Looking forward to TDP review of 6D!

[Dave Throgmartin]

I was able to try out the new 6D at my local camera shop for a few minutes this evening. The only one they had was new in box and I felt a bit uncomfortable playing around too much with a camera someone will buy shortly so I didn't use it very long, but came away impressed.

The build quality seemed quite good. The body was sturdy and the buttons felt fine. Autofocus seemed snappy at least in the camera shop context. The full frame viewfinder speaks for itself. I tried a shot at ISO 12800 and it looked fine on the LCD. The body size and weight seemed roughly equivalent to the 60D I'm using today.

All in all between Bryan's ISO shots, resolution shots, and my hands on trial this evening I think I'm sold on the 60D. Given the precarious nature of the US economy at the moment I don't want to part with my cash just yet, but do expect to buy it in due time.

Dave

[Jonathan Huyer]

How so? What does it do for you? I understand it marks location in the EXIF, but what is the advantage in that for the average photog? I know where my shots were taken. I suppose you could use the geotagging data in the EXIF to store and sort images, but for most folks I don't think they get that fine grained. For instance, I have folders called London or Vegas and then they're broken down into Day One, Day Two, etc. Easy enough to do without geotagging. I can see where geotagging would be handy for posting to Google maps or some such thing, but otherwise I'm not too clear on what other advantages there are in using it.

I got a GPS fob for my 1DX, and I have to say, I really like it. With Lightroom 4, you can jump to the Map page and see exactly where the shots were taken. It is quite handy for trips. However I agree that you can easily live without it, and make do with other means. Mostly it is just a fun gadget, and it appeals to the geek in me who likes to see that kind of information. I like how it also tells you the elevation and compass direction of the shot. Plus it automatically calibrates your camera clock (if you like it to be spot-on). You can set the update frequency to something reasonable like every 15 seconds, so it doesn't drain the battery.

[dsiegel5151]

I got a GPS fob for my 1DX, and I have to say, I really like it. With Lightroom 4, you can jump to the Map page and see exactly where the shots were taken. It is quite handy for trips. However I agree that you can easily live without it, and make do with other means. Mostly it is just a fun gadget, and it appeals to the geek in me who likes to see that kind of information. I like how it also tells you the elevation and compass direction of the shot. Plus it automatically calibrates your camera clock (if you like it to be spot-on). You can set the update frequency to something reasonable like every 15 seconds, so it doesn't drain the battery.

When I do field work I take a lot of photos. I have an extra notebook that I write down where photos were taken. The built in GPS would be quite nice for that...i.e., one less notebook to carry.

[Raid]

How so? What does it do for you? I understand it marks location in the EXIF, but what is the advantage in that for the average photog? I know where my shots were taken. I suppose you could use the geotagging data in the EXIF to store and sort images, but for most folks I don't think they get that fine grained. For instance, I have folders called London or Vegas and then they're broken down into Day One, Day Two, etc. Easy enough to do without geotagging. I can see where geotagging would be handy for posting to Google maps or some such thing, but otherwise I'm not too clear on what other advantages there are in using it.

M_Six

Sorry to take so long to respond, DSL problems mean its sometimes difficult to upload images.

I originally got a GPS (Trekking type) when I started going bush, didn't want to get lost, very embarrassing to have to wait somebody to find you. I deliberately went for a GPS with a micro SD slot so that I could install maps and keep lots of tracks.

When you are using programs like GeoSetter, you have tracks showing exactly where, the path you took and exactly where the shot was taken. It could be in middle of nowhere or at the beach, it provides the image and the trip with a lot more context than you had before.

With a lot of the places I visit, I want to make return trips and the GPS gives you what you need to get back to a place where you shot a bird of paradise.

PS: I have no idea what type of information the 6D provides so I don't know if its possible to use it the way I do.

[Tounis]

Looks like the review is there .

Just on the day I got my 6D. Woohoo ! I was even able to read the review before picking up the camera. I can't wait to use it.

[M_Six]

In the review Bryan talks about the Silent Mode and alludes (several times) to the likelihood that camera noise at events can be distracting. During our UK trip last fall I was taking pics of an author's talk (with her permission) and noticed at least one attendee was distracted by the camera noise, so I moved as far away from him as possible. I didn't notice anyone else looking back at me, but later my wife told me the noise was distracting and she saw others who were clearly annoyed. Nothing mortifies me more than knowing I've intruded into someone's "space" like that. I was so caught up in the photography that I failed to notice I was creating a distraction. The knowledge that I was left me depressed for days.

