The anticipated upgrade to the popular Canon EOS R6 camera will go on sale in Australia on 21 November at an RRP of AU$4499 for the body or $6399 with the RF 24-105mm f/4 lens.

Front view of the EOS R6 Mark II with the RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM kit lens. (Source: Canon.)

The EOS R6 Mark II will be positioned just below the R5 but, although it has a similar body design, size and weight to its predecessor (138.4 x 98.4 x 88.4 mm plus 670 grams with battery and card), it will offer better performance along with improvements in some key features. The sensor’s effective resolution has increased from 20.2 megapixels to 24 megapixels but the DIGIC X processor is unchanged from the R6. The new camera also comes with the same 5-axis in-body stabilisation system, which claims up to eight stops of shake correction. No changes have been made to still image recording formats with the regular JPEG, HEIF (10-bit) and CR3.RAW (14-bit) and C-RAW options. Dual SD card slots (both UHS-I/UHS-II compatible) provide flexibility for image and video recording.


Top view of the EOS R6 Mark II with no lens fitted. (Source: Canon.)

The EOS R6 Mark II supports next generation Dual Pixel CMOS AF II pushing speed and reliability further. Subject-tracking AF capabilities have been extended to include aircraft and trains in vehicle recognition and add the ability to recognise horses and zebras as well as dogs, cats and birds to animal recognition. The type of subject to be detected can be selected in the menu, or via a new Auto option that relies on the range of scenarios the photographer is photographing. Users can also specify which eye (left or right) should be given focus priority with human and animal detection. Where the eyes can’t be detected, the EOS R6 Mark II will focus on the face or head and, if the head isn’t visible, go on to track the body.

Up to eight stops of co-ordinated control image stabilisation whne the IBIS in the camera combines with a stabilised lens.  The R6 can also focus in light levels as low as -6.5EV  and supports extended ISO settings up to ISO 102400. The shutter mechanism has been CIPA rated for 400,000 cycles and the mechanical shutter has a speed range of 30 to 1/8000 second. The electronic shutter has a top speed of 1/16,000 second and supports flash synch at 1/250 second. The R6 adds a 40 frames/second silent shooting mode to the 20 fps (with AF/AE tracking) maximum in the previous model while retaining the 20fps and 5fps options plus the regular 12 fps frame rate with the mechanical shutter. The 0.5 second pre-shooting in RAW Burst mode will be advantageous for photographers when recording unpredictable subjects, including sports action and small children. The R6 can record continuously at 30fps for up to 191 CR3. RAW frames with AF tracking and individual images can be extracted as JPEG, HEIF or RAW files.

The R6 II can record 4K UHD video at up to 60p using the full width of the sensor with simultaneous Dual Pixel CMOS AF II focusing.  All 4K footage is created by oversampling the sensor’s 6K output and 6K RAW video can be output via a HDMI port to an Atomos Ninja V+ recorder in ProRes RAW. Videographers can activate movie pre-recording for three or five seconds to record continuously for capturing action before the record button is pressed when the camera is in standby mode. Users can take advantage of HDR support via PQ for moving subjects with wide brightness ranges, as well as Canon Log and Canon Log 3 recording modes, the latter reproducing a wider dynamic range in highlights with less risk of shadow noise. Both Log modes are designed to save time in post-production.  In addition, an upgraded circuit design in the camera has extended recording times to more than 40 minutes for oversampled 4K 60/50p recording or up to six hours at 4K 30/25p, depending on ambient temperature, memory card space and battery life. Focus breathing is minimised when the camera is used with supported lenses.

Updated Bluetooth v.5 and Wi-Fi (5GHz) provides easy connection to a smartphone and networks allowing high-speed file sharing and FTP/FTPS/SFTP transfer. The camera can also be remotely controlled using the Camera Connect and EOS Utility apps, tethered to a PC, Mac or smartphone via Wi-Fi or high-speed USB-C. It also supports automatic transfer of image files to the image.canon cloud platform for sharing and printing images. The R6 can also be used as a webcam on PC and Mac computers without requiring additional software, utilising the plug-and-play capability of industry-standard USB Video Class (UVC) and USB Audio Class (UAC) drivers that are built into Windows and MacOS operating systems.

Although the new camera uses the same LPE-6NH battery as the original R6, better power management extends its capacity from a CIPA rating of approximately 360 shots/charge for the R6 to 760 shots/charge with the R6 II when using the monitor screen (450 shots with the EVF). The multi-function hot-shoe has a next-generation interface the enables new accessories like the Speedlite EL-5 to be used without requiring additional cables. The EOS R6 II also has dust- and weather-resistant sealing on all external doors and inputs.

Released alongside the EOS R6 II is an updated  Camera Connect App with a fresh new look and feel, as well as enhanced connectivity and a simple user experience that makes it easy to access other Canon software and services.

The EOS R6 Mark II will be supported by Canon Australia’s 5-year warranty when purchased from an authorised Canon Australia reseller. It is due to go on sale in late November at an RRP of AU$4499 for the body alone or AU$6399 for the body plus RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM kit lens. Click here for more information.