4 weeks in South East Asia with the EOS M as 2nd Body

[ashmadux]

I tried the turn off method as well. It stinks. The camera doesn't actually fully power on and be able to quickly focus (even with a preset saved AF area) fast enough to catch moments.

 

[bperrey]

The simplest way to control the touch-to-expose button is to press the Info button several times until there is nothing on the screen but the image and focus area. Then, if you have set the touch to Off, you cannot turn it on inadvertently, and if it is On it still works.

 

[Etienne]

Thanks for sharing your hands-on, real-world experience!
Some great insights and tips are coming from this.

 

[bainsybike]

bperrey, you're right, I didn't think of that! It's also the simplest way to stop changing settings inadvertently whilst carrying the camera around - just keep an eye on the focus area, which might be changed by an accidental touch. Thanks for sharing.

 

[sdsr]

Now I'm looking forward to the day when EVFs and on chip AF are good enough that they can finally replace OVFs. If I had "live view" on my 7D I don't think I would ever shoot in anything but manual mode.

The EVFs on the latest M43 cameras - Panasonic G6 & GX7, Olympus OM-D E-M1 (& latest separate EVF) - have such high resolution that they evidently look almost as good as OVFs and in some ways are better than those of most DSLRs, including coverage and magnification. See here, for instance (scroll down a bit):

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/olympus-om-d-e-m1/3

As it is, the EVF on my OM-D E-M5 impresses me. No, what you see through its viewfinder isn't as attractive as what you see through an OVF, and so long as you have the shutter half-pressed you won't notice if the scene changes, but if nothing else the ability to change exposure by merely turning a dial while you look through the viewfinder and see the effect of each change as you turn the dial makes getting the exposure right a much quicker process.

As for all the workarounds needed to make the EOS-M anything but a trial to use: I agree that the images it makes can be excellent, probably better than any current Canon APS-C bar the 70D (aside from high ISO performance I'm especially impressed by how its auto white balance copes with awkward combinations of indoor lighting), but for me they're not worth the annoyance and inconvenience. (And in addition to everything mentioned in this thread, focusing on specific, small things is tedious and unreliable.) It's rather incongruous, given that for my taste Canon's DSLRs have the best ergonomics by far of any I've used. For now I'll stick with them and my M43 cameras and add my EOS-M to those on ebay.

 

[dtaylor]

Does anyone have any advice on AF settings for the M? I'd love some input on the best settings you guys have found for the AF? Thanks in advance!

I have mine set to FlexiShot Single, One Shot AF, with AF on the AE lock button instead of the shutter.

Also, how do you permanently disable the touch to shoot feature? I like it sometimes, but it always switches on and off without me noticing.

You can't permanently turn it off. The screen is rubbing against you that this setting is being changed on you. Try the Play trick I mentioned above. A touch does wake the screen, but it doesn't seem to register my shirt when it's blank the way it does when it's on.

 

[EchoLocation]

The simplest way to control the touch-to-expose button is to press the Info button several times until there is nothing on the screen but the image and focus area. Then, if you have set the touch to Off, you cannot turn it on inadvertently, and if it is On it still works.

very good advice, i hadn't thought of this, but it seems like the simplest most efficient workaround(although it might confuse my wife.) Thanks for the tip!

For those saying these inconveniences make the M not worth the trouble, I would wholeheartedly disagree(at least at the price I paid.)
I think the M is a real solid camera, very well built and it seems to take photos and video at least as good as my 550D. Having the M, the 22mm F2 lens, and the a solid wide angle lens for around 700 bucks is a great travel setup. It's not the best out there, and if I was a pro(who did quick moving subjects) I wouldn't use it, but for my purposes, it's more than I could ask for. I don't really feel the image quality, AF, or lenses from other APS-C mirrorless systems is better enough to justify the giant increase in price from what I paid for the M. I'm very happy with it as my backup body, or possibly even my only body when I travel to India this winter(i'm really sick of carrying my FF DSLR and 24-70 2.8... it's just too big and heavy for backpacking.)