The 5D Classic vs 6D Image Quality
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 มิ.ย. 2023
- Here it is, absolutely undeniably very anecdotal evidence that the Canon 6D may just be a 5D classic in disguise.
I took a quick trip around my neighborhood with both my 5D classic and 6D in hand, taking photos of the same subjects, using the same 40mm f2.8 lens on each camera. Both cameras were set to aperture priority with auto white balance. Both shooting in RAW. Both set to ISO 100. Both using the same aperture setting for each photo (mostly f5.6 with the exception of one photo shot at f2.8).
Although no two photos are ever going to look completely identical, even if comparing one 5D classic to another 5D classic (due to second by second changes in natural lighting, slight changes in composition and thus metering, etc), we can still see how these two cameras generally treat a scene in terms of highlight or shadow priority and rendering, color science, etc.
I hope this is helpful for those of you who are interested in either or both of these cameras. Let me know if there is anything else you would like to see.
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This is the best comparison between these two cameras that I´ve seen on YT. I own both of the cameras. I'll make a comparison myself. I have to say that I like the 5D very much. What a fantastic camera!
I just bought a 6D a couple weeks ago and the 50 f1.8. I wanted a cheap beater camera to just carry around and I've been amazed by it. Primary reason? It fits in my hand and I love the ergos. My Sony has been sitting on the shelf. Sort of a step back using a DSLR again after shooting with mirrorless but there's a certain nostalgia to it and the images have a very nice character to them. I could save a lot money doing this. :)
Yep. Sold my Sonys (A7RII and 2 A6000s) because the camera I always reached for was the Canon 6D. I also preferred the colors as well. I did keep a little A5000 and a few lenses, plus my EOS to E-Mount adapter and added an A5100 just because I like the little things. The 6D (and my 80D for that matter) just feel right in the hand for this old SLR shooter.
Thanks for this interesting comparison, Styler.
I've owned a 6D for a year now, and really like the rendering. I've not used a 5D Mk1, but the one thing that stood out for me from your comparison photos was that the 5D sensor has a lower default contrast. I suspect that this is one aspect of the 5D rendering that looks so pleasing and "film like". So many digital cameras have the default contrast set relatively high, and this partly accounts for digital photos looking "too digital".
The 6D has a relatively high default contrast. When I shoot JPEG I use the Faithful picture style usually with +3 sharpness, -2 contrast and +2 colour on the 6D for most situations, which generates a look slightly reminiscent of a low ISO colour saturated film image.
I'd be fascinated to learn what picture style settings you use for the 6D, if you sometimes shoot JPEG.
A treat to see two canon videos back to back. I've watched a handful of your videos in some cases twice over the past two weeks since I discovered your channel. Came across the channel while I've been bed-ridden after a motorcycle crash and it's been a lot of fun to watch your process and journey. I have a 5D2 sitting at home that I purchased in november but haven't had nearly enough time to shoot since I've constantly been out of the country due to business travel. Funnily enough I was in Taiwan for a month and even rode through Taichung in March.
Greatly appreciate your videos and your perspective on photography - particularly with regards to printing photos and minimal editing - it felt like such a chore to edit photos which is what lead me to take a few years off from photography in the first place.
Hope to visit Taiwan again soon, hopefully for a longer stay of a year or two. My time there was life altering to say the least.
Wishing you and your family the best.
I appreciate your kind words, and hope you are recovering well from your crash. I had the same issue with photography; any extended breaks I took were all directly related to me simply not wanting to edit the photos.
I didn’t plan on living in Taiwan, but after being here for a short while it was pretty obvious that this was the place I wanted to be. I absolutely love it here and hope that you can get your extended stay on the island. When you are back, contact me. We can grab a coffee and talk cameras and such.
Thanks for making this video. These two models are legendary now. 👑👑✨🌈🔥
This is a great video. The pictures do look very similar in rendition although the 6d seemed to have a little more contrast, brighter highlights and darker shades of black. Very informative.
I agree. Very similar rendering, but a bit more contrast. I also notice that the shadow tones are slightly different.
There's no way the 6D is that soft, I think your microfocus adjustment was off with that lens. I've been shooting the 6D for over 10 years and it's very sharp, even sharper than the 20D I've had before.
