Tag Archives: Review

6D

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My oldest son Jason uses a Canon 6D with 24-104 f/4L lens, and I had the chance this weekend to play with it a little. Here’s a portrait I just made, of Jason, with the 6D and that lens:

Here my first impressions: Love it!

OK, that’s that.

But wait.. there’s more!

The 6D is basically a low-end full-frame camera. I have always said that full frame will prevail (the sensor is the same size as 35mm film, meaning bright, large, viewfinders, great high ISO performance, and very shallow DOF (“blurry backgrounds”) when you need. Full frame is the way to go, and the 6D does not disappoint.

So why is it “low end”? It isn’t, really. Of course in order to not cannibalize the 5D and 7D sales, Canon left off some things that the 7D, 5D, and so on do have. For instance, there are fewer functions available via buttons (White Balance and Flash Exposure Compensation are two notable missing functions that now need menu or quick menu access).  The frame rate is lower. There are no dual cards slots. The focus system has fewer spots than the 5D, 7D or 1D series.

Do these matter? Not really. I could live without them. This camera looks and feels great; the shutter is quiet even without the “quiet mode” engaged; build quality and sealing are good: I would be delighted with this camera.

There are many pro features included that I had expected Canon to leave out. Lens adjustment, copyright info;  all these are there. There are even all-new functions like built-in GPS and a pretty good working WiFi mode. The mode button locks. The Quick menu is the same as on the 7D, 5D3, and 1-series. (TIP: in this quick menu, set the joystick to move focus point without further button presses, and invert Av/Tv wheels in M mode).

Minuses? Well, for me these are minor:

  • The menus are not getting clearer (getting rid of the colours is not very clever).
  • The language in some of the new menus is atrocious (after setting copyright info, for instance, instead of a simple “OK”, I need to press MENU, whereupon I see “[OK] has been selected. The settings screen will close after saving the text entered”, then a choice of  “Cancel” or “OK”.  Huh?
  • White balance and Flash Exposure Compensation (“FEC”) are only available via the quick menu. Of course for FEC you can use the flash itself.
  • The viewfinder is, I think, a 97% viewfinder, not a 100% viewfinder
  • We have the traditional 9 AF points in a diamond, rather than the 7D or 1D’s excellent AF system.

But as said, these are minor, and the pluses mentioned outweigh them easily.  Amazing camera – don’t we love the free market? Thank you, Nikon and Canon, for engaging in this eternal great arms race. I would be delighted to have a 6D as a second camera when shooting anything; or as my only camera if I were on a budget and could not afford a 5D3 or 1Dx. Great camera, right at the right time.

 

Tool Tip

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I recently received a few screen protectors for review from Expert Shield (www.expertshield.com and  www.expertshielduk.com ).

Now, you need to know: I have never used screen protectors for any of my equipment: they are unnecessary, they are messy and they get in the way of clear visibility.

But wait. Not these! These are special, and so far, I am very impressed.

When you receive the screen protector, it comes in a neat box with a special cloth to clean your device’s display. The screen protector is pre-cut to your exat device including any openings for switches, cameras, loudspeakers, microphones, etc. These are available for a wide range of devices.

The screen protector comes as three layers: one protective mask below, the actual protector, and one protective mask above. You clean your display; then you peel off the bottom mask, then put the protector over the display, and finally, when any dust and air bubbles have been removed, you peel off the top mask. The actual screen protector is a silicone gel that sits on the display without any glue or any other substance: it appears just surface tension that holds it on.

No glues, so these are not messy. They are 100% transparent and I cannot see that the protective layer is on my screen. I have used the screen on my iPhone, Canon 1Dx, Fuji x100, and am about to put one on my iPad also.

The biggest benefit for me? My devices tend to start getting dirty and they then attract dirt and grease (the iphone and ipad in particularly turn from “oleophobic” to “oleophilic”). Wit these screen protectors, it will at worst be the screen protector that starts deteriorating – and it is easily replaceable.

I am doing a long term test of these, but so far I am very much impressed, and it is not often that I change my mind on an entire field, but that has happened here: I am now converted and am happy to use screen protectors. I will continue to use these and will update you after a while – so far, an unreserved recommendation.

Michael

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I will not accept payment for reviews: when I review products, as in this case, I am not getting paid, and I will always give my honest opinion, good or bad. If you want me to review your product, send me a copy or a loaner (depending on how expensive and large the product is) and I shall review forthwith.

 

1D Mk IV: My Hands-on Impressions

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An admission. In terms of cameras, I have an embarrassment of riches to choose from.

As an educator, photojournalist, and general purpose photographer who gets called on for all manner of shoots, I “need” (euphemism for “I rationalize my way to”) the best equipment. It’s just a cost of doing business. I have a Canon 1Ds Mark III, a 7D, and a new 1D Mark IV. I am also familiar with the 1D Mark III, which I recently sold even though it was only lightly used – this having been my favourite camera.

I have done mini reviews of the 7D on this blog – now I thought it might be good to compare the 1D Mark IV to the previous Mark III, and to my other cameras. Here is my 1D Mark IV pictured a few hours ago:

The following is not a thorough technical review.While I am of course thorough in trying all the camera’s functions, I think there is enough material on the web, including Canon USA’s excellent 123-page white paper, to outline all the functionality and changes. Also, this is not an exhaustive image comparison. There’s enough of that already, too.

Instead, this is the real-life impressions of an actual user – and one who has recently owned or used all other recent Canon cameras, as well as Nikon, Sony, Olympus, and Pentax cameras.

So, continue after the click…

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