By JASON LIOH
alltherage@thestar.com.my

MY trusty five-year-old Canon EOS 40D died on me two months ago. After much consideration (read: budget constrain), I finally got a Canon EOS 6D to replace my work horse.

The camera is equipped with a 20.2 megapixel full frame (35.8*23.9mm) CMOS sensor, DIGIC 5+ image processor, ISO range of 100 to 25600, 4.5 frames per second continuous shooting, 1080p video recording, 11 point AF (Auto Focus) system, 1040K 3.2” LCD screen, built in Wi-Fi and GPS and a whole long list of amazing features.

My 24mm wide angle on a full frame gives me more space to work with as opposed to a 38.2mm on a APS-C camera.

I didn’t pay much attention to the features when I was doing my research, but after reading the manual, playing with it and taking it out for a walk, I was amazed.

First things first, a full frame (35.8*23.9mm) camera is now a lot more affordable. Five years ago, a full frame camera would cost you about RM8,000 or more and only professional photographers would consider buying them. These days, a full frame camera like the Canon EOS 6D or Nikon D600 is only about RM6,000.

Bokeh aka blurred background at F4 is now more evident (and possible) on a full frame camera than a APS-C camera.

My 40D has an ISO range between 100 and 3200 and I would not go beyond 1250 unless I have no choice. My new 6D is now capable of going up to 102400, a whopping 32 times of my previous camera’s maximum ISO value. I have yet to push the 6D to its maximum potential, but looking at the images shot at ISO3200, I am sold.

There are a few cameras in the market that come with built-in Wi-Fi and GPS. One can now post photos to social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram via the camera itself as long as you have a hotspot to connect to. While the 6D is not ready to do just that yet, one can connect to the camera via its Wi-Fi and copy the photos to a computer or a smartphone wirelessly.

The ceiling of Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur has very interesting combination of colors.

For iOS and Android users, there is an app that allows you to control your camera wirelessly and take a photo via your smartphone. The lens aberration correction feature is one of the features not found in my old camera.

The camera will detect the lens attached to its body and automatically makes adjustment to the images by compensating the lens’ technical flaws (such as peripheral illumination and chromatic aberration) and present users with a less technically flawed photo.
Also, you can now edit RAW images in-camera and export ready-to-use images. I no longer have to spend an additional 10 minutes fine-tuning my RAW images in Adobe Photoshop.

Back in the old days, I needed a RM20 spirit level to ensure my landscape photos are perfectly straight when shooting on a tripod. To my surprise, there is a built in single axis electronic level in my 6D. It would beep and turn green when the camera is perfectly aligned to the horizon.

Sri Maha Mariamman Temple along Jalan Tun HS Lee in Kuala Lumpur on a cloudy morning, shot using 6D.

These are just some of the newer features that were not found in my old camera.
My new camera can now shoot 1080p full high definition video, has a beautiful 3” LCD screen that has 104K dots, has +-5EV (exposure compensation), HDMI output, can now control my speedlite wirelessly through radio frequency and many other new features that I never thought possible five years ago.

However, I am not sure if it is a good thing for newcomers as they might not see the need to understand the technical aspects of photography any more.

A devotee lighting his incense at a temple near Petaling Street in KL.

What have I missed over the last five years? A lot, but I do not regret not upgrading my camera sooner as my old camera, while technologically lagging, trained and pushed me to find ways to overcome its shortcomings and understand photography better.

Jason Lioh is ecstatic about his new camera and can’t wait to take it out for a photo walk again. Follow him on Twitter @jasonlioh.