Going from a 50D to a 6D?

Good day all. As an amateur photographer, I started with a Rebel XT and am currently using a Canon 50D. I've taken some wonderful pictures over the years, but feel it might be time to consider upgrading.

The 50Ds low-light performance is limited, and high-ISO picture aren't always best. Also, I do not have the capability to record movies.

I've got my first-born on the way, and want to make sure that when he's moving around the house quickly in low-lit environments, I can capture the moment accurately.

The only downside I keep reading about the 6D is the single cross-type AF point. Some say it's not good for sports photography, which I translate into fast-moving objects such as babies. Does this need to be a worry when considering the 6D?

I enjoy automotive photography, and with this comes rolling shots, panning shots, and the like. I'm obviously not worried about stationary shots.

The lenses I currently have:

Canon 24-105L F/4
Canon 70-200L F/4
Canon 50 F/1.8
Tokina 11-16 F/2.8

Thanks in advance for the help.

Same boat here, but I think I'm going to go with the 7D2 - high ISO looks good in the few jpg's Ive seen and the af has got to be a huge improvement over the 50D.

I also do horses and portraits and I had an Xsi originally.. cross point center, non cross point outer's and I was very frustraited with the hit and miss on the outer points with that camera.. part of the reason I did the upgrade to the 50D. I've almost pulled the trigger on the 6D several times but the experience with non cross point af held me back. Now I think I'll pay the extra money and get the AF I need.

I just upgraded to the 6d 24-70 f4 IS combo. It should arrive today. I was upgrading from a T2i and had alot of the same concerns as you with only the 1 cross type point.

That complaint seems to come from people who dont acutally own or have ever used the camera. From what I have read most people who have the camera say they have no issues with the outer points.

I tested it a little at the store and thought it was a fantastic camera. I shoot landscapes and my 8 month old. This should be the perfect camera. Only thing I had an issue with was my lack of EF lenses. had to replace my everyday and UWA.

If you shoot sports or wildlife i could see the 7dii

The tracking isn't quite as good as some of the other cameras out there when using the outer points, but it's more than up to the task for shooting kids. Go browse the owners thread, you'll see lots action shots.

nbaresejr wrote in post #17158487
I just upgraded to the 6d 24-70 f4 IS combo. It should arrive today. I was upgrading from a T2i and had alot of the same concerns as you with only the 1 cross type point.

That complaint seems to come from people who dont acutally own or have ever used the camera. From what I have read most people who have the camera say they have no issues with the outer points.

I tested it a little at the store and thought it was a fantastic camera. I shoot landscapes and my 8 month old. This should be the perfect camera. Only thing I had an issue with was my lack of EF lenses. had to replace my everyday and UWA.

If you shoot sports or wildlife i could see the 7dii

Great to read. Which of my lenses won't I be able to use any longer?

All your lenses are EF mount so you should be good to go.

but the Tokina is only APS-C coverage I believe? you'll still be able to use it, just have to crop the images afterwards.

After acquiring 50L and letting go to MF Planar 50 1.4 ZE, my first test was with our little kid swinging at miniature indoor swings, 5D and 50L combo passed it with flying colors.

Should be no problem with 6D and Ls if you use * for focus and Servo AF mode.
Consider to upgrade 50mm to something with USM, this is where big difference is.

70-200F4 is very good portrait lens on FF, BTW.

I used the 6D to capture kids all the time. I can be at a wide aperture and focus on a kid swinging and have the kid sharp and the parent pushing the kid out of focus.

Last year I replaced my trusty XT with a T4i and immediately had buyers remorse that I didn't go FF. My primes were a pain to use at events because of the crop factor. Two months in with my 6D and no remorse whatsoever!

6D. Do it.

6D (full frame) is a really good upgrade for you especially as your nice full frame glass doesn't limit what you can shoot immediately.

Capturing children will not be an issue with the 6D. Obviously if you are into birding there are better (crop sensor) choices. You don't need 7-10 FPS for child photography. Enjoy!

