Canon EOS R6 Mark II Camera Review

The Canon R6 Mark II has the same dimensions as the Canon EOS R6. While it's more portable than most full-frame DSLRs, it's still a heavy camera, so it isn't the most convenient option to carry around during long days on the go. If you'd prefer a more portable full-frame camera, consider the Canon EOS R8, which uses the same sensor as the R6 II.

Build quality is great and comparable to the original Canon EOS R6. It's made mostly of plastic and magnesium alloy. The buttons and dials offer good physical feedback and feel sturdy, as does the screen swivel mechanism. It's also weather-sealed for a bit of added peace of mind in adverse weather conditions, with locking hinged doors covering your card slot and battery compartments.

There are a couple of design changes on this model compared to its predecessor. For one, there's now a dedicated photo/video mode toggle, and the On/Off switch has been moved and redesigned. The 'Lock' function is now between the 'On' and 'Off' settings. Canon also redesigned the joystick on the back of the camera; you can see the original R6 controller here and the R6 Mark II here. Finally, the hot shoe has been upgraded to what Canon calls a 'multi-function shoe', which includes a 21-pin electronic interface that's supposed to offer more functionality with certain accessories.

• Canon EOS R6 Mark II camera body
• Sensor cap
• Hot shoe cover
• Shoulder strap
• 1x Canon LP-E6NH battery
• Battery charger
• Instruction manual

The camera has fantastic ergonomics. It feels great in the hand and is suitable for most hand sizes. All in all, the controls are well-placed, with all key buttons and dials within easy reach of your fingers. You can also customize many of the buttons and dials to suit your preferences. The textured grip and thumb rest on the back are both comfortable and sufficiently grippy. The shutter button offers slightly more resistance when half-pressing than the original Canon EOS R6, though the difference is subtle.

The EVF has been upgraded to an increasingly common 3.69 million dot resolution, which is great and a step up from the Canon EOS R6's 2.36 million dots. The image looks nice and sharp through the viewfinder, and the rubber eyecup is comfortable.

The screen is about the same size as its predecessor's, with a high resolution and decent brightness. It's fully articulated, which is good for video work, and it has full touch navigation.

The menu system is excellent and intuitively organized, just like older Canon cameras. The options are extensive but not overwhelming, and there are plenty of customization options to tailor the settings exactly to your liking. Pressing the 'Info' button when available brings up the 'Help' function, which provides detailed explanations of some of the more complicated features and settings.

The Canon R6 Mark II uses a new, slightly higher-resolution sensor compared to its predecessor, as well as a more efficient processor, which accounts for its longer battery life and improved heat management when recording video.

The Canon R6 Mark II has a fantastic battery life for photos, though the camera doesn't support use while charging. It's CIPA-rated for 580 shots when shooting with the screen, which is excellent for a mirrorless camera. That said, it's only rated for 320 shots when shooting through the EVF. You can bump that up to 760 and 450 shots, respectively, if you use the camera's power-saving mode. Ultimately, CIPA ratings tend to fall on the conservative side, and your real-world mileage will also vary depending on how you use your camera, so take these numbers with a grain of salt.

Video battery life is fairly typical at about an hour and a half of continuous 4k video recording. Unlike the Canon EOS R6, we didn't experience any overheat interruptions during our testing, so heat management has improved, as well. If you need to extend the camera's battery life, you can use a USB power delivery adapter or charger. Canon sells its own PD-E1 adapter, but any adapter of at least 30W should work.

The Canon EOS R6 II has a quick max burst rate for sports and action photography. With its electronic shutter, it can fire off bursts of almost 40 fps, with continuous autofocus, which is fantastic. It's worth noting, however, that shooting with the e-shutter has more risk of introducing rolling shutter artifacts. While the mechanical shutter isn't nearly as fast, it's still very quick for most needs. The camera's image buffer is also very deep, although the larger files from the higher-resolution sensor mean the buffer fills up a lot more quickly when shooting RAW files than the Canon EOS R6 does. If you do manage to reach buffer capacity, it's quite slow to empty, but given the size of the buffer, it shouldn't be an issue in most cases.

The Canon R6 Mark II has fantastic autofocus. It essentially borrows its autofocus system from the pro-grade powerhouse that is the Canon EOS R3, and it supports face, eye, animal, and vehicle subject detection. There are plenty of different area modes and settings that let you fine-tune how the AF performs. All in all, the AF tracking is excellent. It does an amazing job of detecting and keeping moving subjects in focus, even in busier settings or with more erratic movement. If you just want to point your camera at a subject and let the camera do its thing, you're likely to have a high keeper rate.

When using the center point, autofocusing is quick and accurate, especially when using a lens with a quick focusing motor. You're unlikely to miss many shots in scenarios with more predictably moving subjects.

The Canon R6 Mark II includes in-body image stabilization, which is rated for up to 8 stops of stabilization. In conjunction with an optically stabilized lens, like the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM we used for this test, it does a great job. You can get clear handheld shots at very slow shutter speeds. That said, stabilization performance will vary depending on many factors, including your lens, focal length, and even how steady your hands are.

