds files. I think the IQ is fantastic! Moreover the most recent software i.e. DXO PL 6 Elite, Photoshop and Topaz suite of products are outstanding. As if I have a pseudo eye-AF technology in the 5Ds with Topaz Photo AI

I might hold off for awhile until Canon makes an announcement with the R5MKII.

Let me help:

The R6 II costs about $2,500 USD in the States

The R5 II will probably cost between $3,700 and $4,000 in the States.

Yeah I thought about that. I think I need a 'bridge' camera from the 5Ds to the Canon FF mirrorless with global shutter. Maybe the R6MKII is that camera. Besides I worry that the read out speed of the R5MKII might not be as fast as the R6MKII.

José B wrote:

MarshallG wrote:

José B wrote:

giraffe wrote:

I currently own a 5d4 with numerous L lenses. I have been reading up on the R6ii and was wondering if anyone switched from a 5D4 to the R6ii and what are their thoughts and experiences. I do not shoot video, I do shoot indoor hockey and sports as well as family/grandkids photos. I would like to know if you are happy with the upgrade, was it worth it, would you do it again and how is the focusing with the EF lenses. I am interested in upgrading mainly for the improved auto focus and low light improvement. I am concerned about the 24mp vs the 30mp of the 5D4. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm reading this thread with interest. I'm still using the 5Ds since 2015 but have tried mirrorless with Sony APS-C since almost inception. Thus I know the advantages of it. I shoot mainly portraiture and some sports (I use Sony A6600 for indoor volleyball and outdoor tennis).

I tried the R6MKII at a store about two weeks ago. Cameraman put it side by side with the Sony A7IV. Just on mere handling I prefer the Canon.

I'm still debating whether I should take the plunge especially after looking at my 5Ds files. I think the IQ is fantastic! Moreover the most recent software i.e. DXO PL 6 Elite, Photoshop and Topaz suite of products are outstanding. As if I have a pseudo eye-AF technology in the 5Ds with Topaz Photo AI

I might hold off for awhile until Canon makes an announcement with the R5MKII.

Let me help:

The R6 II costs about $2,500 USD in the States

The R5 II will probably cost between $3,700 and $4,000 in the States.

Yeah I thought about that. I think I need a 'bridge' camera from the 5Ds to the Canon FF mirrorless with global shutter. Maybe the R6MKII is that camera. Besides I worry that the read out speed of the R5MKII might not be as fast as the R6MKII.

Only thing we can do is wait and see. I don’t trust rumors. But I own the R5 already, so I hope the Mark II version is terrible.  I don’t think I can afford for Canon to release a way better R5

I have both 5Diii and 5Div. I bought a R6 ii last month. So far I am pretty happy with it. However, I must say I have not done much "real" shooting, because my main use of the 5Ds is more marching band, which will start in late summer. So, consider this as a first impression.

I bought Canon RF 100-500 and an EF adapter with the control ring. I tried my 24mm 1.4 with the adapter and had no issues. I already tried EF 70-200 (first gen) with it, and no problems.

I was worried going from a $3500 (when new) body to a $2400 body, I would loose some controls. That's not the case. In fact, I like the third dial R6 ii has over the power button. it is very refreshing to see the view finder has the exact same function as the LCD screen. That's a great upgrade compare to DSLR.

I am still getting used to the new AF system. For marching band, there are a lot movements and kids move in front and behind any subjects quickly. I also try to take photos of all kids, so beyond just tracking, I also need to be able to quickly switch subjects.

I like the fact R6 ii takes the same battery as 5Ds, so I have a lot of back up batteries to use. The new version has more capacity, so it is still good to have them.

Overall, I am happy. It definitely feels like an upgrade.

As for sensor resolution, it is not an issue for me at all. I switch between 5Diii (24Mp) and 5Div all the time and there is no major differences. Lenses makes far more differences than bodies.

I still uses EF L lenses I bought for my 20D. Only one of them died recently. I feel good lenses is a much better investment than bodies. But I am guilty of spending more on bodies than lenses. I think the main driver of upgrading bodies is easy of use and controllability, not for image quality.

I agree with you on image quality. I don't think there will be a huge image quality gain here. What you will get is better AF, so higher % of in focus shots. For portraits, that may not be a big gain either. With studio lights, you will end up with smaller apertures, so AF is not big issue. I think large apertures and shallow DOF can take more advantage of the eye detection.

giraffe wrote:

I currently own a 5d4 with numerous L lenses. I have been reading up on the R6ii and was wondering if anyone switched from a 5D4 to the R6ii and what are their thoughts and experiences. I do not shoot video, I do shoot indoor hockey and sports as well as family/grandkids photos. I would like to know if you are happy with the upgrade, was it worth it, would you do it again and how is the focusing with the EF lenses. I am interested in upgrading mainly for the improved auto focus and low light improvement. I am concerned about the 24mp vs the 30mp of the 5D4. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I did this very upgrade in December. Overall, the R6II has been a fantastic upgrade, especially for the AF. I loved the 5D4, and when I got it said I could be happy with this camera for the next 10 years if that's all I could have (and I still stand by that). But after the R6II, I'm not missing it one bit to be honest.

The 5D4 had very good and accurate AF, but there's not denying the "intelligence" of the mirrorless body put it in another league here. If you shoot anything with eyes, the tracking is just excellent and rarely ever misses. If you manually select your spot with the joystick (like on the 5DIV), it's spot on every time.

The controls feel better on the R6II for me. I prefer where they positioned the AF-ON button and joystick. The customization options are far deeper on the new camera, and I feel I can operate it faster because of that.

