Canon 5D MIV vs Canon 6D MII

Sensor Details

The 7D is the oldest here and the only one of the three with a crop sensor. There is the obvious extra reach advantage to this sensor, especially for sports and wildlife shooters but obviously this comes with the price of noise at higher ISO.

Both the 6D and 5D Mark III benefit from newer full frame CMOS chip, although it has to be noted that the 6D is not quite a full frame sensor (35.8×23.9mm vs. 36x24mm on the 5D3) being almost identical to that found on the original 5D.

The 6D autofocus works well in incredibly low light conditions

The only way that the sensor will influence your decision to purchase is whether you want the extra reach offered by the 7D or the lower noise at higher ISO and shallow depth of field offered by both of the full frame options. The pixel count difference is negligible with all 3 cameras offering plenty of megapixels, although it has to be said they are still quite a way behind the megapixel monster that is the Nikon D800.

Review summary

So what conclusions can be drawn? Which of the two cameras – the Canon 5D Mark III or the Canon 6D Mark II – has the upper hand? Is one clearly better than the other? A synthesis of the relative strong points of each of the models is listed below.

Arguments in favor of the Canon EOS 5D Mark III:

• Better sound control: Has a headphone port that enables audio monitoring while recording.
• More complete view: Has a viewfinder with a larger field of view (100% vs 98%).
• Larger screen: Has a bigger rear LCD (3.2″ vs 3.0″) for image review and settings control.
• Faster shutter: Has higher mechanical shutter speed (1/8000s vs 1/4000s) to freeze action.
• Better studio light control: Has a PC Sync socket to connect to professional strobe lights.
• Greater peace of mind: Features a second card slot as a backup in case of memory card failure.
• More heavily discounted: Has been available for much longer (launched in March 2012).

Reasons to prefer the Canon EOS 6D Mark II:

• More detail: Has more megapixels (26 vs 22.1MP), which boosts linear resolution by 8%.
• Better image quality: Scores markedly higher (4 points) in the DXO overall evaluation.
• Better jpgs: Has a more modern image processing engine (DIGIC 7 vs DIGIC 5+).
• Better video: Provides higher movie framerates (1080/60p versus 1080/30p).
• Better live-view autofocus: Features on-sensor phase-detection for more confident autofocus.
• Larger viewfinder image: Features a viewfinder with a higher magnification (0.72x vs 0.71x).
• More flexible LCD: Has a swivel screen for odd-angle shots in portrait or landscape orientation.
• Fewer buttons to press: Has a touchscreen to facilitate handling and shooting adjustments.
• More selfie-friendly: Has an articulated screen that can be turned to be front-facing.
• Easier time-lapse photography: Has an intervalometer built-in for low frequency shooting.
• Less heavy: Has a lower weight (by 185g or 19 percent) and is thus easier to take along.
• Longer lasting: Gets more shots (1200 versus 950) out of a single battery charge.
• Easier geotagging: Features an internal GPS sensor to log localization data.
• Easier file upload: Has wifi built in for automatic backup or image transfer to the web.
• Easier device pairing: Supports NFC for fast wireless image transfer over short distances.
• Easier wireless transfer: Supports Bluetooth for image sharing without cables.
• Faster buffer clearing: Has an SD card interface that supports the UHS-I standard.
• More affordable: Was introduced into a lower priced category (43 percent cheaper at launch).
• More modern: Reflects 5 years and 3 months of technical progress since the 5D Mark III launch.

If the number of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a guide, the 6D Mark II is the clear winner of the contest (19 : 7 points). However, the relevance of individual strengths will vary across photographers, so that you might want to apply your own weighing scheme to the summary points when reflecting and deciding on a new camera. A professional wedding photographer will view the differences between cameras in a way that diverges
from the perspective of a travel photog, and a person interested in cityscapes has distinct needs from a macro shooter. Hence, the decision which camera
is best and worth buying is often a very personal one.

5D Mark III ₀₇₁₉ 6D Mark II

How about other alternatives? Do the specifications of the Canon 5D Mark III and the Canon 6D Mark II place the cameras among the top in their class? Find out in the latest
Best DSLR Camera listing whether the two cameras rank among the cream of the crop.

Low Light 6D Wins With ISOs up to 12800

One of the key differences between these two cameras is how they operate in low light situations. The 6D has a native ISO up to 12,800 while the native ISO on the 5D Mark II tops out at 6,400. Both of these cameras have the ability to shoot at expanded ISOs up to 25,600 but that doesn’t mean you should, especially with the 5D Mark II. Being able to use higher ISOs means being able to shoot in darker situations while still retaining detail and minimizing noise.

