IntroductionSo for the few that have the misfortune of knowing me are well aware that I am a Sony shooter by choice for the last 4 years or so.
I love to try out new gear and equipment which is why I keep in touch with happenings in ALL systems be it Olympus, Pentax, Nikon and even Canon.
So when my friend bought a 6D I decided to borrow it for 2 weeks to test it out.
We went to Sewri to shoot the sunrise with Ayaz, Doctor Rajesh and a few other friends.
Everyone knows about the specs and features of the Canon 6D so I won't mention them here.
Some comparisons though -
1. Build qualityBoth my Sony's are entry level and so build quality wise the Canon was ahead. However I come to appreciate lighter bodies now and didn't like the added weight of the 6D anymore.
2. ViewfinderI used to go ga ga whenever I saw a FF viewfinder but now adays I prefer EVFs as they are just as large and I can actually see how the image will look like before hand.
For what its worth the viewfinder is not 100% which isn't very good but its large and bright. The default focusing screen lacks any grid lines like the 5D MK 3 and I didn't like it. With an EVF you can add and remove guidelines on the fly. While not very sharp and precise I have still come to prefer EVFs now though for tracking the OVF is still a much better option.
Another issue was manual focusing. Loved the peaking feature and zoom option on my Sony cameras but you don't have those features on an optical viewfinder.
3. HandlingThis was more to do with my unfamiliarity with the camera but things like bracketing and bulb mode I couldn't figure out without asking someone for help.
Otherwise the camera was pretty easy to use unlike a Nikon semi pro camera like a D7000 or D800 which I was all at sea with the controls !
I hated that there was no tilt screen as I was forced to kneel down to operate the camera when placed on a low tripod. My legs were sore for 2 days after that kneeling down on the concrete road. A tilt screen is so much easier to use that I would place it very high in my list of requirements for a new camera.
Live view AF was also mediocre and it hunted in bright light too. My Sony is far better in this regard. That said I tried a 70D and that has super fast AF in live view which is nice. Wish Canon would introduce that tech to their FF cameras too in addition to a flip screen.
I liked the large selection of buttons to change a lot of settings without menu diving. Something I have to do with my Sony cameras but both the cameras together are still half the price of the 6D and individually score over the 6D in DXOMark.

4. AutofocusSince I was mostly shooting landscapes I didn't have to use AF much but for the times I needed to use it I found the bunched up focusing points to be very limiting. Didn't like it at all. The 5D MK3 I used was far better in that regard. For the time I did use AF the speed was very fast though and accurate. My Sony in comparison isn't very accurate at times so the 6D is a bit better in accuracy.
5.Image qualityThe images below will explain far better than what I write but I did find that DXO mark was pretty much correct !!!!!!!!!

Basically for images that were slightly overexposed or underexposed I found recovering highlights and shadows not as good as my Sony cameras. There wasn't a world of difference but it was noticeable. Maybe a stop or so of a difference.
That said overall sharpness was better than what any of my cameras could pull out. That is of course more to do with the FF sensor than anything else but I also loved the 24-105mm f4 L. Very sharp lens, superb AF and very useful range. Wished it was 24-200mm but that would probably mean lower performance.
I also tried the 17-40mm L and while I didn't like the lack of perspective distortion compared to my Sigma 10-20mm, I loved the crisp output and contrast.
The 17-40mm is a good performer too and is not too expensive when bought used. A good combo.
Other than the Sewri trip I shot a few photos to check out the high ISO performance. Over here it was a clear win for the 6D. At least a 2.5 stop gain over my Sony. ISO 6400 was freakishly clean and as good as my ISO 800. ISO 12800 though was a bit noisy and maybe closer to my ISO 3200 than ISO 1600 but still usable if the exposure was correct.
Some photos from the trip. Mostly HDRs !
1. Single Exposure with 24-105mm f4 L
2. Single long exposure (30 secs) with 24-105mm f4 L
3. HDR (3 exposures) with 24-105mm f4 L
4. Single exposure with 24-105mm f4 L
5. HDR with 17-40mm f4 L
6. HDR with 17-40mm f4 L
7. Single exposure against bright light with 24-105mm f4 L
VerdictFor a mainly landscape shooter like me I don't like the camera too much. The lack of a tilting screen being one and the lesser dynamic range being the other.
For mainly low light shooters the performance is amazing. Even video performance is very good for those who like to shoot video. Bit rates are high and the jello effect is pretty well contained.
The low number of AF points is a big drawback for someone like me who uses most of my AF points. For those who love focus and recompose the camera should be right up their alley as focusing is good even in low light.
A built in flash would come in very handy but sadly the 6D lacks that. Try explaining that to people who would assume a 1.3 lakh camera would have a flash as even the cheapest point and shoot camera comes with a flash.

So from a Sony perspective this camera doesn't really impress me much. Now I need to test its competitor the D600. Need to catch some bakra err friend who is willing to loan one me.

P.S. I still have this camera with me till Saturday. Anyone needs any more tests let me know and ill try and oblige.

P.P.S I would like to thank the following people for their help with these tests -
My friend Cletus who owns the 6D and 24-105mm f4 L for trusting me with the camera for 2 weeks.
Doc Rajesh for lending me his 17-40mm at Sewri.
Ayaz for pushing people to shoot every weekend. Would have been sleeping at home if it wasn't for him.

Rama Nayak - Who started South Indian restaurants in Mumbai. I love to visit places like Cafe Mysore after a shoot to have some sumptuous breakfast. I mostly come to Sewri for these breakfasts only.
