Canon officially announces the EF-M 32mm f/1.4 STM

brad-man

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Jun 6, 2012
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FWIW I am just a hobbyist, taking photos to please myself and my friends, not a pro at all, but have been at it for over 50 years. Most recently I've been waiting for Canon to step up to EF-M, since I got my M5 to replace an M in December 2016. Some of the EF-M lenses are fine-if-slow, the 11-22 and 22 are more-than-fine, a Zeiss 25mm f/2 Distagon on the EF adapter is terrific. But it's all pretty much "making do".

In the meantime I had a fairly full Canon EF system, and a very full Fuji X system, although earlier this year I cleaned house and they are both gone. I am neither a Nikon nor Canon nor Fuji fanboy, having used all three of these digital systems during the past 12 years or so.

Here is the long-rumored 32mm f/1.4 EF-M at last - hooray! - but where is the rumored M5 Mark 2 body? For me, the absence of an updated body does not bode well, so the timing of this lens is just exactly too late with the release of the EOS R and Nikon Z6/7 systems. Having cleaned house of camera gear recently, as noted, and with EF-M seeming to fall by the wayside, I am in a good place to start fresh with either the Canon RF or Nikon Z system.

There is no doubt that Canon is better at marketing than Nikon - Winnie the Pooh is better at marketing than Nikon. But Nikon has actually provided two bodies with detailed specs, and a real Fuji-style lens roadmap, where Canon has provided one body, plus little but more food for speculation, per this thread. The way I read it, Canon is out there with marketing while Nikon, despite their faults, is out there with pretty good information.

While both companies have also released 4 new lenses, only one of the Canon lenses appeals to me as practical: the 24-105. The others are two showcases plus another short small macro. Not sure what Canon's thing is about short small macros lately, but I already have the EF-M one... Nikon is out there with one showcase lens, plus three that are practical. The bottom line is that I pre-ordered a Z6 with the f/4 24-70. Smaller, lighter, and $800 less expensive (!?) than the EOS R with f/4 24-105. No disrespect to Canon, but consumers make choices - this consumer anyway - based on information, not speculation.

You do realize that the M5 has only been out for two years now. Releasing an M5ll so soon would be uncharacteristically swift for Canon. What do you find lacking in the M5? Granted, weather-sealing and faster AF/FPS would be nice, but I think those things will appear sooner on more "enthusiast/pro" crop cameras with the R mount. Personally, I find the M5 sufficient for what I want the camera for, though I would appreciate the lenses I listed above. I find the lens selection to be more limiting than the body. YMMV. Good luck with the dark side...
 
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Apr 23, 2018
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You do realize that the M5 has only been out for two years now. Releasing an M5ll so soon would be uncharacteristically swift for Canon. What do you find lacking in the M5? Granted, weather-sealing and faster AF/FPS would be nice, but I think those things will appear sooner on more "enthusiast/pro" crop cameras with the R mount. Personally, I find the M5 sufficient for what I want the camera for, though I would appreciate the lenses I listed above. I find the lens selection to be more limiting than the body.

EOS M5 / M6 are in dire need of an upgrade ever since M50 was launched, offering better specs at half the price.

generally much better AF (tracking, Servo-) including Eye-AF is at top of list. basically just look at M50 and at Fuji XT-3 and you know immediately where M5/M6 need serious improvement. i'd welcome an M5 II "pure stills" version with no video recording priced at 999.- wheras the hybrid 4k video version should be priced at 1499 like the XT-3. :)

i don't find EF-M lens selection "limiting" at all. in reality it is best-in-class performance/value of all crop systems. i will happily chose EF-M lineup any day over all the 99 dwarf-sensor mFT lenses, all FF-priced Fuji crop lenses and over the the entire assortment of mostly ho-hum Sony E-lenses.

love my 10-22, 22, 18-55 and 55-200. small, light, good IQ, dirt-cheap. hard to beat that combination.

only EF-M lens missing is a moderately fast tele prime eg EF-M 85/2.4 IS STM. hope it will come next, now that the f/1.4 crowd is served.
 
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Sibir Lupus

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EOS M5 / M6 are in dire need of an upgrade ever since M50 was launched, offering better specs at half the price.

generally much better AF (tracking, Servo-) including Eye-AF is at top of list. basically just look at M50 and at Fuji XT-3 and you know immediately where M5/M6 need serious improvement. i'd welcome an M5 II "pure stills" version with no video recording priced at 999.- wheras the hybrid 4k video version should be priced at 1499 like the XT-3. :)

Agreed, the M5 and M6 are outdated now that the M50 is out. The M50 may be lacking some knobs and buttons, but it's more advanced features like the fully articulating screen, revised sensor, better processor, better AF tracking (face + eye), 4K recording, electronic shutter, and slightly higher burst rate would really help an M5 Mark II and Mark M6 II stay competitive in the ever growing mirrorless camera market. The M3 and M10 were updated about two years after their initial launch, so it would be out of place for Canon not to update the M6 and M5 pretty soon. And seeing as the M6 and M5 are at the top of the M system, these would be Canon's mirrorless APS-C cameras to get full 4K recording (no crop) with Duel Pixel AF.
 
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Jul 21, 2010
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I'm hoping Canon sticks to their word (but that little * stating price, availability and specifications subject to change certainly gives them an out)

Availability and Pricing

The EF-M 32mm f/1.4 STM will be available for purchase in late September 2018 for an estimated retail price of $479.99*. Included accessories for the new lens are Canon lens cap E-43, lens hood ES-60 and lens case LP-1014.

Either way, the decision is made because if the hood is included that information is already printed on the packaging materials. I will say I think it would be odd for them to include the pouch but not include the hood.

Hopefully this will be clarified before the lens ships. If not, I'm not going to order the hood unless/until the lens arrives without it.
 
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dcm

Enjoy the gear you have!
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Apr 18, 2013
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Arrived in the mail today from Amazon. Lens only. Optional accessories listed on the box include the es-60 and lp-1014. Guess I need to order the lens hood after all.

Takes me back 36 years to my first DSLR. I like the feel in my hands. The M5/EFM32f1.4 is slightly smaller than my A1/FD50f1.4 combo, a bit larger than my first digital cameras, the G1 and G6.

First test shots look great. Now to dig out those 43mm ND and CPL filters I got for the 22f2 but never used.
 
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brad-man

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Jun 6, 2012
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Arrived in the mail today from Amazon. Lens only. Optional accessories listed on the box include the es-60 and lp-1014. Guess I need to order the lens hood after all.

Takes me back 36 years to my first DSLR. I like the feel in my hands. The M5/EFM32f1.4 is slightly smaller than my A1/FD50f1.4 combo, a bit larger than my first digital cameras, the G1 and G6.

First test shots look great. Now to dig out those 43mm ND and CPL filters I got for the 22f2 but never used.
Thanks for the feedback. I also bought a CPL for the 22 that is virginal:) Another bonus for the M series is filters are waaay cheaper than for Ls. If you've got the time and inclination, some photos would be nice...
 
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How does a 32/1.4 replace an 85/1.4? :unsure:

The image differences between 51mm and 93mm (worth noting it sits on a speedbooster) are negligible. It's significantly lighter, just as sharp, and it feels like the AF is faster on this, though that may be because the 85mm is working through a custom SB.

Worth noting that I rarely take photos. With the Canon adapter, maybe I'll keep it around to have something with some range to it, but beyond that it throws off the balance of their mirrorless cameras and eliminates the tiny footprint advantage they have when out and about, especially by any DC landmarks.
 
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