U.S. holds off expanding laptop flight ban, but increases security measures

Why it matters to you

If you’re flying to the U.S. you’re likely to face more security checks, though the good news is the unpopular laptop ban hasn’t been expanded.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced plans for stricter security checks for passengers flying into the U.S.

Recent news reports suggested the DHS would expand an existing ban preventing passengers on certain Middle Eastern and African airlines from taking laptops and other electronic devices into the cabin, but for the time being at least, this won’t happen.

Instead, new security measures affecting 325,000 airline passengers coming to the U.S. daily from 280 international airports will be put in place in July.

Announced by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly on Wednesday, the “seen and unseen” procedures will include “enhanced screening of electronic devices, more thorough passenger vetting, and new measures designed to mitigate the potential threat of insider attacks.”

Kelly said officials will also work to encourage carriers and airports around the world “to adopt more sophisticated screening approaches,” including more effective use of explosive detection dogs and advanced checkpoint screening technology.

Finally, the DHS also plans to set up more so-called “preclearance locations” where U.S. officials work at overseas airports carrying out passenger checks for U.S.-bound flights, a system that Kelly said enhances security while also increasing efficiency by allowing international travelers to go through customs and border security screening before stepping on the plane.

“We cannot play international whack-a-mole with each new threat,” Kelly said on Wednesday. “Instead, we must put in place new measures across the board to keep the traveling public safe and make it harder for terrorists to succeed.”

The DHS’s decision not to expand the ban on taking large electronic items into the cabin will come as a relief not only to passengers, but also to airlines, many of which feared serious disruption to boarding procedures. While the new rules could still result in longer-than-usual screening time of passengers’ belongings, the procedures should nevertheless be more amenable to both travelers and airlines.

The enhanced checks come as “terrorist groups continue to target passenger aircraft,” the DHS said in a release. “We have seen a ‘spider web’ of threats to commercial aviation as terrorist pursue new attack methods. Based on these concerns, the DHS is working to raise the baseline of global aviation security to keep the traveling public safe, in coordination with our international partners.”

Elon Musk’s boring update suggests drilling work is well and truly under way

Why it matters to you

If you live in LA and you’re fed up with the traffic, then hang in there and Elon might be able to help you out.

Elon Musk hit Twitter on Wednesday to give us a boring update.

The billionaire entrepreneur said The Boring Company had finished drilling the first segment of tunnel beneath Los Angeles, heralding a successful start to his company’s bold mission to drill a vast network of tunnels criss-crossing the city in a bid to ease traffic congestion at street level.

The drill that got the work done is called Godot, named by Musk himself so he could one day double down on his word play efforts by tweeting that drilling had started and so he was no longer Waiting For Godot. Which is exactly what he did on Wednesday.

No longer waiting for Godot. It has begun boring and just completed the first segment of tunnel in LA.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 28, 2017

Musk — yes, this is the same guy behind the even more extraordinary Hyperloop high-speed transportation system — is yet to confirm the precise location of the new tunnel, but it’s certainly exciting to hear that The Boring Company is making real progress with the ambitious plan he first hinted at in 2016.

We know he’s already done a spot of test drilling beneath his SpaceX headquarters — oh yes, he’s also behind that stunning rocket system that can land boosters back on Earth in one piece — in Hawthorne, California, but it seems Godot’s debut drilling work could have taken place somewhere between Los Angeles international airport and Sherman Oaks some 14 miles to the north, which Musk recently said would be the site of the first tunnel.

If that’s the case, then the meeting he had earlier this month with L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti about the project must have gone far better than he let on, as at the time Musk only said they’d had “promising conversations.” He said of the same meeting that “permits [are] harder than technology.”

Underground exploits

Musk has been delighting followers of his subterranean adventures by posting various videos — including the one above — showing how the system could work.

Cars would be able to reach a myriad of locations around the city by traveling underground at speeds of 125 mph. No, the driver wouldn’t be in their seat flooring the gas while trying to avoid scraping along the tunnel walls; instead, the vehicle and its occupants would be lowered gently from street level onto an electric sled that carries it along a fixed track at great speed. Cyclists and pedestrians could also use the system by stepping into large pods available for public use.

What do you think? Is this really going to happen or will regulations and costs ensure the plan eventually gets, as Elon himself might well be tempted to say, buried?

What is Amazon Prime and what do you get for your money?

