Canon EOS-M Begins Shipping

[Daniel Flather]

Those who think a Rebel with 40/2.8 will be as compact as an EOS M with its small prime are mistaken. The EOS M can be worn on your belt, or in your pocket, try that with a Rebel. The EOS M is closer to an iPhone in size, a big iPhone, but you get the idea.

 

[larvalubber]

First time poster here: The EOS M actually holds great potential as a dedicated microscope camera. The lack of a flip-up mirror eliminates vibration during exposure, the APS-C sensor is a great size, and 18MP provides plenty of detail. Does anyone know if the M includes EOS Utilities software for live image preview and direct capture? I currently use a 7D on a microscope and will be happy to exchange it for something smaller and lighter.

 

[Deleted member 7828]

Like I posted in the other thread, photo samples can be viewed on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?s=rec&ss=2&w=all&q=%22eos+m%22&m=text

I have to say a couple of (not-so-good) things stand out to me:

1) Distortion/curvature. For a 22mm (35mm) lens it seems to have quite a bit of it?

2) IQ doesn't seem to be QUITE on DSLR level (but still a step up from P&S). Maybe it's the optics of the EF-M lenses which may not be quite as good as the DSLR versions, but...not blown away by the performance.

 

[DarkKnightNine]

If size is an issue....

Size wasn't the issue. The issue was a market segment in which Canon had no presence, meaning potential lost revenue.

But I do hate that they didn't make it EF default.

They couldn't, realistically, since the EF mount requires a 44mm flange to sensor distance, vs. the 18mm of the EF-M mount, meaning the EOS-M would need to be a full 1" thicker.

Exactly! This is just another money opportunity for Canon. I don't think they put much thought or R&D into this camera. When it was announced, it was already behind the rest of the market segment meaning it was just meant to be a cash cow in a segment that Canon didn't have a presence. If they really cared about this segment, they would have examined what the competition was already doing and offered a better alternative at a competing price. That's how you enter a market you truly care to win. The evidence is strong that Canon does not. But we'll have to wait and see if they wise up. I hope for their sake that they do.


Canon's decisions of late have been based on arrogance that they can just stamp the Canon logo on any product and the masses will come. Why even bother with innovation? Perhaps with a few flops under their belt, it may force them to get off their high horse and start giving us truly brilliant products at reasonable prices that we all know they are capable of.

 

[jouster]

If they stick 24MP or more in the second gen, I'll be interested. Would work well for my solar system imaging. The less weight you have to hang off the focuser, the better.

 

[wickidwombat]

I have one on pre order after so many problems with my Fuji x10 and the completely useless Fuji service the shop took the camera back and put the money against a preorder M my first lens I try on it will be the 600mm fd

 

[AmbientLight]

Sounds promising with the 600mm. Please provide some initial quick review of results with the EOS-M.

 

[bbasiaga]

If they stick 24MP or more in the second gen, I'll be interested. Would work well for my solar system imaging. The less weight you have to hang off the focuser, the better.

Interesting thought there....I wonder how long it will be before the various shops start to offer the Baader mod for it? If that happens, a second hand EOS M may be in my future. Modification voids the warranty anyway, and the cost of the mod is ususally high, so might as well buy used. I suspect you'd have to use the M mount to EF mount adapter so your T threads would work, right? Or is the M-EF adapter just to increase the flange distance?

-Brian

 

[hiplnsdrftr]

Designing it without a built in flash limits it's usefulness and versatility.

Including a built in flash would have made it only slightly larger, an add on flash defeats any size advantage it has.

In any case, this forces me to consider the unfortunately larger (but has a built in flash) Fuji X-E1.

 

[EchoLocation]

i was just in japan and used this camera a little. i didn't realize it wasn't out yet in the US or I would've played with it more. Image quality seems on par with my 550D, very nice. First thing I noticed though was that it was verrrrrrrrrrrry slow to focus. Immediately killed it for me.

 

[expatinasia]

Why do people pre-order such an ordinary camera? They will be made in their millions.

Anyway, reason I am posting is because anyone thinking of getting this camera should read engadget's review here:

http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/03/canon-eos-m-review/

Enjoy.

 

[simonxu11]

Why do people pre-order such an ordinary camera? They will be made in their millions.

Anyway, reason I am posting is because anyone thinking of getting this camera should read engadget's review here:

http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/03/canon-eos-m-review/

Enjoy.

Thanks for posting this
The IQ seems on par with 650D (no surprise), but the AF is huge let down.

Engadget:

"This time around, with our store-bought final model, we weren't able to test it alongside any of the company's tried-and-true heavy hitters, but both EF-Ms indeed fell far short. It's not the most sluggish focusing we've seen, but it's darn close."

"Professional photographers can affix their pricey L lenses, which is nice, but the dismal focusing performance means SLRs will probably be far more appealing to these users. "

 

[wickidwombat]

Why do people pre-order such an ordinary camera? They will be made in their millions.

Anyway, reason I am posting is because anyone thinking of getting this camera should read engadget's review here:

http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/03/canon-eos-m-review/

Enjoy.

i gave my reason why i preordered its because i got a store credit and didnt want another crap fuji to replace the previous one anyway i'm looking forward to trying it out actually, i wish they had included the 3x video zoom of the 600d though stick that on the 600 fd would make for some crazy long video capability

 

[Deleted member 7828]

That's discouraging. I was really hoping for at least competent performance out of the M.

Even then, the price seems a bit high for what it can do. it's definitely making me have second thoughts. In any case, I've decided to move ahead with the 5D purchase instead.

That said, I would rather formal tests with hard numbers that tells us exactly how long it takes to focus on average.

 

[hiplnsdrftr]

It seems to me (and in line with Canon's typical behavior) the EOS-M is intended to be a mediocre offering that simultaneously (and halfheartedly) gets them into this market segment and gives Canon some idea of how well it sells without hurting dSLR sales.

Keep in mind these classic moves by Canon- killing the Pro1, removing RAW from the S80, killing the G line after the G6, reintroducing the G line minus RAW with the G7, removing HD video from the G10 etc. This is a very conservative and very cautious company. Obviously, very reluctant to infringe upon their dSLR sales in any way.

My guess is that there were some serious internal battles about launching the EOS-M. Obviously, some design concessions were made to assuage the dSLR department and their accountants.

I for one am looking forward to buying a Canon mirrorless camera once they make a serious attempt at it.