Hands down one of the best decisions I’ve made for my business is purchasing the Canon R6 Mirrorless.

By now I think we’ve all heard the big debate in the photography community about mirrorless cameras and which is right for you. I’ve always been a Canon girl, first shooting with the 20D and then gradually moving up to the Mark III and IV series, so naturally, when the R6 popped up on my radar it intrigued me.

My coaching students and I often reference a Sue Bryce quote when making large investments for your business. I ask them, “will it make your boat go faster?” 

And for the Canon R6, my answer is a resounding yes! 

Here’s the deal- cameras are workhorses. The R6 is a small investment when you think about the technology you’re getting and what it can do for your business.

I have this thing with change so I actually let my R6 sit in the box for almost two months after purchasing it. During the busy season of all times! I am still kicking myself because the focus is unbelievable! I’ll get more into how much time it’s saved me later. 

First Impressions of the Canon R6

The R6 is more compact than the Mark IV. The lighter weight is nice when you’re a high-volume photographer shooting multiple sessions a week. It just fits better in my hand.

Also, goodbye CF cards and card readers! You can now use two regular SD cards in the dual card slot which is so much more convenient in my opinion.

And while I did invest in new RF lenses, if you’re a Canon girl you can still use all of your old EF lenses with the adaptor. 

Canon’s Eye Autofocus is a Game-Changer

Canon’s eye autofocus on the R6 is unreal. That means focus and recomposing is a thing of the past! Not only can the R6 more accurately grab focus on your clients’ eyes within the frame but it’s fast, too.

I can photograph families with an aperture of 1.8 and not even question whether I nailed the focus.

I’m not even kidding when I say I had no clue how soft my focus was on my Mark IV until I started culling images from my first session with the R6. Especially when it comes to photographing kids, the R6 wins hands down. 

It was mind-boggling to compare R6 images to my Mark IV.

Shooting with the R6 actually Saves Me Time

During the session, I’m shaving at least 15 minutes off just by nailing focus in my shots the first time. As long as your settings are correct, your images with the R6 can be tack sharp. Think about it- that’s 15 more minutes of time you can invest back into that session in creating more beautiful images and providing more variety for your clients. 

For backlit images in the studio, my Mark IV used to STRUGGLE to grab focus. 

The R6? Bam, focused even with the highlights intentionally blown.

Less Time Culling 

When I’m culling, I no longer have to zoom in to see if photos are in focus, because 9 times out of 10 they are. 

I did the math and in total, I will save about 80 hours a year just from the ease of using the R6 compared to my Mark IV. 

That’s basically a vacation. Or more time I can put towards shooting more sessions, pampering my clients, and my coaching students.

Final Thoughts in My Review of the Canon R6

This post is not sponsored by Canon, I just truly think the R6 is one of the best investments you can make in your business right now. Time is money. 

As motherhood and family photographers, we can purchase one small piece of equipment and see an immediate return on investment. Canon even recognizes that mirrorless is the future as it’s now planning to discontinue the Mark IV series. 

If you’re thinking about going mirrorless but aren’t sure whether the Canon R6 or R5 is right for you I encourage you to watch this video. 

Personally, if I had purchased the R5, I’d be paying for video capabilities I don’t need and file sizes that aren’t necessary for my clients, so it just made sense to go the R6 route for my business.