Amazon Prime launched in 2007 in the UK and two-years earlier in the US. It’s now available in multiple countries around the world and millions of members have signed up to receive a swathe of benefits.

However, it can be a little confusing as to what it actually offers. There’s actually so many small deals and services attached to Prime membership that even if you are a subscriber already, you might not realise what you get.

That’s why we’ve put together this explainer, to give newcomers and existing members the rundown of what Amazon Prime has to offer.

What is Amazon Prime?

Amazon Prime is a paid membership that, for an annual or monthly fee, gives access to a number of Amazon services and enhancements.

It is available at Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com or from most of the other local Amazon websites around the globe.

How much does Amazon Prime cost?

In the UK, Amazon Prime membership usually costs either £7.99 a month or £79 a year – with the latter clearly making more economic sense although you do have to find the money up front.

At present though, until 3 July 2017 at least, new members can sign up for just £59, which makes even more economic sense. You can see the offer here.

Alternatively, you can also subscribe to Prime Video exclusively for £5.99 a month. That’s if you don’t want the other Prime benefits. Prime Video is included in the other Prime membership fees.

In the US, Amazon Prime membership costs $10.99 a month or $99 a year. A Prime Video only account costs $8.99 a month.

In both regions, you can try Prime membership for free for the first 30-days. If you cancel within that time, it doesn’t cost you a penny. You will be charged after the 30 days are up if you don’t cancel, however.

• Try it for 30-days for free on Amazon.co.uk here
• Try it for 30-days for free on Amazon.com here

What do you get with Amazon Prime membership?

Amazon Prime membership covers several key services, which come at no extra cost.

Unlimited one-day and same-day delivery

Prime was originally devised to offer free one-day delivery on millions of eligible items across all categories on Amazon’s online store. Order an item tagged as Prime and you will get it the next day – even on Sundays.

In some cases this includes same-day delivery, with postcodes and zipcodes in and around many major cities across the UK and US covered by Amazon’s same-day delivery scheme.

Amazon

Prime Now

Access to Amazon’s Prime Now service even means you can have an item delivered for free within two-hours. This includes thousands of “best of Amazon” items and even groceries.

You can also get one-hour deliveries if you pay an additional £6.99 or $7.99 per delivery.

It’s only available in certain locations for now, including London, Liverpool and Manchester in the UK, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles in the States.

Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video is the company’s alternative to Netflix. It offers thousands of TV shows, documentaries and movies to stream to multiple devices, without having to pay anything extra.

This includes blockbuster movies, such as American Sniper, The Hateful Eight, Edge of Tomorrow and Interstellar. It also includes TV series, including exclusives made by Amazon itself – as part of the Amazon Originals line-up – or licensed by the company.

Amazon

In the UK, this includes Mr Robot, The Man in the High Castle and Preacher. The Grand Tour, starring Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, is an Amazon Original and therefore only available on Prime Video.

As detailed above, you can also subscribe to Amazon Prime Video on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com for £5.99 or $8.99 a month respectively without any of the other Prime benefits, but considering it only costs £2/$2 a month more for full Prime membership (less if you pay annually) it seems a waste.

• How to watch Amazon Video on your Android phone or tablet
• How to watch Amazon Prime Video on TV: Your complete guide

Prime Music and Amazon Music Unlimited

Prime Music offers more than two million music tracks to listen to on demand, streamed over the internet to any one of multiple devices. It is included with a Prime subscription, but you can also choose to pay extra (£7.99 a month, £79 a year for Prime members in the UK, $7.99/$79 in the US)  for a Music Unlimited pass to expand the music choice to more than 40 million tracks.

Music Unlimited costs more for non-Prime members.

It also offers a 30-day free trial.

• Subscribe to Music Unlimited on Amazon.co.uk here
• Subscribe to Music Unlimited on Amazon.com here

Prime Reading

You can read over a thousand books, magazines, comics and more with Prime Reading. It works with any of the Kindle apps for multiple devices, or on Kindle eBook readers. You just need to find content supported for Prime Reading and read it as part of your overall Prime membership.

In the US, some books with Audible narration are supported too.

Audible original audio series can also be listened to with an American Prime membership. That service is yet to come to the UK.

Twitch Prime

After Amazon bought videogames video streaming service Twitch it added some benefits for Prime subscribers. Discounts on games, additional in-game content and ad-free viewing of Twitch streams are on offer. You can also subscribe to your favourite Twitch channel at no extra cost.