Field tests have shown that this isn’t just about numbers – the 6D really does perform better at high ISOs in the real world. While both cameras display some noise at ISOs of 12,800 and higher, the 6D is far less noisy than the 5D Mark II.

Expert reviews

This is why expert reviews are important. The table below provides a synthesis of the camera assessments of some of the best known photo-gear review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, and photographyblog). As can be seen, the professional reviewers agree in many cases on the quality of different cameras, but sometimes their assessments diverge,
reinforcing the earlier point that a camera decision is often a very personal choice.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera’s market launch date and its price, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Canon 5D Mark III: Check Ebay offers
Canon 6D Mark II: Check Amazon price

Image Details

It will come as no surprise that the 7D is the worst performer here at high ISO. Noise is one of the major drawbacks of APS-C. That said though it does hold up well with other cameras in its class such as the D300. It is very usable up to ISO 800 and will hold up above that, especially with a little extra post processing of the image.

Both the 5D Mark III and the 6D deliver amazing high quality images at higher ISO. They deliver a huge jump in noise for those coming from a crop sensor.

High ISO from the 6D is very good. It is almost identical to that of its biggest competitor, the D600. There is very little either way, although I am sure it will be hotly debated among rival owners over the coming months.

The 5D Mark III delivers exceptional high ISO images. Almost a stop better than the 5D Mark II. ISO 6400 is usable and above that is equal to the best in class. This means for those who shoot in low light situations it will deliver consistently outstanding results.

Connectivity comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Canon EOS 5D Mark III and Canon EOS 6D Mark II and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

It is notable that the 5D Mark III has a headphone jack, which is not present on the 6D Mark II
This port makes it possible to attach external headphones and monitor the quality of sound during the recording process.

Studio photographers will appreciate that the Canon 5D Mark III (unlike the 6D Mark II) features a PC Sync socket, so that professional strobe lights
can be controlled by the camera.

Travel and landscape photographers will find it useful that the 6D Mark II has an internal geolocalization sensor and can record GPS coordinates
in its EXIF data.

Everything Else

The lack of USB 3.0 in the newer models shown here is something of an oversight by Canon. Everything else is pretty much standard apart from on the 6D.

The 6D has the inclusion of WiFi and GPS built into the body. This is a first for Canon and a feature that will interest many, especially as with the addition of your smartphone you can have full remote control over the camera including live view.

The 6D is also currently the lightest full frame camera on the market. Many will not be fussed by this, but it is good news for some. A camera and lens combo can be heavy, especially when being used all day. For those looking for a more light weight camera setup the 6D coupled with the new 24-70 F4 saves a lot of weight compared to the 5D Mark III and a 24-70 f2.8 (Around 500g).

So you have looked through the spec sheets, but where do you spend your hard earned cash?

The 7D is a great camera. For wildlife or sports photographers on a budget it offers a great image quality and a very good autofocus system. It is a good upgrade from models lower down the Canon range. You will also benefit from the extra reach that the 1.6 crop offers as well as the benefit that it will take any EF-S lenses you may already have in your collection. The only downside to the 7D in this test is it cannot compete in terms of high ISO with the other two cameras on this comparison.

The 6D is aimed at those who want to make the jump to full frame. It does this incredibly well. The image quality is very good and it competes in most respects with the Nikon D600 although the D600 does benefit from a slightly better autofocus system and a higher fps burst rate.

It would be simple to say that it is the 5D Mark II replacement. Well it is aiming for the market that was dominated by that camera and it does it well, even beating out the 5D Mark II in some respects. The addition of built in GPS and Wi-Fi is a first for Canon and the remote control via Smartphone feature is certainly a very nice touch. Also if weight is an issue then it is the lightest full frame DSLR currently available.

The 5D Mark III is a great camera. It outperforms the 5D Mark II in every area but unfortunately this also includes price. It is very much a worthwhile upgrade from the Mark 2 simply on the new autofocus system alone. Add to this higher fps and a stop advantage in high ISO images and it is a simple decision. To put it simply the 5D Mark III is a stunning camera and one that many (including this reviewer) will want to own. If you are a Canon shooter and can afford it this is the camera you should buy.

