Canon T6 vs Canon T6I

Introduction

The Canon EOS Rebel T6 which is also known as EOS 1300D outside of US, was introduced on the market in March 2016 as an entry-level DSLR camera that combines an eye-catching appearance with a solid performance, a combination which does really come handy especially for beginners who want to find their self in the world of photography.

On the other hand, the Canon EOS Rebel T6i (a.k.a EOS 750D), is yet another, budget-friendly, entry-level DSLR camera that was launched in April 2015, which has proved itself as a reliable choice especially for the beginners who are tight on budget but would like to start shooting with a DSLR cameras.

Both of the cameras are very similar to each other, regardless if you view their specs or the price range, hence, these factors made me decide to include them in this article, because I find them very entertaining to make a head to head comparison. Now, let’s get started and find out which one should be a better option for you!

Head To Head Comparison

Canon T6

The Canon EOS Rebel T6 features an attractive, black-finished polycarbonate construction that measures 4.0 x 5.1 x 3.1 (HWD)” and weighs around 1.1 pounds, and if you take a closer look at these specs, you can notice that this unit is fairly compact and lightweight, and even though it is made of plastic, it does really feel solid once you start shooting with it.

Also, Canon has implemented a modest handgrip covered in a textured material to help you have a comfortable shooting sessions, and until now, I can easily say that this camera is not only pleasing for the eye but it is also pleasing to shoot with.

Moreover, this model does not employ a plethora of controls which can be seen as an advantage, because novices won’t have to spend much time to learn each of them and have a kind of difficult experience. Instead, Canon has decided to make the control layout as simple as possible because they’ve designed it in an intuitive manner.

Namely, the top part of the body holds a hot shoe in the center, and a Control dial that sits to the right along with an On/Off switch, a button that activates the flash, a lone Control Dial which allows you to change the shutter speed/aperture and a shutter release button.

On the rear, nearly all of the controls are spread on the right, while the left side stays neat which is really cool.

On the top-center, you can find an optical pentamirror viewfinder that covers up to 95% of the field of view, has a magnification of 0.80, and to be honest, even though it is of a decent quality, it will serve you completely fine as a novice before you gain more skills and opt to invest in a better camera.

Below the viewfinder, in the center, there’s a 3″, 920k-dot display that lacks touch sensitivity and flexibility, however, for the price you pay, this is completely normal, and in practice, you will have a clear sight of everything you record and capture, hence, I don’t think you’ll find remarks.

When it comes to the connection ports, the Canon EOS Rebel T6 houses a mini USB port, mini HDMI port, 2.5mm connection for a wired remote, single memory card slot that supports SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards, and what got my attention the most is that this camera is both, Wi-Fi and NFC-enabled which is super useful especially when you’re done shooting and would like to transfer your captured content.

Now, let’s briefly explain how does this camera performs in practice.

For your information, the EOS Rebel T6 is powered by a DIGIC 4+ processor that ensures fast processing speed and boosts the clarity of the image quality, has a 18MP image sensor, 9-point AF system, ISO range of 100-6400 that can be expanded up to 12,800, and has a decent burst shooting speed of 3 fps.

In practice, this camera allows you to shoot JPGs and RAW image format images which is super cool due to the fact that once you have a better insight of the camera, you will be able to try yourself shooting RAW imagery.

For instance, when shooting JPGs, the best performance can be achieved between ISO 100 – ISO 3200, because at these stages, the noise is set to the minimum, and images look very sharp and the definition of the details look indeed pleasing, whereas, the colors are really vibrant! But, this changes once you reach ISO 6400, because noise starts to appear and decreases the image quality, but still, images are usable. Once you go at the native top ISO 6400 sensitivity or at the highest expandable ISO 12,800, images lose their quality and I’d recommend you avoid these sensitivity levels.

RAW format imagery at ISO 1600 holds up nicely and details look superb, however, starting from ISO 3200 they lose most of the details and this pattern continues to the highest ISO levels.

In the end, I would also like to inform you that this camera is good for recording videos as well, and since you’re a beginner, you will be able to experiment with videos as well.

Namely, the T6 records 1080p videos at 30 fps, and although the footage looks good, Canon should at least make this camera capable of recording at 60 fps. Either way, considering its price tag, this is nothing to be surprised of.

Canon EOS Rebel T6 Sample Images:

Similar Comparison: Nikon D3400 vs Canon EOS Rebel T6

Canon T6I

Speaking of the design, the Canon EOS Rebel T6i measures nearly the same as the EOS Rebel T6 4x 5.2 x 3.1″ (HWD), and weighs 1.2 pounds without a lens, and if you look at its black-colored body, both cameras do really look close to each other.

The only difference is that the Rebel T6i’s exterior is made of a combination of polycarbonate resin with glass fiber and special conductive fiber, whereas, the chassis itself is made of a magnesium-alloy and polycarbonate, in comparison to the T6 whose construction is made mostly of plastic.