Prime Photos

As part of your membership, you get unlimited photo storage on Amazon Drive – the retailer’s cloud service. That means you can upload and keep a copy of every photo on your desktop PC, Mac or mobile device. There are apps for both iOS and Android. You can even set them up to automatically upload your pictures as you take them, ensuring you never lose an image, even if you phone is lost or stolen.

Early access to Lightning Deals

All year round, Amazon runs a sales and deals section of its website called Lightning Deals, which offers big bargains on products for a limited time. There is a finite amount of stock on offer for each item and when they have all been bought, the deal is over.

Prime membership means you get a 30-minute heads-up on all deals before non-members can also purchase them, so you get the chance to snaffle them first. This is especially attractive during big sales periods, such as during the build-up to Black Friday each year.

• Search for Lightning Deals on Amazon.co.uk here
• Search for Lightning Deals on Amazon.com here

Amazon Family

With a Prime membership, you can also sign up to Amazon Family, which gives you other benefits, such as 20 per cent off nappies when ordered with Amazon’s Subscribe & Save scheme.

Create an Amazon Household and you can also share your Prime benefits with one other adult. You can also manage digital content and parental controls for kids services, such as Kindle for Kids or Fire for Kids.

Pocket-lint

Fire for Kids Unlimited

While it’s not an included benefit, Fire for Kids Unlimited is a no-add subscription service that works across Amazon Fire Tablets and is much cheaper for Prime members. It’s also known as Amazon FreeTime Unlimited in the US.

It costs £1.99 ($2.99) a month for access for one child, £4.99 ($6.99) for up to four children. The usual price for non-Prime members is £3.99 ($4.99) and £7.99 ($9.99) a month respectively.

US parents can also subscribe for a yearly fee of $83 for Prime members, $119 for non-members. That gives access for up to four children.

Fire for Kids Unlimited / Amazon FreeTime Unlimited includes access to a large, curated selection of age-appropriate eBooks, TV shows, movies, games and educational apps.

Amazon Prime Day 2017 detailed, save £20 on full Prime membership today

Amazon has announced its third annual Prime day will be on Tuesday 11 July 2017 this year.

It is expected to have some amazing deals from the evening of 10 July all the way through to the end of Amazon Prime day.

In preparation, Amazon Prime membership has been discounted by a whopping £20, from £79 to £59 for a whole year’s membership. New customers can sign up at the lower price until 3 July 2017.

• See all the benefits of signing up to Amazon Prime
• £20 discount on Amazon Prime
• Sign up to a free 1 month trial to Amazon prime to take advantage of Prime deals – cancel anytime

This year marks a change in Amazon’s approach to Prime day as it the deals will begin six hours earlier on Monday 10 July. New deals will then appear every 5 minutes.

Amazon claims that nearly 40 per cent of its deals will be coming from small businesses and entrepreneurs, with hundreds of thousands of bargains over a 30 hour period.

Amazon has confirmed some of the deals that will be coming over the next few weeks:

• Amazon Music Unlimited: Prime members who haven’t yet tried Amazon Music Unlimited can get the best deal in its short history: four months of the full catalogue on-demand service with access to 40 million songs, for just £0.99.
• Amazon Video: From 7-11 July, Prime members will have the chance to win £100,000 in cash just by streaming Amazon Video on their TV via Fire TV, Fire TV Stick or the app on one of the many supported Smart TVs and game consoles.
• Kindle Unlimited: Prime members can save up to 40 per cent on a Kindle Unlimited membership. Enjoy unlimited reading from over one million titles on any device.
• Everyday Essentials: Prime members can save up to 25 per cent off with onsite vouchers on select food and household items in Prime Pantry from 3 July until 6 August.

All deals will be offered to Prime members exclusively and they will be available globally.

Prime Day has expanded to 13 countries this year, with China, India and Mexico joining the US, UK, Spain, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Canada, Belgium and Austria.

Pocket-lint UK deals of the day: 4 months Amazon music for 99p

Welcome to Pocket-lint deals of the day were we scour the internet to find you the very best deals that are available in the UK today.

We will be regularly updating this page, so bookmark it and check back regularly to make sure you don’t miss out on some of the best tech deals online.

