yo, congrats on the R6 II!! i made that same jump recently and literally had the same panic about the flashes... ngl, the Canon Speedlite EL-1 is a dream but $1,000 is highkey crazy for most of us, right?? in my experience, if youre lookin for the best bang for your buck, the Godox V1-C Flash for Canon is basically the way to go. it's like $260 vs the crazy canon prices. i use it for weddings and the recycle time is plenty fast cuz of the lithium battery. honestly, the AF assist beam thing is kinda weird on mirrorless anyway since the camera mostly uses its own sensor... so dont stress that too much!! if you really wanna use your old gear tho, definitely grab the Canon AD-E1 Multi-Function Shoe Adapter for like $40 to keep that weather sealing tight. anyway gl with the new setup!!

Sooo basically, the shift to the multi-function shoe is a bit of a headache because those extra pins are super fragile compared to the old 5-pin layout. If ur shooting weddings, that weather sealing is a big deal, and using an old flash without the Canon AD-E1 Multi-Function Shoe Adapter can actually leave the shoe exposed to moisture. I went through this last year when I upgraded. I was reallyyy worried about my third-party gear, but I found that the Godox V1-C Flash for Canon is actually a solid value play. Tbh, the AF assist beam still doesn't work quite like the old DSLRs (mirrorless sensors just dont see the red grid), but I've been very happy with the performance. Quick tip: Keep ur older flashes like the Canon Speedlite 600EX II-RT as backups using the adapter, but invest in one native-pin flash like the Godox V860III-C for Canon for your main body to ensure the best connection. Peace!

Interested in this too

Just caught this thread today. Like someone mentioned, those pins on the R6 II shoe are definitely a different beast compared to the old gear. Tbh, I have been shooting these bodies for a while now and I am really satisfied with how the system handles once you get the right rhythm down. No complaints here, but before you drop the cash on something like the flagship, I gotta ask a couple things:

• Are you doing a lot of off-camera work where you need a solid ecosystem of triggers, or is this mainly for run-and-gun on-camera stuff?
• Is the AF assist beam actually a dealbreaker for you, or have you found the R6 II low-light focusing good enough to get by without it? Honestly, once you figure those two things out, the choice between native and third-party gets way easier to justify. I have seen both work well depending on the shooter.

One thing people often overlook in the 'native vs. third party' market debate is color consistency and thermal management. If you're doing high-volume wedding work, budget flashes often drift in Kelvin as they heat up, which is a total nightmare during post-processing. Since the native flagship is out of budget, you should definitely check out the Westcott FJ80 II Universal Touchscreen 80Ws Speedlight. It’s a serious contender for the R6 II because it handles heat way better than the cheaper units and the UI is actually intuitive, unlike the menu-diving on some others, you know? Also, just a technical heads-up: don't expect *any* flash to project that old-school red AF grid on your R6 II. Mirrorless sensors have an IR cut filter that makes those traditional grids invisible to the AF system. Canon’s current 'fix' is just using a series of small pre-flashes, so don't let 'missing AF assist' scare you off third-party gear—it's just a limitation of mirrorless tech in general, tbh. TL;DR: Look at the Westcott FJ80 II Universal Touchscreen 80Ws Speedlight for better color stability and build than the entry-level stuff, and don't sweat the AF assist beam—it's basically dead on mirrorless anyway, right?

I agree! Basically, the new shoe pins are delicate: * Used that adapter in rain
* It worked well Honestly, I'm satisfied with keeping my older gear for now!

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This thread is gold. Bookmarking for future reference 🔖