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Home → Cameras and Lenses

Canon EOS R6 vs Nikon Z6

By Nasim Mansurov 21 Comments
Last Updated On July 16, 2020

With Canon releasing its EOS R6, some of our readers might be wondering how this mirrorless camera compares to its 2-year old rival, the Nikon Z6. Although it is the more budget-friendly option when compared to the EOS R5, Canon still put quite a bit of impressive technology into the EOS R6 to make it a versatile, general-purpose camera. Let’s take a look at the two cameras in more detail and compare them side-by-side. First, we will start with the ergonomics, then we will discuss technical specifications.

Canon EOS R6 vs Nikon Z6 Ergonomics Comparison

Here is how the two cameras compare in their front view:

Canon EOS R6 vs Nikon Z6

While both cameras have their slight differences in terms of buttons and camera model marking placements, I personally prefer the overall aesthetics of the Canon EOS R6, which looks sleeker than the Nikon Z6. The Nikon Z6 has a slight functional advantage here, thanks to its additional function button to the left of the lens mount.

Next, here is how the two cameras appear from the top:

Canon EOS R6 vs Nikon Z6 Top

Although both cameras have their brand differences, the Canon EOS R6 does not feature a top LCD screen, which the Nikon Z6 does. In my view, this is an advantage for the Z6, because the top LCD can be useful when shooting, as it displays lots of helpful information. It also does not force the photographer to constantly look at the rear LCD screen. Other than this, the two cameras are very similar ergonomically, with deep grips covered with rubber for comfortable hand-holding.

Lastly, let’s take a look at the backs of the cameras:

Canon EOS R6 vs Nikon Z6 Back

The main differences here have to do with different ergonomics specific to each brand. Canon uses a large rotary dial on the back of the camera and a top button-heavy layout, whereas Nikon uses a multi-selector button with an “OK” button in the middle while pushing more buttons to the bottom of the camera. Other than this, you will notice that the Canon EOS R6 has a fully articulating flip-out LCD screen that is slightly smaller in size – 3″ vs 3.2″ on the Nikon Z6. It also has less resolution in comparison.

Overall, both cameras are equally superb in terms of their ergonomics – I cannot say that one has any serious advantages over the other. If you are a Canon shooter, you will feel right at home with the EOS R6, whereas Nikon shooters will likely prefer the ergonomics of the Z6.

Canon EOS R6 vs Nikon Z6 Specifications Comparison

Let’s now take a look at how these two cameras compare in terms of their technical specifications:

Camera FeatureCanon EOS R6Nikon Z6
Sensor Resolution20.1 MP24.5 MP
Low-Pass FilterYesYes
Sensor TypeCMOSBSI CMOS
In-Body Image StabilizationYes, 5-axisYes, 5-axis
Sensor Size36.0 x 24.0mm35.9 x 24.0mm
Image Size5472 x 36486048 x 4024
Pixel Size6.56µ5.92µ
Image ProcessorDIGIC XEXPEED 6
ViewfinderElectronic / EVFElectronic / EVF
Viewfinder Type / ResolutionOLED / 3.69 Million DotsOLED / 3.69 Million Dots
Viewfinder Coverage100%100%
Viewfinder Magnification0.76x0.80x
Built-in FlashNoNo
Flash Sync Speed1/2001/200
Storage Media2x SD UHS II1x XQD / CFexpress
Continuous Shooting Speed M / E12 FPS / 20 FPS12 FPS / 12 FPS
Buffer Capacity (RAW, 14-bit Lossless Compressed)24043
Max Shutter Speed1/80001/8000
Electronic Front-Curtain ShutterYesYes
Exposure Metering Sensor384-Zone MeteringTTL metering using camera image sensor
Base ISOISO 100ISO 100
Native ISO SensitivityISO 100-51,200ISO 100-51,200
Autofocus SystemHybrid PDAFHybrid PDAF
Focus Points1053273
Low-Light Sensitivity-6.5 to 20 EV-3.5 to 19 EV
Video Maximum Resolution4K @ up to 60p, 1080p @ up to 120p4K @ up to 30p, 1080p @ up to 120p
Video Crop1.07x CropFull sensor width
HDMI Out / LOG4:2:2 10-bit HDMI Output / Yes4:2:2 10-bit HDMI Output / Yes
Audio RecordingYesYes
Articulating LCDYes, FullYes, Tilting
TouchscreenYesYes
LCD Size3.0″ Diagonal LCD3.2″ Diagonal LCD
LCD Resolution1,620,000 dots2,100,000 dots
Built-in GPSNoNo
Wi-Fi / Band802.11b/g/n / 2.4 GHz802.11a/ac/b/g/n / 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz
BluetoothYes, 4.2Yes, 4.2
BatteryCanon LP-E6NHEN-EL15b
Battery Life (CIPA)360 shots380 shots
Weather Sealed BodyYesYes
USB VersionType-C 3.1Type-C 3.1
Weight (Camera Body Only)598g585g
Dimensions138 x 97.5 x 88.0mm134 x 100.5 x 67.5mm
MSRP$2,499 (check current price)$1,999 (check current price)

