Canon EOS M6
7 FPS, 24MP APS-C, Touch & Flip LCD, 1,080p Stereo
Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Canon EOS M6, silver (12.470 oz./381.9g with battery and card, comes in silver or black, about $779) and black EF-M 15-45mm IS STM. bigger. I got mine at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon, or at Crutchfield. It comes as a body only, or as kit with your choice of many different lenses.
This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally-approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Canon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, store demo or used camera. Buy only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.
June 2017 Canon Reviews: EOS-M Lenses Flash All Reviews
Canon EVF-DC2 Electronic Viewfinder
Silver Canon EOS M6 and EF-M 15-45mm IS STM. bigger.
Silver Canon EOS M6 and EF-M 15-45mm IS STM. bigger.
Sample Images
(more at High ISOs and throughout the review)
Top Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Radial Engine, Palm Springs Air Museum, 28 May 2017. Canon EOS M6 in square crop mode, Canon EF-M 15-45mm at 15mm at f/3.5 hand-held at 1/8 at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original JPG to explore on your computer.
It's easy to hand-hold an IS lens at 1/8.
B-17, Palm Springs Air Museum, 28 May 2017. Canon EOS M6, Canon EF-M 15-45mm at 15mm at f/3.5 hand-held at 1/8 at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original JPG to explore on your computer.
My Thai, 28 May 2017. Canon EOS M6, Canon EF-M 15-45mm at 35mm at f/5 at 1/60 at Auto ISO 160, Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original JPG to explore on your computer.
Introduction
Top Sample Images Intro Compatibility
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This Canon EOS EOS M6 is well-made little gem with real DSLR picture quality in a tiny body.
Far better than earlier EOS-M cameras, this M6 handles and sets up reasonably quickly, and shoots very quickly. Focus and frame advance are very fast.
Image quality is the best I've seen in mirrorless; I love the look I get from Canon's JPGs right out of the camera than anything I've seen as JPGs from Sony or Fuji.
You could pay half as much and get the same performance in a Rebel DSLR like the Canon Rebel T6; you're paying a premium with all mirrorless cameras for the convenience and novelty.
You will want the optional EVF-DC2 Electronic Viewfinder for use with the M6. This finder is superb: the sharpest EVF I've seen yet due to Canon's superior finder optics over Fuji or Sony — but the EVF-DC2 lacks auto brightness control so it will be dimmer in daylight unless you increase the brightness manually in a menu. The finder turns this into a real camera; without the finder you're wasting your time shooting at arm's length like an iPhone.
The EOS M6 is nice and I prefer its JPG color rendition over Sony, but to be perfectly honest, for half the price the Sony A6000 is a better camera overall, with much faster autofocus and a built-in EVF.
Good
● C1 and C2 total-recall camera memory modes on top dial.
● Built-in pop-up flash, and it works great with the optional EVF-DC2 Electronic Viewfinder in the accessory shoe at the same time.
● High manufacturing quality: Made in Japan and has free 100% USA customer support at (800) OK-CANON.
● Superb DSLR image quality.
● Swiveling touch LCD.
● Electronic movie stabilization.
● Automatic lens aberration correction for vignetting, lateral color fringes and and diffraction, presuming the camera has a lens profile installed. All corrections are ON by default, and most recent popular lenses already have their profile installed.
● WiFi.
● Bluetooth.
● Selectable two-axis level.
● Programmable M-Fn button that can be a depth-of-field preview, for instance, or any of a gazillion other things.
● 3:2, 4:3, 16:9 and 1:1 square aspect ratios; and you can program the M-Fn button to allow fast selection of them.
● Optional EVF-DC2 Electronic Viewfinder is superb and has eye-control, but costs half as much as a complete Canon Rebel T6 kit with lens!
Bad
● 25% of this camera comes not from Canon's DSLRs, but from their Powershot point-and-shoot cameras. For instance, there is no DSLR-style [Q] Quick-Control button or screen; you use the SET button and get a display just like the Powershots have.
Missing
● No automatic lens correction for distortion.
● Has Auto ISO, but no way to adjust the slowest shutter speed; always bases it on focal length.
● Only one card slot.
● No Silent Shutter mode as Sony and Fuji have.
● No GPS.
● No battery percentage indication, just a three-segment icon.