• Amazon Prime for £59 – save £20 today
• Sign up for a 1 month free trial to Amazon Prime – cancel anytime
• Amazon Prime Music membership – 4 months for 99p
• Blink Home Security Camera – £70.00 with same day dispatch for Prime members.
• Hozelock Starter Hose Set 15m – £9.99 exclusive for Prime members.
• MICROSOFT Xbox One S, FIFA 17 & Wireless Controller Bundle – £199.99 on Currys with code XBOX20.
• A Song of Ice and Fire, 7 Volumes (Game of Thrones) – £23.99 on Amazon today.
• Qi Wireless Fast Charger for Samsung Galaxy S8/S8 Plus – £6.99 on Amazon.
• AGM Latest 2nd Generation Micro USB Magnetic Adapter Charger Charging Cable – £4.99 on Amazon.

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Tech and Gadgets

• AMD Ryzen 5 1600 Desktop CPU – £188.99 on Amazon.
• PANASONIC HC-VX870EB-K 4k Ultra HD Camcorder – Black – £399.00 on Currys.
• Toshiba Exceria 128GB Micro SD Memory Card – £37.89 on Amazon.
• Plextor 256GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Solid State Drive – £63.99 on Amazon.
• HP Pavilion 14-al118na Laptop, Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, NVIDIA 940MX, 14″ Full HD – £599.95 on John Lewis.
• NeeGo Raspberry Pi 3 Kit – reduced from £100 on Amazon today to £39.99.
• Oral-B Smart Series 4000 Electric Rechargeable Toothbrush – £39.99 on Amazon.
• Asus RT-N12E N300 Eco Series Wireless Router – £9.99 on eBuyer.
• Pebble 14 mm Time Round Smartwatch – Silver/Red – £59.98 on Amazon.
• Logitech MX Anywhere 2 Mouse is reduced on Amazon today from £69.99 to £36.99. 
• HP Pavilion x360 15-bk150sa 15.6-inch 2 in 1 – Silver laptop is £499.00, saving you £150 off on Currys.
• Microsoft Universal Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard is £32.99 today reduced from £99.99 on Amazon.

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Phones

• OnePlus 5 128GB available now at O2.
• Motorola Moto G5 16GB – £164.99 on Amazon.
• Huawei Honor 5C – £124.95 on Argos.
• iPhone 7 32GB Black with 2GB data – £135.00 upfront, £22.99 per month, £686.76 total cost over 2 years at Mobiles
• Google Pixel 32GB Black with 5GB data – £25.00 upfront cost £27.99 per month £696.76 total cost over 2 years at Mobiles
• Diamond X 4G Andorid 6.0 – £75.68 on Amazon.
• Huawei Honor 5C – £124.95 on Argos.
• Apple iPhone 7 256GB in red – £799.00 on John Lewis.
• Bush Spira D3 – £99.95 on Argos.

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Games

• Horizon Zero Dawn – £26.86 on ShopTo.
• Super Nintendo Entertainment System Classic Edition – £79.99 on Amazon.
• Rayman Legend Definitive Edition (Nintendo Switch) – £29.99 on Amazon.
• Prey (PS4) – £22.93 on Amazon.
• Xbox Live 3 Month Gold Membership and Rocket League for free – £14.99 on Amazon.
• Sony PlayStation VR – £315.00 on Amazon.
• Mortal Kombat XL (PS4) – £13.85 on Base.
• Dead by Daylight (PS4) – £19.99 on Amazon.
• Yakuza Kiwami Steel Book Edition (PS4) – £23.85 on Base.
• 8BITDO NES30 Pro Wireless Bluetooth Controller Dual Classic Joystick YIKESHU For Android Gamepad – £28.45 on Amazon.
• Rime (PS4 & Xbox) – £17.49 on Argos.
• Need for Speed: Most Wanted (PlayStation Vita) – £7.49 on Base.
• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Day One Edition (Xbox One) – £8.54 on Amazon.
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands Inc The Peruvia PS4 – £26.86 on ShopTo.net.

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Audiovisual

• LG 49UH770V 49 Inch SMART 4K Super Ultra HD TV with HDR – £512.10 using code TVS10.
• HISENSE H49M3000 49″ Smart 4K Ultra HD HDR LED TV – £369.00 on Currys.
• LG 43UH603V 43 inch Ultra HD 4K Smart TV – £379.00 on Amazon.
• Lenovo 65CDGAC1UK ThinkVision X24 OLED FHD Monitor has been reduced from £179.99 to £119.99 on Amazon.
• Philips 55PUS6401 55 Inch SMART 4K – £499.00 on Amazon.

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Entertainment

• Heroes complete box set in Blu-ray is £17.99 using code BINGE10 on Zavvi.
• John Wick 2 – £19.99 on Zavvi.
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Blu Ray – £15.00 on Amazon.