Right off the bat, we can see that the Nikon Z6 has slightly more resolution, thanks to its 24.5 MP sensor vs 20.1 MP on the EOS R6. On the flip side, the Canon EOS R6 is potentially going to have better low-light performance, thanks to having bigger pixels. Those differences could be minimal though, due to the fact that Nikon uses a BSI CMOS sensor, while Canon uses a regular CMOS sensor on the EOS R6.

The big selling points for the EOS R6 are in the dual memory card slots, better low-light sensitivity, and a huge camera buffer. Unfortunately, Nikon decided to go with a single XQD / CFexpress memory card slot, which is not ideal for professional photographers who want to be able to shoot to two different cards for backup purposes. Although I personally find XQD / CFexpress cards to be a lot more reliable than SD cards and I don’t mind a single card slot, it turns out that it is not enough for other photographers. So if that’s important to you, the EOS R6 is clearly a better choice. For shooting action, the EOS R6 is also more preferable than the Nikon Z6, thanks to better low-light sensitivity and a very large buffer that can accommodate 240 images – that’s 20 seconds of continuous shooting! In comparison, the Nikon Z6 can only fit 43 images in its buffer, which slows down the camera in just 3.6 seconds.

Another difference for those who like shooting video content is the ability to shoot 4K content at 60 FPS, which the EOS R6 can do, while the Nikon Z6 is limited to 30 FPS. However, at this time, it is hard to say how big of an advantage this really is, because the EOS R6 might have overheating issues when shooting 4K continuously, which the Nikon Z6 has no problems with.

Other than these, the last remaining difference is the price, which is obviously in favor of the older Nikon Z6. Although the MSRP of the Nikon Z6 is $2K, the camera often goes for sale for $1800 or less, and comes with free accessories like the FTZ adapter. That’s a difference of $700 we are talking about, and even more if you buy the Z6 used. If you are already invested in Canon RF lenses, then this price difference won’t matter to you, but if you are trying to choose a brand new system to invest in and you are considering both systems, you might want to think about it.

Speaking of lenses, that’s another factor worth pointing out. As of today, Canon has already released 17 different Canon RF lenses (including some super-telephoto options), many of which are high-end professional-grade lenses. Nikon, on the other hand, decided to concentrate its efforts on smaller and lighter lenses, and currently has a total of 13 Nikon Z full-frame lenses available, none of which are super-telephoto. Keep in mind that lenses are more important than cameras in the long run, so choose your camera system accordingly. I personally like Nikon’s approach with smaller and lighter f/1.8 primes and I don’t mind waiting, but others might want faster glass now and might not be as patient.

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Filed Under: Cameras and Lenses Tagged With: Nikon Mirrorless, Nikon Z6, Canon Mirrorless, Canon EOS R6

About Nasim Mansurov

Nasim Mansurov is the author and founder of Photography Life, based out of Denver, Colorado. He is recognized as one of the leading educators in the photography industry, conducting workshops, producing educational videos and frequently writing content for Photography Life. You can follow him on Instagram and Facebook. Read more about Nasim here.

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CDozer
CDozer
July 13, 2020 1:15 am

I agree with almost all of this except for the most subjective part and that is the overall design of the cameras. While the newer R cameras are adopting the familiar and softer/bulbous look of a traditional dslr, The Z camera’s more compact, sharper, and wedgier look feels more minimal in a modern and machined way.

I understand that ergonomics will vary but after learning on Nikon film cameras and shooting Canon for over 18 years and then going to Sony for the last 2 years…i can say I just love the functionality and feel of these Z cameras from a design standpoint. To each his own I suppose.

8
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Nasim Mansurov
Nasim Mansurov
Author
Reply to  CDozer
July 19, 2020 7:27 am

Don’t get me wrong, I love Nikon’s ergonomics too. But in terms of overall appearance, I find the Canon EOS R5 and R6 looking a bit more attractive to me. This is obviously very subjective, and something I stated in the article :)

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Kai
Kai
July 12, 2020 5:22 pm

Useful comparison of core features Nasim. I have had the Z6 since it became available, and have never outrun the buffer, even doing sports type photography and shooting RAW + JPEG. For my use cases, I struggle to find much in the Z6 that limits me in my photography. For me, I’m interested to see if the 120fps EVF refresh rate option in the R5/6 makes a difference in real world experience and shooting.

