Whale watching. That must be rare.
A mother and her offspring glide side by side in the crystal blue waters. A chorus of “Aww!!” arise from the cruise. You, among them.
You need a photo of this, ASAP.
Take a picture, they say, it lasts longer, they say.
So you do.
But then you fumble with the strap, the full-frame DSLR that hangs by your side, its weight and size almost toppling you over the side.
By the time you look up, the two whales submerge and disappear under the surface. Everyone’s clapping. Everyone’s cheering.
Everyone except you.
Something must be done.
You need the Canon EOS M6 Mark II.
The Canon EOS M6 Mark II is a mirrorless camera that comes with an interchangeable lens and is ideal for photography enthusiasts. I was loaned a review unit and I have to admit, it was pretty nifty.
The review unit came with a standard 15–45mm lens which is ideal for a wide range of creative shooting. You can capture everything from dramatic landscapes to beautiful portraits and achieve smooth bokeh background and fast-paced action without a hitch.
The body housed the dials and various functions that you’d normally get on a DSLR, including an LCD touchscreen that you can flip upwards for a selfie. You no longer have to break the bank for a full-frame DSLR.
Size
The Canon EOS M6 Mark II is compact and lightweight, measuring 4.7 x 2.8 x 1.9 inches, with the body alone weighing a mere 14.4 ounces.
It was small enough to fit my rather small hands. Those with a bigger pair of hands might find it a little challenging. At the same time, the rubbery texture on its body gave my hands a better (and non-slip) grip whenever I’m using it.
For its size, there is a fair amount of buttons and dials that you can use to access different controls. Nevertheless, I found that it was quite easy to switch between Manual and Auto Focus.
Character
The Canon EOS M6 Mark II came with a simple layout and a decent grip. It may not look as attractive as the Olympus PEN E-PL9 but performance-wise, the camera still rocks!
It has a higher resolution sensor with the ability to capture 4K video (perfect for a vlogger, if that’s what you are) and a mode that is capable of shooting bursts of RAW files up to 30 fps.
It also uses an EF-M mount and while there are only 8 native EF-M lenses from Canon, you can use an adaptor for the other EF lenses out there that are built for Canon’s DSLRs.
Accessibility
You can access the buttons for information on the photos you’ve taken, the videos and movies you’ve shot, as well as the basic camera needs, such as the date, time, and brightness.
The remaining ports are for USB, HDMI, and microphone. However, the only notably absent port was for the headphone jack. Imagine how cool it would be if you could listen to the video you had just recorded!
Now I’ve arrived at the one thing that those who love selfies will come to appreciate.
The flippable LCD touchscreen.
The screen is a ClearView II Touchscreen LCD that measures 3 inches and can be tilted 180 degrees up or 45 degrees down.
You can tilt the screen at any angle that you want. If the photo you’re taking is lower than eye level, you can always tilt the screen upwards to face you while positioning the camera to take whatever it is at your waist level.
Photo samples
Here are some photos that I took with the Canon EOS M6 Mark II in bright daylight, in a low-light setting, and zoomed in as close as I could get.
A downside or two
What the camera is lacking, though, is a viewfinder. Fret not, you can get the optional EVF-DC2 and attach it to the hot shoe on the top of the camera.
The other concern was the built-in, pop-up flash. While it does not seem common in most mirrorless cameras, this one had it and it looked a little flimsy and unstable when I released it. It could be a defect in a review unit.
Evidently, Canon has done well with the EOS M6 Mark II’s build, handling, and performance. The camera is worth considering if you want something similar to a DSLR but affordable and convenient (you’ll never miss another moment of whale watching!).
Its AF system is impressive and the image quality is pretty good, even if it has some amount of noise at sensitivity settings as low as ISO 400. The size is ideal and the grip feels firm and comfortable. The flip-screen is a plus point even if I hardly use it for selfies.
I’ve seen it sold online for anywhere between RM 2,000-RM 2,500. Still, it depends on who you buy it from and what is included in the purchase. I’d recommend buying it in person so you can fiddle with the camera. You’ll want to know if what you’re getting is worth every cent.
