Second Time Around – Canon EOS R6
IF SOMEONE WERE to give you the keys to an Aladdin’s Cave piled high with to-die-for dream kit, what would you choose to walk out with? That’s essentially the question we’re posing with our fresh new series, sponsored by used kit specialist MPB, and we’re offering professionals an unprecedented opportunity to nominate gear that they would love to try out and to take it on a shoot to see first-hand how it performs.
As one of the pioneers of a much simplified and far safer way of trading used gear, MPB maintains a giant warehouse full of fabulous kit that readers of Professional Photo are being invited to dip into. It’s a golden opportunity to try out a camera or a lens that perhaps you’ve always dreamed of owning, and seeing for yourself whether it lives up to expectations.
If you enjoy the experience then the option is always there to trade in some kit you no longer use to raise the necessary finance while, at the very least, you can be sure of acquiring what your business needs at a healthy discount on the new price, all backed up by a cast-iron six month warranty that serves to take away all the risk.
The Experience
Tommy moved across to mirrorless models from his Canon EOS 5D Mark III when the EOS R5 became available, although the DSLR remains his back-up body at weddings. He also invested heavily in an RF 28-70mm f/2, which he adores, and to date this is his only RF optic, the rest of his lens collection being E-mount models, used via an adaptor.
“I would say that I use that particular lens for almost all of my wedding photography,” he says, “because it is just so adaptable, plus it features such a wide aperture throughout the entire zoom range, and I can use it to cover just about any situation on the day.”
When given the opportunity to dip into the MPB warehouse Tommy immediately went for the EOS R6, since this is a model he’s eying up to create a completely mirrorless set-up. He also went for the RF 50mm f/1.2 because of its exceptionally wide aperture, and he anticipated it would be the perfect tool for an approach that taps into narrow depth of field and sublime bokeh.
“My alternative would have been the 85mm RF f/1.2 for very much the same reason,” he says, “and I liked the idea that this would have given me a focal length that the zoom didn’t cover, but 50mm was the perfect optic to leave on the R6 all day and that combination performed brilliantly. Having just spent so much money on the 28-70mm (available from MPB for £3189, Excellent Condition), I’ve now got to hold fire for a while before indulging in the R6, but I was keen to try out how the combination of mirrorless models would work out, and it certainly reinforced my opinion that this has to be the way forward for me.
