Railfan Technology > Opinions on Canon R6 or other full-frame cameras for railfanning

I'm deviating from the railfan radio reviewing for moment (quick update on that--I've seen nothing new of interest since the analog/NXDN/DMR-capable Anytone D890UV and its BTech and its DA-7X2 "cousin" dual-band portable radios came out;  I'm still testing the former, with mixed results and some issues yet to be resolved) to ask folks' opinion on the full-frame Canon R6 for railfanning photography and video.  I have a Canon 7D that I've used for years, but I could use the full-frame R6 for purposes beyond railfanning, and it still can use (with an adapter) some nice Canon glass that I already own.  For my purposes, I don't need to get into the $5K full-frame camera class, so the R6 comes up as a possible choice fo me.  Thoughts?  Thanks.

The R6 mk ii is a fabulous camera but it's purely my opinion that full frame is arguably overkill for railroad photography. Others will have alternative opinions i'm sure, and it depends on the type of photography you do...
Full frame image quality might be appropriate if you're into a lot of low light work.... but if you're not into that then aps-c will give your glass better zoom reach and will be more compact and cheaper. Also, if you mainly photograph in good light image quality will still be fantastic. 

Canon are due upgrades to the R7 and R8 aps-c cameras sometime soon.... 

In case you're not aware, dpreview.com is a great website for camera info.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/26 14:20 by exhaustED.

^As I noted, I have a Canon 7D that does most all of my railfan photography just fine.  I plan on keeping it.  I also dabble in storm and lightning photography and video--the R6 (or similar full frame camera) would be used primarily for that.  I'm not in a hurry to buy another camera--the storm photography season is pretty much over for me until next spring.  I would think that the R6 will do what I need to do in railfan photography, as well.  That versatility could be nice--sometimes, my train and storm photography travels and expeditions overlap.

Yes i think you'd be very happy with the R^, it gets fantastic reviews and is arguably the best digital slr at that price point.

I retired my Canon 5D MkII and a T-6 with a R and R-7 crop sensor I mainly use the crop sensor R7 for may aviation photography. I'm using the R for railroad and other rphotography.. The R6 has a lot of features the R doesn't but I bought just before the R6 came out. There's a number of reviews on You Tube of the R5 and later variants, R6 and later variants as well as the R and someother models. It may not hurt to invest some time to watch the videos to see what may fit your particular needs. Overall I think you'll like whichever mirrorless you get. I didn't replace my EF lenses I used on the older cameras but just put adapters on each body and I've very good luck using my older lenses. I think you'll find any of the new mirrorless bodies very good for low light shoooting as well. Good hunting! 

James Nelson
Thornton, CO
www.flickr.com/mojaveflyer



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/21/26 17:20 by mojaveflyer.

Appreciate all the radio reviews of yours that I've read over the years.  

I had somewhat of a simlar situation a few years back.  I had a Canon T1i as an introduction to digital after 50 years of film.  Technology advanced past it pretty quickly.  I moved up to the full frame 6D but still had the T1i for a  backup and occasional telephoto use. Wanting to have 2 bodies and upgrade my telephoto body, I considered the 7D or another 6D but ended up with the newly released R6 mk i.  I've been very happy with it; happy enough that now I'd like to be mirrorless only and replace the 6D.  Mirrorless takes some getting used to, primarily the electronic viewfinder. Being able to use your old Canon lenses is a big plus for the R6.  They seem to work better on the newer bodies than they did on the DSLR's.  As already mentioned, most of these cameras are overkill for the majority of railfan photos.  Any of the newer cameras will do a great job.    The autofocus and low light performance are where they shine. For me the speed and high ISO performance makes using the mirrorless more fun.  If you think you'd dabble in extreme conditions or push the camera's limits in other ways, or just like using new stuff, you'll be impressed with any version of the R6. Having good high ISO performance is mind blowing for someone who grew up wtih 25 speed Kodachrome.  I'm sure the anticipated R7 mkii will also be impressive if you want to wait until early 2027.  

Dave Beach
Independence, OH 

^Thank you all for advice on cameras.  I also much appreciate the comment about my radio reviews and information.  As I noted, I have not posted any radio reviews of late because I haven't found any radio that warrants one.  As I noted, I really want to like the Anytone D890UV, but its firmware and software are just not up to prime time yet.  For now, it stays off of my recommended list.