Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

A niche player in the Canon ecosystem To evaluate this, one must understand the reason Canon developed the EOS EF-M series, which is not primarily to compete with others in the crop-frame mirrorless market such as Sony, Fuji. The M50 and M200 are directed at new users, but Canon does not really aim the M6 II, which is the most advanced and most expensive M, to the public. Rather, this little camera, which is basically a 90D DSLR stuffed into a small box without the mirror and viewfinder, is meant for current Canon insiders, to make the whole Canon ecosystem more complete. Those who follow the camera industry may know that several of the major players are close to folding. Canon is determined to avoid this fate; Canon and Sony may be the only players left in a couple of years. To understand where M6 II fits then, one must think from Canon point of view. Canon as a conservative in a contracting industry. Their main goal is retaining their large base of pro and advanced amateur photographers by offering a full system. The M6 II is a niche device intended for the existing Canon user who owns a bag full of DSLR and lenses. In that role it carries one of the best sensors Canon has put out, identical to that in the recent 90D DSLR, strong autofocus, consistent menus that users already know, precision build quality, and images which rely on the same well known Canon firmware and colors professional photographers have preferred for decades. Compatibility here is paramount, especially when it comes to consistency of the color output. Committed Canon photographers cannot easily buy into another maker because of the color consistency. Therefore the typical Canon photographer is not going to be adding any non-Canon cameras to get the benefits of crop-frame mirrorless. That is fact #1. With this background, M6 II seems intended to fill three specific roles within the Canon world. First, this is a compact backup or spare body for the Canon DSLR user with numerous EF-S or even EF lenses, through the available adapter. The adapter is not just a metal ring but a significant item - it carries full proprietary electronic passthrough and functionality, so the compact body is able to access autofocus and autoexposure seamlessly, just as on one’s native DSLR. Pro or advanced amateur photogs know that during a photo shoot, with a model or otherwise, it is extremely handy to have a second body-lens ready, with the same settings as the main camera but a different focal length. For this, one does not need a second large and expensive DSLR – just a sort of compact box with a top quality sensor will do. So the first application is as a compact second body. Second, the EF-M series and especially the M6 Mark II is intended to better enable Canon to serve the explosive market for video vlogs and selfies, and for Youtube and Instagram creators – perhaps the most significant growing community for high quality imaging beyond the iPhone. Thus it is designed to be very video capable (4K) and produces quality videos. This also explains why the M6 omits an internal electronic viewfinder, because social media users won’t be holding the camera up to their eye anyway. For those occasions where an eye level EVF is needed, an external attachment (EVF-DC2) is included in most M6 bundles. It’s a bit awkward as a lump on top of the camera, but it’s there if you need it, and it is a very nice EVF. (The M5 model has an integrated EVF, and may be upgraded soon with the latest sensor.) By producing the M6 II, Canon implies they expect most users to need EVF only now and then. Third, the M6 is a high quality compact body for many technical and scientific uses such as attachment to a microscope or for macro closeups, uses for which heavy DSLR’s with flopping mirrors are overkill. Think of a museum employee needing to capture images of small artifacts. The various applications Canon has in mind also explains why they have not put out a large number of new lenses for the EF-M mount – because most users are expected to piggyback on an existing EF/EF-S investment. However, the few new lenses Canon has put out in EF-M mount are each carefully planned and purpose-driven. Beyond the 15-45mm kit lens, there are three unique EF-M lenses I strongly recommend. One is the prime 32mm f1.4, highly corrected with a 14 element design. This is a dense little gem, heavy in the hand and a top quality optic at a 51mm equivalent, intended to squeeze maximum image quality out of the sensor in low light. (It does not however have Image Stabilization, which disappointed me.) The second must-have in my opinion is the 11-22mm wide angle zoom, ported from the design of Canon’s highly regarded 10-18mm EF-S lens, and this one is stabilized. Image stablization for such a wide angle lens is surprising until one realizes the lens is intended primarily for video. I use this all the time. A third niche lens unique to the EF-M mount is the 28mm Macro, also stabilized and claimed to be the world's smallest macro lens. This is a clever and unique speciality lens with a built-in ring light for closeup illumination. This little lens provides superb macro’s of biological or medical or other tiny objects, very easy to use with its own illumination. In addition it offers prime quality imaging at larger distances, as a 45mm equivalent with better performance than the kit lens. It's extremely compact as you march through the Bolivian rainforest searching for medicinal plants. The M6 II with this lens does something no Apple or Samsung smartphone can do with the same level of image quality and detail. I do question one choice, the 32.5 megapixel sensor. Such a large pixel count surely has a downside, each pixel being too small to give best noise performance at high ISO - this is just a law of physics. Here Canon seems to have reverted to the bad old days of the megapixel race, driven by the marketing department more than the engineers. The sweet spot for crop-frame sensors with low noise is in the 20-24 MP range, for all Canon's competitors. I plan to try dumbing down the rsolution from L and see if this benefits the noise performance at high ISO. In summary, M6 II is an speciality niche product which is configured primarily to serve current Canon photographers, not vacationers looking for a small camera, who will be better off with an iPhone or one of the lower cost, consumer friendly M's. It is a very high quality compact device built with precision and packed with features and capabilities, described in a 548 page manual. It is made in Japan to high standards. Rationale for the design choices may not be evident to the general public, but this is not produced for the general public. Rather it is directed to the pro and advanced amateur Canon communities, responding to the needs of the new social media universe, and adding tools for technical and scientific photography. When we understand where it fits, the M6 II is a brilliant offering. To survive, Canon needs to dedicate itself away from the public and to the more limited but also more committed universe of pro or semipro Canon photogs. The M6 Mk II is an example of that strategy. It is also beautifully manufactured, a pleasure to use, and produces top quality images.