Canon EOS M6 Mark II Review

The Canon EOS M6 Mark II is not merely an advancement of the preceding Canon EOS M6; in some senses, it’s a smaller 90D, as the two cameras share the same sensor. The EOS M6 Mark II was released at the same time as the Canon EOS 90D DSLR.

While some of Canon’s M-series models are underappreciated and good performers, the original M6 may not have been the easiest to fall in love with. Recently, Canon’s M line of mirrorless APS-C cameras has been playing second fiddle to the company’s options for full-frame cameras.

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Canon EOS M6 Mark II Mirrorless Digital Compact Camera + EF-M 15-45mm...

• High image quality with 32.5 Megapixel CMOS (APS-C) sensor
• High-speed continuous shooting of up to 14 fps with AF/AE tracking
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF with 5, 481 manually selectable AF positions, and eye AF Servo support

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Last update was on: May 28, 2023 4:50 am

$1,099.00

Buy this item

• High image quality with 32.5 Megapixel CMOS (APS-C) sensor
• High-speed continuous shooting of up to 14 fps with AF/AE tracking
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF with 5, 481 manually selectable AF positions, and eye AF Servo support
• 4K UHD 30P/ Full HD 129P video
• Use the EOS Utility Webcam Beta Software (Mac and Windows) to turn your Canon camera into a high-quality webcam, or do the same using a clean HDMI output

The EOS M6 Mark II is one of the finest starter mirrorless cameras available, and it is also one of the best Canon cameras available. It is a fairly significant makeover of that camera, and it is one of the best Canon cameras available.

For a model that may ordinarily only appeal to vacation photographers, Canon made a very brave step when it decided to install a high-resolution sensor inside of a compact body and also include a variety of amazing action-friendly specs. This decision was made for the EOS M10 camera.

It appears that the M6 Mark II will also take the place of the EOS M5, in addition to the M6. In contrast to the M6, the M5 was shipped with a viewfinder, and if you’d want to have that capability, you can buy a removable OLED viewfinder either on its own or as part of a kit package.

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Canon Mirrorless Camera [EOS M6 Mark II] (Body) for Vlogging|CMOS (APS-C) Sensor|...

• High image quality with 32.5 Megapixel CMOS (APS-C) sensor
• High-speed continuous shooting of up to 14 fps with AF/AE tracking
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF with 5, 481 manually selectable AF positions*, and eye AF Servo support

Last update was on: May 28, 2023 4:50 am

$735.00 $849.99

Buy this item

• High image quality with 32.5 Megapixel CMOS (APS-C) sensor
• High-speed continuous shooting of up to 14 fps with AF/AE tracking
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF with 5, 481 manually selectable AF positions*, and eye AF Servo support
• 4K UHD 30P/ Full HD 129P video
• Use the EOS Utility Webcam Beta Software (Mac and Windows) to turn your Canon camera into a high-quality webcam, or do the same using a clean HDMI output.

Features

• A brand-new CMOS sensor with 32.5 million pixels
• capturing images at a rate of 14 frames per second
• 4K video footage that has not been cropped.

In comparison to the sensor found in the EOS M6, the one found in the EOS M6 Mark II has a far higher resolution and packs more pixels than any other APS-C sensor that Canon has ever produced. To go along with that, there is the most recent Digic 8 processing engine, which provides the M6 Mark II an incredible performance gain over the M5 and the M6 – notably, the ability to shoot at 14 frames per second with continuous focusing while maintaining the full quality. If you can make do with ‘only’ 18 megapixels, there is also a raw burst mode available at 30 frames per second.

The addition of uncropped 4K video recording is another great enhancement. The tilting screen, microphone connector, and compact size of the M6 Mark II might make it an appealing option for video bloggers.

In terms of autofocus, we have some new capabilities in the shape of eye detection. This is something that we’ve seen previously on Canon’s EOS R and EOS RP full-frame mirrorless models; however, you shouldn’t expect to utilize it for more than one subject at a time.

