EOS M Finally Getting Attention from Canon in 2016? [CR2]

[DRR]

I was a pre-firesale owner of the original M. It was a nice little camera and I liked it a lot, however two major deficiencies made me jump from the platform.

First, lack of an integrated EVF. The back LCD is unusuable in direct sunlight. Without an EVF, you have no option aside from spray and pray.

Second, I found the ergonomics to be seriously lacking. It's heavy enough to warrant a proper grip but it never fit my hand right. I would have gladly accepted a slightly larger camera that was easier to hold and use. Further there's no dial to easily adjust settings, aside from the rear dial. The rear dial was cumbersome to use for this function because it also acts as 4 buttons and it's too easy to accidentally do a button press when you're trying to adjust aperture or shutter speed. And there was no button to map the video record button to back button focus.

It took excellent pictures and I found all the EF-M lenses to be excellent, but the body was just lacking for me. The M3 comes pretty close, if it had an EVF I probably would have bought one. For now, I am putting together a Sony E-mount kit for my small/travel kit. If an M4 appears that checks all the boxes then I'll probably move back to the system.

 

[Loswr]

My bet is it won't be "M4". The number 4 is not well-regarded in the Far East - associated with death(?).

That must be why Nikon didn't name their last two high-end professional bodies the D4 and D4S. Oh, wait..... :

 

[bholliman]

Hope this happens. I have an M1 that is my small, light-weight kit, but it would be great to have a greater lens selection in the M mount to keep the size small. I have an EOS-M adapter for my EF lenses, but almost never use EF lenses on it since the size defeats the strength of the M system.

 

[LDS]

I really believe Canon needs to split the M line in at least two models, one higher-end camera with integrated EVF and more "pro" features (even if attempting in not eating too much into its DLSR line), and one lower-end one, without EVF and some lesser specs and price.
Trying to build a camera appealing to both power users in search of a smaller camera when a DSLR is too bulky to carry around, and users looking for a "cheap" camera yet with the versatility of interchangeable lenses is impossible, the result usually is a "jack-of-all-trades-and-master-of-none".
IMHO I'll believe Canon is really giving attention to this market segment when I'll see that.

 

[bp]

Oh Canon... [pats Canon's shoulder] So sweet of you to try at least. Very sweet. The new additions to my forum signature doesn't mean we can't still be friends, OK?

 

[1Zach1]

I love my M, but I wouldn't want it to be much bigger than it currently is. I like the idea of a EVF, but if that comes at the cost of significantly larger, it would drop the usefulness of the camera for me.

Would love a small form factor Macro and super fast 50mm pancake.

 

[privatebydesign]

Oh Canon... [pats Canon's shoulder] So sweet of you to try at least. Very sweet. The new additions to my forum signature doesn't mean we can't still be friends, OK?

I doubt if Canon think you buying an A7RII will make much difference to their projected future M sales.

Just a thought, but the world doesn't revolve around any of us, including Canon......

 

[LonelyBoy]

My bet is it won't be "M4". The number 4 is not well-regarded in the Far East - associated with death(?).

That must be why Nikon didn't name their last two high-end professional bodies the D4 and D4S. Oh, wait..... :

And the 1D reached a mkIV. Still, it's cited as the reason Mazda doesn't sell anything with "4" in the name, and I have it on good authority that hotels in Singapore and Hong Kong often skip floors 4 and 14. There's certainly no guarantee that Canon will avoid releasing a model with "4" in the name, but it's also not ignorant to suggest the possibility.

Also, my Chinese girlfriend got "44" for her race number in a half-ironman and had a slight freakout and insisted on having the numbers upside-down every place they were applied.

 

[ahsanford]

Second, I found the ergonomics to be seriously lacking. It's heavy enough to warrant a proper grip but it never fit my hand right. I would have gladly accepted a slightly larger camera that was easier to hold and use. Further there's no dial to easily adjust settings, aside from the rear dial.

That's an excellent point. Everyone (myself included) are dwelling on sensors, lenses, AF speed, etc. but few are discussing the feel of handling, the similarity of control set to the SLRs, etc.

There used to be a time that any time you grabbed a company's product -- even if it was 2nd rate horsepower/spec-wise -- it felt like other products in that company's arsenal. That small distinction matters.

I think there is value in even a smaller APS-C mirrorless rig handling like it's bigger SLR brethren. I'd love my 5D3 back wheel / joystick / index finger wheel on a mirrorless rig someday, though it may need to be FF-sized to make room for all that.

- A

 

[McRphoto]

A mix of M3 and SL1?

 

[Loswr]

K.I.S.S. = keep it small, stupid.

