Canon 6D Mark II vs Canon 5D Mark IV

Introduction

There are always things to tell when it comes to DSLR cameras, respectively digital single-lens reflex cameras, which means that the camera is digital and it combines the optics and the mechanism of a single-lens camera with a digital imaging sensor, as opposed to photographic film.

Many enthusiast photographers, as well as professionals, have been using such cameras for their work, for their way of expressing themselves, through photography. Either way, these two cameras have been a top-option for users worldwide for many years now, and due to their performance and capabilities, they have managed to stay on top of the chain to this day.

You’ve probably heard of the Canon 6D Mark II, it has a superb performance which puts the full-frame performance into a compact, fully featured DSLR, while the DIGIC 7 Image Processor helps with delivering amazing results even at expanded ISO settings. It packs great versatility above all, and it is one of the most feature-rich cameras out there, so stick with us for the next couple of minutes to read the whole review and to notice the differences between this camera and the Canon 5D Mark IV.

Still, we can’t leave out the Canon 5D Mark IV, so let’s have a quick look at its specs.

As you may know, the 5D has a great legacy, with refining image quality, great performance without sacrificing versatility or whatsoever. This is a camera which is suitable for professionals, for portrait photographers, nature and landscape shooter, but we’ve also mentioned this in one of our other comparison reviews for this camera, more precisely, the Nikon D850 vs Canon 5D Mark IV. One of this camera’s main selling point is the 30.4 Megapixel full-frame sensor, which for a DSLR camera, it’s unbeatable. Basically, when it comes to quality, the 5D Mark IV delivers exceptional results which can satisfy even the most demanding customers on the market.

However, let’s not spoil everything at the beginning, we will not do a detailed head-to-head comparison while we review both cameras, while in the end, hopefully, we’ll be able to determine and choose which one outperforms the other.

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Head To Head Comparison

Canon 6D Mark II

The 6D Mark II has a unique construction which takes the looks of the original 6D, however, it has a rounded back with an additional fully-articulating touchscreen, which makes the camera much easier to use for whatever reason, video, macro photography, etc.

It has a game-changing sensor that has a native sensitivity range of ISO100-40,000, while you can also expand it to ISO50-102,400, pretty cool huh?

The Canon 6D Mark II also has a boost when it comes to the sensor, this camera has 26.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor backed up with a DIGIC 7 processing engine, which is also a game-changer because it can process information 14 times faster than the DIGIC 6 processing engine. Apart from that, this processor allows for better image noise handling even at the highest-rate sensitivities.

You may be wondering why am I making the DIGIC 7 such a big deal? Because this was the first time such a processing engine was included in a full-frame DSLR, which is another reason why this camera ranks so high with a remarkable reputation.

However, there’s one thing that Canon couldn’t do perfect about this camera, the 98% viewfinder coverage, while there are full-frame DSLRs who have an approximate 100% coverage, so there’s that.

To continue, the Canon’s consists of five-axis digital image stabilization for hand-held video recording, although, I’m not really satisfied since Canon didn’t include 4K capabilities on the 6D Mark II. Therefore, they limited it to Full HD with frame rates up to 60p.

But there is a feature where Canon tries to pay the dept of 4K, the 4K timelapse option. Basically, it stitches images together into a 4K-resolution video. For those skeptic customers, you’ll be happy to know that there is also a microphone input as well, however, Canon didn’t include a headphone socket which means you won’t be able to monitor your audio.

Let’s not forget to mention something about the camera’s design. Similar to the original 6D version, the Mark II is crafted with a combination of aluminum alloy and polycarbonate with glass fiber, which in this case, the 5D Mark IV beats the 6D Mark II, since it doesn’t offer the same “Pro” feel when you have it in your hand.

But what I like about the camera’s body is the dust and moisture seal, we can safely conclude that the camera can be used even in wet weather conditions, while I’ve tested this in one of my trips, and it turned out that this manufacturer statement is true.

Even though it’s not the same built quality as the 5D Mark IV, this camera still has an excellent grip which ensures that the camera will fit very comfortably in your hands while having a weight of 765g, you’ll never get tired of holding this camera.

