Moving from 7D to 6D - AF system, Body

Other than crop to full frame which is a big decision.. what are some other practical differences when going from 7D to 6D? I am not looking for specs comparison as that I did already.. More like first hand user experiences difference

Different interface.
Less responsive AF.

I shot with a 7D for one event before I bought my 6D. You'll miss the AF, really the only usable technique on 6D is focus-recompose, just that short use of the 7D's AF spoiled me a little. Can't comment on AI Servo performance because I don't shoot action very much.

I think the viewfinder is actually a little bigger on the 7D than on the 6D, and the LCD overlay is quite nice.

You'll also miss the little thumb control stick, I find the control pad on the 6D isn't nearly as nice for adjusting AF points, though it's better for choosing menu items and in live view.

Lack of quick adjustment button on the top for white balance is a little annoying, but easy to work around.

Things better on the 6D? Mainly it's the sensor. Full frame makes my lenses look better! My 50mm is much more usable now than it was on crop. Everything seems sharper, tho it just might be a technique improvement.

The ISO performance is staggering. I shot with a 40D for years before I used the 7D, and I thought being able to use ISO3200 on the 7D was already amazing. On the 6D, ISO 6400 can be used without a second thought, and even ISO 25600 is perfectly usable if you shoot in RAW and just use DPP for minimum noise reduction. Look in the "High ISO 3200+" thread in the camera system section for samples.

Wifi & GPS are nice to haves, but nothing I couldn't live without.

Those are probably the biggest differences between the two off the top of my head.

Naito wrote in post #16128962
You'll also miss the little thumb control stick, I find the control pad on the 6D isn't nearly as nice for adjusting AF points,

The missing joystick is very annoying if you're used to the 7D. The control pad can be frustrating. It also uses a different image review zoom method than the 7D (dedicated magnify button and then the scroll wheel instead of the two buttons in the top right corner), which my muscle memory still hasn't accepted.

Thanks

Also the body size on specs is different that would mean overall comfort for fingers and thumb to reach out to different controls would be different and might be steeper learning curve.

I still cannot justify absence of 19 all cross type AF system and overall build quality of 7D into 6D body

The only solution is to have both!

Greyson76 wrote in post #16129005
The missing joystick is very annoying if you're used to the 7D. The control pad can be frustrating. It also uses a different image review zoom method than the 7D (dedicated magnify button and then the scroll wheel instead of the two buttons in the top right corner), which my muscle memory still hasn't accepted.

I've gotten used to the directional pad. That doesn't bother at all anymore. The new zoom method gets me every single time though. I just can't get used to it!

The two areas you listed (AF and body toughness/ergonomics) are definitely a downgrade.

6D is a ff 60D. Just remember that.

I have the 7D for a few years. I've pretty much memorized the buttons I use often. When I picked up the 6D, I thought that it will be a huge ergonomic change. Though, I really do miss the joystick. However, that was because the 7D has so many AF points, it's just natural to move them and use them. With the 6D, because there are limited points, I find that I don't move them as much. It really doesn't bother me anymore. What does bother me is the 5 buttons on the top (6D) vs 4 (7D). The ISO button is just a little further away. Also, I don't like that I lost the duality of those buttons. That and the preview and zoom buttons... I don't know why they moved it.

For my preferred style, the 6D suits me more. It's less complex than the 7D and I like it (99% of the time, I'm shooting portraits). Not to mention, I really do use the GPS and WIFI everywhere I go. The resolution and ISO performance is just amazing. Just from that, I don't think I'll ever do crop again.

I have looked into the 6D, but decided that NO. The only reason I was going to get it is for the high ISO capability, but not enough to get rid of one of my jewels. I have the 5DII, which I think is a better FF than the 6D. I also have the 7D and the 1DIII. One of these last two is redundant, but I cannot get myself to sell either. They are just fabulous. I got the 1DIII to replace the 7D, but I did not get to do it, the 1DIII is a really professional camera, once you use it, you cannot let go, despite the 10 MB difference. The only thing that may make me sell the 1DIII is the weight, but performance is the best Canon I have ever used.

I have both and honestly I prefer the 6D. My 7D is basically an expensive paperweight at this point. Don't fall into the hype that the body isn't as tough or the AF can't keep up. I do amazing things with my 6D and on my last trip to Florida I spent 15 minutes in what can only be described as hurricane force wind and rain with my 6D and my 500f4L IS. The 6D was SOAKED there was water int the viewfinder, the buttons, the hotshoe and everywhere else. I dried it off with a towel and went right back to shooting the rest of the day. It's a great camera and it gets a lot of crap from people who paid a lot more for the 5D3. And most importantly it has the best sensor out of any current Canon camera.

Yeah, I find it kind of hard to believe the "toughness" thing is still going around. Only the top plate is plastic on the 6D. The rest is still a magnesium alloy body built over a magnesium alloy frame. The lack of a pop-up flash on the 6D probably does more to increase the toughness of the 6D since it's just one more weak point (and potential water ingestion area) of the 7D.

kin2son wrote in post #16129533
The two areas you listed (AF and body toughness/ergonomics) are definitely a downgrade.

6D is a ff 60D. Just remember that.

actually it's not.... the 60D joypad is better than the 6D's. it actually works like the joystick when using multicontroller direct AF point, where the 6D works like a rebel Dpad

I am using 7D since quite some time so I can imagine how used to I am with lot of things on its body. When I go from here to 6D and don't find that joy sticky thing, it would feel like a body part missing.

I could go to Best Buy near by and hold both of the camera in hand. 7D obviously beats 6D in all body, ergonomics and button layout area.

High ISO quality would be surely a big win on FF.. I am comparing that vs "what if I photoshop my 7D photos and reduce noise?"

Charlie wrote in post #16129631
actually it's not.... the 60D joypad is better than the 6D's. it actually works like the joystick when using multicontroller direct AF point, where the 6D works like a rebel Dpad

Can you expand on that a bit? I've never used a 60D or a Rebel so I don't know what the differences are between them.

Thanks!