● No LCD auto brightness control.
● No auto brightness control of the optional EVF-DC2 Electronic Viewfinder.
● No AF Fine Tuning.
Lens Compatibility
Top Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Canon EOS M6. bigger.
The Canon EOS M6 only works with Canon EF-M lenses.
With a Canon adapter, the EOS-M also takes all our EF and EF-S lenses, with everything like autofocus and image stabilization working perfectly.
With this adapter, every Canon lens made since 1987 is perfectly compatible. Bravo!
Specifications
Top Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Image Sensor
24 MP CMOS with dual-pixel Live View AF.
14.9 × 22.3 mm.
3.72 µm square pixels.
3:2 aspect ratio.
1.613× crop factor.
Ultrasonic cleaner.
Still Formats
JPG and/or raw.
sRGB and Adobe RGB.
Still Image Sizes
Large: 6,000 × 4,000 pixels native (24 MP).
Medium: 3,984 x 2,656 (10 MP)
Small 1: 2,976 x 1,984 (6 MP)
Small 2: 2,400 x 1,600 (4 MP).
CR2 raw: 6,000 x 4,000 (24 MP).
Cropped Aspect Ratios
3:2 native.
4:3 cropped.
1:1 (square) cropped.
16:9 cropped.
ISO
ISO 100 ~ 25,600.
ISO 100 is optimum.
Auto ISO
Adjustable high ISO limit in full stops from ISO 400 to ISO 25,600.
There is no way to set the slowest shutter speed; it selects based on focal length.
Video
HDMI can output live video while recording.
Frame Sizes and Rates
1,920 × 1,080 at 59.94p,29.97p or 23.976p.
1,280 × 720 at 59.94p.
640 × 480 at 29.97p.
ISO 100 to 6,400, expandable to ISO 12,800.
File Formats
.MP4 holding MPEG-4 AVC / H.264 video and AAC audio.
Audio
Recorded only along with video.
Stereo microphones built in.
Mic-in jack with plug-in power overrides built-in mic.
No headphone jack.
Autofocus
Dual-Pixel AF; up to 49 points.
Face tracking.
Finder
Optional EVF-DC2; see its own review.
Silver Canon EOS M6 with silver EVF-DC2 and black EF-M 15-45mm IS STM. bigger.
Silver Canon EOS M6 with silver EVF-DC2 and black EF-M 15-45mm IS STM.( 19.043 oz./539.9g total with battery, card, lens and finder) bigger.
Black Canon EOS M6, black 15-45mm and optional black EVF-DC2 Electronic Viewfinder. bigger.
Light Meter
384-zones.
Evaluative metering.
Center-weighted average metering.
10% partial metering.
2% spot metering.
LV 1 ~ 20 range.
Shutter
1/4,000 to 30 seconds, Bulb.
1/200 flash sync speed.
2s or 10s self-timer.
Frame Rates
To 7 FPS with tracking autofocus and exposure.
Remote Releases
Wired
2.5mm remote control jack for RS-60E3.
Wireless
Bluetooth for use with an app on your phone.
Flash
1/200 sync speed.
Built-in Flash
Yes, pops up.
GN 16'/5m at ISO 100.
Covers as wide as a 15mm lens on this camera (24mm equivalent on full-frame).
External Flash
Dedicated hot shoe.
E-TTL II for use with all EX series flash.
No Prontor-Compur (PC) terminal; use the built-in flash to trigger your slaves or use a hot-shoe adapter for corded sync.
LCD Monitor
Canon EOS M6 and EF-M 15-45mm IS STM. bigger.
Swivels 180º up and 45º down, but not left or right.
3" (77 mm) diagonal.
1,040,000 dots.
3:2 aspect ratio.
Touch screen.
Connectors
Micro USB 2.0.
2.5mm remote control jack for RS-60E3.
3.5mm mic jack.
HDMI type D; also outputs video while recording.
Storage
One SD, SDHC or SDXC card.
UHS-I compatible.
Quality
Canon EOS M6 and EF-M 15-45mm IS STM. bigger.
Made in Japan (marked on sticker on back of flipping LCD).
Power & Battery
Battery
LP-E17 rechargeable Li-Ion battery.
7.2V, 1,040 mAh.
1.30 x 0.55 x 1.94 inches.
