80D or 6D

I've got the cash. Have a mix of Sigma and Canon lenses, All full frame lenses. I'm doing mostly Portraits, Street photography (both candid and portrait), Landscapes, wildlife at the zoo and macro work. I usually print at 16x20 and up a few sizes. I'm currently shooting with a canon t2i.

Can't decide if I want to go full frame with the 6D or the FPS and 24megapixil, LCD and all the bells and whistles of the 80D.

Any thoughts?


Canon t2i, Sigma 70-200 2.8, Sigma 85 1.4, Canon nifty 50, Canon 35 mm, Canon 100-300, and a macro lens that doesn't autofocus with anything newer than my old canon 10D

If the stuff you are shooting is moving, get the 80D. If not, 6D.

I look at your lens set, and to me what stands out is that your widest lens is 35mm. For me that would be very restrictive on 1.6X format for street and landscape work and so I would tend to prefer the 6D.

On the other hand, you have a 550D now, so if you current set of focal lengths is meeting your needs, then it would seem like the 80D would just be a nicer camera that matched up the same way.

And that would probably be my number one criteria.....how your focal length set would work for you on either FF or 1.6X.

the 6D's high ISO performance is still top notch, for me this is a big consideration as I very often shoot between 400 and 1600.

check out the image quality comparisons here: http://www.dpreview.co​m …s/canon-eos-80d-review/11

even the SOOC JPG are much cleaner on the 6D, the RAW crushes once you get to 400

I prefer a 6d! it's more suitable for your purposes, it is has more capabilities with ISO.

I went with the 80D for some of the bells and whistles. Which isn't' to say I"m not kicking myself for not getting the 6D. Who knew that the learning curve of a few more AF points was going to be as steep as it is. I"ve done a few 16x20 and a few larger prints and I'm very happy with the results. Can't say it's much of an improvement over the T2i but I'm happy with it.

Tonight is going to be my first street photography/portrait foray so we'll see what happens.

Of course, I'm saving for next year, and my daughter will be happy for the video capability of the 80D.

IMO, you made the right choice. 80D + 35mm is perfect for street photography. I very much enjoy the 6D for studio work, but for anything moving or spontaneous, I would choose any of the newer cameras with loads of cross-type sensors over the 6D, regardless of imaging sensor size. But shhhh, don't tell my 6D!

I think I would have gone with the 80D too but I am currently holding out for the full frame version of the 80D: i.e. the Nikon D750 one upper.

I could pay cash for the 80D wich was a priority. Since I have no debt, (and have a day job) I can sink everything into my equipment from here on in. So when the new stuff is anounced later this year, I'll have hopefully saved up for whatever is new and wonderfull.

Since I work with print, not a single customer has any idea what I used to get the print. Can't say the picture quality is any better, but I'm enjoying the focus points, the touch screen and the FPS. So all in all I"m happy and expect the next year to be productive.

now you just need better glass
I can assure you that sometimes even one job may not be enough to pay for all the gear you want

80D is still pretty bad in low light. I posted a comparison here.

If you want a wideangle for APS the 24mm STM is small cheap and good, as is the 10-18 STM for the angle of view. (Match that on full frame !!)

80D has folding LCD and face-detect AF handy for street/portrait/people​. 6D doesn't (I think)
6d will give you better colours and dynamic range (iirc), probably better on the average big print, if you like subtleties not false colours.


80D has lens corrections built in - a huge help (for jpeg).

For distance just crop the 6D - you can use a faster shutter speed(...iso) so it's going to be a wash most of the time.


Checking your lenses I see you put 80D in the list - does that mean you bought one?!

Chris.R wrote in post #18067841
80D is still pretty bad in low light. I posted a comparison here.

If you want a wideangle for APS the 24mm STM is small cheap and good, as is the 10-18 STM for the angle of view. (Match that on full frame !!)

80D has folding LCD and face-detect AF handy for street/portrait/people​. 6D doesn't (I think)
6d will give you better colours and dynamic range (iirc), probably better on the average big print, if you like subtleties not false colours.


80D has lens corrections built in - a huge help (for jpeg).

For distance just crop the 6D - you can use a faster shutter speed(...iso) so it's going to be a wash most of the time.


Checking your lenses I see you put 80D in the list - does that mean you bought one?!

The 80D according to dxomark has slightly better dynamic range than the 6D but I don't know that compares across sensor types. The 6D still however blows the 80D out of the water for high ISO. One big plus for the 80D is the far superior autofocus, burst speed, and buffer size. Plus the 80D has a 100% coverage viewfinder vs 97% for the 6D. I'm upgrading my T3i/600D and considered both the 80D and 6D and chose the 80D since I rarely shoot above ISO 1600 and the 80D seemed like the better all around body for me to grow into.

David_MC wrote in post #18068188
The 80D according to dxomark has slightly better dynamic range than the 6D .

You're right! I should have checked. Wow, Canon need to get their act together. Apart from the 1DX2 the 80D is their best, at a shameful 47th on the list, ugh. Nikon and Sony were doing better 6 years ago.

There's nothing in it on colour depth either - I'd pass on the 6D, it needs an update.

Chris.R wrote in post #18068420
You're right! I should have checked. Wow, Canon need to get their act together. Apart from the 1DX2 the 80D is their best, at a shameful 47th on the list, ugh. Nikon and Sony were doing better 6 years ago.

There's nothing in it on colour depth either - I'd pass on the 6D, it needs an update.

In the 6D's defense it is a 3 year old camera. According to rumors a 6D mark II might be coming in the first half of 2017.

David_MC wrote in post #18068188
The 80D according to dxomark has slightly better dynamic range than the 6D but I don't know that compares across sensor types.

Negligibly better (3/4 of a stop) and only at ISO 100. By ISO 160 they are equal, and above ISO 320 the 6D pulls ahead and doesn't look back, beating the 80D by a 1-1/3 stops at ISO 1250. At least that's how things look here: http://www.photonstoph​otos.net/Charts/PDR.ht​m and I trust this guy's measuring methodology more than DxOmark any day.

That said, anyone making the decision between a 6D and 80D based on +/- 1 stop of dynamic range is doing it wrong. These are very different cameras, and in most cases the subjects you shoot will clearly align with the feature set of one better than the other. A careful analysis of what you wish your current body did better will help point you in the right direction also.

There is nothing inherently wrong with the 6D, it's a fantastic camera with image quality that is better than most cameras in Canon's lineup, with only the 5DS/R and 1DX/DXII/C edging it out slightly (it has slightly better dynamic range and noise performance than a 5D3) for significantly less money than a 5D3. But it has a simple AF system makes it not the best choice for moving targets. That's the trade off for the low price. If Canon gave it a 40+ cross-type AF point system, they'd have shot themselves in the foot, cannibalizing the market for the 5D3. Not everyone needs 61 AF points either, for example most medium format cameras have 1 AF point, and even that is 1 more point than a lot of landscape or portrait photographers need. It's more a matter of choosing the right tool for the job. Most people knocking the 6D are just begrudging the fact that Canon didn't give us a $1400 5D3..