Canon EOS M5 review (a modern mirrorless, DPReview)

Canon EOS M5: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

At a glance:

• 24.2MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
• DIGIC 7 Image Processor
• 2.36m-Dot EVF, Touch and Drag AF Control
• 3.2″ 1.62m-Dot Tilting Touchscreen LCD
• Full HD 1080p Video Recording at 60 fps
• Built-In Wi-Fi with NFC, Bluetooth Smart
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF
• Up to 9 fps Shooting and ISO 25600
• Digital IS 5-Axis Image Stabilization

DPReview posted their complete Canon EOS M5 review. The most important thing I wanted to learn, was about the Dual Pixel AF performance with non native lenses. Well, it seems the EOS M5 delivers plenty of good performance.

DPReview says DPAF works perfectly with adapted lenses (i.e. EF or EF-S lenses used thru the adapter), which is an important point given the limited offer of native lenses.

From the conclusion:

With regards to autofocus, the EOS M5 is remarkably similar to using an EOS 80D or 5D Mark IV in Live View mode, and overall, that’s a good thing. You can tap the touchscreen to initiate tracking on a subject (which proves very ‘sticky’), or even drag between multiple faces in a scene to tell the camera which to focus on (even if they’re at dramatically different distances from you). And with a full-on Dual Pixel AF setup, just like the 80D and the 5D, EF and EF-S lenses work just as well on the EOS M5 also. An added bonus – Dual Pixel AF has been shown to be extremely effective in very low light scenarios, but make sure you’ve also got a fast lens to give the system all the light it can get.

As far as performance, the EOS M5 is solid, if not exemplary. Startup time averages around a second, the burst shooting speed is at least competitive, and though battery life comes in with a below-average CIPA rating, those users who eschew flash use and constant ‘chimping’ will see a single battery last them through a day of moderate shooting. Read the review…

The review is obviously not without critics, which are of the usual kind: too late to hit the market, few lenses, and the ominous lack of 4K (who really needs it?).

I had the chance to play around with an EOS M5 for a few hours and was impressed with the ergonomics and the AF performance. A very cool feature is what Canon calls “Touch-and-Drag AF”, i.e. the possibility to control and move your AF points by using the touchscreen and while you are using the M5 with the viewfinder.

In the few hours I played around with the EOS M5 it made me think it is a solid product, with well-thought controls, and the overall quality we are used to get from Canon. And with Dual Pixel AF working so good, the EOS M5 could become a best seller.