How to Change Settings on Canon EOS 6D Mark II
If you want to get more from the Canon EOS 6D Mark II, the key is knowing where its most important settings live and how they interact.
This guide explains the camera’s core menus, quick controls, and custom options so you can adjust settings confidently in real shooting conditions.
The EOS 6D Mark II combines a traditional Canon DSLR layout with touchscreen controls, making it approachable once you understand the logic behind the menus.
A few targeted changes can improve autofocus, image quality, low-light performance, and overall speed.
Start with the Quick Control screen
The fastest way to change settings on the Canon EOS 6D Mark II is through the Quick Control screen.
Press the Q button on the back of the camera to bring up the main shooting settings, then use the multi-controller, touchscreen, or main dial to move between options.
This screen is useful because it puts the most commonly adjusted items in one place, including:
- Shooting mode
- Shutter speed
- Aperture
- ISO speed
- White balance
- Drive mode
- Autofocus operation
- Metering mode
- Image quality
For many photographers, this is where most day-to-day changes happen.
If you are switching from portraits to action, or from daylight to indoor shooting, the Quick Control screen is usually the quickest route.
Change exposure settings in the shooting modes
Exposure settings depend on the mode dial, so understanding the relationship between mode and control is essential.
In Manual (M), you control shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.
In Aperture Priority (Av), you set aperture and ISO while the camera selects shutter speed.
In Shutter Priority (Tv), you set shutter speed and ISO while the camera selects aperture.
To change these values:
- Turn the top mode dial to select your preferred exposure mode.
- Use the main dial near the shutter button to adjust the selected setting.
- Press the ISO button to change sensitivity, then rotate the dial to choose a value.
- Check the exposure scale in the viewfinder or on the rear screen to confirm your settings.
Auto ISO can be helpful when light changes quickly.
On the EOS 6D Mark II, you can enable Auto ISO and let the camera adapt while you keep control over depth of field or motion blur.
Adjust autofocus settings for sharper results
Autofocus behavior is one of the most important settings on the Canon EOS 6D Mark II, especially because the camera uses a 45-point all cross-type AF system through the viewfinder.
The right autofocus choice depends on whether your subject is still or moving.
Use the Quick Control screen or AF-related menu options to change these settings:
- One-Shot AF for stationary subjects such as portraits, landscapes, or products
- AI Servo AF for moving subjects such as sports, children, or wildlife
- AI Focus AF when you want the camera to switch automatically between still and moving subjects
- AF area selection to choose single-point, zone, or expanded point coverage
If you are learning how to change settings on Canon EOS 6D Mark II for better focus, start with One-Shot AF and a single focus point.
This gives you more control and makes it easier to see how the system behaves before moving to more advanced autofocus modes.
Customize the touchscreen and controls
The EOS 6D Mark II includes a fully articulating touchscreen that can speed up menu navigation and shooting adjustments.
You can tap settings, swipe through images, and use the screen to select focus points in Live View.
To make the camera feel more efficient, review the custom control options in the menu system.
Canon lets you assign certain functions to buttons and controls, which reduces the need to dig through menus.
Useful customizations may include:
- Assigning a preferred function to a custom button
- Changing the behavior of the SET button
- Adjusting what the lens ring or dial does, where applicable
- Choosing whether the touchscreen is active during shooting and playback
These changes are especially valuable if you shoot often and want the camera to match your workflow instead of slowing you down.
Change image quality and file format
Image quality settings affect both file size and flexibility in post-processing.
On the Canon EOS 6D Mark II, you can choose between JPEG, RAW, or RAW+JPEG depending on how much editing latitude you want.
To change image quality, open the Quick Control screen or the relevant shooting menu and select:
- RAW for maximum editing flexibility
- JPEG for smaller files and faster sharing
- RAW+JPEG for both convenience and editing headroom
Also check the resolution and compression options for JPEG files.
If you are photographing travel, events, or family sessions and need faster turnaround, high-quality JPEG may be enough.
If you plan to adjust exposure, color, or white balance later in software such as Adobe Lightroom or Canon Digital Photo Professional, RAW is usually the better choice.
Set white balance for accurate color
White balance helps the camera interpret color temperature correctly.
This is one of the easiest settings to overlook, but it has a strong effect on how natural your photos look.
You can change white balance from the Quick Control screen or in the shooting menu.
Common options include:
- Auto White Balance for general use
- Daylight for outdoor scenes in sun
- Shade for cooler outdoor light
- Tungsten for warm indoor lighting
- Fluorescent for artificial office or store light
- Custom White Balance for precise color matching
Auto White Balance is often good enough, but manual selection can produce more consistent results in mixed or difficult lighting.
If you shoot product photos, events, or portraits under controlled lighting, a custom preset can save editing time later.
Adjust drive mode, metering, and picture style
Three other settings worth changing regularly are drive mode, metering, and picture style.
Each one affects how the camera behaves in a different part of the workflow.
Drive mode
Drive mode controls whether the camera takes one shot at a time or several in sequence.
Use:
- Single shooting for portraits, landscapes, and general photography
- Continuous shooting for action or unpredictable moments
- Self-timer for tripod work, group photos, or long exposures
Metering mode
Metering tells the camera how to measure brightness.
The EOS 6D Mark II offers modes such as evaluative metering, partial metering, spot metering, and center-weighted average.
Evaluative metering is the best starting point for most users, while spot metering is useful for backlit scenes or highly specific exposure needs.
Picture style
Picture Style affects how JPEG images are processed in-camera.
Options such as Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Faithful, and Neutral change contrast, saturation, and sharpness.
If you shoot RAW, the picture style matters less for final editing, but it still helps with previewing the image on the camera display.
Use the menu system for deeper changes
Some settings are not on the Quick Control screen and require the full menu.
Press the Menu button and move between the colored tabs for shooting, playback, setup, and custom functions.
Canon organizes the EOS 6D Mark II menu in a way that makes it easier to separate capture settings from general camera behavior.
Important menu areas include:
- Shooting menus for file quality, exposure-related options, and AF behavior
- Playback menus for image review and display options
- Setup menus for date, language, card formatting, and power settings
- Custom Functions for advanced control behavior
If you want a cleaner workflow, take time to set up the camera once, then save your preferences mentally or in a personal checklist.
That makes it easier to restore your preferred configuration after experimenting with different shooting styles.
Reset settings if the camera behaves unexpectedly?
Sometimes the fastest way to fix confusing behavior is to reset a specific setting or the whole camera.
Canon includes reset options in the setup menus, which can restore default shooting or custom function behavior without affecting everything on the camera.
Before resetting, consider whether the issue is caused by a single setting such as:
- AF mode
- ISO range
- Metering mode
- Drive mode
- Custom button assignment
A full reset is useful when you want a clean starting point, but it should usually be a last step after checking the settings that most often change by accident.
Practical setup tips for common shooting situations
If you are learning how to change settings on Canon EOS 6D Mark II quickly, it helps to build a few simple presets in your head for common use cases.
- Portraits: Av mode, wide aperture, One-Shot AF, single point AF, Auto White Balance
- Sports or action: Tv or M mode, AI Servo AF, continuous drive, faster shutter speed
- Landscapes: Av mode, lower ISO, tripod, evaluative metering, RAW
- Indoor events: Auto ISO, AI Servo or One-Shot depending on subject motion, RAW+JPEG if you need quick sharing
By matching settings to the subject, you reduce the number of adjustments needed during the shoot and improve your chances of getting usable images straight out of the camera.