Canon 6 D MARK II - Impressions in the photo hunt

For many years, I've been a happy owner of a Canon 6D full-frame reflex camera, which I often use for landscape photography and occasionally for hunting photography. Ever since its introduction, I've appreciated its ease of use and its high ISO performance, although I've experienced some disappointment when shooting fast-moving subjects, such as birds of prey. For these reasons, when the opportunity to test the Canon 6D Mark II arose, I jumped at the chance.

This won't be a standard review, as the web is full of them. I'll just share my impressions of its use in nature photography, or so-called photo hunting. 
In this world now dominated by mirrorless cameras, I wanted to see if buying an "old" full-frame reflex camera, which can now be found on the used market at competitive prices, could be a good option for the novice or professional who needs a second camera body.

 

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WHAT HAS CHANGED?

Although based on the same processor as the Canon 6D (released in 2021), the Canon 6D MARK II introduced in 2017 is still in production and benefits from the following improvements:

• Continuous shooting speed up to 6.5 frames per second. 
•  Autofocus with 45 customizable cross-type points
•  Dual pixel autofocus (AF)
• A larger shooting buffer
•  Vari-angle touchscreen with live view functionality 

 

HOW TO QUICKLY SET UP FOR PHOTO HUNTING

Raw or JPEG?

Personally, I have no doubts, I always prefer to shoot in Raw, at most using the dual RAW + JPEG setting. The Raw file is easy to work with, compared to the previous model, I noticed a better dynamic range and the ability to better manage highlights. I always recommend confirming the "Do not release the shutter without card" command to avoid the risk of shooting without your beloved microSD inside the dedicated slot. Just remember that if you shoot in JPEG it will be essential to immediately decide on the color space, whether Adobe RGB or sRGB,

 

GPS function

It may not seem like an essential function, but when I'm hunting for photos, I prefer to geolocate my shots. I therefore appreciated the GPS function, already present in the Canon 6D but which in the new 6D MARK II is available with an option that allows you to save battery power.

Times and ISO

In most cases I use shutter priority, using a shutter speed suitable for avoiding blur or micro-blur. Since I mainly used the Canon 6D MARK II with the Canon 400 mm F/5.6 USM L, I set a shutter speed between 1/640 and 1/500 for freehand use. On a photographic tripod, obviously the situation improves. I let the SLR manage the ISO by setting it to “AUTO”. At first I had some difficulty managing the settings from the touchscreen, because I am used to using the buttons and the central dial. However, after a few hours of use I also welcomed this novelty. Even if the high ISO performance of the Canon 6D MARK II is good (but that of the 6D is excellent due to the sensor with a less resolving pixel density), I recommend not exceeding the maximum ISO 3200-6400. It is better to shoot with a sturdy tripod.

 

AF Point, Metering and Shooting

Among the various tests I performed, I noticed greater precision and ease of use when using the single AF point, a high-speed continuous shooting mode, and evaluative metering. Moving the AF point to an off-center subject or locking focus by half-pressing the button is very useful.

 

Minimum shutter speed

Raise your hand if you've never gotten noisy or blurry photos when using aperture priority (AV). This happens because, by not changing the aperture, the DSLR might decide to increase sensitivity or slow down the shutter speed too much in AUTO ISO mode. A new feature of the 6D Mark II is the ability to select a minimum shutter speed so you can adjust accordingly. For example, if I want to use AV at F/2.8, I can set it to no less than 1/160 shutter speed (the minimum necessary to avoid micro-blur with my trusty Canon 135 f/2. This is a great feature.

 

Adjusting the focus

For hunting photography—unlike landscape photography—where I almost always shoot with manual focus, I prefer to alternate between the Ai Servo (artificial intelligence) mode, which locks focus on moving subjects. Obviously, for posed subjects, it's best not to use it to improve shutter speed, using the classic "One Shot" setting instead.

 

Exposure

I think exposure skill is a skill that's acquired over time, especially in hunting photography, because landscape photography usually allows for easy adjustments. Generally speaking, I recommend the classic rule: increase the exposure for white subjects (swans, white herons, egrets), as well as for backlit birds of prey. For black subjects (cormorants, blackbirds, etc.), I recommend underexposing.

The intensity of this correction will depend on the distance to the subject, the subject's illumination, and the general lighting conditions. What is certain is that even the Canon 6D Mark II, compared to the 5D Mark IV, for example, does not benefit from a wide dynamic range, so it's best to try to be fairly precise when shooting.