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Recent ‘NotPetya’ attacks might not be ransomware at all

The companies and agencies hit by a cyberattack in the Ukraine, Russia, the US, parts of Europe, Asia and Australia might never be able to recover their data. See, some security researchers, including Kaspersky Lab, believe that the malware that invaded those computers was only masquerading as ransomware in order to lure the media into covering it as a follow-up to the WannaCry incidents. While its developers painstakingly tried to make it look like ransomware, the researchers say it’s actually what you call a “wiper,” since it overwrites parts that a disk needs to run. It doesn’t encrypt those parts, so you can regain access to them after you pay — it just completely erases them.

In addition, they found that the developers intentionally made it hard for victims to pay. First, they used a single Bitcoin address to receive payments. You’d think criminals expecting to get a lot of money from their victims would use several Bitcoin wallets to make processing a lot faster. They also required victims to email them with a long string of characters that they have to manually type if they want to access their PCs again. The kicker? The email address doesn’t even work.

That’s probably for the best, because as the researchers said, there’s no hope of getting their data back even if they pay. However, there seems to be some disagreement when it comes to the malware’s — dubbed PetyaWrap, NotPetya and ExPetr, because it’s now obvious that it’s not the same Petya ransomware that was first seen in 2016 — true nature.

MalwareTech disagrees with the assessment that it was intended to be a wiper, since it only destroys the first 25 sectors of the disk. Those sectors are essential, but they’re also apparently empty in any standard Windows installation. It’s a bit hard to believe the cyber criminals didn’t know that. The security researcher agrees, though, that the hackers never intended to make money with their creation:

I do believe the purpose behind Petya was to cause disruption not make money, but the claims of intentional MBR destruction are false.

— MalwareTech (@MalwareTechBlog) June 28, 2017

The questions that must plaguing everyone’s minds now are “Who did it?” and “Why?” We still don’t have an answer to that, but Ukrainian cybersecurity firms and government agencies think what happened was a state-sponsored cyberattack meant to wreak havoc on Ukrainian institutions. When asked whether he believes that the state sponsor is Russia, Roman Boyarchuk, the Center for Cyber Protection chief in Ukraine, replied: “It’s difficult to imagine anyone else would want to do this.”

Via: Ars Technica

Source: Kaspersky Lab, Comae, the grugq (Medium), Malwaretech

Amazon Prime Day will include China and India on July 11th

Amazon’s Black Friday-like event for the summer will be back for the third time. On July 11th, the e-commerce giant will hold the third annual “Prime Day,” and this time, more people will be able to take advantage of all the deals on offer. To start with, the event will last for 30 hours instead of the usual 24 and will begin at 9PM Eastern on July 10th. In addition, Amazon is launching the event for the first time in China, India and Mexico, which only recently joined the list of countries where the company’s Prime service is available. Folks in the US, UK, Spain, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Canada, Belgium and Austria will be able to participate as always.

Its name is a dead giveaway that you’ll have to be a Prime member to take advantage of the deals that day. But if you’re paying $99 per year for the service anyway, it’s a pretty nice perk. As with any massive shopping event, you’re bound to come across a lot of crap deals, but you’ll also find good discounts on various gadgets and electronics.

While the event itself won’t begin until the evening of July 10th, Amazon will reveal exclusive promos for Prime members every day until then. You can access the first batch of promotions starting today, which include access to Amazon Music Unlimited for 99 cents, 40 percent off Kindle Unlimited membership and 40 percent off Audible for your first six months on the audiobooks service. You may also want to keep an eye out for Alexa-exclusive deals if you have an Echo or a Tap speaker, a Fire TV or a Fire table, since they typically include bigger discounts than what you’ll find on the website.

Source: Amazon

Amazon’s Prime Day 2017 brings 30 hours of deals starting July 10

Amazon has just announced 30 hours of deals starting on July 10, and the Thrifter team will be covering it all!

Prime Day 2017 will be spread across three days, starting Monday, July 10, at 9 p.m. EST and going until 3 a.m. Wednesday, July 12. The Thrifter team is already gathering all the information you need to know about Prime Day, and they will be on hand to cover this event from beginning to end, with every standout deal posted to the site and on Twitter.