 

[Deleted member 7828]

I'll believe it if/when I see it...

 

[CANONisOK]

I'm a big believer in the system. I've taken the OG M as my travel camera for a number of recent family trips around Europe and been really happy with the IQ from my tiny system.

They may not have a large number, but the canon EF-M lenses are small and great (esp. 22mm and 11-22mm). I also picked up the Tamron 18-200mm superzoom, and love the IQ and convenience.

Is the IQ as good as full frame! If course not. I was contemplating going with a leica to get even more IQ in a small size, but cannot yet justify the money. Considered the A7r ii, but faster native lenses are huge, so the portability is no better than my 5D3 while ergonomics are sacrificed.

So I'm happy to stick to the M ecosystem for now. I really think it strikes a great balance between performance, size, affordability, and ease of use.

I could be a bit disheartened by this news arriving today, as my M3 with EVF kit just arrived yesterday. But I'm too damn excited to try out the improved form factor plus sensor and know I'll get great use or if it in the coming months and years.

 

[Bob Howland]

I'll believe it if/when I see it...

+1

 

[Bernard]

I just got an M3. Great little camera. It wouldn't need much to make it perfect.
I like how some useful features now have their own buttons (ISO and zoom-in/out). The original M made you use the touch screen a little too much.
I would ditch the built-in flash and put a viewfinder in its place. The M3 kit I got came with an external VF. It's good, but it makes the camera a lot bigger.
The EOS-M team needs to watch their weight. This one's still acceptably small, but I could see them releasing something that's as big as an SLR just to satisfy the spec-sheet whiners. The M fit inside my hand, this one I have to wrap my hand around.
The tilt screen is nice, but it's not needed. It's for the selfie crowd.
IQ is great, no problem there. 25MP is plenty. They can stay at that level in the next iteration.
Video is excellent, as always with Canon. In fact, it's so good you almost want 4K.

The only lens that's missing is a small wide prime (in the 15 to 17 range). All the longer stuff can be adapted from the SLR range, and 3 zooms is enough. Just because other systems offer a selection of 6 different wide-to-tele zooms doesn't mean you need them. One good one is enough.

 

[that1guyy]

Looks like Sony is finally lighting a fire under Canon's crusty butt.

 

[rrcphoto]

Well it's no great surprise actually.

Between the M2 and the M3 .. Canon transititioned who exactly is working on the EOS-M - it's no longer the DSLR folks that much is evident.

it's a powershot, with powershot firmware and with interchangeable lenses.

given to how the powershot line has basically downgraded to almost just the G series with almost everything else culled for scraps, canon has a ton of resources that are basically, well, doing nothing.

so it would make alot of sense for us to see more effort put into the EOS-M because you could see the seeds of it already.

however - because it's powershot firmware, it's got alot of flaws. AF isnt' as fast as it could be, AEB is horribly slow, and even a 4.2 fps is now pretty pedestrian.

Canon did mention they wanted to be #1 in the domestic mirrorless market by end of 2016, they have ALOT of work to do to even come close, and they will have to do an olympus to do it as well - basically give away M3 camera bodies with two lenses.

I had to laugh at the 4+K video that someone mentioned.. considering you can cook eggs on A7RII and 4K .. and you want >4k out of an even smaller camera?

 

[brad-man]

I really believe Canon needs to split the M line in at least two models, one higher-end camera with integrated EVF and more "pro" features (even if attempting in not eating too much into its DLSR line), and one lower-end one, without EVF and some lesser specs and price.Trying to build a camera appealing to both power users in search of a smaller camera when a DSLR is too bulky to carry around, and users looking for a "cheap" camera yet with the versatility of interchangeable lenses is impossible, the result usually is a "jack-of-all-trades-and-master-of-none".
IMHO I'll believe Canon is really giving attention to this market segment when I'll see that.

This makes the most sense to me. Produce a "high-end" M-something with an integrated EVF and a full set of convenient controls a la Fuji (performance, not style), and also continue to offer the M with the terrific IQ/size ratio that all five of us have come to appreciate. The M mount need not be limited to a single body style. And please more fast pancakes...

 

[twagn]

Gee, you think the flood of former Canon users to Sony has something to do with that?

Competition is win win for consumers...Canon can do much better than their current mirrorless offerings. Glad that someone is pushing them

 

[bp]

Gee, you think the flood of former Canon users to Sony has something to do with that?

Competition is win win for consumers...Canon can do much better than their current mirrorless offerings. Glad that someone is pushing them

YES!!! This is why I don't get why fanboy types get so bent out of shape about other brands getting good press, and try to tear it down. They don't get the fact that it can help them in the long run.