KIT

Six Canon Ambassadors test the power and speed of the
EOS R6 Mark II

Follow pro photographers specialising in fashion, wildlife, weddings and filmmaking as they put the Canon EOS R6 Mark II through its paces.
A model in chunky gold boots and a voluminous red dress appears suspended in mid-air. Taken by Nana Simelius on a Canon EOS R6 Mark II.

"Because the EOS R6 Mark II is very light and has a vari-angle touchscreen, it was so flexible to use," says Nana Simelius. "I was taking stills directly under the models. I would take a photo and pull the camera away. It was so fun to shoot with." Taken on a Canon EOS R6 Mark II with a Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM lens at 15mm, 1/640 sec, f/4.5 and ISO500. © Nana and Juhana Simelius

Whether you're capturing rapid-fire portraits in a studio environment, tracking Iberian ibex on a remote mountainside, scaling an Austrian hillside or filming models in slow motion as they hurtle through the air on a trampoline, one thing is true: you need a fast and consistent camera that can handle the pressures of a changing scene and leave you to focus on capturing the moments as they happen.

With its combination of Dual Pixel CMOS AF II autofocus technology, rapid-fire 40fps continuous shooting with its electronic shutter and Canon's ingenious pre-recording feature, the EOS R6 Mark II has you covered for any eventuality – whether you're shooting stills or filming video. To demonstrate the full-frame EOS R System camera's speed and consistency, pro photographers from a range of disciplines – Marc Albiac, Nicolai Deutsch, Nana and Juhana Simelius and Julia Blumenthal and Gil Gropengießer – put the EOS R6 Mark II through its paces on a series of challenging shoots across Europe.

Photographer Nana Simelius crouches down holding a Canon EOS R6 Mark II, photographing a model in gold boots, a red dress and pink dressing gown who is bouncing on a trampoline.

The enhanced IBIS in the EOS R6 Mark II enabled Nana to lie on the ground beneath her leaping subjects, twisting along with their movements with no risk of camera shake. "I love it when the camera feels like a part of my body," she says. "I felt like I was dancing with our models." © Nana and Juhana Simelius

Shot from below, a model in a black and white patterned jumpsuit and silver waistcoat stands astride two pieces of wood, one arm raised. Taken by Nana Simelius on a Canon EOS R6 Mark II.

Juhana was impressed by the EOS R6 Mark II's Eye AF capabilities. Even as subjects turned their head or moved away from the camera, the AF stayed locked on the selected eye. Taken on a Canon EOS R6 Mark II with a Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM lens at 19mm, 1/640 sec, f/4.5 and ISO320. © Nana and Juhana Simelius

Nana and Juhana Simelius – fast-moving fashion shoot

"It really lets you be in the moment and prevents you from missing anything," says Nana Simelius of the EOS R6 Mark II. She and her partner Juhana form a Finnish advertising and fashion duo who shoot an equal mix of stills and video and are known for creating elaborate sets full of bold colours.

The EOS R6 Mark II presented them with an opportunity to pursue one of their most challenging shoots to date. They built a large outdoor set with a trampoline at the centre, then, shooting handheld, Nana laid on the ground next to the trampoline, capturing both stills and slow-motion video footage in Full HD at 180p while models leaped above her.

"This was an extreme test for us," says Nana. "Movement was in the middle of everything, and I must admit I was a little sceptical that the camera would be able to keep up. It's very important that we get video and stills from every moment. And the camera was incredible – faster, sharper and easier to use than I imagined."

The EOS R6 Mark II's enhanced In-Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS), which can provide up to 8-stops of shutter speed compensation when the camera is paired with certain lenses, enabled Nana to twist and contort with the models' movements without fear of camera shake spoiling an image.

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A woman in a striking black and gold outfit leans to her right, with one hand and arm raised up to her chest. Taken by Nana and Juhana Simelius on a Canon EOS R6 Mark II.

The stills-to-video mode switch is one of the most important improvements to the EOS R6 Mark II in terms of Nana and Juhana's work. The photo and video mode selector is now on the left side of the camera, which not only makes it quicker and easier to switch modes, but also means you can use the mode dial when shooting video. Hybrid shooters can choose between Manual, Av, Tv, Program and three custom modes in both stills and video modes.

For the types of commercials Nana and Juhana shoot, two big improvements include the longer recording limit and removing the crop so that you can record 4K at 60p using the full width of the sensor. For this shoot, however, it was the option to film in Full HD at 180p that made everything possible. "The high frame rate is one of the best things for videographers and content creators," explains Nana. "The new pre-recording feature was also very useful."