The camera's dynamic range is fantastic. It captures a very wide range of shadow and highlight detail and maintains a high level of dynamic range even at higher ISOs in dimmer lighting conditions.

With a new higher-resolution sensor, the Canon R6 Mark II is noticeably better at resolving fine detail than its predecessor and on par with other full-frame 24MP cameras. That said, this is something that you'll mostly only notice when punching in or cropping heavily.

The camera's noise handling is great. It's well-suited to low-light shooting, as it keeps noise levels to a minimum even with less available light.

The Canon R6 Mark II records oversampled 4k video. With a compatible Atomos external recorder, it can also capture 6k RAW video from the full width of the sensor, though it can't record RAW video internally, like the Nikon Z 6III. If you want to preserve a wider range of detail in your videos, it supports Log recording with C-Log 3. If you'd like a camera that can record 6k video internally, check out the Panasonic LUMIX S5 II or the Fujifilm X-H2S.

Unlike the Canon EOS R6, the Mark II now records uncropped 4k video, even at 60 fps. In that sense, it has a leg up on competitors like the Sony α7 IV, which imposes a Super 35/APS-C crop when shooting in 4k at 60 fps. If you want a full-frame camera that can record 4k at 120 fps, albeit with a crop, check out the Nikon Z 6III.

Internal recording capability is fantastic. Canon removed the 30-minute time limit that you get with the Canon EOS R6, which is good news if you need to record long, uninterrupted takes. Heat management has also improved, so the Mark II is a lot less likely to overheat. There's a better indicator system for overheating, with a 10-level indicator that provides a heat scale to show you exactly how close the camera is to overheating. Beyond that, it can record 10-bit 4:2:2 color internally, giving you more leeway to edit and color grade.

Also worth mentioning: if you use an SDHC memory card, as opposed to an SDXC card, the camera will split your recording into multiple files of 4GB each. With SDXC cards, you'll get one long video file.

Autofocus performs incredibly well in 4k video. It's smooth, sticky, and reliable, so you can rest assured that your chosen subject will stay in focus even if they move around the frame. There are also settings to help fine-tune its performance. For instance, you can set it to either stay with the initial target no matter what, or to change subjects if, say, your initial subject leaves the frame.

There's also an 'AF for close-up demos' focus mode that's available when using the camera for livestreaming or as a webcam via USB. Similar to the 'Product Showcase' feature found on Sony vlogging cameras like the Sony ZV-E10, it quickly switches focus to an object held up close in the frame. You can see that in action here.

4k video quality is amazing. The oversampled 4k looks incredible with adequate lighting, with sharply rendered details and color. Low-light video quality is also great, about on par with its predecessor. Noise is inevitable with less light, but generally speaking, you'll get very high-quality videos out of this camera, with plenty of dynamic range.

The sensor has an improved readout speed compared to the Canon EOS R6, so there's a noticeable improvement in rolling shutter. There's still some skewing with quick pans and faster camera movements, but it's a lot less noticeable overall. Still, if you're looking for a camera with less rolling shutter effect, consider the Nikon Z 6III, which has a partially stacked sensor that gives it an advantage here.

The camera can record at up to 120 fps in 1080p, which is great for slow-motion video, though it can only record at 120 fps in its dedicated slow-motion mode, which doesn't record any sound.

The camera's internal recording capability is just as good in 1080p, with internal 10-bit 4:2:2 capture. Bit rates are quite high, and there's no recording time limit.

The autofocus performs just as well in 1080p. The tracking is very quick and very accurate—you're unlikely to lose focus regardless of what subject you're recording.

1080p video quality is great overall. In more controlled lighting, videos are relatively sharp and detailed, and there isn't too much noise when shooting in low light.

Rolling shutter effect is much less pronounced in 1080p. There's still some slight distortion when panning the camera very quickly, but it's minimal.

The Canon EOS R6 Mark II has just decent dynamic range in video, and it falls notably behind competitors like the Sony α7 IV. Like the Canon EOS R6, you'll have a max of around 9 stops of usable dynamic range in C-Log3 at its base ISO 800. That's decent enough for some more contrasty lighting scenarios, but you'll likely have to sacrifice some highlight or shadow detail in very high-contrast scenes.

Tested settings:

• Resolution: 4k
• Frame Rate: 30 fps
• Log Format: C-Log3

Overall, the camera does a good job of preserving highlight and shadow detail across its ISO range, but you'll have the most dynamic range at the base ISO 800 in C-Log3 when accounting for noise. Beyond ISO 6400, you'll also have diminishing returns as far as getting more detail out of the shadows.

Tested settings:

• Resolution: 4k
• Frame Rate: 30 fps
• Log Format: C-Log3

The SD card slots are well-placed on the side of the camera, making it very easy to switch out cards when using a tripod.

You have all your standard inputs and outputs on the camera's left side. However, unlike the Sony α7 IV, it uses a Micro HDMI port rather than a full-sized HDMI, which can be a bit of a hassle, as you'll likely need an adapter. Still, connectivity options are good, and the rubber flaps feel sturdy.