I would also like to add that the grip feels smooth while you’re holding this camera because it is deep and it is covered in a textured coating which does really aid a lot to the comfort and stability you’ll have during your shooting sessions.

In terms of the controls, the way they are organized at the EOS Rebel T6i is a bit different in comparison to the T6. On the top, there is a hot shoe, while on the right, there’s a single Mode dial with an On/Off switch, which is surrounded by three dedicated buttons of which will grant you an access to adjust the Active Focus Area, ISO, and activate the rear LCD). In my honest opinion, the EOS T6 control layout is more simple than the EOS T6i.

On the top-rear, there are 3 buttons that sit next to the viewfinder, and most of the controls are set on the right-handed side in a compressed fashion, which isn’t problematic at all though.

For your information, the pentamirror viewfinder provides up to 95% of coverage and a magnification of 0.82x which is pretty cool, since you will easily focus on the object you wish to capture and at the same time, considering the 95% of coverage, you will unlikely miss a thing!

Slightly below, there’s a 3″, 1040k-dot, vari-angle touchscreen that employs an anti-smudge coating which will definitely play a huge role throughout your shooting experience due to the fact that you’d be able to preview your content and record videos while having a clear sight even under a bright daylight, while on the other side, since the screen is flexible, you will never face issues shooting from different angles. Clearly, the T6i outperforms the T6 in this point.

Moving on, the connectivity options are composed of an HDMI mini, external mic, wired remote control, A/V out, single memory card slot that supports SD/SDHC/SDXC and UHS memory cards, USB port, and it has built-in support for Wi-Fi and NFC which by default means that the transfer of your images and videos is going to be exceptionally smooth!

Performance-wise, the EOS Rebel T6i packs a 24.2MP image sensor, has a 19-point all cross-type AF system, ISO range that stretches from 100-12,800 which is expandable up to 25,600, DIGIC 6 image processor and has a continuous shooting rate of 5 fps which means that you will achieve better results with fast-moving objects than the T6.

As was the case with its opponent, the T6, the EOS Rebel T6i can also let you capture JPEGs and RAW imagery, and they look indeed satisfying most of the time. We used tested it for surf photography, and we were impressed with its performance.

For example, RAW imagery shot up to ISO 1600 looks great with a minimal presence of noise, and the detail level is definitely great. Even at ISO 12,800 details are still preserved and images are still usable which is really cool.

On the other hand, JPEGs remain strong below ISO 12,800, and the presence of noise starts appearing more as you’re reaching further which is normal. However, once you reach ISO 12,800 and go beyond, keep in mind that the results aren’t the best in the world, so, in order not to be disappointed, you can simply avoid the upper sensitivity levels.

Finally, as was the case with the EOS Rebel T6, the T6i does also record 1080p videos at 30 fps, so, this camera is sufficient for novices because it allows them record videos aside from capturing photos. The footage looks clear and it is filled with strong colors, however, still, recording 1080p videos at 60fps is always better.

Canon EOS Rebel T6i Sample Images:

Similar Comparison: Nikon D3500 vs Canon EOS Rebel T6

Canon T6 vs Canon T6I Feature Comparison

	Canon T6	Canon T6I
Camera Type	DSLR	DSLR
Megapixels	18.0	24.2
ISO Range	100-6400;12,800	100-12,800;25,600
Flip-Out Screen	No	Yes
AF Points	9 AF Points	19 AF Points
Viewfinder	Yes	Yes
Touchscreen	No	Yes
Video Recording	Yes	Yes
Sensor Size	APS-C	APS-C

Similar Comparison: Nikon D3300 vs Canon T6

Conclusion

Before we announce the winner, I’d suggest revealing the strongest points of both cameras, and where each of them outperforms the other. Ready? Let’s go!

The results of Portrait photography is very similar of both cameras, however, the T6i thanks to its better sensor, has a tiny advantage, hence, it proves itself as a better performer.

For Street and Sports photography, the difference can be noticed because here, the T6i outperforms the T6, whereas for Daily and Landscape photography, once again, the T6i delivers a better performance, although both cameras output an average performance.

Finally, the EOS T6 is better than the T6i because of 3 reasons including the battery life ( 500 vs 440 shots), it is 70g lighter, and it has a 33% larger pixel area.

On the contrary, the EOS Rebel T6i has 33% more pixels ( 24MP vs 18MP), 100% higher Max ISO ( 12,800 vs 6400), packs 10 more focus points ( 19 vs 9), has a 13% higher resolution screen ( 1,040k vs 920k-dots), it is by 2 fps faster in terms of the continuous shooting rate, supports UHS-I memory cards and has a built-in microphone port which comes handy once you opt to record videos.

Clearly, the winner is T6i, and even though it is a bit more expensive, the price tag isn’t huge and it is worth it considering the benefits you’ll have in a return.

Similar Comparison: Nikon D3500 vs Canon T6I