To buy M or not to buy M?

[hambergler]

the M that is... the fuji is awesome...

Fuji is awesome but you need another set of lens. I'd wait for the next M. The fact that it can use my other Canon lenses is already a big +. I don't have any wish to spend more on other lenses except those I can use with my SLR. Also the cost of maintaining 2 different systems is way, way expensive for me to handle. For me, the M is a perfect backup camera and as a light camera when you need one. E.g., I carry my G11 when we go out for weekends and when I want to travel light. It's still usable until ISO 800 for internet purposes. With the M, I think it can do almost everything that my SLR can do and that's a good thing.

What Canon Lenses are you dying to use on an EOS M?

I know my two main lenses (24-70 II and 70-200 2.8 IS II) would be ridiculous on a mirrorless.

The only one I could see using is maybe the 40mm pancake or maybe some EF-S lenses which I would never buy since I have a Full Frame.

 

[Area256]

I like the idea of the M, I don't even mind the lack of an EVF or buttons - it's a compact after all. The AF was just far to slow to make it something to consider though. The OM-D and NEX cameras are proving to have far nicer AF, and the Fuji sensors and glass look amazing. The Nikon V2 has really awesome AF, but it's also got a 2.7x crop

I'd wait for the next gen M, or go with another brand, unless the AF speed really isn't an issue for you - in which case it seems like a decent compact for someone with (small) Canon lenses.

 

[sambafan]

Agree with the notion of waiting for Gen 2. I love the idea of it, with the 22 lens, as a walkaround.
As to Fujifilm, after my experience with the X100 it would take a miracle to persuade me to try another.

 

[nickorando]

There are three problems with the M - one, the AF, two, the fact that it's easy to move the focus point unintentionally, and three, the lens cap design is poor and it tends to fall off. For me, it's problems 2 and 3 that are most irritating - I don't need it as an action camera, and if left on continuous AF, it's not generally that slow at all, it's focused by the time I've composed. Thankfully, it doesn't have an appalling EVF - so far, only Fuji's hybrid viewfinders don't make me physically sick on the EVF front.
I wouldn't want it to be my only camera, but integrated into an EOS system, it's great - oddly enough, it feels good with the 70-300 L and the 8-15 L.

The fact that it feels so nice and produces much better images than anything else its size do help, of course.

 

[Ellen Schmidtee]

I have one with the 22mm and EF adaptor. I got it so I don't have to lug my 5D3 everywhere.

A lot of people here bash the EOS-M for what it isn't supposed to be. Those opinions are misguided because the EOS-M isn't supposed to be your DSLR substitute. What it is is a compact with impeccable image quality, full manual control, AF points you can virtually focus anywhere in the scene. And to top it off, can use EF/EF-S lenses! The EOS-M is for those wanting to jump in the photography scene but don't want to get a chunky DSLR. Eventually when those people buy EF/EF-S lenses it'll be a much more economical transition to a DSLR.

What I expect from a compact interchangeable lens camera is to have small lenses. I'm not going to buy it just because it has a good alternative to the EF 35mm f/2 & can mount my EF lenses w/ an adapter.

If there were EF-M 15mm f/2 & EF-M diagonal fisheye, I would seriously consider it. An equivalent of the EF 24-105mm f/4 would help.

 

[bycostello]

the M that is... the fuji is awesome...

Fuji is awesome but you need another set of lens. I'd wait for the next M. The fact that it can use my other Canon lenses is already a big +. I don't have any wish to spend more on other lenses except those I can use with my SLR. Also the cost of maintaining 2 different systems is way, way expensive for me to handle. For me, the M is a perfect backup camera and as a light camera when you need one. E.g., I carry my G11 when we go out for weekends and when I want to travel light. It's still usable until ISO 800 for internet purposes. With the M, I think it can do almost everything that my SLR can do and that's a good thing.

the whole point for me is to reduce bulk... and so DSLR lenses kind of defeat that... so i'd buy new lenses anyway.. sure i would of liked compatibility but for me wasn't an option...

 

[paul13walnut5]

I might want to use the camera on a multi shoot.

Any I think any mirrorless camera looks a bit ridiculous with anything other than a pancake on it. So if I'm going to get sneered at, i might as well get sneered at with lenses I already have.