I also downloaded two RAWs of the 5D and 6D from DPReview and they are equally sharp, with the distinction that the 6D has far more resolving power (you can read the fine print that you cannot with the 5D). Colors are the same. 5D also has darker corners and brighter center (vignetting).
6D has much better iso but 5D has 1/8000 where as 6D only had 1/4000. Something no one ever mentions in any of the comments on these videos! I prefer 5D for the smaller file size. I use magic lantern with it for focus peaking highlight, quick zoom, fast delete, screen saturation adjustment and more.
I think most people are aware of the 1/4000 vs 1/8000 shutter speed difference, as it is the very first thing all manufacturers do to differentiate lower end models from higher end models. I assume nobody mentions it because it doesn’t make a difference in 99.9% of circumstances. I’ve tried Magic Lantern on a few cameras and am not a fan. The only feature I thought was legitimately “good” is the ability to shoot dual ISO. That’s just me, though.
I have the 5D classic and Mkii, ML focus peaking is only available for the latter!
@@deepfocusinside4685the focus peaking on original 5D only shows once the photo is taken as it has no live view. It will highlight exactly what was in focus. You cannot use it in real time.
Regarding the 1/4000 vs 8000 it would depend if someone wanted to shoot wide open often.
Fantastic comparison. ¿It was possible that you share the images in raw format (or jpg) with us? I like a lot compare the archives in my house . Thanks for your job.
great video, thank you. i bought the d30 when it came out (another surprisingly good camera btw), then the 10d, then the 5d in 2005. i stopped there. something about the images, the heft of the thing, that resounding clunk of the shutter, i've just never wanted another camera. crazy thing is, i have a serial # that starts w/a zero and i totally missed the mirror problem announcement and free reinforcement offer from canon... but my original mirror is still sitting in its original position after 18 years and who knows how many 1000's of photos. lucky maybe, or maybe it'll break tomorrow. either way, i've already bought a tube of one of the recommended glues to take a swing at fixing it if necessary. that said, i've also given some thought to what i might buy if/when something breaks on my 5d that i can't fix. i've seen lots of videos (including yours) praising the 6d and lately i've been thinking that's where i might lean, but this video is a great reminder that another 5d classic wouldn't be a bad way to go if i can find one half as nice as mine at a reasonable price. funny, i have a canon pro-100 printer and it kind of reminds me of the 5d. well past its expected useful life, but still holding its own and then some against more modern and expensive competitors. it's like a lovely manufacturing accident when that happens. wishing you continued success for the great content you bring to youtube, thanks again.
Even if your mirror drops off tomorrow, I'd say 18 years without an issue on a camera that was "expected" to have that issue is pretty lucky. I do love my 5D and I really hope it lasts forever. No doubt I will need to swap the internal battery from time to time, replace the standard batteries every few years (maybe), perhaps clean the sensor every once in awhile. Really, though, I get the feeling that these things were built to last and will last as long as they are cared for.
I don't have a 5D Classic, but I do have a 5D MK2, and a 6D. I LOVE older DSLR's. But there is a differense between the 5D2 and the 6D. I use the 5D in studio....the 6D for everything else. If it isn't moving fast, then I use a 70D. I have mirrorless also, never use it. :D But I love the files coming out of the 6D.
I found this comparison extremely helpful in knowing what to look out for.
I have had a 5D for almost 17 years and have never felt the urge to upgrade it. However, on the basis that it might eventually fail, I recently acquired a lightly used 6D since it is generally conceded to have the nearest output to the 5D. The 5D 'look' seems to be acknowledged by far too many people for it to be a figment of the imagination. Personally, I suspect that the 5D sees the world with a film curve and colour palette that delivers a degree of accuracy that very many people find comfortably recognisable.
I agree about the sharpness of the unsharpened 5D files, but a bit of deconvolution sharpening of 6D files fixes the difference without much risk of creating halo artefacts down the line.
To make a side-by-side comparison, I shot my usual target, which included an x-rite colour checker, using both cameras and the same lens. Opening the raw files in ACR, the first difference I noticed from readouts in the grey swatches is that the 6D employs a completely different film curve, even though the profile in both cases was Camera Matching 'Standard'. The 5D also takes less of a dip in the shadows. (Something similar seems to happen with Capture One 5D and 6D profiles and the standard curve.) I assume that this deviation is in pursuit of creating a unique 6D 'look'. The 6D rendering is undeniably very nice, but for those who might sometimes prefer the 5D rendering, making a custom point curve based on removing differences between the 6D and 5D grey swatches and applying it to the 6D changes the rendering even further in the direction of the 5D.
