topic Re: Low MB in pictures Canon R6 Mark ii in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Small file size on pictures from EOS R6 Mark II

cjsull — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 13:02:48 GMT

Hello, I have a new Canon that I'm trying to figure out after using a Nikon D3400 for years. When I compare the pictures I took with the Nikon, they are migh MB. I had the Canon set on the lighest JPG setting, and the pictures were coming out with only a third of the MBs. Yes, the color is nice, but it's hard to print larger pictures. This is driving me crazy, since I saved up for a year to buy this thing. I have changed it to Raw, but not sure if I still have to go through a stupid third party to convert them to use. I should add that I now have Lightroom, so maybe it's just something that hasn't been explained to me yet. I would really appreciate any insight you can give me!! I had my old camera figured out so well, and this one is starting to get very frustrating.
Thanks!!

Re: Low MB in pictures Canon R6 Mark ii

Waddizzle — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 23:01:34 GMT

Just be clear on what your issues, are you talking about the JPG file size in MB?

There are a lot of factors that can go into the final file size of JPG, beginning with image sensor resolution and what file format that you have selected for storing images. Without knowing anything about your storage settings, there is not much advice we can offer to you.

Re: Low MB in pictures Canon R6 Mark ii

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 23:15:28 GMT

What do you mean by "I had the Canon set on the lighest JPG setting"? For the best JPG images, you want the largest JPG setting. Why is it hard to print larger pictures. What exactly are you experiencing when printing?

Re: Low MB in pictures Canon R6 Mark ii

cjsull — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 23:29:34 GMT

Yes, I’m sorry. I typed wrong. I had it set on the highest JPG setting, but the output seemed low.

Re: Low MB in pictures Canon R6 Mark ii

cjsull — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 23:31:45 GMT

I’m sorry, I typed wrong. I had it on the highest setting, but the output seemed low. And I wanted to print up one of the pictures in a bigger size, but there wasn’t enough MBs to allow it. That’s when I discovered the issue. It’s the first time I’ve tried to order pics taken with my new camera.

Re: Low MB in pictures Canon R6 Mark ii

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 23:48:59 GMT

How many megabytes are you seeing in your JPG file and how large of a print are you trying to get?

Re: Low MB in pictures Canon R6 Mark ii

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 23:53:56 GMT

The manual shows approximately 8.2 MB for a large JPG picture file for your camera, although this will depend on many factors.

Re: Low MB in pictures Canon R6 Mark ii

rs-eos — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 00:00:32 GMT

Seems you are confusing file size with resolution. Don’t concern yourself with the file size. If needing very detailed prints, capture in the highest possible resolution. It won’t matter if the file size will be small, medium or large. The resolution of your images will be the same.

There are numerous factors that will drive file size. Very detailed and noisy images will typically drive file sizes higher. But again, the resolution is the same.

Re: Low MB in pictures Canon R6 Mark ii

Tronhard — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 00:40:44 GMT

Hi and welcome to the forum:
As with my other colleagues, I think you should not worry about the file size as reported by the OS. Various makers make their compression algorithms read differently, as has been said already, the issue is the resolution. Furthermore, as they agree, the actual content of the image will hugely impact on the file size. An image with a very plain content will have a much lower file size than one with a lot of complex shapes, shadows and colours.

By the way, I strongly recommend that you do shoot in RAW - save in hi-res JPG as well if you like. You should have no issue importing the images into Lightroom if it is up to date and you will get far more flexibility for editing and printing. You can export the results as a Hi-Res JPG file.

The R6II is a great camera, I have one and shoot with it, the performance of the sensor, focus and tracking systems are superb and the rest is up to the lenses you use and your skills as a photographer.

Re: Low MB in pictures Canon R6 Mark ii

Waddizzle — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 02:30:45 GMT

@Tronhard wrote:
The R6II is a great camera, I have one and shoot with it, the performance of the sensor, focus and tracking systems are superb and the rest is up to the lenses you use and your skills as a photographer.

That is an understatement. The R6 Mark II is a truly fantastic body. I have discovered new found love for my old Sigma 150-600mm C. My EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM is outperforming itself on the MILC body, too.

I upgraded because my current DSLRs will reach their EOL within a year or two. My 1D4 was retired years ago. In fact, with the exception of the 90D and 1Dx Mk III, all Canon DSLRs will reach the end of their service life in next the 3-4 years, if not sooner for some models.

The R6 Mark II with battery grip is a beast of a camera body.