There is an elephant in the room here though and that comes in the form of the Nikon D800. It too is a stunning camera and slightly cheaper than the Canon offering. It measures up in every regard and actually wins out in some, most noticeably pixel count. Now obviously most people who will buy the 5D Mark III will already be heavily invested in the Canon system. But, what about those who are upgrading from an APS-C Canon and only have EFS lenses? That decision is a much more difficult one.

Autofocus System

The 7D system is a very good system. The 19 cross type focus points track well and it works well in lower light conditions. There are several options within the system that, along with the maximum 8fps make the 7D a perfect choice for sport shooters on a budget, or those who are simply looking for a reliable backup to their 1D range camera.

The 6D autofocus works well in incredibly low light conditions and therefore instantly makes it a step up for owners of the 5D Mark II or 5DC. The 11 point system with only one cross type will pretty much rule this camera out for those who are wanting to shoot much in the way of action. This is not where this camera excels. The 11 point system will work perfectly well for those who shoot portraits or studio work and the ability to focus well in low light conditions make it a solid choice for wedding shooters. It still is slightly disappointing when compared to the D600, but it is a solid performer as long as you understand it does have some limitations.

Finally the 5D Mark III autofocus system is outstanding. The autofocus system on the 5D Mark II was terrible to put it mildly. Luckily, the 5D Mark III addresses all the issues from the Mark 2 and adds much, much more.

The camera has a new autofocus system that bares more than a passing similarity to the one found in the flagship 1DX. It has 41 cross type focus points available when using lenses that are f4 or faster and if you have f2.8 glass then you also benefit from 5 double cross type sensors. It also features highly customisable, but surprisingly simple configuration, based around presets. In fact the only small thing to criticise is that the cross type points can only be used with lenses f5.6 or brighter. Otherwise Canon, dare I say it, have a Nikon beating AF system.

It also functions incredibly well in low light conditions that the 5D Mark II would have not been able to cope with. This will come as a huge sigh of relief to those who have fought with the 5D Mark II autofocus system (me included).

Body comparison

An illustration of the physical size and weight of the Canon 5D Mark III and the Canon 6D Mark II is provided in the side-by-side display below. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size,
the Canon 6D Mark II is notably smaller (9 percent) than the Canon 5D Mark III. Moreover, the 6D Mark II is markedly lighter (19 percent) than the 5D Mark III. In this context, it is worth noting that both cameras are splash and dust-proof and can, hence, be used in inclement weather conditions or harsh environments.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses
that both of these cameras require. In this particular case, both cameras feature the same lens mount, so that they can use the same lenses.
You can compare the optics available in the Canon EF Lens Catalog.

Concerning battery life, the 5D Mark III gets 950 shots out of its LP-E6 battery,
while the 6D Mark II can take 1200 images on a single charge of its LP-E6N power pack.

The following table provides a synthesis of the main physical specifications of the two cameras and other similar ones. In case you want to display and compare another camera duo, just click on the right or left
arrow next to the camera that you would like to inspect. Alternatively, you can also use the CAM-parator to
select your camera combination among a larger number of options.

The price is, of course, an important factor in any camera decision. The retail prices at the time of the camera’s release place the model in the market relative to other models in the producer’s line-up and the competition. The 6D Mark II was launched at a markedly lower price (by 43 percent) than the 5D Mark III, which puts it into a different market segment. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The 5D Mark III and the 6D Mark II are similar in the sense that both have an optical viewfinder.
The latter is useful for getting a clear image for framing even in brightly lit environments. The viewfinder in the 5D Mark III offers a wider field of view (100%) than the one in the
6D Mark II (98%), so that a larger proportion of the captured image is visible in the finder. On the other hand,
the viewfinder of the 6D Mark II has a higher magnification (0.72x vs 0.71x),
so that the size of the image transmitted appears closer to the size seen with the naked human eye. The following table reports on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Canon 5D Mark III, the Canon 6D Mark II, and comparable cameras.

One differentiating feature between the two cameras concerns the touch sensitivity of the rear screen. The 6D Mark II
has a touchscreen, while the 5D Mark III has a conventional panel. Touch control can be particularly helpful, for example,
for setting the focus point.

articulated screen that can be turned to be front-facing

The Canon 6D Mark II has an intervalometer built-in. This enables the photographer to
capture time lapse sequences, such as flower blooming, a sunset or moon rise, without purchasing an external camera trigger and related software.

