topic Re: EOS R6 Mark II or Mark III? in Gear Guide

EOS R6 Mark II or Mark III?

JessCone13 — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 15:31:43 GMT

Need help! Buying a new camera and can't decide if I should go with the mark 6 ii or iii. I know the iii was just released today so is that the obvious choice? My original plan was to purchase the mark 6 ii with the 50mm 1.2 lens but now I'm rethinking it. Should I go with the latest version and get the mark 6 iii and maybe just get a 50 mm 1.8 ?? Need help/advice. I also read the new mark iii has the CF express type B card slot. Is that a disadvantage because it how expensive they are?

Re: EOS R6 Mark II or Mark III?

March411 — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 16:26:33 GMT

Jess,

Welcome to the community. How are you going to use the camera? The MkIII offers higher MP, improved video capabilities and performance. So if you are going to shoot video, have an extra $800 or looking for more MP than the MkII has to offer than the MkIII is the way to go.

I own the MkII, don't do any video and 24MP works well for me so I probably will not upgrade. I am a big fan of the MkII and from a stills perspective it does everything I need most of the time. I also own the R5 which uses the CF express type B card and SD and the only gripe I have is having to remember to carry two different types of cards.

Re: EOS R6 Mark II or Mark III?

jrhoffman75 — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 16:35:57 GMT

In addition to what Marc provided, the MIII has poorer high ISO performance if low light shooting will be a goal. Max standard ISO is 64000 vs 102K.

Re: EOS R6 Mark II or Mark III?

JessCone13 — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 17:46:03 GMT

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the insight! I've been waiting to purchase the MII but don't want to miss out if I don't got for the MIII. I don't take much video right now just short videos. Is this camera more geared towards video photographers?

Re: EOS R6 Mark II or Mark III?

March411 — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 18:13:18 GMT

Hi Jess, I really can't say it's more geared to videographers but there were several enhancements on the video components on the MkIII. Nobody will really know until we get some real life hands on reviews of the new body.

There are so many components involved in making the decision that you are going to need to work through based on your style of photography.

If you are going to need to crop images in post you may want the 32 MP's of the MkIII
If you are going to be shooting in low light the MkII may be better suited to your photography style.
If you want pre-capture or higher burst rates the MkIII has an advantage

Nobody in the community will be able to give you a definitive response to your question because only you know what functionality you need from your next body. If you have the additional funds and don't mind waiting until the end of the month for delivery picking up the MkIII will give you the latest tech in the R6 series. If you don't want or require the latest and greatest many will tell you, including myself that the MkII is valued in our stable of camera gear. I prefer it for it's low light capabilities and it offers me the functionality I require in the early morning, evenings and low light venues that don't allow flash photography.

Re: EOS R6 Mark II or Mark III?

JessCone13 — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 18:31:09 GMT

I really appreciate your time Marc thank you so much for your thoughts! i've watched a few videos now since I've posted this and I think I have a pretty good idea what I'm going to do here so again, thank you and I look forward to joining the community on here. I'm sure I'll have more questions that arise.

Re: EOS R6 Mark II or Mark III?

March411 — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 19:00:52 GMT

Can't go wrong with either body Jess, good luck and enjoy the new body.

Re: EOS R6 Mark II or Mark III?

thdouglas63 — Sat, 08 Nov 2025 16:27:42 GMT

I have same question. I have a Canon 7D II and several good EOS EF lenses, including two L lenses. Heading to Kenya in winter for a safari and considering upgrade of camera body. With new R6 model, there are some deals on Mark II. Just not sure the extra money is worth it. I’ll following along to see what the experts say. I plan to use old lenses with adapter, since my go to lens will be a 70-200 F2.8 L IS. Same lens in RF is steep $. I also own a 2X Extender. Do the extenders work with RF adapter?

