Now that the Canon R6 Mark III (R6M3) has been released, there are many current R6 Mark II (R6M2) owners wondering if they should upgrade.  There are also many camera buyers looking at both of these cameras wondering which one is the better choice.  While the R6 Mark III is newer and more capable, it may not be the best choice for every buyer.  Keep in mind that the R6M2 isn’t going anywhere.  As of this writing, Canon still manufactures and sells the R6M2  – as well they should.

BY THE NUMBERS

Here’s a side by side comparison of the specifications for both the R6M2 and R6M3:

*Technically speaking, the R6II does have an early version/implementation of “pre-capture” that’s clunky at best and no one uses.  

THE BUDGET FRIENDLY ADVANTAGE

At the retail level, the R6M3 is $800.00 more than the R6M2.  But the R6M2has been Canon’s best selling camera since it hit the market – there’s no shortage of good examples on the pre-loved market that can be had for considerably less than retail.  So you really have to ask yourself how you’ll use the camera, and if the advanced capabilities of the R6M3 are worth the added cost.

WHY I PURCHASED THE R6 MARK III

I typically shoot with two camera bodies.  I purchased the Canon R5 Mark II when it was first released, and that’s my primary camera.  I like shooting with two camera bodies because I hate changing lenses.  Depending on what I’m shooting, I usually shoot with at least one prime lens and maybe another zoom or a different focal length prime.

I used both the R6 and later the R6M2 as secondary/backup cameras.  The lens that would cover 60-80% of the shots I would take would be on the primary camera.  The R6M2 would be used for the remaining 20-40% of my shots.  That’s because from a capabilities perspective, there’s a significant gap between my primary R5M2 and my secondary R6M2.

When it came to video, I used the R6M2 even less.  I think I can count on one hand the number of times I used the R6M2 for video work.  Occasionally for YouTube videos, I’d run two cameras – The R5M2 would be tripod mounted across from me getting the A cam talking head footage with the R6M2 mounted on an overhead rig to get top-down tabletop footage.  But the only LOG profile available in the R6M2 is C-LOG 3 which is not an easy file to grade.

For me, the R63 was an easy upgrade.  Even if the photo and video capabilities weren’t impressively upgraded, just the fact that I could use the same CFexpress Type B memory in both cameras as well as the same LP-E6P batteries was a huge incentive to upgrade.  I do quite a bit of travel, and having this kind of uniformity in memory cards and batteries is a big deal.  But with the megapixel count increase to 32.5MP, addition of more useable pre-continuous mode, C-LOG 2 and open gate video, the R6M3 is now a camera that I can use nearly interchangeably with my R5M2 and in some cases instead of the R5M2.   But here again, just because the Canon R6 Mark III was a preferred choice for myself doesn’t mean it’s a better choice for everyone.

THE BUDGET CONSCIOUS ENTHUSIAST

If dollars are tight and you’re not intending to make money with your camera, the R6M2 is absolutely the right choice.  It ‘s a fantastic camera and will remain so for years to come.  You can check out my original review of the Canon R6 Mark II by clicking here.  If you have the R6M2 and are trying to decide if upgrading is right, consider you’ll have added expenses beyond the price of the camera.  You can get by with your existing SD cards but you’ll need to upgrade to CFexpress Type B memory cards if you want to take full advantage of the capabilities of the R6M3.  You’ll also want to buy a couple of extra LP-E6P batteries.   And that 32.5MP sensor will produce larger files that could increase storage costs.

For most types of photography the amateur/hobbyist photographers will do – basic portraits, travel, and maybe some kids sports, you won’t see much difference in the photos both of these camera take – particularly if the photos taken are just posted to social media.  My advice here is to buy the R6M2 if you’re deciding between it and the R6M3, or don’t upgrade if you already have the R6M2.  Better to spend that extra money on a new or better lens.  This advice would also apply to someone who aspires to one day shoot professionally.  It’s likely upgrading an existing lens, or buying a new lens would be the better choice.  Upgrade your camera body once the money starts flowing.

SECONDARY/BACK UP CAMERA

I’m certainly not the only photographer that likes to shoot with two different camera bodies – it’s actually a fairly common practice.  And the R6 Mark II remains a fantastic camera in this regard for any Canon shooter.  It’s absolutely not an absurd luxury.  Having two lenses on two different bodies at the ready gives you a much better chance at getting the shot than needing to take a minute to change lenses.  And changing a camera lens “in the field” represents a potential risk to both the camera and lenses involved.  It’s easy to drop and damage a lens or body in theses situations.

And even if you don’t shoot with two cameras, if you’re a professional photographer, then having a backup camera in case your primary has a problem is a real necessity.  The R6M2 is a tremendous value for this purpose.

WHO SHOULD BUY THE CANON R6 MARK III?

The Canon R6M3 may be the best all-around camera on the market today – from any manufacturer.  So it’s going to be an optimal choice for most any kind of photography – portrait, studio, travel, street and even wedding photography.  The areas which truly separates it from the R6M2 are high-speed shooting, and video work.  The R6M2 has great autofocus capabilities and could technically shoot at 40 FPS, but a small buffer and only being able to write to SD cards is a serious limitation when shooting at that frame rate in camera RAW.  If you are going to be doing serious high-speed photography you’ll want the R6M3.  There are some modest improvements in autofocus and subject recognition but the big advantage is the R6M3 buffer size and being able to write to CFexpress Type B cards.   Because the R6 Mark III doesn’t have a fully or even partially stacked sensor, you may be concerned about rolling shutter when shooting in high-speed modes with the electronic shutter.  The sensor read out speed on the R6M3 is only marginally better than on the R6M2 – 13.2ms vs 14.5.  So it’s still possible to get rolling shutter distortion on extremely fast moving objects – baseballs, bird wing tips, etc.  But it shouldn’t be a major problem.  And you can always switch to mechanical shutter mode if you’re concerned about rolling shutter.  You still get 12 FPS using the mechanical, albeit without precontinuous frame capture capability.   If your goal is to specialize in high-speed images, then you need a specialized tool like the Canon R1.

If you’re an influencer/content creator, the R6M3 is a particularly appealing choice.  C-LOG 2 flat files are easy to work with, even for a novice.  And the new open gate capability makes it easy to shoot once and output optimally formatted content for a variety of platforms.  Additionally, the R6M3 has a variety of available video options for quality, file types, and frame rates making it nearly on par with a cinema camera.  From this perspective, the R6M3 would make a fantastic cinema B cam.

As I mentioned in my initial review of the Canon R6 Mark III, we live in a truly golden age of photography.  Never has so much capability been available at such an attainable price.  There are almost no “bad” cameras anymore – from any manufacturer.  The Canon R6 Mark III is fantastic.  But so is the Canon R6 Mark II.  So pick the camera that’s right for you, your budget, and the type of shooting you do.