While you can obviously expect the bulk of the deals to happen on Tuesday, June 11, don’t be surprised if they kick off with a few great ones on Monday night. In fact, Amazon will be offering some exclusive deals to people using their Alexa-enabled devices like the Amazon Echo or Echo Dot. Those deals will start at 7 p.m. on June 10, two hours before everything else kicks off. Going even farther back, Amazon plans to drop some other big sales in the week leading up to Prime Day.

Amazon claims this year’s Prime Day event will feature more than 100,000 deals. Well, that’s just plain ridiculous because there’s no way you’re going to be able to keep up with every single deal that drops, especially when most of them disappear almost as quickly as they arrive. For that reason, we’ve got a dedicated team of deal-scourers at Thrifter ready to give their sweat and tears to sort through everything and show you the deals worth paying attention to. Follow the Thrifter team on Twitter for deals as fast as they can tweet.

Be sure to sign up for Amazon Prime (even free trials can participate in Prime Day), and get here on June 10 when the whole thing goes live and the fun really starts! And remember we’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions here that you can peruse if you need more information.

Check out Thrifter’s other great deals leading up to Prime Day

Canon EOS 6D Mark II preview: Full-frame with added flexibility

Full-frame: the holy grail of DSLR cameras. The term describes a sensor size equivalent to a classic 35mm film frame. And in 2017 it’s a market more accessible than ever before, rather than just something for heavyweight pros to handle.

Which is what the Canon EOS 6D Mark II sets out to achieve, as the replacement of 2012’s 6D. Sure, we’ve seen sub-£2K full-frame cameras before now – we’re looking at you Nikon D750 – but the 6D Mark II adds yet greater flexibility with its vari-angle touchscreen. This is Canon adapting, as it’s the first time we’ve seen such a feature in its full-frame cameras.

But with the even-more-pro-spec Canon EOS 5D Mark IV already on the market, does the more affordable 6D make its mark?

Canon 6D Mark II review: Design

• 765g body for the lightest full-frame DSLR to date
• Vari-angle LCD with touchscreen controls
• Built-in viewfinder with 98 per cent field-of-view
• Dust and drip resistant body
• Canon EF lens mount

One of the most striking things about the 6D MkII is that it’s the lightest full-frame camera every made. Not just within Canon’s range, either, but by any company – it’s 75g lighter than the Nikon D750, for example. Although that’s an achievement in one direction, it’s not a point to make a massive fuss about, really, given how heavy top-notch full-frame lenses are. Still, kudos for cutting some of the heft.

Pocket-lint

Compared to the original 6D, the Mark II is also a few millimetres less deep. Although you might not notice that in the hand, it’s more of an achievement than it sounds thanks to the newly appointed vari-angle LCD monitor. Finally, Canon is embracing screen-based work in a full-frame camera – the kind of thing that’s not only ideal when out on the go, but also a feature some will find useful for still life studio work too.

Better still, the screen is touch-responsive, meaning you can press to focus and make adjustments. This is Canon embracing the smartphone era and adapting its technologies accordingly – which we’ve been waiting for a long time to see properly implemented in a full-frame DSLR. It works really well, too.

Up top there’s the same optical viewfinder as found in the earlier 6D. It’s got a 98 per cent field-of-view rather than a full-on what-you-see-is-what-you-get 100 per cent frame. Not the end of the world, but a bit of a shame to not see that outermost two per cent during shooting. We suspect this is intentional to push those even more pro users towards the 5D MkIV (and to depart with yet more cash in doing so).

Canon EOS 6D MkII review: Performance

• 45-point all cross-type AF system (focus to -3EV)
• Dual Pixel AF for on-screen autofocus
• Digic 7 processor (first for Canon in full-frame)
• 6.5fps burst shooting (4fps in live view)
• Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth LE and GPS all built-in

Not only is the screen touch-sensitive, the sensor it’s paired with has autofocus pixels on its surface, which Canon terms as Dual Pixel AF technology. In short this means focusing using the screen is almost as fast as you’ll find from a mirrorless camera. It’s very nippy indeed – and every bit as good as you’ll find in the EOS 80D.

Pocket-lint

Which is a great reference point. The 6D II also pools in the 80D’s equivalent focus system when using the viewfinder. Capable of low-light focus to -3EV, and comprising 45 autofocus points, all of which are cross-type (27 of them are sensitive to f/8, nine of which are cross-type sensitive to ensure heightened sensitivity if you’re using, say, a slower lens or zoom extender) there’s a lot of clout here.