Re: Low MB in pictures Canon R6 Mark ii

Tronhard — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 02:32:19 GMT

Right with you there Bill! 😀

Re: Low MB in pictures Canon R6 Mark ii

cjsull — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 03:07:23 GMT

Yes, I did. Also at youtube videos and searching here. Then I realized I was missing something.

I appreciate the help, and I think they are correct in not only using raw, but also learning more about how this type of camera works.

Re: Low MB in pictures Canon R6 Mark ii

Tronhard — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 09:33:15 GMT

You might want to check out a You Tube video by Michael the Maven at this link:

Re: Low MB in pictures Canon R6 Mark ii

AtticusLake — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 08:17:30 GMT

You haven't mentioned what lens you're using, which can make a difference. If you're using an EF or RF lens, then your camera should be delivering full resolution -- your pictures should be 6000 x 4000 pixels, and printing should not be an issue.

But if your lens is EF-S or RF-S, then the camera will go into crop mode (it has to, because those lenses only cover a smaller part of your sensor), and your images will be more like 3744 x 2496 pixels. This would obviously make the files smaller. You should still be able to get decent prints, but not as good.

Other than that, as others have pointed out, the file size in MB is not critical; and if you're concerned about getting the best quality, shoot in RAW. RAW gives you more bits per pixel, which can matter more than the number of pixels.

BTW when you say "I wanted to print up one of the pictures in a bigger size, but there wasn’t enough MBs to allow it" -- it does sound like you're confusing MB, megabytes, or file size -- with pixels. Those are different, though not completely unrelated, things.

If you want to know more about lens compatibility, I wrote an article about it: https://moonblink.info/MudLake/gear/lenses

Re: Low MB in pictures Canon R6 Mark ii

Tronhard — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 09:24:04 GMT

Thanks for they link Atticus, your article looks very comprehensive!

Re: Low MB in pictures Canon R6 Mark ii

Tuffcookie — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 03:46:11 GMT

THANK YOU! I just got my R6m2 in June. I immediately ordered the adapter for it so I could use all my other Canon lenses. I had the EFS 18-135 lens on my camera and had been shooting pictures with it all this time! There was not a problem until tonight when I was wanting to print some photos out for a scrapbook I am working on. That's when I noticed the pictures had a size of 3744 x 2496! I can print 4 x 6's, but 8 x 10's are not good! I have taken the EFS lens off the camera and put the 24-105 lens, that came with the camera, on. I just took a picture and the picture size is 6000 x 4000!

Re: Small file size on pictures from EOS R6 Mark II

Tronhard — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 16:12:57 GMT

Given your experience, I recommend you read the following document and learn.
Equivalence: considering the impact of sensor size

You have moved from an APS-C camera to a full-frame camera and that means that any lenses (EF-S) that you attach to your camera will not project an image onto the full area of the sensor. This has a significant impact on the MP captured: because the crop factor is 1.6, and because we are talking area, that reduction is the square of the crop factor: reducing the MP potential from 24MP to just under 9.3MP. The camera senses that an APS-C lens is being used and reduces the recorded area automatically to prevent a large vignette. It is clearly stated as such in the Advanced User Guide on P1051- which is your best friend: PLEASE USE IT!

The whole point of JPG is to take the large RAW image that the camera actually records at the sensor and processes it in camera to apply some image adjustments before saving it, but that process throws away a significant proportion of the image size to produce a smaller image. That might be acceptable under some circumstances, but if you need to process your images out of camera to make large, high-quality prints, then you really want that RAW file format and your PP software will have much, much more to play with.

RAW images are meant to be processed: and the result of that could be a very large file in the form of a TIFF or PNG file that can be used for printing. The quality of the resultant image will depend at least as much on the lenses you use - certainly, they are the longer-term investment.

Given you say you create large prints: what size prints were you considering creating and for what purpose - for competition, to mount at home, or for sale???

I recognize that you are frustrated, but there are two sets of things you need to master:
1. The principles of photography - how light is metered and how to create well-exposed images using the 'holy trinity' of controls: ISO, shutter and aperture. While many combinations of these will produce a correctly exposed image, each will produce different artistic and compositional results. Those truths are universal to photography.
2. You need to spend the time to get to know the controls of your camera. Modern MILCs these days have those three controls buried in a host of other, high-end features, such as different focusing modes, tracking, exposure configurations etc. In starting out, go back to basics and spend time with your manual - yes, the manual is there for a purpose, and watch videos like the one I offered you before.
Don't spend your time, money and patience printing until you know you are getting the results digitally that you want, and then try a few tests. You have changed brands and also camera types and that is a learning curve you can't short circuit. You need to have patience, but it will be richly rewarded as you learn more about photography and also your camera.