So far about 2 folk have given useful answers. I'm not asking about a Leica or a fuji.
I'm asking about the EOS M. I will either buy or not buy an EOS M. I am interested in how your EOS M has worked for you.

If you don't use an EOS M then start a new thread to talk about what you would buy instead, I didn't ask and don't care. I can work google.

If anybody else has an EOS M and useful germaine advice to offer then great!

 

[wickidwombat]

I might want to use the camera on a multi shoot.

Any I think any mirrorless camera looks a bit ridiculous with anything other than a pancake on it. So if I'm going to get sneered at, i might as well get sneered at with lenses I already have.

So far about 2 folk have given useful answers. I'm not asking about a Leica or a fuji.
I'm asking about the EOS M. I will either buy or not buy an EOS M. I am interested in how your EOS M has worked for you.

If you don't use an EOS M then start a new thread to talk about what you would buy instead, I didn't ask and don't care. I can work google.

If anybody else has an EOS M and useful germaine advice to offer then great!

It will be interesting to see what potential magic lantern unlock with this puppy
I guess this will be of more interest to you too since you do mainly video, I am hoping for ML
adding intervalometer to it so i can use it for a timelapse camera for weddings and events
(no need to worry about burning through shutters, light easy to mount in different places) battey life
might be my main issue with this but i'll see how it goes I'm also more interested in using the EOS-M for video
to complement my other stuff so very keen to see what ML unlocks.

as a side note i did a bit of a studio comparison with
EOS-M + 18-55 STM kit lens
600D + 18-55 EF-S kit lens
5Dmk2 + 28-90 old school lens
5Dmk2 + 24-105L
5Dmk3 + 24-70L

and the EOS-M blew the doors off the 600D and kit lens stopped down the EF-M kit lens is SHARP whereas the EF-S kit lens never really gets there.
also in a studio environment the touch to shoot was useless as the screen is black until you touch it
so it total guesswork, so I thought i'd give the shutter button a go and...
Using the shutter button with studio lights the AF is fast probably at least on a par with the 600D and kit lens combo however you still have to hold the shutter half way and sort out your composition once the screen shows up so there is a bit of a delay due to composing, I was very suprised. I think the AF can be fixed and it will just take some effort on canons part to do so.

 

[paul13walnut5]

Thank you wickidwombat.

Thats 3 useful answers now.

ISO for ISO side by side how do you think the video compares from the EOS M to the 600D?

I'm using two APS-C D4 cameras, I'm concerned that a D5 camera might not cut in so seamlessly?

Any thoughts?

 

[davidstarzhou]

I like EOS-M but I would prefer to wait for the 2nd generation.

It is a very compact solution to the EF lens I have own, rather than bulkier 5D MARK II.

I guess I would upgrade my 5D MARK II to 5D MARK III, the same time Canon release EOS-M 2nd generation, so that I use 5D3 as main body and 2nd gen EOS-M as the backup body.

 

[jal2099]

I have one and the 22mm lens. I also have the EF adapter and a Leica M mount adapter (from RainbowImaging -- i think is the username on Amazon and eBay). It's a fun camera. I am not disappointed. The focus issues are managable and only seldom do I curse at it. The image quality is very nice. My other camera is a hand-me-down 1D Mark II, which I haven't touched since. I am rarely without this camera.

So...here's another vote for this camera.

 

[paul13walnut5]

Thanks Jal2099.

I'll see what santa brings me, and if not that, what I can sell..

Cheers

 

[Daniel Flather]

I think the next version of M will have more of those missing features that some are whining about.

Yes, it'll also have a higher price too, to keep the whiners' fodder supplied.

 

[FunPhotons]

Like all other companies Canon will place the M cameras in their lineup in such a way that they won't cannibalize anything else. This means that - even if they could make it so - the M series will never be as good as a DSLR except possibly at the low end DSLR, high end M. Canon probably decided to do the line because of competitor pressure, and it provides a stepping off point into DSLR's.

So for an existing DSLR owner why would we get a M, other than for the cool factor? As a smaller body complement to our existing system. We can use our existing lenses, but if we do so then it kind of defeats the purpose of having a smaller complement to the system. Anything above the 40mm pancake will be a monster on that body, and you have to use an adaptor.

