Impression From Myanmar (Mused By Canon EOS M)

Hi folks. Here are some impressions and pics from Yangon in Myanmar. Canon's mirrorless camera, the EOS M, is doing fine as travel companion. It is compact, doesn't get noticed (good for street photography), and it is robustly build. I appreciate the light weight, the sharp EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens, the well working image stabilization. And for sure it copes with heat and humidity better than I am doing. :-)

The auto focus didn't really let me alone so far, but it is true: I often wish it was faster. The best thing is to experiment around and to get an idea about how it works, and what setting works best for the need of the moment. I am mainly using Flexizone Single mode. Another point that I don't like is not having a flippable display. It would make some street shots easier, think candids. Though here people really likes to get photographed (but you always have to ask). The flippable display is something I wish Canon had added to the EOS M (along with a faster AF). If the AF is not working well enough, use a hyper-focal approach.

The EOS M is not a DSLR, though it has an APS-C sized sensor, and it has to used keeping this in mind. That's sometimes puzzling me, I guess I have to change my mindset a little bit. Am I missing the DSLR? Except for the times I need fast AF coupled with higher burst rate and fast tracking, not really. Having a camera such weight lighted yet delivering DSLR like image quality makes things easier in the tropics.

Pros and Cons update:

Pros:

It does anything you need, you have a DSLR in pocket format

a good allrounder

reliable results, even in difficult conditions

Cons:

It is not the best MILC for street photography

Battery lasts too little

AF!

Canon EOS M price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

 

Metabones Announces New EF Mount Adapter For Sony NEX Cameras

Metabones announced that their EF to NEX Smart Adapter II (here on eBay) will have autofocus support. Metabones press release:

Vancouver, Canada, November 7, 2012 – Metabones adds autofocus support for select Canon lenses to its Smart Adapter II (for mounting EF and EF-S mount lenses on Sony NEX cameras).

To ensure the best possible accuracy, autofocus is enabled only for late-model Canon-brand lenses (introduced circa 2006 or later).

Significant effort has been put into focus accuracy research and we conclude that only lenses capable of the most precise control in their autofocus mechanisms could reliably deliver pixel-accurate results when adapted to Sony NEX cameras. Autofocus is disabled for most older Canon lenses and most third-party lenses, but aperture control, image stabilization (if applicable), EXIF and other features will continue to work just like before.

Autofocus speed is significantly slower than on a DSLR camera. Phase detection feature of NEX-5R/6 is not used at this time. As a result, autofocus speed of a Canon EF/EF-S lens on Sony NEX is usually slower than on the new Canon EOS M. Compared with Sony’s own A-mount lens adapters, Metabones Smart Adapter II is faster than LA-EA1 but slower than the translucent-mirror-equipped LA-EA2.

Smart Adapter II with autofocus support is available right now at the same price (US$399+applicable tax/duty) from Metabones’ distributors in many countries all over the world and the Metabones online shop. Existing Smart Adapter II customers may send their units back for an upgrade for a nominal shipping/handling charge of $50.

[via Sonyalpharumors]

 

Remains of the Day

 

Yet Another Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Review

Image credit: The Phoblographer

The Phoblographer posted their Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM review. Another very positive review of Canon’s cheap and sharp pancake lens. The reviewer was

[…] was extremely surprised with the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM lens, the image quality delivered was beyond what I expected from a lens at this price point. I do wish the manual focus feel was a bit more responsive, and the AF speed just a touch faster, but I can certainly live with it as-is and have no issues. For $150 (as of Nov’ 2012) I feel like this should be a no-brainer purchase if you want the smallest lens that Canon currently produces.

Pros and cons:

  • Tiny physical size
  • Accurate AF
  • MFD under 12″
  • Very, very good image quality
  • Better AF during live-view (on STM friendly cameras like the T4i)
  • Highly Flare Resistant
  • Inexpensive!
Minuses:
  • Electronic AF  motor means camera has to be powered on to retract lens
  • Slight lag when manually focusing
  • Not quite as fast as Canon’s USM lenses
  • Manual focusing ring is tiny (though this is unavoidable given the size of the lens)

Sample pics are provided. Check it out!

Product specs:

  • Continuous Autofocus for Video With T4i
  • Bright f/2.8 Aperture
  • Lightweight 4.6 oz Lens
  • Unobtrusive–Less Than 1″ Long
  • Aspherical Element–High Image Quality
  • Optimized Coatings Reduce Ghost & Flare
  • Exceptional Color Balance
  • 7-Blade Diaphragm for Beautiful Bokeh
  • Close Focusing to 11.81″
  • 64mm Equivalent If Used on APS-C Camera

Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Canon EOS M Hacked – Magic Lantern On The Way

They did it again, the skilled hackers of the Magic Lantern team were able to dump a first version of their firmware extension on the Canon EOS M. They write:

With a little guesswork, we were lucky to notice that on the inside, the little EOS-M is very similar to the 5D Mark III. So, with a few tricks we were able to dump the firmware and print the familiar “Hello World” message – the proof that Magic Lantern will work on the EOS-M.

In his review, Roger Cicala said the EOS-M is “a firmware update and a price drop away from being a great camera”. We, the developers of ML, will try to address the first issue.

Great news! Can't wait to get the Magic Lantern for my EOS M.

[via CR]