When it comes to design, Canon has fundamentally improved upon what it previously had. The exposure compensation dial that was located on the top plate of the camera has been removed and replaced with a Dial Func control that can be reprogrammed to regulate a number of other settings.

Design and handling

• Compact design with a new sturdy grip
• There is no viewfinder supplied, but there is an optional one available.
• Screen with tilting and sensitive touch controls

The body of the Canon EOS M6 Mark II may look modest, but despite its little size, it conceals an astonishing variety of specifications that enable the camera to perform much beyond what its appearance would suggest.

Even though it weighs just 408 grams, the M6 Mark II nevertheless manages to feel substantially more robust than it’s before thanks to a new grip that was added to the device. It does not have a built-in viewfinder, which will be a turnoff for purists, but for those who are transitioning from a smartphone, this will be less of an issue. However, if you feel the need for a viewfinder, you can purchase the detachable EVF-DC2 finder as an additional accessory if you want one.

The LCD display, which can be tilted and has 1.04 million dots, is identical to the one seen on the original generation of the M6. This pivots to face all the way forward for taking selfies, and it also angles down to a 45-degree angle so that it can be used to take pictures from high angles.

Because all of the controls for the M6 Mark II are grouped together on the right-hand side of the camera, it is possible to use the camera with only one hand despite the fact that it is a very compact model.

There are three dials located on the top plate. There is a mode dial that has all of the typical semi-automatic and manual modes, in addition to some helpful automatic, scene, and custom modes. Additionally, there is a scrolling dial that surrounds the shutter release button on the front of the camera, and this dial can be used for different functions depending on the mode that you are currently using, such as aperture when you are using aperture priority mode.

It is convenient to be able to make speedy adjustments to settings like ISO, white balance, and focusing mode using the third dial, which is located towards the rear of the top plate. This dial may be adjusted by pressing a function button located in the middle of the dial.

There is a collection of buttons on the back of the camera, most of which are self-explanatory. These buttons include a Q button that allows you to alter essential settings via a fast menu, as well as a switch that allows you to toggle between manual focus and autofocus.

We’ve been testing the EOS M6 Mark II with the EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 kit lens, which is a good lens to get started with, although you may quickly find that you crave something with a wider aperture, and/or a longer focal length. At the moment, there aren’t a significant number of native Canon EF-M lenses.

You can use the M6 Mark II with any existing EF or EF-S lens by purchasing Canon’s optional EF-EOS mount adapter and attaching it to the camera. However, due to the M6 Mark II’s compact size, this tends to result in an overall combination that is slightly unbalanced, so we wouldn’t particularly recommend it.

Autofocus

• Up to 5,481 Admiral’s Flight points
• 143 automatic AF areas
• Up to 88 times the normal coverage, depending on the lens.

The Canon EOS M6 Mark II has 5481 focus points, which is a significant increase from the original M6, but don’t worry; you won’t be forced to browse through that many of them. To boil it down to its essential meaning, it merely indicates that you may tap pretty much anywhere on the screen to choose an autofocus point. If you decide to let the camera pick for itself, it has 143 different auto-focus regions from which it may choose.

There is no time wasted here thanks to the M6 Mark II’s lightning-fast focusing capabilities; you won’t have to wait around. When there is enough light, the camera is capable of locking onto its targets with astonishing speed and precision. In conditions with very low light, you could notice that there is some hunting, but it is quite unlikely that a false confirmation of focus would be offered.

The fact that this camera is capable of shooting at a rate of 14 frames per second (for more information regarding this feature, see the section titled “Performance”) while also maintaining autofocus between each shot makes it an excellent choice for photographing fast-paced events like sporting events and other types of action.

The hit rate is really impressive: as long as you are tracking a moving subject that isn’t too unpredictable, the M6 Mark II does a terrific job of keeping up with the action (and bear in mind that we tested the camera with the 15-45mm kit lens – other optics may deliver even better performance).

