R7 vs R6 M2 - low light examples

[qedded]

Hi, I am coming from 70D and have these two lenses: EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM and EF 24-105 f/4 L IS USM. My primary purpose is family, event, travel as a hobbyist. I always see that R6 M2 is better in low light conditions, but no mention of how low, or some objective measure. Perhaps I am OK with a little bit of noise.

Are there any examples people can share of low-light examples which show this difference?

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

Maybe this will help.  Generally speaking, the size of a sensor and number of megapixels determines the size of photosites which are primarily responsible for gathering light on the sensor.  A full frame camera has a larger sensor.  it's surface area is larger.  The R6II has a lower pixel density giving it the ability to have larger photosites which in turn gives it the ability to gather light more effectively.  The R7 has a smaller APS-C sensor, a higher pixel density and smaller photosites making it less sensitive to light and in turn a little more noisy.  

For family, event and travel... I'd sell the 70D with the EFS 18-135.  Then buy an R6II and keep the 24-105 F4.  This will be a great start for you and mirrorless 😉

Check this out too. It may be helpful. 

https://cameradecision.com/compare/Canon-EOS-R6-Mark-II-vs-Canon-EOS-R7

[justadude]

Hello Qedded, I just want to add a quick note to Rick's comment. 

The Camera Decision web site is a great resource.  I use it often.  Usually they are very accurate with all of their specs.  However, occasionally they get a number wrong here and there.  Not often - but it happens.  So my point is, any specific item that is important to you, double check against the Canon web site for that particular product.  For example I've noticed it recently on one camera's number of focus points... but everything else was correct for that model.

[kvbarkley]

Check out Ken Rockwell's reviews of the cameras. He shoots the same dark scene at all the ISO's so you can compare the performance.

https://kenrockwell.com/canon/eos-r/r7.htm

https://kenrockwell.com/canon/eos-r/r6-ii.htm

For example:

Here is an R6MII detail at ISO 25600:

And the R7 at the same ISO:

You can see how much more noisy it is.

[ctitanic]

I think that this is the answer that you are looking for:

Edited to add, the R7 noise is a lot more than what you see in the R6 Series. A Lot more.

[Tronhard]

Hi and welcome to the forum:

The R7 is definitely inferior in terms of noise and dynamic range compared to the R6II.  A major factor in this is pixel density.  The R7 crams 32MP onto a smaller sensor, so if we increase the area of the sensor and keep the same pixel density, to compare it to the R6II, you find the R7 would have 83MP against the R6II's 24 - that is something no camera maker has tried to achieve on a FF camera.  The result is shown on the following comparison chart by a nerd side called Photons to Photos:

This chart shows the maximum ISO that each sensor can achieve to get a dynamic range of 6.5EV (or stops).  The lower the value the poorer the dynamic range.  While the R6II can shoot at ISO 5,575, the R7 would only achieve ISO 2,213.  That is an extremely poor performance in comparison.

So, in terms of light-gathering performance the R6II is clearly superior.  As regards your lenses: because you have an EF-S lens, while it will physically fit on the R6II via the Canon EF-RF adapter, the image it projects (which is designed for a crop sensor ) will not fill the whole of the FF sensor, reducing the MP capacity from 24 to just under 10.  However, given you have the EF 24-105 f/4L.   

If you were going to get the R6II, which is the better camera for multiple reasons: better build, significantly superior focus and tracking, far less rolling shutter effect if panning, I would suggest selling your 70D with the 18-135 and getting something like the RF 24-240 IS USM.  This is an excellent lens, relatively light for its range and its Image Stabilization will work in conjunction with the In-Body Image Stabilization of the R6II to help you with hand holding.  It is also super fast to focus and silent in doing so.