Has anyone else experienced this as either the photographer or as an audience member? I have a friend who shoots all of his daughter's recitals (violinist) and I often wonder if he's driving people around him nuts with the camera noise. He claims no one seems to mind, but I wonder. I'm now extremely hesitant to shoot events where the camera can be heard clacking away.

[Dr Croubie]

Has anyone else experienced this as either the photographer or as an audience member?

That happened to me last night, at a pub I regularly go to see gigs (mostly friends). Last time I was there, it was for my gf's band playing, I got some great shots from the back. I had my 7D, a 180/2.8 Sonnar on a tripod at the back, 100/2 and 35/1.4 Samyang, I convinced a friend to come so i could borrow his 5D2 and 50/1.2L. All fast primes, all shooting from the back, all available-light (not much sometimes). Tried to get around the backs of people between songs (they have rotating vocalists so there's always space between songs). I didn't feel too much in the way. There was even a guy from the Aus ABC with a professional broadcast camera filming (not for broadcast, he just 'borrowed' it from work for the night).
There's also another guy who regularly comes, with some kind of Sony and a Zeiss ZA 135/1.8, he is also fairly discrete in his photo taking.

So last night I was there again with my gf, we were watching a different friend of ours playing. There was also another lady there I've never seen before. She had a nikon something, and I presume a 70-300 (I don't recognise nikon lenses, it was fairly big and hefty but had an extending barrel so i'm presuming not a 70-200 or their equiv). She was standing up the back, right next to us, about 10m from the stage, zooming and shooting, zooming and shooting. With onboard flash. There is no way that flash would have reached, especially not with (what I assume) was an f/4-5.6 lens. But she kept clicking away, flash after flash, with AF-confirmation-beep too. I am so glad I didn't have any of my gear with me, that 1.5kg Zeiss Sonnar I had the previous gig could land me in jail if i'd used it properly.

Unfortunately, no amount of Silent Shutter can do away with these people. If they don't even know how (or if they do, have the manners) to turn off the AF-beep and the onboard flash, Silent Shutter is just another feature that they won't use when they're stuck on the green-square-mode.

[M_Six]

First thing I do with a new camera is turn off all beeps. My camera is as quiet as I can get it. And I don't use a flash as a rule. Still, the mirror and shutter clacking is annoying enough if the venue is otherwise quiet. I don't envy wedding photographers, though (for many reasons). They must constantly be torn between getting that perfect shot and being a perfect pest.

The 6D silent mode sounds considerably quieter than my 7D, but it's still not silent by any means. Maybe this is where a good mirrorless rig would come in handy.

[dsiegel5151]

First thing I do with a new camera is turn off all beeps. My camera is as quiet as I can get it. And I don't use a flash as a rule. Still, the mirror and shutter clacking is annoying enough if the venue is otherwise quiet. I don't envy wedding photographers, though (for many reasons). They must constantly be torn between getting that perfect shot and being a perfect pest.

The 6D silent mode sounds considerably quieter than my 7D, but it's still not silent by any means. Maybe this is where a good mirrorless rig would come in handy.

I was at a wedding last summer where the bride hired an acquaintance (amateur) to shoot the wedding at a very discounted cost. I won't get into how disappointed the bride was in the photos at the end, and how she wished she forked over some more money to get a pro. What got me was the fact that the photographer didn't even know that you could turn the beep off on the auto-focus confirmation (or chose not to for some odd reason). Every second of the ceremony..beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep...Super distracting. And with every beep, came the firing of the pop-up flash. I don't necessarily believe in marriage, but I leaned over to my long-time girlfriend during the ceremony and whispered, "if we ever decide to get married, we are definitely hiring a photographer who knows what they are doing."

[M_Six]

I shot pics at the wedding of my wife's cousin (with their permission). They had a pro team taking pics and video, so I stayed well out of their way. I was using my Panasonic Lumix FZ18, so I had it in silent mode (which on the Panny really is silent). I was mostly disappointed with my pics, so I never sent the pics to the couple and they never asked about them (thankfully). I did get a few keepers, but for the most part I learned that you don't just decide to be a wedding photographer without the practice and skills (and equipment) to back it up.

Now whenever I see someone taking pics at an event, I wonder how much noise they're making. Especially if it's something like a dance recital or play.