When pre-recording is enabled in video mode the camera is effectively constantly recording. Once you press the shutter button, the EOS R6 Mark II will take either three or five seconds of footage (you can set the camera for either) before you press record and append it to your file.

For Juhana, the clarity and capability of Canon's enhanced Dual Pixel CMOS AF II autofocus system was the main revelation. "With people jumping up and down, I expected there to be some drop-off in sharpness," he says. "But there wasn't. When we had clips of people bending backwards or turning their head, the sharpness didn't disappear. One thing I found particularly impressive was that you can choose between the right and left eye on your model. No matter how she moved, the AF stayed locked on. It provides such a professional look. It was very cinematic."

An Iberian ibex bathed in an orange glow from the low sun. Taken by Marc Albiac on a Canon EOS R6 Mark II.

"If you're on a mountain to get your images, the less weight you can carry, the better," explains Marc. "The incredible IS in the EOS R6 Mark II meant I felt confident that I didn't need a tripod." Taken on a Canon EOS R6 Mark II with a Canon RF 400mm F2.8L IS USM lens and a Canon Extender RF 2x at 800mm, 1/1600 sec, f/5.6 and ISO1600. © Marc Albiac

Marc Albiac – elusive wildlife in low light

Like Nana and Juhana, wildlife aficionado Marc Albiac is a hybrid shooter. "Although my first love is stills photography, I also like to have some footage of the species I am working with," he says. "In wildlife photography, particularly, where everything happens very fast, having a stills-to-video switch that I can use without looking makes the difference between getting the footage and the photos, or not getting either."

When filming wildlife, Marc likes to record at a high frame rate, so he can slow down his subjects' movements. Being able to record at 180fps in Full HD meant he could capture enough frames to slow his footage in post-production with smooth, fluid movements. What's more, the option to film in Canon Log gave him more dynamic range in the hazy mountainside where he was working. "I love high frame rate recording, and being able to shot at 180fps with Canon Log is something I really enjoyed," he says.

For this shoot, he was concentrating on wildlife including Iberian ibex, chamois and wildcats and the camera's pre-recording feature saved many missed opportunities. As well as in movie mode, you can also pre-record in RAW burst mode, capturing frames from 0.5 sec before you fully press the shutter button.

"In wildlife photography, it's very common that all the action happens either at the very start of a sequence or in the last few seconds," Marc says. "If you're just a little bit late, you will miss the best part. With pre-recording, as long as I have the shutter button half-pressed before the action starts, when I eventually press the button fully down the camera will keep the frames that I would have captured 0.5 sec beforehand."

A wildcat in dense fog. Taken by Marc Albiac on a Canon EOS R6 Mark II.

The EOS R6 Mark II's ability to focus on subjects in light levels as low as -6.5 EV meant that Marc could capture the elusive wildcats in the dark, hazy conditions. Taken on a Canon EOS R6 Mark II with a Canon RF 400mm F2.8L IS USM lens and a Canon Extender RF 2x at 800mm, 1/400 sec, f/5.6 and ISO6400. © Marc Albiac

Marc is also keen to point out that, despite shooting at an unprecedented 40fps, he didn't witness the effects of rolling shutter distortion in his images. He was equally impressed by the feats of an AF system that he didn't think could be better than the original EOS R6's "unbeatable" autofocus. "I was in the Cantabrian Mountains in northwest Spain photographing wildcats in a very dense fog, but the camera's subject tracking worked perfectly," he says.

Tracking fast-moving, meandering animals like this – particularly at such high altitudes – meant using a tripod was impractical, but the camera's stabilisation combined with AF that can focus down to -6.5 EV meant he could travel light, move quickly and capture sharp images with ease. The Quick menu option and having all his important settings on two simple slides also helped to speed up his workflow.

Marc also really noticed the difference from the extra 4MP of resolution in the new sensor design. "Most of the animal activity in this part of Spain occurs during the night or the first hours of the day. Light levels are low and I was shooting at high ISOs but my images had no noise, yet plenty of detail."

A dark-haired model wearing a white bridal gown looks towards the camera while standing side-on with her arms crossed. Taken by Julia Blumenthal & Gil Gropengießer on a Canon EOS R6 Mark II.