To finish up, the Canon 6D Mark II offers content makers a great combination of advanced features within a powerful and portable package at a fair and reasonable price.

Canon 6D Mark II Sample Images:

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Canon 5D Mark IV

I first stumbled upon this camera while i was reviewing cameras for black & white photography, and i saw that it exceeded my expectations, so i also decided to test it in different fields. Over time, this became one of my favorite cameras of all time.

As we mentioned during the Canon 6D Mark II review, the 5D Mark IV has a couple of extra features compared to the other, while it also comes at a way more expensive price, so maybe it is as they as, the more expensive the better, but not necessarily.

It has a 30.4MP sensor which is a lot compared to most full-frame DSLR cameras, and for the line of 5D legacy, it was a notable jump from the previous 22.3MP models. However, it is a lot compared to “most” full-frame DSLR cameras, but it can’t quite compete with Nikon D810 which as 36.3MO or the Sony Alpha 7R II’s 42MP sensor.

The 5D Mark IV uses on-chip digital-to-analog conversion technology, which enables the camera to deliver improved noise performance as well as a broader dynamic range. Other than that, with the arrival of Dual Pixel Raw technology, photographers gain the possibility to fine-tune the area of maximum sharpness.

To get more into the specifics, the native sensitivity runs from ISO100-32,000 while you also get the option to expand it to 50-102,400. What I also like is that it uses both the DIGIC 6 and a DIGIC 6+ processor, while both of them do their tasks the one solely for metering, the DIGIC 6+ handling everything else, which also includes the 61-point AF system with 41 cross-type sensors.

Since we mentioned the AF system, it is down to -3EV, while -4EV in Live view, thus, this means that it is darker than moonlight, so focusing will not really be an issue in poor light, and the fact that you can use lens/teleconverter combinations with a maximum aperture of f/8, and the result will still be all the 61 AF points.

Because this camera has so many features, we’ll try to mention just the most important ones, not to forget, the Canon’s Dual Pixel AF technology which means that there are phase-detection points on the imaging sensor itself, thus, it results in quicker AF acquisition, and a speedy performance which can be found only in mirrorless cameras.

Before we end, it’s also important that we mention the large 3.2-inch display that boasts an impressive 1,620,000 dots along with touchscreen functionality. And yes, the touchscreen is not available only in live view, but it will also be active in the interface, enabling menu navigation and image review as well.

Something else that this camera has more than the 6D Mark II is the DCI 4K video capture at 4096 x 2160 pixels, at 30/25/24fps, which basically means that you can also extract 8.8MP JPEG images from 4K video if needed, and this is all possible through the Motion JPEG file format that is available for 4K capture. For your convenience, this camera also features an external microphone and headphone port, as well as HDMI Mini out and USB 3.0 terminals.

All and all, there’s nothing bad about this camera, it has the most premium features along with the latest technology, however, it does come at an expensive price, so if you don’t have the budget for it, we suggest you start saving some money, because if you’re a camera enthusiast, you will never regret purchasing the Canon 5D Mark IV.

Canon 5D Mark IV Sample Images:

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Canon 6D Mark II vs Canon 5D Mark IV Feature Comparison

	Canon 6D Mark II	Canon 5D Mark IV
Camera Type	Full-Frame DSLR	Full-Frame DSLR
Megapixels	26.2	30.4
ISO Range	100-40,000(50-102,400)	100-32,000(50-102,400)
Flip-Out Screen	Yes	No
Microphone	No	No
Viewfinder	Yes	Yes
Touchscreen	Yes	Yes
Video Recording	Yes	Yes
Sensor Size	CMOS	CMOS

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Conclusion

We hope that as we reached the end of this article, by now you know which one outperforms the other. From our experience and from what we’ve tested, the Canon 5D Mark IV has a lot more features that the Canon 6D Mark II, however, there are a few aspects where the Canon 6D Mark II outperforms the 5D Mark IV.

Depending on what are your requirements, for example, if you don’t really need 4K video capturing, then the Canon 6D is the camera to go, but on the other hand, if you want to have 4K included in your video captures, then the Canon 5D Mark IV would be the ideal choice.

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