33 x 14 x 49.4 mm.
1.59 oz./45g.
Rated 295 shots with the LCD or the optional EVF (425 shots in ECO mode)
or
85 minutes of movie shooting
or
5 hours of still image playback.
Charger
Folding-plug external LC-E17 charger included in USA.
In other areas you may get the LC-E17E charger with a detachable cord.
2.65 x 1.09 x 3.63 inches.
67.3 x 27.7 x 92.2 mm.
3 oz./85g.
Rated 2 hour charge time.
Size
2.7 × 4.4 × 1.8 inches HWD.
68.0 × 112.0 × 44.5 millimeters HWD.
Weight
12.470 oz. (381.9g) with battery and card, actual measured.
Rated 13.8 oz. (390g) with battery and card, 12.1 oz. (342g) stripped.
Environment
Operating
0 ~ 40 º C (32 ~ 104 º F).
up to 85% RH.
Announced
15 February 2017.
Promised for
31 March 2017.
Price, USA
May 2017
Canon EOS M6 body: $699, also at B&H.
Canon EOS M6 w/18-55mm IS STM as shown here: $849, also at B&H.
Canon EOS M6 w/18-135mm IS STM: $1,049, also at B&H.
February 2017
Canon EOS M6 body: $749.
Canon EOS M6 w/18-55mm IS STM as shown here: $899.
Canon EOS M6 w/18-135mm IS STM: $1,299.
Accessories
Top Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Optional
RS-60E3 wired remote.
Included
LP-E17 rechargeable Li-Ion battery.
Performance
Top Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Overall Autofocus Ergonomics Finder Flash
Frame Rates High ISOs Auto ISO Image Quality
Mechanics Noise & Vibration Movies
Overall
The Canon EOS M6 has great professional DSLR image quality in a small, well-made and light weight body.
Autofocus
Autofocus is quite fast, much better than earlier models.
I had no problems with it.
Ergonomics
It's not as fast as a pro DSLR; things take longer to do through menus and overall reaction time. For instance, while DSLRs turn on effectively instantly, Canon rates the M6 to take a full second to turn on.
Shooting is super-fast, but setting up the camera or waking up or swapping between play and shooting modes all take a moment.
Finder
The optional EVF-DC2 has its own review.
It's super sharp and has eye-control to swap between it and the rear LCD automatically, but lacks auto brightness control and has too much color saturation.
Flash
Palm Springs Air Museum. Canon EOS M6, Flash ON, Canon EF-M 15-45mm at 15mm at f/3.5 at 1/60 at Auto ISO 500, Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original JPG to explore on your computer.
The built-in flash balances well in brighter light, but tends to be the dominant source of light when shot indoors.
The flash recycles quickly, and only rarely slows down operation while it recycles.
High ISOs
High ISOs are as excellent as other APS-C DSLRs. The images are never grainy, but get softer at the highest ISOs. This is normal, and has high enough ISOs with quality to shoot just about anything in any light.
FU-629, Palm Springs Air Museum, 28 May 2017. Canon EOS M6, Canon EF-M 15-45mm at 15mm at f/3.5 at 1/200 at Auto ISO 1,600, Perfectly Clear. bigger.
Ryan in the Bomb Bay, Palm Springs Air Museum, 28 May 2017. Canon EOS M6, Canon EF-M 15-45mm at 15mm at f/3.5 at 1/50 at Auto ISO 1,600, Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original JPG to explore on your computer.
Auto ISO
Auto ISO is only partially functional.
While we can set the highest ISO from ISO 400 to ISO 25,600 in full stops, we can't program the slowest shutter speed.
The EOS M6 always uses the lens focal length as the slowest speed, so while this is great for still subjects with most lenses, these speeds are faster than needed with stabilized lenses, and probably slower than needed with moving subjects.
In other words, this is this camera's biggest flaw for me. I depend on Auto ISO to set my camera fast, and I prefer a fixed 1/125 for people photos. The camera's usual self-setting tends to be slower, and lead to blurry available light images of action and motion.
Image Quality
Ryan at My Thai, 29 May 2017. Canon EOS M6, Canon EF-M 15-45mm at 35mm at f/5 at 1/60 at Auto ISO 160, Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original JPG to explore on your computer.