Performance

• 14 or 30 frames per second in RAW burst mode.
• The battery capacity of 305 shots

For a camera that’s so small, the Canon EOS M6 Mark II packs an impressive amount of features, many of which will appeal to photographers who work in fields such as action, sports, and wildlife photography. However, first impressions can be deceiving, and the Canon EOS M6 Mark II may not immediately strike you as being suitable for these types of photography.

One of these features is the ability to shoot at 14 frames per second, which makes use of the sensor’s maximum resolution. Alternatively, if you are content to shoot at 18 megapixels instead, there is a dedicated 30 frames per second RAW burst mode. The buffer isn’t very large, which is a drawback. You’ll be able to record 54 JPEGs or 23 raw files before it starts to slow down. A smart alternative is to configure the camera to capture smaller C-raw files, in which case you’ll get 36 of those.

The Canon EOS M6 Mark II has an official battery rating of 305 shots, which is not particularly impressive; but, if you carefully control the power in your camera, you can often get significantly more than that out of it. The good news is that charging through USB-C is available. This is convenient for recharging devices while on the go or for those who do not wish to bring a large number of chargers with them when they travel.

Image quality

• Canon’s APS-C sensor with the highest possible resolution
• Up to a native ISO of 25,600.
• An excellent example of the “Fine Detail” Picture Style.

As a result of receiving an award for having the highest-ever resolution, the new sensor that is housed within the Canon EOS M6 Mark II (as well as the Canon EOS 90D) is subject to some rather high expectations; fortunately, it is able to produce photographs that have an exceptional appearance.

It is unfortunate that this camera does not come with an integrated optical image stabilization system, as this necessitates a more deliberate approach to photography on the part of the user, such as the use of faster shutter speeds or higher ISO settings. Nevertheless, we were quite impressed with the performance of such a compact and lightweight camera, especially considering its ability to produce high-quality images.

We took a number of pictures with the various Picture Style settings, but our favorite is definitely the Fine Information option. This setting makes the most of the ultra-high pixel count to produce photos that nearly leap off the screen and have fantastic colors and a lot of detail. Naturally, many will also shoot in raw, and the raw files produced by the M6 Mark II are quite pliable, providing you with enough opportunity to modify the exposure after the fact using the camera.

Only the EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 lens was provided to us for testing with the camera, and while it is a decent walkabout lens for everyday use, you are likely to find that you crave better and/or more versatile optics at some point in the future. Our only lens for testing with the camera was the EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 lens.

Given the compact nature of the EOS M6 Mark II, the EF-M 32mm f/1.4 lens is an excellent choice for shooting topics such as travel and street photography due to its fast aperture.

It is quite exciting to have access to uncropped 4K video, and the EOS M6 Mark II does very well in this regard as well. It is capable of making films that are rich in detail and tastefully saturated, and any vlogger should be pleased with the results.

Verdict

Given its diminutive form factor and absence of a viewfinder, it would be extremely simple to dismiss the Canon EOS M6 Mark II as a camera that has a restricted target audience.

However, if you spend some time looking at the characteristics, you will begin to understand that this is actually a very good camera. Its tiny size and light weight offer great benefits for travel and street photographers, as well as anybody who would prefer not to tote a heavy DSLR camera.

Canon is telling us that the M6 Mark II is really also appropriate for professional photographers, who shouldn’t dismiss it out of hand because it uses the same sensor that is found in the enthusiast-level 90D DSLR. This sensor is present in the M6 Mark II. Despite the fact that many aficionados may pine for a viewfinder, the lack of one is not a severe omission given that one can be acquired separately — and those who are accustomed to shooting on their phone, as well as vloggers, will hardly find utilizing only a screen to be an issue.

Canon EOS M6 Mark II Specs

Canon EOS M6 Mark II Price

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