P1et wrote in post #17158360
Good day all. As an amateur photographer, I started with a Rebel XT and am currently using a Canon 50D. I've taken some wonderful pictures over the years, but feel it might be time to consider upgrading.

The 50Ds low-light performance is limited, and high-ISO picture aren't always best. Also, I do not have the capability to record movies.

I've got my first-born on the way, and want to make sure that when he's moving around the house quickly in low-lit environments, I can capture the moment accurately.

The only downside I keep reading about the 6D is the single cross-type AF point. Some say it's not good for sports photography, which I translate into fast-moving objects such as babies. Does this need to be a worry when considering the 6D?

I enjoy automotive photography, and with this comes rolling shots, panning shots, and the like. I'm obviously not worried about stationary shots.

The lenses I currently have:

Canon 24-105L F/4
Canon 70-200L F/4
Canon 50 F/1.8
Tokina 11-16 F/2.8

Thanks in advance for the help.

In May I moved up to the 6D from my 7 year old 40D.
My main reason was the higher ISO settings possible with the 6D.
I'm very happy with my decision even though I don't get to use my 6D as much as I could or should.
I already had lenses to cover myself for initial use.

Canon EF 70-200 f/4 L IS
Canon EF 24-105 f/4 IS
Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM

I intend to get a Canon EF 16-35 f/4 IS when the funds allow.

I would recommend the 6D highly.

With adequate light, you should have no trouble tracking your intended subjects. I came from a 60D which is probably similar IQ-wise to your 50D. The low-light ability is truly astounding on the 6D. You will be happy. Maybe upgrade your 50/1.8 to a 35/2 IS, and a 40mm pancake?

ok i was in the same boat as OP. i had an xti in 2008, got a 60d (mostly for video) in 2012 and then made the jump to the 6d a few months ago. i did a ton of internet research before i got it and ultimately decided that the level doom and gloom about this camera was largely unfounded, or at least exaggerated. at least for hobbyists like myself.

i am really happy with the 6d! i knew i was getting a similar AF system to what i had on the 60, and i just use the centre cross type focusing point with back button focus. a great deal of fuss has been made about the AF system but the centre point does the trick for me. i also thought that since bodies go obsolete i just bought the 6d + 24-105L and picked up a 70-200 2.8 non IS (all this still cheaper than the 5d3 body). i figure i can just get a more advanced full frame body in a few years and i'll have the lenses for a good long while. the wifi phone tethering stuff is super handy too.

the low light performance is great and i can get to 6400iso no problem and i even go up to 10000 with usable shots. i also like being able to use these L lenses at their designed focal ranges - i think that really opens it up for me to learn these tools. i held onto my 60d and also enjoy the longer reach these lenses give it (looks like you're already using some of these lenses on crop sensor, i just jumped in all at once).

i'm a casual hobbyist and i don't find the 6d to be lacking in any way. i know i want to take pictures for a long time and this seemed the 'easiest' way to make the jump to FF. seems to be the resonating opinion of people in my boat who chose this upgrade path. i also think i will better appreciate things like more advanced AF, faster motor drive, and the bonus of future technology a few years out when i start looking for my next upgrade.

i also noticed that a lot of complaints about AF were people saying that if you depend on highest possible keeper rates to make a living and you can't do the shot twice then you need best of breed AF. this is true, but i find this camera has an adequate AF system that works as designed. it's not like the camera has known focusing issues or poor implementation. that would be a red flag.

I made the exact move over a year ago. The ISO performance alone was worth the switch.

With respect to your AF concerns- the outer points won't track as well as the 50D, but to be fair I only used the center point and back button focus (like shandwick) and was able to make it work (shot hockey mostly). Tracking is more difficult, but it can be done if you expect a lower keeper-rate. Your shots will have your subjects mostly in the center of the frame, but you can always crop a bit to get composition the way you want it. Plus, cars are generally more "forgiving" when it comes to tracking/panning, since the available area to focus on is longer/bigger than say a person. That said, I did miss the higher FPS from the 50D.

If you shoot sports/action >60% of the time, you might need to think twice about getting a 6D. Otherwise, it is an awesome camera for the price.