6D as backup to 5dIII, bad choice?

I've recently upgraded to a 5d Mk III as my primary camera. I still have a 5d Mk II, but I'm thinking of replacing that with a 6D as my backup camera.

I shoot primarily travel and nature. Just looking at specs, the 6d seems well suited to walking around near and after sunset, and indoors. I also do some bird photography, and the idea of being able to trigger the camera wirelessly is attractive.

I'm concerned because there seem to be a lot of almost new 6Ds showing up for sale by people who may have gone down the same road. I'd like to hear any thoughts on this, but I'm particularly interested in hearing from anyone who ended up rejecting the 6D after trying it out.

Paul Wasserman

Most 6d you see being sold probably folks like me who bought the kit cheap and trying to make some money. I got mine couple of days ago and so far it looks good. 5dmk3 was better for AF no questions but so far outer points on 6d seem lot better than on 5dmk2/5dc.

It all depends on what you shoot and your style. 6d is perfectly fine for most types. Then again so was the 5d2 and 5d. Manage expectations.

The only thing I don't like about the 6d if it were to partner up with my 5d3 is the different lay out. On my portrait shoots when I switch back and forth, I don't want to have to change up my mode of thinking. It should be seamless. Barring another 5d3, the 7d is a great partner because of my photoshoot workflow because the controls are pretty much the same. YMMV!

my preference is to have a backup that's as close to possible to my main camera as possible, and to me that includes button layout/functions, battery & memory needs...

no joystick and SD only would mean that, to me, it wouldn't be my first choice for a backup

mind you, I'm mostly doing weddings, and you're travel & nature... I suspect we are both under different pressures when working...

I have a 5D3 as a main body and a 6D as a second body. I shot my first wedding this weekend with this combo and they worked seamlessly together. I also shoot events and the 6D in the main body for its Wi-Fi capability. It's also my main studio body for the same reason, no need to have a cable running from the camera to the laptop.

I'm more than happy with the pairing, they do everything that's asked of them and more if I asked!!

delhi wrote in post #16131685
It all depends on what you shoot and your style. 6d is perfectly fine for most types. Then again so was the 5d2 and 5d. Manage expectations.

That may be the best advice I've ever seen.

shedberg wrote in post #16132192
That may be the best advice I've ever seen.

That's too bad I hope your mama and papa don't know about this.

Thanks for the feedback. I decided to go with the 6D as backup, and it just arrived today.

Pending more testing, I think I'm going to be happy with it. The Control and Menu layouts, while different than the 5d MkIII, are actually similar enough that I don't think it'll be an issue. They are actually much closer than my prior setup, which was a 1ds Mk III backed up by a 5d Mk II.

My other concern was the greater shutter lag on the 6d. I find the lack of any perceptible shutter lag on the 5dIII remarkable. I did notice a difference on the 6d, but I don't think it's sufficient to make any difference in real life. If I'm doing flight shots of birds, I'll probably be shooting the 5d III anyhow.

Paul Wasserman

Hope to hear more of your experience with the 6D, I should have mine in a couple of days. It was because of posts like this that helped me decide on the 6D ...

I have been using it for 10 days now. Nice camera. AI servo is not a strong point but that was expected.