Free Downloads: I’ve made a few simple ebooks that go deeper into topics like lighting, composition, editing and more. You can grab any of them here:https://www.martincastein.com/free-things
They're free, helpful, and made for photographers like you.

I owned at least one Canon 6D for several years and often two for shooting events.  I moved on to mirrorless and sold my last one not long ago along with most of my EF lenses.  Didn’t last long!  First I bought a 5Diii because I have never owned one before. I am still buying EF lenses.  I tried the 24-105mm but didn’t like it and decided to go back to the 24-70mm f/4 I used to own. I found one in Japan via eBay that looked great and then I found a kit with a 6D and 24-70mm combined for only about $275 more than the lens alone. All in pristine condition.  Got it on Thursday about midday and used it for a small job at 2:30pm that afternoon.  Very happy to be back.

One camera, one lens. EOS 6D Mark 1, EF 35mm F2 IS USM. Always perfect colors. The camera I would rescue from a burning house.

Like I mentioned in another comment, I'm just rocking a 40mm f/2.8 STM on my Canon 6D. The whole setup fits in a waist bag, which makes it perfect for bike trips. You're totally right, this lens is an absolute gem. Cheers!

I managed to pick up a "non-working" Canon 6D Mark 1 for a little over $130 a few days ago. Turns out it just needed a new battery. I am now absolutely in love with the camera and I bring it wherever I go. I absolutely love it with the Canon 50/1.8 that I got for cheap

6d I and 6d II with the 40mm f2.8 and 85mm f1.8. Mix and match the lenses and bodies and everything’s golden.

Hi....great stuff !  I am an older photographer who happens to have a 5D mk 11, with 3 really high quality glass.....the best in fact.  This is a short message to say that you are best photographic channel on YouTube.  A few channels approach your channel in quality, but you remain the best.  And this is because of your overall cerebral focus which explains so many of my questions so well......but you always take your viewers back to the basics.....lighting, composition, mood, atmosphere,......& what's great is that we all know that you also understand the technical stuff backwards....but don't choose to major on this aspect.

One camera, one lens. Canon 6d with 40mm f2.8 pancake. That's all I've had since I got back to photography 2 years ago, it's my first digital camera. Prior to that I had a Pentacon 6, I think it was, about 20yrs ago.

I recently upgraded to R6 mark ii for better AF and while i love it , my love for 6d has not reduced a bit . Its so close to my heart that i don't think she is going anywhere any time soon . I have my 50mm f1.8 stuck to her and went for a walk yesterday and it keeps reminding me what beautiful canon color science is embedded into this beast .

I have a Canon 6D mk I that I bought for $250 in March 2025.  The purchase was motivated mostly by Martin Castein in his previous videos talking about the 6D.  The body was in good working order with a shutter count of 20,000 when I bought it. The very first image I took was a snapshot of my bare feet as I was lounging on my bed, getting to know how this thing works. I was stunned by how beautiful my feet looked.  If this camera can do that much for my bare feet, think what it will do for everything else you might want to photograph!  All the lenses I have bought were in the 100 to 125 dollar range.  All EF (and none of them L lenses.)  EF 50mm f/1.4 is my only prime and yes, I like it, especially in low light.  I have had a lot of fun with the EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM for both long range and macro shots.  It only focuses to a minimum of 1.5 meters, but I crank it to 300 and still get some great detail without a tripod because the image stabilization works well.  The only drawback is it is a long lens and is bulky to carry around.  Last month I got an EF 28-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS.  I had to fit a silicon bracelet on the lens to keep the zoom from flopping in and out, but I have been using it to cover the main focal lengths from 28 to 135mm to see what I might like if I was to get another prime.  Thank you, Martin, for bringing this camera to my attention!  It has been a lot of fun and there is a lot more to learn and experience with this camera.

Had my 6D since 2014. My aging bones demanded I get a lighter system so I went for the R8 with the ‘slow’ 24-105 kit and an EF/RF adapter. Great in bright light but despite the amazing AF there’s something missing. I think it’s called a soul!  Good job I refused to part with the 6D and my 24-105 f4 L , 70-200 f4L & the amazing 35 f2 IS. Good to know there other like-minded people out there.Thanks Martin for the videos which I find very interesting and informative.

6D + 40 2.8 is a killer combo.