On the question of colour, the similarities are apparent, but with the 6D having a much stronger yellow, which frequently shows up in the greens of foliage, etc. How similar you want to make a custom profile is entirely up to having a matching custom curve and how much colour editing and matching of readout numbers you want to do on the 3 primary (RGB) and 3 secondary (YMC) patches of the colour checker, but I think having that extra custom profile option to render so close to the 5D as makes little or no difference, but on the more compact and up-to-date 6D would probably make an already excellent camera even more excellent.
That is all very helpful information. Thank you!
Thaaaaank You!!!!
I just got my 5D in the mail today, I'm so excited to use it! Just wondering, how did you go about choosing which picture styles to go with? I've only ever shot RAW with my more modern cameras, and I'm really trying to take pictures SOOC instead of having to edit anything with this camera. Thanks!
"Standard" is actually fantastic. I know it sounds like a boring option, but it is really what people are thinking about when they think of classic "Canon color". I have the old "Canon 5D Superbook" that was sold here in Asia back when the 5D first came out. There are a lot of full page and double page photos in it with detailed settings info listed. The vast majority were shot in JPEG using the "standard" picture profile.
@@SkylerKing Good to know! I'll give it a go next time I'm out and see how I like it, thanks so much! Love these 5D/6D videos!
Interesting findings. I have both cameras. And also think the 5d is “sharper” because of the weak antialiasing filter and the large more forgiving Pixels. But 6d with a good lens is also plenty sharp. There is another reason I prefer 5dc over the 6d for casual and private shooting and this is the quality of the raw files sooc. My 6d has a strong tendency to underexpose (or exposing for the highlights) and even so in spot metering. Maybe he reason is, that there is not much room for recovering the highlights while the camera is quite capable in raising shadows and blacks. This can be quite annoying if you are out of manual mode. White Balance tends more to neutral but the oranges, browns or yellows are usually oversaturated in my taste and it takes more effort to tweak the files.
If I notice that a camera (any camera that I am trying or own at the time) is consistently overexposing or underexposing photos (over or under my preference) I will set the exposure compensation to +\- one third or two thirds of a stop and basically just forget about it. That usually fixes that issue for me. Though, some cameras are just so random with the exposure or the white balance or the hues that I find myself having to constantly correct things in Lightroom just to get each file to an acceptable neutral starting point. Those are the cameras I typically don’t keep long. I definitely find myself doing different types of corrections to the 5d files than I do to the 6d files, but both are very minimal and typically the 6d requires even less. And when it’s all said and done, they both give me the look that I like.
Thank you for your very detailed reply and sharing your experience. Maybe I have a damaged light meter in my 6d, because it works unfortunatley inconsistent and is so sensitive to the smallest highlights somewhere in the frame. Therefor exposure compensation (+2/3) is not the a perfect working solution. Hmmm ..Maybe I have to try once another one to compare.
@@SkylerKing That could be a sign of a dying shutter.
I didn’t even think of that. Good call.
@@SkylerKing Or maybe changing the oil would help. I don't know how these older cameras tick :). Could be nothing though .. (I hope so)
I have a 6D, manage to destroy the screen, so it's now basicly a analog camera sort of. :D I also have a 70D and a 5D MK2. There is really not much difference between the 6D and the MK2. The reason why I still have the 5D is that I used that body for many years when I shoot portraits profesionally. It's old, kind of slow, but the pictures are looking great, and it's built like a tank. :)
Interesting. I have the 5d2 and feel that it is very different from my 6d. Especially the output. Very different color science.
@@SkylerKing I actually find the files from the 5D a bit warmer. But not by much.
I have a 5Dii and 6D and This was the first thing I noticed right from shooting the 6D. I wonder if this is the same thing going on with the 5Dii . I did all kinds of micro adjustments on the 6D and I thought something was wrong or just missing focus almost every time. I love them both! However I may go back to the 5Dii .
