Canon T6s Performance

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Canon T6s Performance

Timing and Performance

Mixed performance for a consumer DSLR.

Startup/Play to Record
Power on to first shot	~0.9 second	Time it takes to turn on and capture a shot.
Play to Record, first shot	~0.1 second	Time until first shot is captured.

Powering on and taking a shot was fair for a DSLR, at about 0.9 second. Switching from Play to Record mode and taking a shot was a lot faster, at about 0.1 second.

Shutter Response (Lag Time), Optical Viewfinder, 18-135mm IS STM
Full Autofocus Single-point (center) AF	0.089 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture.
Full Autofocus Single-point AF TTL flash enabled	0.358 second	Time to capture while forcing flash to fire. Preflash metering pulses from flash often slow shutter response.
Manual Focus	0.105 second	For most cameras, shutter lag is less in manual focus than autofocus, but usually not as fast as when the camera is "prefocused".
Prefocused	0.074 second	Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.
Shutter Response (Lag Time), Live View, 18-135mm IS STM
Prefocused Live View	0.074 second	Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.

In terms of the Canon T6s's ability to determine that it's properly focused when shooting the same target multiple times using the optical viewfinder and the 18-135mm IS STM kit lens, its full autofocus shutter response was very fast for a consumer DSLR. We measured only 0.089 second for full AF lag using single point (center) AF, which is close to pro DSLR speeds. Enabling the flash added considerable delay for the pre-flash metering, though, resulting in a capture lag of about 0.36 second.

Shutter lag with manual focus was good at 0.105 second. "Prefocusing" the camera by half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure resulted in a lag time of only 0.074 second, also good for a DSLR.

The Canon T6s's prefocused shutter lag time in Live View mode was identical to the result we got using the optical viewfinder, which is excellent. Note that we no longer test full AF lag in Live View mode for DSLRs, because the lens used makes such a huge difference that comparing is pointless. We'll try to comment on real-world Live View AF performance in our field tests.

To minimize the effect of different lens' focusing speed, we test AF-active shutter lag with the lens already set to the correct focal distance.

Cycle Time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode Large/Fine JPEG	< 0.3 second	Time per shot, averaged over a few frames.
Single Shot mode RAW + L/F JPEG	< 0.3 second	Time per shot, averaged over a few frames.
Early shutter penalty?	No	Some cameras don't snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer.
Continuous mode Large/Fine JPEG	0.21 second (4.81 frames per second); 50+ frames total; 2 seconds to clear*	Time per shot, averaged over 50 shots with no signs of slowing.
Continuous mode RAW	0.21 second (4.81 frames per second); 6 frames total; 4 seconds to clear*	Time per shot, averaged over 6 shot buffer capacity, then slowed to an average of 0.72s or 1.40fps when buffer was full.
Continuous mode RAW + Large/Fine JPEG	0.21 second (4.81 frames per second); 6 frames total; 6 seconds to clear*	Time per shot, averaged over 6 shot buffer capacity, then slowed to an average of 1.02s or 0.98fps when buffer was full.
Flash recycling	3.2 seconds	Flash at maximum output.
*Note: Buffer clearing times measured with a SanDisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s UHS-I SDHC card. Slower cards will produce correspondingly slower clearing times. Slow cards may also limit length of bursts in continuous mode. ISO sensitivity and noise reduction settings can also affect cycle times and burst mode performance.

Single-shot cycle times were so fast that they were difficult to accurately measure as they depend on the tester's nimbleness and ability to maintain an optimum rhythm. (Note that we no longer test single-shot mode with just RAW files, as the results are usually somewhere in between JPEG and RAW+JPEG modes.)

Full-resolution continuous mode speeds were fair given the class and resolution, at about 4.8 frames-per-second, no matter the file type. That's about average for a consumer-level 24-megapixel APS-C DSLR.

Buffer depth for best quality JPEGs was excellent at well over 50 frames with no signs of slowing (Canon claims up to 940 Large/Fine JPEGs in a burst with a UHS-I card). When shooting RAW files, however, buffer depths were quite shallow at only 6 frames with or without JPEGs. Shallow buffers when shooting RAW files isn't uncommon for its class, though.

Buffer clearing times were quite good considering the resolution with our fast UHS-I card, ranging from 2 seconds after 50 best quality JPEGs, to 6 seconds after a burst of RAW+JPEG frames.

The Canon T6s's flash took an average of 3.2 seconds to recharge after a full-power discharge, which is good.

Bottom line, the Canon T6s offers mixed performance, ranging from mediocre burst speeds with shallow RAW buffers to excellent single-point AF speed for its class. Overall. though, good performance for a consumer DSLR.

Battery

Battery Life
Below average battery life for consumer DSLR.

Operating Mode	Number of Shots
Still Capture, (CIPA standard, Optical Viewfinder)	440
Still Capture, (CIPA standard, Live View LCD)	180

The Canon T6s uses a custom LP-E17 rechargeable lithium-ion battery for power, and ships with a dedicated battery charger. Battery life is below average for a DSLR using the optical viewfinder, rated at only 440 shots with 50% using flash, and of course Live View mode draws more power reducing battery life considerably. We recommend you pick up a spare battery and keep it freshly charged and on-hand, or consider purchasing the BG-E18 battery grip which doubles battery life with a second battery installed.

The table above shows the number of shots the Canon T6s is capable of (on a fully-charged rechargeable battery), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))