Re: EOS R6 Mark II or Mark III?

jrhoffman75 — Sat, 08 Nov 2025 16:40:59 GMT

@thdouglas63 wrote:

I have same question. I have a Canon 7D II and several good EOS EF lenses, including two L lenses. Heading to Kenya in winter for a safari and considering upgrade of camera body. With new R6 model, there are some deals on Mark II. Just not sure the extra money is worth it. I’ll following along to see what the experts say. I plan to use old lenses with adapter, since my go to lens will be a 70-200 F2.8 L IS. Same lens in RF is steep $. I also own a 2X Extender. Do the extenders work with RF adapter?

With the R6 you will lose the reach you have on the crop sensor 7DMII, but the AF system for the R6MII is outstanding. In my experience the R6MII files can take significant cropping. EF lenses with the Canon brand adapter will work fine. (I know some people will say it's just an empty cylinder, but there are numerous posts here and on FB where folks have issues with third party adapters.) The extenders work fine with the adapter.

If you are lucky enough to get some game chases (cheetah after prey for example) you will love the R6MII.

Re: EOS R6 Mark II or Mark III?

thdouglas63 — Sat, 08 Nov 2025 17:33:09 GMT

Thanks. I’ve always bought EF (instead of EF-S) lenses thinking I’d upgrade to a 5D at some point. I’m prepared for the short back vs full frame drop in magnification.

Re: EOS R6 Mark II or Mark III?

p4pictures — Sat, 08 Nov 2025 22:36:28 GMT

I too have the EOS R6 Mark II and use it often with EF lenses on the Canon mount adapter. You can certainly use the combination of RF to EF mount adapter > EF extender > EF lens and actually you might find that the EOS R6 Mark II is better able to focus with combinations that the EOS 7D Mark II can't work with and use more of the image area for focusing too. I use the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens with the EF Extender 1.4x MkIII quite often and it's better on the EOS R6 Mark II than it was on my EOS 7D Mark II.

The crop factor is something worth considering, since it is quite some difference. You can put the EOS R6 Mark II in 1.6x crop mode, but you only get 9.3MP images at the max.

This image shows a comparison of the area covered by a full-frame and 1.6x crop sensor for the same focal length.

Re: EOS R6 Mark II or Mark III?

thdouglas63 — Sat, 08 Nov 2025 23:30:46 GMT

Is the extra $800 for the mark III worth it for the amateur photographer? Won’t be taking videos. I used the 7DII for sports pictures when my son was still in high school. It was good for that.

Re: EOS R6 Mark II or Mark III?

March411 — Sun, 09 Nov 2025 00:15:17 GMT

Hey thdouglas63, welcome to the community.

If you are not going to be using the enhanced video features, "enhanced" pre-capture and are alright with 24 MP vs 32mp then there is no reason to spend the extra $800. Right now the jury is still out on the MkIII as the only people that have had them in their hands are the advanced group of folks field testing. Most aren't going to be to harsh if they want future access to new releases.

Using the R6 MkII and absorbing as much as I can regarding the R6 Mk III I will stand pat with what I own. The extra MP was slightly enticing but worth the $800. I gt what I need from 24 MP and it keeps me honest knowing that framing my subject correctly will minimize my crop.

This was the most honest review I have watched since the release of the R6 Mk III.

Re: EOS R6 Mark II or Mark III?

thdouglas63 — Sun, 09 Nov 2025 01:42:52 GMT

Thanks. Makes sense. Dont need it until February, so I might sit tight for now. Canon has refurb mark II for $1890. Might go that route, as well.

Re: EOS R6 Mark II or Mark III?

March411 — Sun, 09 Nov 2025 02:03:00 GMT

$1890 is a good price for the Mk II, and the savings just went to $900 if you decide to pick one up. I paid $2400 for mine and still believe it was a good investment. Honestly you can't go wrong with either body, both will perform great. It really comes down to whether you think you will benefit from the upgrades for the extra dollars or that the current R6 MkII will give you everything you want out of a new body.

Also, I've picked up several pieces of gear from the refurbished marketplace and all were like new. Bonus, you still get the one year limited warranty.

The R6 Mk III is supposed to start shipping on Nov 26, if you are in no hurry you could wait for some additional feedback from people once they get their hands on one.