The 5D Mark III writes its imaging data to Compact Flash or SDXC cards, while the 6D Mark II uses SDXC cards. The 5D Mark III features dual card slots, which can be very useful in case a memory card fails. In contrast, the 6D Mark II
only has one slot. The 6D Mark II supports UHS-I cards (Ultra High Speed data transfer of up to 104 MB/s), while the 5D Mark III cannot take advantage of Ultra High Speed SD cards.

Specifications Canon 5D Mark III vs Canon 6D Mark II

Below is a side-by-side comparison of the specs of the two cameras to facilitate a quick review of their differences and common features.

Did you notice an error on this page? If so, please , so that we can correct the information.

Creative Modes 6D Wins With Built-In HDR and Multiple Exposures

High Dynamic Range (“HDR”) is a technique that allows you to compensate for a wide range of lighting across a frame. For example, you may photograph a room with a bright window on one wall. If you expose properly for the room, the window will be blown out. The way to get around this is by taking multiple shots at different exposures and blending them together in post-processing. The 6D makes this vastly easier by doing it right in camera.

Multiple exposures are a popular technique used in film photography to overlay more than one image on the same frame. Of these two cameras, the 6D is the only one that can do multiple exposures digitally. While this isn’t a huge deal for most photographers, those who like to get a little more creative with their gear, or who miss the days of film, will enjoy this feature.

Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? If you would like to see a different side-by-side camera review, just use the search menu below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

• Canon 1200D vs Canon 6D Mark II
• Canon 5D Mark III vs Canon 80D
• Canon 5D Mark III vs Fujifilm X-M1
• Canon 5D Mark III vs Nikon P1000
• Canon 5D Mark III vs Panasonic GM1
• Canon 5D Mark III vs Panasonic LX7
• Canon 6D Mark II vs Canon R
• Canon 6D Mark II vs Olympus E-410
• Canon 6D Mark II vs Panasonic S1H
• Canon 6D Mark II vs Ricoh GR
• Canon 6D Mark II vs Sony A6600
• Canon 6D Mark II vs Sony HX99

Photo Features

The 7D is the only model here with a built in flash as Canon tend to not have a built in flash in their full frame models. The thing is, although a built in flash will rarely lead to an amazing image, sometimes can get you out of a pinch.

Talking of flash, the sync speed on both the 5D3 and 6D are not good, especially the 1/160th on the 6D. This is a nightmare to strobist style shooters and enough to put many off. Why not move to the 1/250th offered by the 7D or at least keep up with those offered by the current equivalent Nikons?

Max fps are good for both the 5D3 and 7D which will keep sports shooters happy. The 6D has a max speed of 4.5fps max, which is slightly faster than the 5D Mark II but still limiting for its use for things such as wildlife, still fast enough for almost all other situations though.

The 5D Mark III and the 6D also feature Canon’s silent shutter mode which offers quite, discreet shooting. Something that is very nice to have in certain situations.

Storage 6D Wins With the Convenience of SD Cards for Storage

The Canon 5D Mark II writes files to Compact Flash (CF) cards while the 6D uses Secure Digital (SD) cards. While CF cards are sometimes known to be a bit faster than their SD counterparts, they’re also nowhere nearly as convenient.

SD cards are the ones most commonly used for storage of electronic data. This means they’re easy to find, easy to use, and most of all, easy to transfer files from. There is a good chance that your laptop or desktop computer already has a slot for SD cards, which makes transferring photos to your computer incredibly easy. Transferring data from CF cards requires a separate card reader.

Video Features

Canon has a reputation for video. The 5D Mark II was the camera that launched a thousand film makers and they have heavily invested in the C300 for film makers. The 5D Mark III continues in the tradition of outstanding video quality from a DSLR. The main gripe about the new 5D Mark III is that there is no clean HDMI output, which is an annoyance. There are relatively few changes to video, obviously the cleaner image at high ISO is welcomed and the inclusion of a headphone jack is nice. Basically though, it is made up of small improvements over the video on the 5D Mark II, which is obviously not a bad thing.

The 6D has identical video modes as the 5D Mark III and will be bought in large numbers by those who are purely using their DSLR for video.There is a disappointment that it does not have the headphone jack or audio input found on the 5D Mark III. In some tests on pre production models there was also talk of moire but, footage from the 6D seems to be of a high quality.

The main advantage both of these cameras hold over the 7D for video is the better performance in low light. It also lacks the headphone jack, but this can be done with a well known work around. The 7D still holds up well for video and although there is a slightly different look to video shot on the 7D, many used it in conjunction with a 5D Mark II on productions and the difference on final footage was unnoticeable to all but the most trained of eyes.