Canon EOS 6D Mark II: this 7-year-old discontinued DSLR is still a damn fine camera

James Artaius
·2 min read
Canon EOS 6D Mark II.
Canon EOS 6D Mark II.

The Canon EOS 6D Mark II is the camera that almost restored my faith in DSLRs back in 2017. And, in 2024, it's still one of the only DSLRs I love working with.

It makes me sad that the Canon EOS 6D Mark II was discontinued earlier this year. I get it, the camera is seven years old and a dinosaur in technological terms. But while its successors, the EOS R6 and R6 Mark II, are technically better cameras, their DSLR daddy is still a very, very good camera – and one that still has plenty to offer.

Sure, it only has 26.2MP of resolution… oh, wait – that's exactly the same as the R6 Mark II, and 6 million pixels more than the original R6. How about that.

Jokes aside, that's about all it has over its progeny in terms of specs. The Canon EOS 6D Mark II doesn't shoot 4K, its autofocus system is lifted from an enthusiast APS-C camera (the EOS 80D), it only has a single card slot and it doesn't have sensor stabilization.

But honestly, the only thing I really miss there is the stabilization. The camera's FullHD video is very good, as is the autofocus – sure, it was the old DSLR-style "cluster of focus points in the middle" setup, but the OG Dual Pixel AF remains super sturdy and reliable, even though it's been eclipsed by technology.

And that's really the story here: just because stuff has been superseded, doesn't mean it suddenly becomes garbage. The Canon EOS 6D Mark II didn't spontaneously get worse, just because it got replaced and then discontinued – it still takes phenomenal photographs and great quality video to this day.

And heck, it's not like every camera that came after it is better anyway. The fact that it had a fully articulating screen was a rarity for DSLRs in that category – the supposedly superior 5D Mark IV didn't have one, and nor did the Nikon counterparts – and there are still plenty of mirrorless cameras today that only have a tilting screen.

The Canon EOS 6D Mark II was the best hybrid camera before hybrid cameras were even a thing. Would I still buy one today? Possibly. I still use one today? Definitely. Don't be afraid of old tech – especially when it's as good as this.

Take a look at the best DSLRs (which includes some of the best Canon cameras), and see where things stand in the ongoing DSLR vs mirrorless vs mirrorless cameras debate.