Now, that’s a great autofocus system, but it’s not quite as advanced as the 61-point system you’ll find in the EOS 5D IV. Again, Canon adding a point of separation between these two cameras to keep them both relevant.

With the latest and greatest Canon processor at the heart of the camera – that’s Digic 7, if you were wondering – there’s plenty of oil to keep this full-framer motoring on. It can shoot at 6.5fps (frames per second), which is pretty good going. Funnily enough, however, it’s half a frame per second slower than the 5D IV – a camera that’s also higher resolution – so, clearly, that processor isn’t being used to the maximum.

Pocket-lint

To the side of the 6D MkII is a card slot for an SD card (UHS-I max). Just the one of them, too, as a second slot has been swerved – presumably on account of cost and size.

Canon 6D Mark 2 review: Image quality and video 

• Brand new 26.2MP full-frame CMOS sensor
• ISO to 40,000 (expanded ISO 50-102,400)
• 7,560 pixel metering sensor
• 1080p 60fps max video (no 4K)
• Headphones socket, no microphone socket

On the image quality front Canon has introduced a brand new full-frame sensor in the 6D II. It’s a 26.2-megapixel one, which we think is a savvy resolution. The 5D IV is 30MP by comparison, which doesn’t sound like a great deal more – but anything greatly over 24MP, we find, introduces certain complications to consider with shutter speeds (due to capturing movement, resulting in less-than-perfect sharpness) and greater file sizes.

Despite snapping some shots around St Paul’s Cathedral in London, we weren’t able to take these frames away with us to get a closer look. So we’ll have to wait until there’s a full and final production camera before we can pass any more critical comment.

Pocket-lint

Canon is clearly confident with this sensor, however, as it can snap up to ISO 40,000 as standard. If you’re feeling especially brave that can be extended to ISO 102,400 for ultra-dark lighting condition work – not that we’ve found such a setting to be useful in any camera before now, frankly.

On the video front, Canon continues to go light with its offering. The 6D Mark II can shot 1080p at 60fps max, avoiding the current 4K trend – something Canon is keen to reserve for its higher-end C-series video-focused DSLR cameras, such as the C300. And if you think that’s unfair then point your eyes to Sony’s full-frame SLT and mirrorless options as one alternative.

First Impressions

Overall we think the Canon EOS 6D Mark II is a really interesting proposition. Sure, it’s not mere pennies of investment, but at sub-£2K for the body it’s a lot less than the 5D Mark IV and, in some areas, the 6D has more features.

The only notable downers are the lack of a second SD card slot, the viewfinder still not being 100 per cent field-of-view, and the ongoing lack of higher-end video investment.

However, with a resolution sweet-spot and vari-angle LCD touchscreen this seems to be the full-frame Canon to add flexibility to the EOS stable. It’s versatile and, we suspect, will appeal to a wider range of enthusiasts than, well, any other full-frame DSLR we can pull to mind. Crackin’.

The Canon EOS 6D Mark II will go on sale in July 2017, priced £2,000 body-only, or £2,380 with the 24-105mm STM lens.

Canon EOS 6D Mark II vs 5D Mark IV: What’s the difference and which should I buy?

When the Canon EOS 5D MkIV burst onto the pro camera scene in 2016, it hit so many tick boxes that, well, few other full-frame cameras seemed to be worth a look-in.

Until, that is, looking at the price. The 5D Mark IV is a rather pricey machine – it’s £3,349 body-only at the time of writing – so, surely, there’s something more affordable out there that doesn’t compromise too much?

Well, the brand new EOS 6D Mark II could be the perfect solution, given its sub-£2K body only price. That £1,349 saving could translate into a lens. But what pros and cons do these two full-frame DSLR cameras have against one another?

Canon EOS 6D Mark II vs EOS 5D Mark IV: Design

• Canon EOS 6D Mk2: 144.0 x 110.5 x 74.8mm; 765g
• Canon EOS 5D Mk4: 150.7 x 116.4 x 75.9mm; 800g
• Both: Full-frame sensor with EF/EF-S lens compatibility
• Both: Water and dust resistant build

Objectively, the two cameras are fairly similar. Both are full-frame, both accept Canon’s EF lens range, both are water- and dust-resistant too. The 6D II is slightly smaller and lighter than the 5D IV, but not by a giant amount – plus you’ll barely notice one adding a lens.

