Canon EOS M review

Rating:   

Price: $509 (twin lens kit)  |  Web: www.canon.com.au

Critical specs: 18MP (5,184 x 3,456-pixel) images, supports RAW, 22.3 x 14.9mm sensor, 3-inch touchscreen, SD card storage, 265g (without battery), ISO sensitivity: 100-25,600 (with boost), shoots video at 1080p (30, 25, 24 fps) and 720p (60, 50fps), hotshoe for external flash.

Canon’s sole MILC camera is the EOS M, which shares the same sensor and processor as its DSLR cousin, the 650D, though it’s much smaller. Canon has sought to retain some of the familiar interface designs seen in its DSLR range, with a similar menu design and navigation wheel. That should make it easier for Canon DSLR owners to just pick this one up and go.

The image quality from EOS M is quite good, although you’d expect so from a camera that shares the same sensor and processor as the 650D. The performance in low-light conditions is very acceptable and comparable to some of the higher-priced MILCs in the market. The EOS M allows you to shoot in either RAW or JPEG, as well as RAW + JPEG.

There’s also a big range of manual controls that you’d expect from a DSLR, which allows the enthusiast photographer to play around or newcomers to enjoy learning some of those intricacies of photography. Being able to record uncompressed RAW photos also gives the keen photographer the ability to make any creative tweaks afterwards, without losing the quality from a compressed JPEG.

There’s a 3-inch touchscreen on the back, where you can set focus and trigger a shot at the same. In theory this seems like a good idea; in practice, it can be quite clumsy — you may end up taking random snaps if you have the camera around your neck and it touches your body.

While other manufacturers have sought to introduce a wide array of lenses to work with the MILCs, Canon has settled with just three for now: 18-5mm, 22mm (f/2) and a 11-22mm. The lineup sorely wants for a long zoom lens. However, Canon also has an EF-S lens adapter that allows use of all EF and EF-S lenses. If you’ve already bought into the Canon system, then you can make use of your existing lenses here, too. While it can be great to have access to all those lenses, it also somewhat defeats the purpose of the MILCs, in that they’re supposed to be the smaller and easier to carry around than all those bulky lenses and bodies.

Overall, Canon’s sole entry into the MILC category currently seems like a bit like a halfhearted attempt. Perhaps Canon rushed into producing one so that it wasn’t missing out on this fast growing category of cameras. The EOS M would best suit photographers who already own a variety of Canon-compatible EF and EF-S lenses — you won’t have to spend too much investing in additional ones, as you would with other manufacturers. For someone starting out, however, there are other manufacturers that provide a much more complete solution in terms of lenses and upgradable bodies.

Sample images

Canon EOS M review