The EOS R6 Mark II's large and bright electronic viewfinder (EVF) enabled Julia and Gil to see the effects of their exposure settings in real time. They used the custom ring controls on their RF lenses to make any adjustments, which were then reflected in the EVF. Taken on a Canon EOS R6 Mark II with a Canon RF 28-70mm F2L USM lens at 56mm, 1/160 sec, f/4.5 and ISO320. © Julia Blumenthal & Gil Gropengießer

A dark-haired model wearing a white bridal gown looks towards the camera. Taken by Julia Blumenthal & Gil Gropengießer on a Canon EOS R6 Mark II.

Julia and Gil don't typically use the Custom menus on their cameras because their subjects and locations vary so much. But the new stills/video switch on the EOS R6 Mark II meant that they could quickly grab some video footage and immediately go back to the exposure settings they were using in stills mode. Taken on a Canon EOS R6 Mark II with a Canon RF 28-70mm F2L USM lens at 56mm, 1/160 sec, f/4.5 and ISO320. © Julia Blumenthal & Gil Gropengießer

Julia Blumenthal and Gil Gropengießer – focusing on the detail

For their shoot, duo Julia & Gil hired a studio in Leipzig, where they shot both stills and video of a model wearing an elaborate bridal gown. As users of the original EOS R6, which made its debut in 2020, many of the Mark II's improvements had been on their wishlist. When the new camera was unveiled, they said it was "exactly what they had been waiting for".

As wedding photographers and videographers, AF is extremely important to their work, which often includes situations with changing light. Moving quickly from the ceremony inside to an outdoor reception, for instance, can fool most cameras; however, Julia & Gil found that with Face and Eye Tracking AF enabled, the AF stayed locked on their subjects even as the light made dramatic shifts. Even as their model moved about, looking in different directions, her eye stayed pin sharp.

Another benefit of using the EOS R6 Mark II, they found, was how it remembers your previous camera settings. Every wedding is different, so they don't typically save their 'favourite' camera settings. However, because the EOS R6 Mark II remembers what settings they last used, it means they can quickly switch between stills and video and jump back into what they were shooting previously, and the duo notes that this is their "favourite improvement". There may be minor tweaks to make to their exposure, but it's much faster than setting up a shot again from scratch.

"Almost all of our clients want us to capture their wedding on photo and video," explains Gil. "So we need a camera that allows us to switch between photo and video quickly and a camera we can rely on. The EOS R6 Mark II is what we asked for: the perfect camera for hybrid wedding photographers."

A man holds the Canon EOS R6 Mark II in his left hand, and a body of water is visible in the background.

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A view of tranquil waters with mountains in the background, a still from a video shot on a Canon EOS R6 Mark II by Nicolai Deutsch. © Nicolai Deutsch

Nicolai Deutsch – filming in the mountains

Filmmaker Nicolai Deutsch put the EOS R6 Mark II through its paces in the mountains of Austria, where he filmed a video of a friend's ascent. "From its strong build and design, right away it felt like a classic Canon camera," he says. "Within a few seconds I was familiar with the controls."

"Most exciting for me was the new switch from stills to video mode," Nicolai continues. "This freed me to use the top dial when filming video and allowed me to use the C1, C2 and C3 custom options. For example, I set 4K at 25p on C1, and when I wanted to shoot slow motion, I had those settings saved on C2. It's such a quick way of working. I can do all that without even taking my camera away from my eye."

Being able to have professional video features in a small body like the EOS R6 Mark II is transformative for his work, Nicolai says. "Normally you have to compromise on features when you opt for a smaller body, but not with the EOS R6 Mark II. With these new video features, the gap between the Cinema EOS and EOS ranges is getting smaller."

Among the professional video features that stood out to Nicolai was the camera's False Colour capabilities, which enabled him to more accurately see and control his exposure when making his short film. "False Colour provides an index of different colours and shows you more accurately where you may have an overexposure or where your mid-grey is," he says. "This means you can very precisely see and control your lighting and exposure. You can program this feature to a custom button and simply switch it on and off. It's a very quick and precise way to check your exposure."

The EOS R6 Mark II's enhanced AF capabilities will also make a big difference to his work, Nicolai says. On previous cameras he's used, face or animal detection would only work if the whole area was being used, but with the EOS R6 Mark II you can limit the object recognition to a zone or even a single AF point. For instance, if you have three people in your shot and just want the person on the right to be tracked, you can put your AF tracking over that person's eye. What's more, this works in both photo and video mode.

"Seeing all these features shows me that the demand for video is growing, and Canon is adapting its cameras to be true hybrids," Nicolai says. "I think the EOS R6 Mark II is the most versatile hybrid camera you can buy."

See a sample clip that Nicolai filmed on the EOS R6 Mark II above, and watch his full review video (in German) on his social channels.

Jeff Meyer

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