The original Canon EOS R6 has been the camera giant's number three bestselling camera since it launched in 2020, according to Canon Australia. With the arrival of the EOS R6 Mark II, though, that bestseller is being discontinued – a move that’s left me a little confused. If a camera is doing that well, wouldn’t you let it do its thing for a while yet?
That said, I’m glad Canon upped the sensor resolution on the R6 Mark II, as the 20MP pixel count on the predecessor was quite disappointing. Everything else about the two-year-old snapper, though, was pretty spot on. So why would Canon retire a perfectly good camera, and leave the aging and rather lackluster Canon EOS R and Canon EOS RP on shelves for so long without a refresh?
When asked, a Canon spokesperson told TechRadar that the R6 II came about after listening to user feedback – fans wanted more pixels and better video specs. And I get that.
On paper, the R6 II sounds like a dream hybrid camera and I honestly can’t wait to give it a test run for myself – as a wildlife photographer, the 40fps burst speed sounds real good to me and, when paired with updated subject tracking, it’s a tempting option to become my next camera and a big upgrade from my Canon EOS 6D Mark II.
The improved battery performance also checks a box for me. I’m not a videographer, but it’s good to see improvements on that front too, particularly the huge update to the listed continuous recording time. All this for the exact same price as the first-gen R6, which is now surely one to look out for in the Black Friday camera deals.
Then again, fans weren’t happy with the original EOS R when it arrived in 2018. Even the EOS RP’s reception wasn’t that great – although a low price tag and decent performance did help, and we could always use more affordable cameras like it.
Will Canon replace the EOS R?
From where I stand, there’s a small gap that needs to be filled in the full-frame EOS R system. Despite being marketed as an enthusiast-level camera, the EOS R6 is on the expensive side and its advanced features mean it doesn’t sit too far below the Canon EOS R5 and R3 models. On the opposite side, Canon’s newest APS-C cameras, the Canon EOS R7 and R10, are filling the enthusiast and entry-level markets respectively.
Any of the aforementioned cameras can now outperform the original EOS R, although it is still a very capable camera that produces great results. Surely there are Canon fans out there clamoring for a 30MP full-frame camera with the updated autofocus performance, stabilization and speed of the newer models? I certainly am.
I’m not saying that we need an EOS R Mark II; it could be called something else and the speculation picked up by Canon Rumors has recently pointed towards a possible Canon EOS R8.
A Mark II version usually means reusing the original sensor, and I’d be the first to say that the old imager really needs to be retired now – it’s done well since the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV was the talk of the town. So the ‘replacement’ would actually be a whole new camera model.
Even though I admitted that the EOS R7 could be my next upgrade (I am still holding on to my Canon full-frame DSLR because I just can’t quite find the perfect mirrorless replacement), trying it out for myself convinced me I’d rather stick with a full-frame sensor format.
Sadly, the new EOS R6 Mark II doesn’t quite hit the sweet spot for me when it comes to sensor resolution. After all, my trusty EOS 6D Mark II gets me a few more pixels to play with. What my DSLR lacks is the excellent performance of Canon’s newer R-series cameras that I’d really like, just in a 30MP package.
So, how about it, Canon?
