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There's no doubt where the 20.2MP Canon EOS 6D is aimed. With some professional features stripped, you're left with a camera finely tuned to the needs of the enthusiast.
The full frame sensor captures images that are rich in colour and tone, with JPEGs direct from camera needing only a slight tweak, if any, before they look their best.
Raw files contain plenty of detail and a wide dynamic range that enables you to pull back highlights and shadows with minimal introduction of noise, even when using higher sensitivity settings.
Although focus speeds can't match those of the Canon EOS 7D, they are by no means sluggish, with the centre point AF locking on to a target and finding focus with good accuracy even in low light conditions, especially when a top notch L series lens is used.
Outside of the centre point, AF is by no means slow, and although grouped relatively tightly around the centre of the frame, there's still a good amount of flexibility.
We liked
The Canon EOS 6D's full frame sensor gives you lots of control over depth of field, and captures plenty of detail. Canon also has a good understanding of what people like about photographs, and as a result the Canon 6D produces images with pleasing colour and contrast.
Canon's EOS Remote app is also excellent, affording a high level of control over the camera via its built-in Wi-Fi system.
We disliked
We would have loved Canon to have given the EOS 6D an articulated screen for more convenient shooting from a range of angles, but perhaps this would have pushed the price a bit too high for comfort and, of course, smartphone users have the option to use their phone as a remote viewfinder.
As we have said before, it would be nice to be able to customise the weighting that the iFCL metering system gives to the brightness of the subject under the active AF point, because in high-contrast lighting conditions this can have a significant impact on the image. In some instances it appears to work more like centre-weighted metering than evaluative.
Final verdict
All things considered, the Canon EOS 6D is an excellent choice for the enthusiast and club photographer looking for a full-frame DSLR. These users will find that they have just about everything they need, and a bit more besides.
It may take them a while to get to grips with the subtleties of the camera's AF system, and they will have to remember some of the basics of metering when using the iFCL evaluative system in high contrast conditions, but they will appreciate the end results.