Absolutely agree. My images look no better now than they did 10 years ago. I've owned 100's of cameras and lenses from all brands. Even pixel peeping images look 90% as good as today's latest. The only thing that has come on leaps and bounds is autofocus. BUT I could still get all the action I wanted with older cameras. It's all very stale now and with todays extortionate prices, no wonder people are going back to bargain DSLR's! You are the voice of sense and reality on YouTube, also your images are the best on Youtube!

I acquired a used 6D and added a 24-70mm L when I was a reporter, and the combo made me feel unbeatable. Later I added a battery grip and the 70-200mm L, and the experience was even better. Stripped down with no battery grip and a 50mm 1.4, it’s a sporty little street photography machine. It’s a joy to use for all the reasons you mention. I’ll never part with mine!

My 6D shares the bag with EF40/2.8STM, EF50/1.8STM, EF28/1.8USM, EF100/2USM and the mighty Sigma 150/2.8 APO Macro. I love shooting close-ups and macro with all those lenses. 50mm and 40mm work really well with extension tubes.
I've shot landscapes with each lens and the 28mm is probably not my "go-to" choice for that. It's not sharp at long focus distances. But it can be pretty spectacular for pets and portraits. The bokeh it produces is unpredictably wild, beautiful and retro looking. All these lenses work well for portraits, obviously. My top3 would be 50, 28 and 100.
Travel and hiking with minimum gear - the 40mm pancake, of course. The 6D+40 combo is quite compact, fits in a tiny bag or a big pocket. The trick is that this tiny little lens is very good optically when stopped down and it works brilliantly for stitching panoramas. A few vertical shots can give me 20mm angle, or 16mm, or .. as wide as I need, no restrictions here.
The 100/2 is just a better, sharper version of the famous EF85/1.8USM. It's almost like the EF135/2L, only smaller, cheaper and with occasional purple fringing when the light is not very good. Great optics!
Sigma 150/2.8 APO Macro - insane value. It spits out beauty no matter what, every time. Great for everything I do. Sometimes even astro and wildlife.
The 6D is a remarkable camera. There's definitely something magically pleasing about the pictures it produces. Plus, the simplicity, of course. I think that our impressions are similar.

6D has some magic built into it. I'm a pretty stout Nikon shooter but the one Canon I can make time for is the 6D. It's very easy to get something I'm happy with without a lot of messing around. In regards to specs not mattering, I came to that realisation when I bought a Canon 30d for £18 and it produced some of the best colours I've ever seen.

Every time I pick up my 6D I remember why I still love it.   It fits me like a glove and the images are just so nice, the nicest straight out of camera of any camera I owned.
I confess that I recently bought a Canon R6 Mk2 (because I just wanted reliable eye-tracking auto-focus for portrait stuff, so I can step back, talk with the clients, and trust the camera to keep focus).  
I have a shoot tomorrow and my 6D will be in my bag as a backup, or maybe a 2nd shooter, with the 85mm f/1.8.  (The 6D + Canon 85mm f/1.8 is a MAGICAL portrait setup).

The 6D might be the best cameras ever made. I remember in 2014 I had the opportunity to buy this camera with a 70-200mm f2.8 IS II L for $2800 CAD but after a quick YouTube search people were like "its not very good as it has bad focus points" but as a buyer and reseller I have had 6 6D's since 2019 and honestly its my favorite after only the 5DMKIV! Its an amazing camera that my last 6D I have bought I wont sell. Not only is it not worth the $350 I can get for it but it is a joy to use. I regret always I did not go for that 2014 deal. I love this camera like the Original 5D.

Again,  you keep going back to the 'stuff' that you find singularly important... the composition and lighting. I agree. Those are what make a photograph. The "masters" from pre-digital were focused on composition, lighting, and focus. They didn't worry about anything else, cos there wasn't anything else. Tis the essence and the mechanics of photography as an artform. So, kudoes and all my love. I now bow, ooops, and fall over, in your general direction. Thank you, Mr Castein.

Great Video! Last year I bought the 6d, because of your Videos. Paired with a 50mm f1.8 stm and two nikkor primes I found in the basement and adapted (28mm f2.8 ai s and 105mm f2.5 ai) I couldn't be happier. Even tough there is some fungus and the focus ring doesn't turn really smooth anymore the 28mm is still a joy to use and produces tack sharp images. Without all the bells and whistles of modern mirrorless cameras I can just focus on the photography itself, just like you mentioned in the Video. Your Videos are also a joy to watch, because you focus on photography itself rather than just camera tech.