How does the Canon EOS M6 Mark II fare, next to the new RF APS-C cameras?

On paper, the Canon EOS M6 Mark II is a no-brainer. A clean, compact APS-C camera with svelte lenses, a 32MP image sensor, 4K video and 14fps continuous shooting (with up to 30fps in RAW burst mode). 

On top of that, the Canon EOS M6 Mark II is the flagship model of the manufacturer's EOS M system… but herein lies the issue. With Canon having just added APS-C cameras to its EOS R lineup, in the form of the similarly (and, in many cases, superior) specced Canon EOS R7 and the new Canon EOS R50, is the M6 II still worth looking at?

The first thing to consider is that the Canon EOS M6 Mark II has been officially discontinued in territories like Australia, and for all intents and purposes appears to be effectively discontinued in other regions as well (the UK, for example, specifically lists the Canon EOS M50 Mark II and Canon EOS M200 as current EOS M bodies). 

Of course, a product being discontinued has no bearing at all on how capable it is – though it does mean that you should be able to best Canon EOS M6 Mark II deals as stores try to clear stock. 

So then, how does the camera hold up in 2023? Well, the chief advantage of all EOS M bodies is size – and the M6 Mark II retains a sleek, lean form factor that makes it ideal for travel and street photography, blogging and vlogging. The EOS R7 and Canon EOS R10, meanwhile, are much chunkier bodies – with, crucially, much chunkier lenses. And, while the R50 is about the same size as the M50 Mark II, even the smallest Canon RF lenses are still larger than EOS M glass.

This is the other advantage for the M6 Mark II: the best Canon EF-M lenses are specifically designed for the smaller APS-C sensor and the smaller bodies. (By contrast, even the APS-C Canon RF-S 18-45mm lens for crop sensor EOS R cameras is significantly bigger, due to having to fit the full-frame RF mount.)

That said, there aren't a huge amount of native EF-M lenses – though you can supplement these using Canon's EF and EF-S DSLR lenses using an affordable mount adaptor (costing about 20 bucks). 

The M6 Mark II doesn't have a built-in electronic viewfinder (which keeps the size and weight down), but you can purchase a small, good quality EVF that mounts on the hot shoe (pictured in the top image) if you do want one. 

Physical features aside, the Canon EOS M6 Mark II boasts a 32MP image sensor for rich, detailed shots. And, since it's an APS-C sensor, it has a 1.6x crop factor that increases the focal length of your lenses – perfect if you want extra reach for shooting things like wildlife.

The AF system is robust, powered by the hybrid phase detect Dual Pixel AF, though obviously it's not as sophisticated as the Dual Pixel AF II (with Animal Eye Detect and other clever features) in the EOS R bodies. Likewise, if you want in-body image stabilization, the R7 is Canon's only APS-C camera to offer it. 

Would I buy the Canon EOS M6 Mark II today? Personally, I think it makes an excellent travel and on-the-go system. Paired with the 15-45mm (24-72mm equivalent) and 18-150mm lenses (28.8-240mm) lenses, it's a great all-in-one setup that covers pretty much all the bases. And with it being discontinued, it should now be at a compelling price point. 

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