Making changes…

Well, after spending half a decade shooting with my venerable T6i it’s time to say goodbye.

While the camera was still taking reasonable photos, it was beginning to develop some issues that were making it less than an ideal platform for my journalism and other photography needs.

Basically, the issues coming forward were really making me question the reliability of the camera going forward.

After discussing my wants and needs with the excellent staff at McBain Camera in both Edmonton and Red Deer, I ended up settling on a new system: a Canon M6 Mark II

The M6 Mark II is a 32 megapixel mirrorless camera. It is both quieter and a lot sharper than the the T6i was. I did some dealing with McBain and was able to trade the T6i in for a reasonable price to go against the new purchase.

Where the T6i can let me burst shoot up to six photos at a time while shooting in RAW, the M6 allows me to burst up to 18 at a time, which is going to be a game-changer for shooting rodeos and other sporting events.

I haven’t checked out the video capability yet, however the specs say the machine is capable of shooting 4K video.

The camera manages to pack all of these capabilities into a body around half the size of the T6i.

Checking out the reviews before I purchased the camera, the camera only had three drawbacks, both of which are able to be worked around.

First, because of its small size, the M6 Mark II doesn’t have a built in viewfinder, it just has the screen on the back. That said, the kit comes with an electronic viewfinder (EVF) that mounts to the camera’s hot-shoe.

Second, because it is mirrorless, and relies on both the screen EVF, the Canon M6 Mark II is apparently a battery hog. That problem is solved by keeping an extra couple of spare batteries in my kit.

Third, it uses a difference lens mount, so I had to get an adapter ring in order to use my lenses.

I ended up picking up the camera on Wednesday afternoon, leaving work when the office closed at 3 p.m. and heading into Red Deer.

Last night Lynn and I headed out into the county for a drive to see what we can find for wildlife. While the wildlife were playing camera-shy, there were some and the drive provided me a good opportunity to test out and practice with the new gear.

All in all, I am blown away by the colour depth and focus sharpness of the new gear. I think it will serve me well going forward and was a good investment for both my journalism and photography alike.

Kevin