Goodbye to My Canon M5

[mazza1967]

I have just traded I'm my M5 having got a 6dMK11 body and a 16-35 L series 2.8 to add to my original 6d and collection of Art Sigma Lenses , 2 full frame bodies will easily keep my happy for many years ,My Final decision being based on 3 things first the battery life I found this a real pain and I whilst i enjoyed the small body and portability the pain of constantly having a battery charging found me with 3 batteries 2 with me one constantly on charge for when I got back home usualy with both flat from not that many shots and Secondly not being able to get my Godox Flash to work consistantly with my Godox studio kit which meant it was not being used not a canon issue but for me a real pain
and despite many update from Godox to try and make it work. I like some of the features of Mirror system but I think the battery life for me was the Killer

 

[Fleetie]

Shame. I like my M5.

BTW, what were you using to charge the M5's batteries? Full-stops?* ;D
You might find electricity gives better results!
--
* periods

 

[bholliman]

You must shoot more than I do. I've not run into a situation yet where 2 batteries didn't handle a days shooting with my M5. I'm getting 300-400 pictures per fully charged battery depending on how much I'm using the LCD. I normally take 3 batteries with me (1 in camera and 2 in the bag), and I haven't needed the 3rd battery yet.

 

[AlanF]

I just don't get more than a 100 or so shots per charge. The M5 was sent back to Canon but they sent it back the next day that it was fine.

 

[bholliman]

I just don't get more than a 100 or so shots per charge. The M5 was sent back to Canon but they sent it back the next day that it was fine.

Wow, 100 is bad. Is this with different batteries?

 

[dak723]

I just don't get more than a 100 or so shots per charge. The M5 was sent back to Canon but they sent it back the next day that it was fine.

Wow, 100 is bad. Is this with different batteries?

Do you have Eco mode turned on?

 

[Frodo]

Sure the battery doesn't last as long in my M3 as on my 6D, but that's not a reason I'd sell the camera. I spent 3 weeks walking through the Alps and couldn't rely on power, so I took 3 spare batteries. They are small and I never needed more than two in a day.
The M5 is very different to the 6D, of course, including being much smaller. I'm pleased I didn't have my 6D plus 24-105 on the hike. But the 6D is much better for events.

 

[Jopa]

I like some of the features of Mirror system but I think the battery life for me was the Killer

No wonder. Battery life was one of the reasons I said goodbye to my a7r2.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

So far, I've been surprised that the battery in my SL2 has been lasting so long. I was planning to buy a couple spares, but, so far, I've only recharged the battery once, maybe twice.

On the other hand, the battery that came with my 5D MK IV seems to have a short life, the second one I bought lasts longer.

 

[AlanF]

I just don't get more than a 100 or so shots per charge. The M5 was sent back to Canon but they sent it back the next day that it was fine.

Wow, 100 is bad. Is this with different batteries?

I have 2 Canon and 2 3rd party batteries. I use eco mode and every setting I can find to lower power consumption.

 

[KeithBreazeal]

The compact design of the M5 with the guts of an 80D(basically) has it's tradeoffs . Something as small as the M5 will not have room for a high capacity battery- pure fact. I bought an extra battery for mine but only used it once. Actually, I'm surprised how well it does considering how long the LCD screen stays on.

 

[Talys]

The compact design of the M5 with the guts of an 80D(basically) has it's tradeoffs . Something as small as the M5 will not have room for a high capacity battery- pure fact. I bought an extra battery for mine but only used it once. Actually, I'm surprised how well it does considering how long the LCD screen stays on.

On an 80D or 6DII, 2 batteries will run an entire work day running tethered, wifi, or LCD liveview (though the LCD will annoyingly shut off), or HDMI. I always take at least three, and have never needed to go into the third unless one was accidentally half-charged.

When the battery starts flashing low power, I can probably still get 100 pictures off I shot for 2 hours after work today, on the lake, and took at least a couple hundred photos on the last bar of battery (almost no liveview or LCD). I had a spare, but never had to crack it open.

 

[neuroanatomist]

Has anyone compared Eco Mode vs not? Heading to Italy for a few days with my M6, will bring two charged batteries, but need to decide whether or not to pack the charger. It'll be my daytime/backup camera, as I'll have my 1D X along (and I know one fully charged battery will be sufficient, I won't even bother with the second battery, much less the charger).

 

[dcm]

Like the original M, one of the biggest battery savers is to turn Continuous AF off.

 

[Act444]

Don't know about the M5, but 2 batteries has been often enough for me for a day's shooting with the M6 (as well as the M I had before). In my experience, unless I have the LCD continuously on, even one battery is enough from time to time.

I do turn continuous focus and AI Servo off (two major battery drains).

 

[[email protected]]

I sold my M5 a few months ago too. I still like the camera, but it still felt laggy to me. Like it was one generation away from being as snappy as an slr. The big reason, though, is that I went all full frame by selling all my aps-c glass. When they come out with a full frame mirrorless, I'll be sniffing around.

 

[AlanF]

Don't know about the M5, but 2 batteries has been often enough for me for a day's shooting with the M6 (as well as the M I had before). In my experience, unless I have the LCD continuously on, even one battery is enough from time to time.

I do turn continuous focus and AI Servo off (two major battery drains).

I have Continuous AF turned off but leave AI Servo on. Is that really a major drain as well? If so, off it goes.

 

[mazza1967]

Hi Guys , I had three Canon branded batteries and yes I could get through a day shooting with 2 batteries but as a holiday Travel Camera ,where charging points are not always handy I felt I was always trying to get one charged up , perhaps a double charger would have helped , Once traded in I kept 2 of the batteries for my friend Coco who has just started out with an EOS 200d which uses the same Battery ( 1 battery lasted all day not even 50% used so its not a fault with the battery just the power drain of the camera) we shot hundreds of shots using the live view screen.
Turning of the screen and putting eco mode on would for me make the advantages associated with Mirrorless less useable , It killed it for me and I stood a big loss to put into a new body that said I am happy with my new 6d11 body and my original 6d Very Impressed with the new 200d as a cop body and out of the box works with all my Godox flash systems/triggers no issue , so I guess something about mirrorless and electronic shutter is what makes it hard for Godox to get it to work properly .

 

[bf]

How the battery life is compared between M5 and M6?

 

[mb66energy]

[...]

Once traded in I kept 2 of the batteries for my friend Coco who has just started out with an EOS 200d which uses the same Battery ( 1 battery lasted all day not even 50% used so its not a fault with the battery just the power drain of the camera) we shot hundreds of shots using the live view screen.

[...]

The higher power need of mirrorless cameras and comparable system size used with EF(-S) lenses was the reason I skipped the M5.

First time I saw the M5 I thought "What's that camera body, never heard about it" but than I realized it was the M5 which has similar size of SLR bodies except the short flange distance. Because I like my EF(-S) lenses and are more a tele user I do not profit too much from mirrorless I thought: Wait what's coming. FF mirrorless is maybe interesting to use the old FD glass I really liked.

But than came the 200D / SL2 which is cheap enough to buy bodies to avoid lots of lens changes and it is a great camera: With OVF and with display + DPAF. And the battery life is good + using OVF + manual focus with non-focus-by-wire lenses is a powerless method to check a photograph before taking it.