As I've said, it's got a Canon image sensor and has the same color rendition and image quality as Canon's other professional cameras.
The only limit to the quality of your picture is your photographic talent with this camera.
Just look at this snapshot by window light: it's ultrasharp, and more importantly, the exposure and auto white balance are dead-on for great-looking people shots.
Mechanical Quality
It's mostly metal and is very well made in Japan; this isn't some rubbish offshored to China.
Noise and Vibration
It's moderately quiet. It has a sharp sound, but it's not very loud.
It has no fully silent mode.
Movies
LIVE VIDEO: Ryan at My Thai.
640 x 480 @ 29.97p 4MB .MP4 file, Canon EOS M6, Canon EF-M 15-45mm.
Video looks great, even at 480p. This was hand-held, and look how Canon's IS locks-down the video as if it were shot on a tripod!
As you can hear, it has much deeper low-frequency response than most camcorders and DSLRs; it seems to have no low-frequency rolloff. There is a selectable filter if you prefer the rolloff to avoid rumble, wind and handling noise.
Video autofocus is as slow as most DSLRs, much slower than it focuses for still images,, but if you hold the shutter halfway down it forces the EOS M6 to refocus quickly.
Autofocus is silent with the Canon EF-M 15-45mm STM, 18-55mm f/4-5.6 STM and other STM lenses, which is better than most DSLR autofocus systems.
Rear LCD Monitor
Ryan and Dad in the Kitchen, 29 May 2017. Canon EOS M6 held at arm's length, Canon EF-M 15-45mm at 15mm at f/3.5 at 1/200 at Auto ISO 1,600, Perfectly Clear. bigger.
The rear LCD is the usual; it's not that big or bright.
The touch screen responds extremely well, like an iPhone, although what it controls may not be as well thought out.
It has no auto brightness control, so you need to brighten it manually for use in daylight.
It can flip up 180º for arm-held self-portraits as above; but it can't flip left or right.
Data
Cards are titled as "EOS_DIGITAL," standard for Canon.
JPGs are tagged as 72 DPI.
Something much better than DSLRs is a Canon Powershot feature where we can set the EOS M6 to create a new folder each day.
Power & Battery
I'd prefer a percentage indicator to the three-segment icon.
The gauge is typically poor; if you're shooting fast sequences you may get a flashing red DEAD BATTERY ICON, but turn off the camera or just wait a few minutes, and the gauge may read full again. This is typical for cameras that have only very primitive voltage-sensors for battery charge state.
Battery life is only a fraction of a DSLR's battery life. I got about 210 shots before I started getting low battery warnings.
Usage
Top Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Black Canon EOS M6. bigger.
Canon's EOS M6 Instruction Manual.
Charging
Take the battery out and pop it in the included folding-plug charger.
Steady yellow means charging, and steady green means charged.
Menus
If you're experienced with Canon's menu system, you can get what you're used to by pressing MENU > (click right to Disp level settings) > SET > Menu Display > Standard.
Dials
Look under the Exposure Compensation dial and you'll see a second, larger rear dial.
This dial usually sets ISO while shooting, and sets zoom on playback.
Program Shift
First press the ✻ button on the back to lock exposure, and only then you can shift the exposure program with the usual dial. Weird, but true.
Movies
Press the red button on the back to start and stop.
Recommendations
Top Sample Images Intro Compatibility
The Canon EOS M6 is a great little camera for those of us who appreciate great pictures, ultralight weight and fine mechanical quality, like a LEICA.
Also like a LEICA it doesn't make sense if you worry about the price, which as I write this is about $1,000 for the body and finder. You can get a Canon Rebel with the same sensor and image quality for about half the price; but it's bigger and made of a lot of plastic rather than metal.
See also Is It Worth It. This is a luxury product for important people on vacation.
I use the genuine LEICA strap; it pops right on with no need for tools or scratching the camera. The LEICA strap is the perfect size for this small camera. This strap may seem expensive, but mine have outlasted many, many camera for about the past ten years and still looking new.
I got my EOS M6 at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon, or at Crutchfield. It comes as a body only, or as kit with your choice of many different lenses.
This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Canon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, store demo or used camera. I use the stores I do because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new camera before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
Thanks for helping me help you!
Ken, Mrs. Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.
More Information
Top Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Canon's EOS M6 Instruction Manual.
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