10,000 Photos Later with the Canon R6 Mark 2
Frustration with Fujifilm XT-2
In mid of 2024 I took a trip to Japan. It was the first time I left the country since 2019. It was also the first time after a long time I would be getting to use my camera on real big adventure, and I was stoked! And that was where the problem began. On the trip, I found my – up to that point – trustee Fujifilm XT-2 to be cumbersome. Sometimes it wouldn’t switch on, a lot of times I wouldn’t be able to change my settings in time and my it just didn’t feel right in my hands anymore. It was just frustrating to use. I think a lot of it had to do with the intense heat in Japan at the time magnifying these issues. But you don’t realize these issues until they have been presented or shoved into your face.
Returning from the trip and going through the photos made me even more frustrated. I always found it hard to edit Fuji photos because of how them out of the ordinary X-Trans CMOS sensor photos render in Lightroom (soft and baked in colors). Leading me to switch to Capture One (which still had the baked in color, but not as soft) which has an equally good toolset for developing photos, but not for organizing them. But I didn’t mind it until now. Now, I want to make more zines and photobooks, and I intended to start with this trip and Capture One wasn’t cutting it when it comes to organization and culling. So, I moved back to Lightroom to fix the photo organization side. On the color side, I simply couldn’t get the look that I wanted, nor the control with Fuji files. This may be due to my lack of editing skills, but I feel like it shouldn’t be that hard to get what you need. So I thought, maybe moving back to Canon would help because I am so used to their colors from using there photos for almost 10 years.
10,000 Photos Later
I did the swtich and I took a lot of photos and videos with the Canon EOS R6 Mark 2 in 12 months. More photos and video than I have ever taken with any camera within the span of 12 months. During this time, I believe that I have a good grasp of the workings of this camera. Enough to share my thoughts to people looking to switch to it with its price being rather low these days.
Did It Inspire?
First off, lets answer the simple question of whether it inspired me to to take more photos since that is what is on our minds when acquiring new gears. The answer is yes. It inspires me to go out and shoot, to test the limit of the camera, to take trips and go on adventures to make photos. But did it make my photos any better? Absolutely not, I am still improving my skills in that department.
Do I Like the Color?
Sadly I can’t say I do. While the file is definitely much easier to work with in comparison to Fujifilm XT-2, it does not have an arguably better color science. I would characterize the output from this camera as more clinical. Compared to photos from my Canon EOS 6D, this one feels like a tool. It lacks the warmth of the 6D but has more flexibility than the XT-2. In that regards, I’d say I got what I asked for. A flatter photo with lots of dynamic range that can be easily manipulated.
How is the Ergonomics?
This is a huge win. Canon has always been known for good ergonomics. They hired a German designer back in the days to create a “bio design” language for Canon cameras which they still follow to this day. The bio design focuses on rounded ergonomic shapes rather than boxy ones. This gives the photographer a great handling experience.
However, Canon did shift away from one of my favorite body design feature. The top row button placement that used to be above the LCD. To compensate for that they made sure that almost all the buttons on this camera can be customized. But I do find myself wishing that they kept that top row buttons. It would negate most of the button customization I did here. So yes, I got a better ergonomic camera with tons of customization options compared to the XT-2. Definitely an upgrade! Here are the list of my customization and why I chose to customize it as such
The depth of field preview button: I assigned human face/ eye detection with servo AF to this button. This quickly allows me to switch to shooting people without the hassle of switching settings on the fly. Once I let go of this button, the camera will resume operating as it was before I held it down. Assigning the function to the button also allows me to switch faces and eyes with the joystick on the back using my thumbs.
The record button: I changed the record button to Servo/ One-Shot focus toggle because that was the second most used button on my Canon 6D
The M-fn button: I assigned a custom menu to this button that includes ISO tied to the top dial, drive mode and AF zone selection. With these two buttons configured, I successfully replicated the button layout on the 6D
The AF-On button: This has been reconfigured similarly to the depth of fiel preview button. However, instead of detecting human faces and eyes, it detects animal faces and eyes with servo AF turned on.
The metering button: This has been assigned to open RAW burst mode menu to quickly configure and activate the feature.
The AF point selection: I have assigned this button to toggle on and off the silent mode.
Videos
Fuji XT-2 had an amazing video spec, considering it was only a second-generation XT family camera. I ran a YouTube channel on it exclusively and loved the look it gets me, unlike for photos. Jumping to Canon, I expected to be blow away, but I was not. While the Canon is great, comes with a Log profile and 4K at 60fps, I didn’t see much gain in quality for my use case. The amazing autofocus that Canon offers is too sensitive for my kind of use and I am still learning how to set it up just right.
However, the 4K 60fps and IBIS opened a new avenue of creativity for me. I have been shooting a lot of videos handheld and in 60fps, relying on the IBIS to do its job amazingly. Currently, I am not sure what to do with the footage yet, but I am learning a lot with this.
The Downsides
While I may not sound like I am blown away, I still enjoy using this camera a lot. It is fast, takes technically great photos and I find the body and tech in it to be very robust. In fact, it’s so clinically good and fast I want to slow down, and I will work on that. But there are some downsides
Lens price: The lens price on the Fuji system is insanely good. You could get a good F1.4 lens for roughly 1,100USD. And there are an abundant of good, compact F2.0 lens for between 5-700USD. On the other hand, in Canon land, 1.4 lenses are roughly 2,000USD, double that of Fuji. And there is no 3rd party alternative yet. Canon’s F2.0 or 2.8 lenses currently on offer use the inferior STM motors that are slower and are not weather sealed. Almost all Fuji lenses are weather sealed at this point.
Missing the tilt screen: While the rotating screen is great and the touch screen on a Canon is amazing, I miss the tilt screen. Shooting photos with a tilt screen is simply superior to a rotating screen because the center of the screen line up with the sensor and the lens. It also makes shooting from the hip very easy.
Videos autofocus: As mentioned above, the autofocus is crazy good. Way better than Fuji, but it also requires a lot of tinkering, experimenting and messing around with the setting.
Is Canon R6 Mark 2 Worth It?
Yes, if you’re upgrading and want the best camera without spending over 3,000USD, this is it. At least in Canon land. The video capability and ergonomics are a highlight for me. I got all that I asked for from this upgrade except for the higher lens prices. Hopefully we will see more third-party full frame lenses for the Canon RF mount soon. God knows I am waiting for an affordable 35mm F2.0 to replace my retired EF 35 F2.0 IS.
