On the used market here, the cost of two prime specimen with low shutter counts is exactly the same.
The 5D ii comes with a battery grip which though I have never used, like the idea of as something that will keep the camera better balanced while it is on my neck, mainly.
The 6D comes with (another) 50mm f/1.8 lens. I already have two, and several legacies 50's.
The both come with their respective boxes, cords, CD's and chargers.
When I started looking into full frame I thought I had considered the 6D to be a workable answer to my prayers. I didn't look at the 5D mark iii because it didn't look like the differences in performance were as much as the differences in price. The 5D mark ii I figured would mostly be old and well used. But low and behold I have found one like new. Which would you get?
It might be worth mentioning that I always use the center focus point only. I can't image what the point of 61 AF points is other than to confuse the camera and focus on something I'm not even looking at. But maybe it is good for vista shots, I don't know.
Both are great cameras, you won't be disappointed, 6D is newer and has cleaner high ISO in tests, will it be visible in prints ? I don't think so for +99% of people
I like the slightly smaller size of the 6d, If you have larger hands than myself maybe a 5d would be preferable...
I used to have a 5d mk1, the auto focus system is the same in the 5Dii. Its generally fine, but cant cope in low light (think weddings in the evening).
I would take the 6D without doubt.
The 6D has the more accurate AF system. Also, it has WiFi allowing you to use a iOS or Android device for remote live view. The 6D delivers cleaner output, the 5D mk II likes to give bands of pattern noise at higher ISOs.
Unless you prefer how the 5D mk II handles, go for the 6D.
Interesting, I thought is was just the centre point that had been improved. I actually never really had much issue with the outer points on my 5D. Sounds like there has been a general uplift in sensitivity across all the points.
Not sensitivity, just accuracy of the AF system. There is much more to the AF system then just the AF sensor itself...
Thanks for all the good input. I figured the 6D would have some edges being a newer model. Just to add my vote and some reasons for the 6D:
6D Pro:
- Digic 5+ image processor ( believe 5D mark ii has Digic 4) While I am not sure of the specific differences of the two I went from 4 to 5+ in my APS-C DSLR's and have seen a number of improvements.
-You mentioned the ISO noise reduction, but I was more blown away by the 300% higher ISO range. High ISO is valuable to me because I shoot in no flash allowed settings sometimes.
-I think it does 5 FPS, rather than 4. I don't care much I use single shot mode, but it could help.
6D Con:
- It would seem the 5Dii viewfinder has 100% coverage versus 97%. I realize that there are other measures of viewfinder performance and I am just taking on faith that the viewer is better, though I will investigate it more.
- The 5Dii has a connection port for strobes and flashguns. I think it is a nice feature though, of course you can mount a port or a wireless controller to the hot shoe. Sometimes its nice to have a flash mounted on the camera for use off the tripod and a strobe set up in front of a screen for staged shots.
- Another thing the 6D lacks is 3 custom settings. I'll be honest to say that I don't even use the one custom setting that I have available to me. This might seem odd, but I see three as useful, but not one. Because there isn't much potential in experimenting with one setting. I could find myself wondering which of three settings will work best, and comparing them, but just having one custom, I think I would just change it all the time. Do you guys find a use for that one custom setting?
-The 6D does not come with the battery grip, which I need more than a 3rd EF 50mm f/1.8
-I noticed that the 6D has one "dot" on the upper handle beneath the shutter release, and the 5D has two. I guess I better find out why.
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Has anyone used an Eye-Fi card on a 6D or 5Dii? Is there any advantage to using it? I've heard it is easier to use. It's a local company and I bumped into an employee who gave me one because we like the same type of photography, and he had a few in his trunk. Shooting legacy glass on an EOS camera is a great conversation starter!
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Back to the problem at hand...I guess the the 6D is probably the right choice.
I tried using a 5D Mark II recently and did not like it. After years and years of using 1D series cameras, it feels glacially slow, especially with regards to AF. I did not like the very limited spread of focus points either - they practically only cover the inner ninth of a 3x3 grid. If the 6D is the same in these regards, at least it has a newer / better sensor, and longer service life since it's still a current model. It has a little faster frame rate, to boot (4.5 fps vs. 3.5 fps I think?) So I'd take the 6D no contest, and just ignore the lens.