So ... using it for it's best purpose, as a small side camera for those times you can't bring a DSLR, look at this

Here we have a DSLR with a pancake next to the M. Sure the M is smaller and lighter, but is it that smaller? I see maybe an extra inch vertically and horizontally at maximum. Indeed, when I put the shorty-40 on my 5DmkII I have a really tiny, lightweight camera. I barely notice it, and I have the full power of the existing DSLR (speed, focus, IQ, features, etc). I don't have a hugely quiet body, but if I had a 5DMKIII then I could use quiet shutter mode.

So ... EOS-M isn't for me. The small reduction in size isn't large enough to warrant the price tag and extra equipment. For the cost of an EOS-M you could get a duo of pancakes, the 40mm and Voightlander 20mm.

I got the Fuji x100 as a side camera for those times when a DSLR wouldn't work. There are a few occasions where it's great, so small and unobtrusive (and quiet) that the DSLR would have been too much. Most of the time though it sits unused.

 

[tomscott]

If your talking BMW then always M

Heres mine

BMW Z4M Coupe CSL wheels by tom_scott88, on Flickr

Sorry off-topic

 

[elflord]

the M that is... the fuji is awesome...

You don't need a full set of lenses. The lenses you choose for a mirrorless (if you already have a DSLR) are going to be small normal length lenses that don't have a direct equivalent in the EOS lineup. You can generally get by with 1 or 2 native lenses (with the fuji I'd just get the 35)

Fuji is awesome but you need another set of lens. I'd wait for the next M.

Perhaps the only point of the mirrorless from Canon is to keep the party faithful from giving up and buying one of the strong products from other manufacturers.

 

[rpt]

If your talking BMW then always M

Heres mine

BMW Z4M Coupe CSL wheels by tom_scott88, on Flickr

Sorry off-topic

For $799 I'd have picked it up in a second!

 

[IronChef]

Like all other companies Canon will place the M cameras in their lineup in such a way that they won't cannibalize anything else. This means that - even if they could make it so - the M series will never be as good as a DSLR except possibly at the low end DSLR, high end M. Canon probably decided to do the line because of competitor pressure, and it provides a stepping off point into DSLR's.

So for an existing DSLR owner why would we get a M, other than for the cool factor? As a smaller body complement to our existing system. We can use our existing lenses, but if we do so then it kind of defeats the purpose of having a smaller complement to the system. Anything above the 40mm pancake will be a monster on that body, and you have to use an adaptor.

So ... using it for it's best purpose, as a small side camera for those times you can't bring a DSLR, look at this

Here we have a DSLR with a pancake next to the M. Sure the M is smaller and lighter, but is it that smaller? I see maybe an extra inch vertically and horizontally at maximum. Indeed, when I put the shorty-40 on my 5DmkII I have a really tiny, lightweight camera. I barely notice it, and I have the full power of the existing DSLR (speed, focus, IQ, features, etc). I don't have a hugely quiet body, but if I had a 5DMKIII then I could use quiet shutter mode.

So ... EOS-M isn't for me. The small reduction in size isn't large enough to warrant the price tag and extra equipment. For the cost of an EOS-M you could get a duo of pancakes, the 40mm and Voightlander 20mm.

I got the Fuji x100 as a side camera for those times when a DSLR wouldn't work. There are a few occasions where it's great, so small and unobtrusive (and quiet) that the DSLR would have been too much. Most of the time though it sits unused.

You show a comparison with the 650D, which has a smaller consumer body already, and than talk about a 5d, but I find the difference between the M and a 5d pretty big actually.

http://j.mp/Xsbc3j


And the 64mm equivalent you get from a 650D with a 40mm is a bit to much for a standard prime.

 

[FunPhotons]

You show a comparison with the 650D, which has a smaller consumer body already, and than talk about a 5d

Yes I know, I wrote the post

Take it for what it's worth, I don't find the size difference between my Fuji and my 5D w/ pancake to be significant.

 

[paul13walnut5]

If your talking BMW then always M

Heres mine

BMW Z4M Coupe CSL wheels by tom_scott88, on Flickr

Sorry off-topic

Ooooooh, you've got a BMW. Good for you.