Canon EOS M6 Review

With the Canon EOS M6, the M5 gets a sister model: viewfinder pluggable instead of built-in

With the EOS M6, Canon is offering the EOS M5 a much cheaper sister model, which is practically identical apart from the missing viewfinder, which is offered as an optional accessory. Even if you buy the external viewfinder, you can still save some money compared to the M5, at least according to the RRP. As a compact mirrorless system camera, the EOS M5 is equipped with a 24 megapixel CMOS sensor, the autofocus works with Canon’s dual-pixel AF system. The rear folding touch screen serves as a viewfinder.

But where’s the catch when the M6 and its viewfinder are cheaper, so the M5? With the M5, viewfinder and system flash can be used simultaneously, with the M6 not. The integrated pop-up flash of the M6, which has a guide number of five but is weak-chested, can at least be used next to the viewfinder. The new EVF-DC2 electronic attachable viewfinder resolves 2.36 million pixels and has a high refresh rate of 120 frames per second. The viewfinder magnification is unfortunately as so often not indicated by Canon, after all, the exit pupil is not too small at 22 millimeters. The viewfinder covers 100 percent of the image field and has a proximity sensor that automatically activates the viewfinder. The 29 gram EVF-DC2 is said to cost almost 270 euros and is not only compatible with the EOS-M models, but also with some PowerShot cameras that have an appropriate connection.

In contrast to the M5, the Canon EOS M6 does without a built-in electronic viewfinder. A pop-up flash (guide number 5) is nevertheless installed. [Photo: Canon]

The Canon EOS M6 will be available from April 2017 not only in black, but also in silver-black at a price of almost 800 euros. [Photo: Canon]

The Canon EOS M6’s 7.5-centimetre rear touchscreen folds 180 degrees up for Selfies and 45 degrees down for overhead. [Photo: Canon]

But back to the EOS M6. This has the DigiC 7 image processor, which is intended to ensure a high level of detail in the 24 megapixel photos. The M6 can record up to seven frames per second with AF-C or nine frames per second without autofocus tracking. The Canon records videos in maximum Full HD resolution with up to 60 frames per second. Digital image stabilization on five axes is intended to effectively counteract camera shake, while an additional optical image stabilizer in the lens is intended to provide an even smoother image.

The operation of the EOS M6 with buttons and thumbwheel is complemented by the rear touchscreen. It measures 7.5 centimetres diagonally and can be folded upwards by 180 degrees, making it suitable for selfies, and downwards by 45 degrees. The resolution of the 3:2 screen is 1.04 million pixels. Thus, there are slight differences between the screen and the EOS M5, which with eight centimeters and 1.62 million pixels has the larger and higher-resolution display, which can be folded down by 180 degrees for Selfies instead of upwards, where it ends at 85 degrees. In addition to fully automatic shooting with Scene Recognition, the M6 also offers selectable scene modes as well as creative modes P, A, S and M, which give the photographer full control over the exposure if desired.

Connectivity is provided by the active NFC (works even when the camera is switched off), WLAN and Bluetooth. The power-saving Bluetooth connection can remain permanently active and, in conjunction with a smartphone, ensures the transfer of location data to the camera; remote triggering is also possible via it. Photos can be shared via WLAN in social networks at lightning speed and remote control of the camera including live image on the smartphone screen is also possible with the corresponding app for Android and iOS.

With NFC, Bluetooth and WLAN, the Canon EOS M6 has very good connectivity. [Photo: Canon]

In addition to the program selector wheel, the Canon EOS M6 offers an exposure correction wheel and two steering wheels on the top of the camera. [Photo: Canon]

The new optional Canon EVF-DC2 electronic attachable viewfinder resolves 2.36 million pixels and offers a refresh rate of 120 Hz. [Photo: Canon]

From April 2017, the Canon EOS M6 will be available in black or silver-black at a price of almost 800 euros. Together with the EVF-DC2 attachable viewfinder, which costs 270 euros, the price is 1,070 euros, while the EOS M5 has an UVP of 1,130 euros.

Canon EOS M6 Datasheet