Canon EOS 6D Mark 2 vs EOS 5D Mark 4: Screen

• Canon EOS 6D Mk2: 3-inch, vari-angle touchscreen LCD (1,040k-dot)
• Canon EOS 5D Mk4: 3.2-inch fixed non-touch LCD (1,620k-dot)

The first major difference is with the screen. The 5D IV has the larger and higher-resolution panel, but the 6D II is the first full-frame Canon DSLR to offer a vari-angle touchscreen. That means more complex screen positioning and even touch-basedc control when in Live View mode.

Canon EOS 6D MkII vs EOS 5D MkIV: Viewfinder

• Canon EOS 6D Mk2: Optical pentaprism, 100% field of view, 0.71x magnification
• Canon EOS 5D Mk4: Optical pentaprism, 98% field of view, 0.71x magnification

If you’re non-plussed about a vari-angle screen because your eye will be almost permenantly fixed to the viewfinder then, well, the 5D IV is the better of the two. Although it offers the same magnification (and therefore physical size), the 5D IV delivers a what-you-see-is-what-you-get 100 per cent field of view – whereas the 6D II’s 98 per cent FoV means the outermost edge of the frame won’t be seen in preview, only in capture.

Canon EOS 6D MkII vs EOS 5D MkIV: Sensor / resolution

• Canon EOS 6D Mk2: 26.2-megapixel full-frame sensor, Digic 7 processor
• Canon EOS 5D Mk4: 30-megapixel full-frame sensor, Digic 6 processor

Another point that sits the two cameras a fair degree apart is their capture resolution. The 5D IV upped the ante to 30MP, around four million pixels more than the 6D II’s brand new 26.2MP sensor.

An interesting 5D IV feature is called Dual Pixel Raw – which enables minute re-focus abilities in post, if required, and which the 6D II lacks. That’s one of those “pro versus enthusiast” points.

Canon EOS 6D Mark II vs EOS 5D Mark IV: Performance

• Canon EOS 6D Mk2: 45 point AF system (all cross-type)
• Canon EOS 5D Mk4: 61 point AF system (41 cross-type)
• Both: Dual Pixel CMOS AF for fast Live View autofocus
• Canon EOS 6D Mk2: 6.5fps burst mode (full resolution)
• Canon EOS 5D Mk4: 7fps burst mode (full resolution)

Despite the 6D II equipping the latest Digic 7 processor, it’s not technically faster than the 5D IV. Its 6.5fps burst mode is pipped by the 5D IV’s 7fps burst mode – the latter being all the more impressive when considering the higher resolution proposition.

The focus systems are different too: the 61-point system of the 5D IV is considered as more pro than the 45-point system of the 6D II (despite the latter having more cross-type points overall). In the 5D you’ll find adjustable shooting cases for focus tracking, allowing for the tailoring of how the camera reacts depending on subject movement, direction, speed and so forth. 

If you’re more interested in using a DSLR via its screen then, good news, Canon’s Dual Pixel AF system – which sees focus points on the imaging sensor itself – means on-screen focus that’s approaching as fast as that through the viewfinder. It’s not as adept when it comes to tracking subjects, but it’s still an adept system whichever camera you choose. There’s no touchscreen in the 5D IV, remember, that’s for the 6D II only.

Canon EOS 6D Mark 2 vs EOS 5D Mark 4:  Video

• Canon EOS 6D Mk2: 1080p max, 3.5mm microphone jack
• Canon EOS 5D Mk4: 4K max, 3.5mm microphone jack, 3.5mm headphones jack

If there’s one feature that Canon holds back on in the enthusiast range then it’s video: the 6D II can shoot 1080p Full HD video, but not push into the 4K Ultra-HD resolution of its 5D IV bigger brother.

The 5D IV is better setup with ports, too, with both headphones and microphone 3.5mm jacks. The 6D II only offers the microphone jack.

Canon EOS 6D Mark II vs EOS 5D Mark IV: Price

Then, of course, there’s the price. The 5D IV is £3,349 body-only, compared to the 6D II’s £2,000 body-only. That might be the difference between buying a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, let’s say, so might be enough reason to make up your mind.

Why would you consider spending more cash on the 5D IV? Higher resolution, faster frame-rate, a more advanced autofocus system and setup, 100 per cent field-of-view finder, and 4K movie capture are the main points. It lacks that vari-angle touchscreen LCD, however, which is one of the 6D II’s best features. 

Whether you choose to go “enthusiast” with the 6D II or “pro” with the 5D IV, one thing is clear: both these full-frame DSLR beasties are mighty impressive imaging machines.