 

The new auto white balance mode

In landscape photography, friends, acquaintances, and the merely curious are both amused and intrigued by my anachronistic use of gray cards to achieve a decent balance in the scene. In hunting photography, this isn't practical unless you're shooting posed subjects. For this reason, I've tried using the new AWB W function, which complements the classic AWB. In practical field use, AWB provides a white balance for the captured environment, while the "W" function allows for lighter whites. While I usually check and adjust the white balance during RAW file development, you can decide—based on your preference—which automatic white balance setting to use. To enhance the slight magenta hue, visible, for example, when photographing grey herons at dawn, you can adjust the magenta to green hue directly in the camera.

 

 

 

Some considerations on the focusing system

 

As anticipated, the new AF system of the Canon 6D MARK II is more complex (and functional) than that of the previous model without being too cumbersome like that of the Canon 7D MARK II that I have used in past years.

The Canon 6D Mark II features a 45-point autofocus grid. Up to a focal ratio of F/5.6, all points are cross-type.
Additionally, there is the possibility to set the AF in five different ways:

• Spot AF
•  Manual single AF point selection
•  AF Zone
•  Extended AF zone
•  Automatic selection of 45 AF points

Spot AF

This setting uses a smaller portion of the normal AF point, which could be useful for focusing on, for example, the head of a deer hidden in the foliage, but I've honestly never felt the need to do so.

 

Single AF point

Single-point AF is the mode I've used the most. It provides excellent accuracy for focusing on the eyes of perched subjects like birds of prey, herons, or grazing ungulates. It works perfectly with stationary or very slow-moving animals. Compared to the old Canon 6D, moving the single-point AF to the edges of the frame I noticed significantly better focus accuracy, even with the Canon 400mm, which is opened up to f/5.6.

 

AF Zone

With this setting, nine autofocus points are displayed. We can choose where to lock them, but the DSLR will then choose where to focus from our preferred ones. It's not ideal for shooting a robin at long range, but it seemed like a perfect solution for photographing flocks of birds in flight, or quite large subjects like a crowned deer.

 

Extended AF zone

In this case, you have an extension of 15 AF points, and here too, you can choose where to position the focus lock, and again, the reflex will decide which AF points to choose. Compared to the classic 45-point mode, this allows for even greater precision, if used on fairly large subjects or even for flocks of birds whose shape and movement can be predicted.

 

Automatic AF selection

This is the basic, easiest to use, one that allows the DSLR to decide which focus point to select, but also to make mistakes. It's useful for very large, high-contrast subjects that have a clear contrast with the background (so as not to confuse the artificial intelligence).

Then there are other sub-categories that allow you to improve the focus on subjects that are about to reach our position or 

Personally, I have always opted for single AF and zonal AF. I believe I have obtained better results in terms of focusing on my favourite subjects: birds of prey in flight.

PRACTICAL USE IN THE FIELD

 

Anyone who buys the Canon 6D Mark II certainly appreciates its advantages but knows its limitations. In the first case, I can confirm that I took advantage of the new features compared to the previous model, which I still own. The focusing system has been improved, especially in the peripheral areas, the shooting sequence is more than sufficient for amateur photo hunting (I certainly wouldn't recommend it for professional use), and the high ISO performance, although it seemed slightly inferior to the old 6D, is certainly superior to the classic 7D Mark II, which absolutely doesn't hold a candle to the comparison even above 1600 ISO. Compared to the new mirrorless cameras, it offers significantly less multiple-shot capability, but the naturalness of observing in an optical viewfinder—in my opinion—is priceless, although I must admit that the most recent electronic viewfinders have improved greatly.

 

PROS AND CONS

Merits

• Focusing system more powerful than the previous model
• Continuous shooting of 6.5 frames is more than sufficient for amateur use
• Robust and waterproof
• GPS function
• High ISO performance better than the classic Canon 7D MARK II
• Excellent file cleanup up to 3200 ISO
• Optical viewfinder more restful than new digital viewfinders
• The body is not large but it can handle a 300-400mm telephoto lens well.

 

Defects

• It does not have a continuous shooting mode like the new mirrorless cameras suitable for nature photography
• Auto AF mode often fails on fast-moving subjects against a low-contrast background.
•  High ISO files are noisier than my old Canon 6D

 

IN SUMMARY

The Canon 6D Mark II is a good all-rounder that doesn't excel in this genre of photography, but it allows enthusiasts with a fair amount of experience to achieve interesting results. If purchased used, it can be equipped with the still-excellent Canon 400mm f/5.6 for less than $1,500.
However, in my opinion, it's excellent for landscape photography, but there'll be time and opportunity to write about that another time. A short gallery shot with this SLR will be available soon.

 

THANKS

I would like to thank Monica Fecchio of the Canon and Canon Italia press office for providing me with the sample I tested, leaving me free to share my impressions.