That is interesting. I have never directly compared my 5d2 to my 6d, the way I have with the 5d classic vs the 6d. I remember reading/hearing that the 5d2, despite being 21mp, wasn't much of a resolution upgrade from the 5d classic. Some people said that the 5d classic was still sharper, while others said that the 5d2 was very slightly sharper. Either way, the fact that they were so close despite the 5d classic being only 12mp was attributed the the very weak AA filter on the 5d classic vs the more traditional AA filter on the 5d2. Of course, I noticed that the 5d classic is sharper than the 6d, for this reason. But, I never considered how the 5d2 would compare to the 6d 🤔
It was very frustrating because I loved the Wi-Fi on the 6D but almost every time I shot with it, even on my canon ef 70-200 2.8 version ii lens I would go back to micro adjusting it at home. This video relieved a huge headache from all my researching and adjusting the 6D lol. I may get the classic I’m just scared of the back screen resolution.
Do you edit all your images with muted colors or is this what is coming out of the cameras?
I import the RAW files, which naturally look more muted initially, then I edit from there. The way I edit each photo will be different, depending on what I am doing or trying to accomplish.
I really enjoyed this bordering technical review/talk. A few pointers though.
1. I actually think (if my memory serves me right) the canon 6d and 5dc have a very similar anti-aliasing filter (the moire on the 6d is very salient in my view, and from various graphs and video reviews I've seen around the internet. Which leads me somewhat to the next point.
2. While I do agree the photos from the 5dc seem a bit sharper, I think that is due to the larger pixels creating higher contrast - meaning it's not necessarily sharper (if you get what I mean); the same contrast effect would possibly, if applied to the 6d files in post, render the same amount of sharpness. And, thirdly, which was actually meant to be my second or even first point:
3. It's unfair to compare the two at 100% since the sensor is after all physically limited. It would be very hard to squeeze a sharper image (not just added pixels) out of the same size sensor. So for all intents and purposes one would have to compare the two at the same size rather than at 100% for it to be fair. By contrast I find the 5dc images to be as almost as sharp as its successors such as the 5d mark II and the 6d if one would blow up the image artificially in PS or lightroom with today's software capabilities (I say today's but I really mean as far back as ten years now). So there really shouldn't be anything stopping you from doing reasonably good looking larger prints from the 5d today, I believe. I've not gotten around to trying it myself yet. I think I saw some testing being done to the fact when the 5d mark II came out (as I was eyeing it a few years later on the second hand market) which proved the "real resolution" wasn't higher but that the 5d mark II appeared sharper due to its pixel density at the same print size - or something of the sort. Either way I gathered the 5dc was still plenty sharp to keep around.
Sadly I didn't realise at the time that both of my 5dc houses were backfocusing; which was probably what inspired my doubts at the time as I was shooting fast lenses. Your videos on the 5dc is a bitter sweet finger into that wound (wow that sounded oddly sexual). I may have to bite the bullet and get my cameras calibrated, or buy another one. But I actually preferred or was indifferent to the 6d rendering. I think the 6d renders the greens a bit nicer even. It seems to be the same color science pretty much through and through, but with microfocus adjust and more accurate AF. Although slightly worse handling in my opinion.
Lastly, I think you overexpose your shots slightly? I think there's much more dynamic range to be had from both cameras if you meter to the light more (or whatever the term is).
A bit wordy for a few points eh. Sorry about that.
You bring up some interesting points. I’ve considered the pixel size being part of the reason for the difference in apparent sharpness, but it is just a guess. I think that the 5d can print as large as you want, given that viewing distance typically increases as print size increases. I’ve seen gallery quality large prints (between 5 and 7 feet across) made from m4/3 cameras. I remember reading about the large print quality with the 5D classic, though I’ve never tried it. It’s actually on my list of things to do. As far as exposure goes, i set both cameras to the same metering mode, set them to aperture priority, focused on the same point with the same aperture, with the exposure compensation set to “0” and these are the results. I wanted to see the difference in image rendering, not just color or contrast, but exposure.
@@SkylerKing Glad you think so! Regarding sharpness I reckon that's the case, inferred from how one would sharpen up an image in PS with unsharp mask: you have one slider for essentially sharpening noise and one for increasing edge contrast - a mixture of both gives you proper sharpening (and do increase the latter some extra if you aim to print). I've successfully printed 30x45cm without artificially enhancing the resolution (but maybe I stitched it on second thought - another tip for large prints, sometimes).
Speaking of printing, I just thought of this now: Maybe the 5d is sharpened that way as it was inherently made for printing in mind while later models have finer ways of sharpening due to the ubiquity of digital for publishing? Probably not, but it's an interesting thought - if I may say so myself.