I have only EF glass. Haven't even tried a new RF lens on the body. Every one of them has performed brilliantly, even my 3rd party glass. I'm using the basic Canon adapter.

Haven't really stress tested the AF yet with sports, but I have no reason to think it won't be superb here as every review has indicated. This weekend I'll get a chance to try my 70-200 on some dance routines on a football field (Color guard performance).

I would not be concerned at all about the 24 vs 30MP. Unless you felt 30 wasn't sufficient to begin with and were wanting more? The R6II files have lower noise at high ISO and dynamic range is improved. More flexibility when editing. I almost think the R6II is slightly "crisper" at 100% pixel peeping.  Whether that's due to the sensor or the fact that the focus is better (or both) plus IBIS, I don't know.  It just feels like it's effortless to take photos that extract the full sensor potential every time on the R6II.  To me, there's no noticeable difference in detail capture, meaning both are great.

Carefully executed comparison shots may show the 5D4 very slightly ahead on detail capture, but again, the differences are so small in practice you'd probably never pick out which shot was from which camera if you printed them huge and did a blind test.

I have a 50MP camera also in my arsenal (5Ds). It's getting far less use lately because I like the R6II that much.

So yes, it's a big "yes" from me on doing the upgrade.

José B wrote:

MarshallG wrote:

José B wrote:

giraffe wrote:

I currently own a 5d4 with numerous L lenses. I have been reading up on the R6ii and was wondering if anyone switched from a 5D4 to the R6ii and what are their thoughts and experiences. I do not shoot video, I do shoot indoor hockey and sports as well as family/grandkids photos. I would like to know if you are happy with the upgrade, was it worth it, would you do it again and how is the focusing with the EF lenses. I am interested in upgrading mainly for the improved auto focus and low light improvement. I am concerned about the 24mp vs the 30mp of the 5D4. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm reading this thread with interest. I'm still using the 5Ds since 2015 but have tried mirrorless with Sony APS-C since almost inception. Thus I know the advantages of it. I shoot mainly portraiture and some sports (I use Sony A6600 for indoor volleyball and outdoor tennis).

I tried the R6MKII at a store about two weeks ago. Cameraman put it side by side with the Sony A7IV. Just on mere handling I prefer the Canon.

I'm still debating whether I should take the plunge especially after looking at my 5Ds files. I think the IQ is fantastic! Moreover the most recent software i.e. DXO PL 6 Elite, Photoshop and Topaz suite of products are outstanding. As if I have a pseudo eye-AF technology in the 5Ds with Topaz Photo AI

I might hold off for awhile until Canon makes an announcement with the R5MKII.

Let me help:

The R6 II costs about $2,500 USD in the States

The R5 II will probably cost between $3,700 and $4,000 in the States.

Yeah I thought about that. I think I need a 'bridge' camera from the 5Ds to the Canon FF mirrorless with global shutter. Maybe the R6MKII is that camera. Besides I worry that the read out speed of the R5MKII might not be as fast as the R6MKII.

Couldn't resist. I thought I wait it out but the BG-R10 was CDN$ 100 off so I went for the whole enchilada.

Initial impressions:

Great handling. I have the vertical grip attached to it. It's equally comfortable without it. I thought I would be bothered by the EF to RF adapter but I hardly know it's there. The R6MKII + grip is more comfortable to hold than the heavier 5DS + grip.

AF is super fast with the EF lenses I tried so far. I can't wait to go out for a walkabout maybe when the weather turns nicer.

I love to try it out for a demanding shoot like indoor volleyball game. I think I might use Case 2.

It takes awhile to get used to the on off button on the right. EVF is bright. I got used to a smaller one like the Sony A6600 so the one with the Canon looks big.

The support is fantastic too i.e. Canon software. Transferring pics to my iPhone is seamless so thus importing pics directly from the SD card. Talking about SD cards I think I will hold off to buying UHS-II until the summer when I would need it for sports. My UHS-I cards should suffice for now.

I'm not sure if I can get 8 stops of IS benefit with my EF lenses. However, I'm used to 2-3 stops with the Sony so that is good enough for me.

It will take a little time to adapt to the eye focus, which is wonderful but not perfect. Still just a computer trying to figure out what you want it to do. Most of the time it is right on but there will be times it won't find the eye or subject you want so you have to make it do that. You will have to change the way you approach things with an ML system. The good part is yo can quickly override Eye AF and shoot traditionally if you need to.

I loved my 5D4 but I'd never go back to a mirror system. No need to MFA which is huge, for me anyway. As an example I had the 5D4 and a 7D2. I sold my 5D4 and got the R. The AF was so amazing even with the poor fps my 7D2 never came out of the bag.

Since you are focusing on the sensor your EF lenses will perform better. Beware as you may get RF lens gas 

I had an R5 which I sold and now I have the R7 and R6II.

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I like the fact R6 ii takes the same battery as 5Ds, so I have a lot of back up batteries to use. The new version has more capacity, so it is still good to have them.

I didn't know about this since I have a couple of 5Ds batteries. Indeed this is a beneficial so thanks for this info!

If the R6II focusing system is better than the R5 and you don't need the big sensor, by all means, grab the R6II.  I've had my R5 for about 9 months now and the most amazing thing is its eye detect.  The ultimate test for me was the system locking onto the eye of a chicadee.  With its black eye and black head, you'd think it would be very difficult, but my first time out with it shooting birds, I was stunned at how easily it locked up.

David