Canon EOS 6D MkII Vs 80D: Upgrade Or Stick?
For a couple of years now, I have been wondering why Canon has never released a full frame DSLR with a pop-out articulating screen? a feature that I have used since the EOS Rebel T3i in my real estate photography work. I have stuck with the APS-C format as it’s a feature I didn’t want to lose to have a full frame camera, as it allows me to get into the corner of the room with a tripod and pop out the display.
Recently, this changed with the release of the EOS 6D MkII, which appears to be a full frame version of the 80D, which I currently own and I’m really happy with. The 6D MkII costs $2,000 + another $1,300 for the EF 16-35mm 2.8L lens to match the focal range of my EF-S 10-22mm, for a total spend of $3,300.
I spent $1,600 on the EOS 80D and EF-S 10-22mm USM lens just seven months ago, and this combo is working brilliantly for me, a big improvement over the EOS T3i and EF-S 10-18mm it replaced. I will be coming into a large sum of money in the next month, so cost is not an issue, but, I am also very frugal by nature, so dropping $3.3k on something that I want, but do not need is difficult for me to justify.
Right now, I use HDR to enhance the dynamic range of my photography; a full frame DSLR with L glass will improve the dynamic range of a single shot, which reduces the amount of time I spend in post, not having to process HDR before final exposure tweaks. From a workflow point of view it makes perfect sense, but at this time, I am not that busy that I don’t have the extra 30 minutes or so for HDR processing.
I guess I’m concerned about wasting my money, will L glass and a full frame sensor make $3,300 worth of improved images? I’m not one to buy a camera just because it’s full frame, it has to offer value to my photography. So called professional photographers scoff when I say I use an APS-C camera, but my clients are really happy with my work. It doesn’t matter if you have an EOS 1D X if you don’t know how to use it.
UPDATE [Aug, 19 2017]: I have talked to a lot of people, watched a lot of reviews and the general consensus is that it is not a good upgrade, some have even said that the original 6D is better overall. So I think I will pass on this occasion and stick with my 80D. Maybe Canon will add a pop-out rotating screen to the 5D Mk V? I will pay $3.5k for the 5D if it had an articulating screen as I use this feature every day.