3
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Nasim Mansurov
Nasim Mansurov
Author
Reply to  Kai
July 19, 2020 7:29 am

Kai, I guess it depends on what type of photography you do. For birds and sports photography, a larger buffer is always an advantage – that’s where the Z6 / Z7 cameras are worse in comparison to the new Canon cameras. Still, I personally prefer to have a functioning camera that is busy writing at the end of buffer fill vs freezing of the camera like Sony A7 III does.

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Niko Vita
Niko Vita
July 13, 2020 4:31 am

I think that Z6 is still the better option than R6. It is different with R5 vs Z7 where R5 seems to be better in most respects. However, the price difference there is quite significant too. I am curious how this comparison will look like when the upgraded versions of Z6 and Z7 with the two card slots and other improvements are announced in one or two weeks.

2
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Nasim Mansurov
Nasim Mansurov
Author
Reply to  Niko Vita
July 19, 2020 7:33 am

Niko, I don’t think we will have Z6 and Z7 replacements in two weeks – only the Z5 is coming.

0
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Burghclerebilly
Burghclerebilly
July 14, 2020 2:22 am

Ergonomically the Nikon is naturally superior. The wasted space of Canon’s on-off switch is horrendous and the sloping uneven front view is unacceptable (!). The Z6’s SOOC JPEGs and movie files are superb, as will the R6’s probably. The Z6 RAW dynamic range will almost certainly be slightly better than the Canon’s.

Unfortunately, Nikon made a mistake with the single XQD card, which they are believed to be correcting later this year in the Z6-S. It’s not about the performance of XQD, it’s about the flexibility that SD (and micro-SD) provides when cables / readers aren’t at hand. In the end, these are advanced amateur bodies, they aren’t full time professional bodies. Spending $200 on a memory card is OTT for most people.

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Rogério Peccioli de Queiroz
Rogério Peccioli de Queiroz
July 13, 2020 2:24 pm

Even older I still find the features of the Nikon Z6 impressive compared to the R6. The Nikon Z system has great potential.

1
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Nasim Mansurov
Nasim Mansurov
Author
Reply to  Rogério Peccioli de Queiroz
July 19, 2020 7:30 am

Agreed. Nikon did really well with the Z6 at launch!

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Jeffrey
Jeffrey
Reply to  Nasim Mansurov
August 18, 2020 2:30 am

But the color science of the Nikon camera is really a bit ugly, even though the Nikon z6 is cheaper or a little better in some parameters, the Nikon produces far less tonal images than the Canon, this shortcoming of the Nikon is very fatal, even post-processing is difficult to compare to the Canon.

-2
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Rick
Rick
July 13, 2020 10:29 am

It will be interesting to see how dynamic range compares between the two cameras.

1
Reply
David Gottlieb
David Gottlieb
July 31, 2020 10:50 am

Hi – It is the Focus Points that caught my attention -1053 for the Canon and 273 for the Nikon. I imagine shooting sports or wildlife the Canon would have the advantage. Have to compare them in real life situations though.

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HomoSapiensWannaBe
HomoSapiensWannaBe
July 20, 2020 2:49 pm

Nikon D600 since 2012 with 5 lenses & SB-910. Waiting for 2nd gen. models to assess next move, with probable lower price on B&H Z6 kit, currently at $2447 with FTZ, 24-70, filter bag and 32gb card. Would prefer 24-105(120) instead of 24-70 as “walk around” lens and maybe Nikon will offer that soon. Need fast AF to capture young grandchildren! (D600 is slow.) Canon R6 appeals with 24-105, articulating screen and (probably) faster AF, but sunk cost in Nikon reduces likelihood of brand change. Your move Nikon!

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bjorn
bjorn
July 20, 2020 2:10 pm

Let’s see what the Dynamic range of the Canon sensor is compared to Z6. I use the Z6 (modified to full spectrum) for astro time lapses. And it does a great job. Even the handling of the change in light during sunset to a starry sky is faultless which is extremely difficult.

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Ben
Ben
July 15, 2020 2:32 am

Any diffrence in focus ability?

0
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Nasim Mansurov
Nasim Mansurov
Author
Reply to  Ben
July 19, 2020 7:32 am

Ben, I am sure there will be. Canon has done really well with its Dual Pixel AF, especially for tracking moving subjects. Nikon should try to catch up – still hoping for some newer firmware to improve AF speed with the Z6 and Z7.

0
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