Have a good one!
I used to shoot on a 5D and sold it to upgrade to the 6D, but not for the resolution. I mainly upgraded for low light so I could do astro work in my landscapes, and also for the live view for focusing. There were a lot of things I hated about the original like the horrible screen for one thing, but I do remember always being blown away by the detail when I got my pictures on my computer. I don't think I ever had the same wow moment with my 6D (partly because my pictures didn't look like trash on the screen, lol). While it's a little disappointing to know it's not reaching it's full potential in terms of detail, I mostly post my images online, so it's technically not an issue for me anyway. But still...
I’ve never felt limited by the detail from my 6D. I think it resolves very well. It was just shocking that the 12mp 5D technically resolves a bit sharper. It’s something you would never notice without comparing them, though. I also agree that the primary benefit to the 6D, for me, is the great low light (as well as great dynamic range when editing) and the ability to live view focus.
@@SkylerKingnow if only it had the dynamic range that Sony's sensors have... Haha
@tom1986ca I think it’s up for debate. At base ISO, a Sony or Nikon sensor has more dynamic range, but Canon sensors usually hold up better at high ISO. The Sony A7 mark ii, for instance, only has a very slight advantage in dynamic range at 640iso. At 1280iso, the 6D has a slight advantage, and increases that advantage all the way to over 20,000iso. At 1280iso, the 6D is only 1/2 stop below the Sony A7 Mark IV. At 25,600iso, it’s 1/4 stop less. At 51,200iso, the 6D has the same dynamic range as the A7 Mark IV.
@@SkylerKing yeah, while I agree that the 6D is a great high ISO camera (which is part of why I got it) as a landscape shooter, this really only benefits me for astro work. The rest of the time I'm shooting at 100 and often bracketing shots, which is fine except for when you have a scene that isn't static. But you can't have everything, haha. For the money, it's hard to beat the 6D.
Did you find out why?
First mistake the best compare will be in golden hour with specific light and shadow also for test required at last 3 diffrent lens. 5d classic is sharper and also better works with more lenses. Other body including 5dm2, 5dm3, 6d with some lenses is sharp with some not want to work properly. For more megapiksels required more quality lens for good resolution. Also if you Can do another video definetly you need model for few portrait shot outdoor then will be very good video.
Well, technically, it can be harder to get a perfectly sharp photo on a higher resolution camera, due to it being more sensitive to camera shake that can produce a slight motion blur. But I don't remember my 6D consistently producing such obviously soft results. I mean, it looks like the 6D image was shot at a much wider aperture. Or perhaps the different levels of sharpening were applied. Or maybe it misfocused or something. It's weird :) Even my R5 is much sharper with 40/2.8 STM. Something is not right with these 6D samples. Plus, I think it's better to down-sample the 20mp images to 13mp before comparing them to 5D images. That would be a more fair way of doing it, in my opinion.
I think it may be related to the differences in the circle of confusion. When I show the first two examples, you can see the background and foreground areas of the 6d photos are less sharp than the 5d, while in the third photo you can see that the in focus area of the 6d (which is much easier to identify) is actually very sharp. I’m kicking around various ideas about it
@@SkylerKing But the pixel density difference between 13mp and 20mp isn't enough for such a dramatic CoC play. This needs to be further investigated ).
It could be a combination of factors. Difference in circle of confusion, the results of the higher resolution being more sensitive to camera shake, etc. Like I said, I have never noticed anything that was in focus being "soft" out of the 6d. It seems to only be noticeable in areas outside of the point of focus, and only really noticeable when compared to the 5d. I remember my old Pentax K5 (16mp, no AA filter) being remarkably sharp, even compared to higher resolution cameras that I had (24mp, 36mp, etc). I will do some more testing and see what I come up with.
@@SkylerKing Well, the 6D has a very weak AA filter. Some say that it doesn't even have one (could be the same people who later offered the AA filter removal services )). And that's why it produces nicer color and contrast. We can cross this one off the list of possible factors.
I’ve actually not heard that, about the 6d. Very interesting.
My 5Dii was noticeably sharper than my 6D.
5D Classic wins!
I do find myself preferring the 5d classic for everyday use 🤷♂️
The overall mooed
It’s a mooed point.