Our Canon EOS M3 review: a powerhouse with shortcomings

The Canon EOS M3 is the company’s third mirrorless camera. And it is Canon’s first serious mirrorless camera, with many features and functions that will appeal to the enthusiasts. So, how does the EOS M3 perform and is it right for you?

It seems Canon listened to their customers while developing the EOS M3. Unlike the original EOS M, the M3 gained additional controls, a large grip, and has a 3-inch touchscreen that tilts up (180 degrees) and down (45 degrees). The EOS M3 features a new 24MP APS-C sensor, 49-points Hybrid CMOS III AF system, DIGIC 6 processor, Full 1080p HD video at 24/25/30 fps, ISO 100-12800 (expandable to 25600), a two-level axis, WiFi and NFC connectivity, 4.2 fps, a built-in flash, 14 bit RAW, and a flash hot-shoe that can be used to mount an EVF. The EOS M3 is a powerhouse with shortcomings. Bear with me for the review after the break. I also start We Shoot EOS M, a forum dedicated to all EOS M shooters, and available to other Canon shooters too.

Build quality, handling, ergonomics

The first moment you take the EOS M3 in you hands you think Canon did something they thought well about. The EOS M3 feels good in your hands. The substantial grip gives a good feeling when holding the camera. The build quality is on the usual Canon standard. The M3 feels solid and sturdy, mainly thanks to the magnesium alloy and the solid plastics around, though the brick-shaped EOS M1 in my opinion feels even more sturdy. The M3 feels like a mini DSLR, and looks much more like a “real” camera, mainly because of the large grip that is shaped like and resembles a small DSLR. The control layout is well thought, with all buttons and dials at the right place and easy to access. It will take you a very short time to get comfortable with the layout of the controls. Despite having large hands I had no problems to operate the EOS M3 with one hand.

The compensation dial on top of the M3 is a welcome addition, and a pretty useful one too. The dial, however, is somewhat hard to operate, something you have to get used to. I guess it is intentional to avoid changing the exposure compensation by mistake. I found it irritating at the beginning but soon realised that it was good so. A very useful addition is the M-Fn button close to the right of the shutter release button. The M-Fn is a programmable function button. My preferred use for the M-Fn is to switch off the display in order to save battery life. The M3 then switches the display on again as soon as you operate the camera. It’s pretty cool and really saves battery life. Unfortunately, the M3 puts the display on again also if you zoom or focus the lens. This was likely thought as a feature, though I experience it as a bug. It’s very easy that the lens moves while you are walking, and that the M3 turns the display on because it sensed the lens. So the display off function is a somewhat mixed affair, especially if you are walking, since the M3 will turn the display on again as soon as it senses that the lens “did something”.

Another thing I do not like very much is the pop-up flash. First of all it is a very weak flash and won’t save you every time. The flash pops-up mechanically, by pressing a side button. Although the whole thing is well implemented it happens from time to time that the trigger is accidentally activated and the flash pops-up. Since the trigger is mechanical, this may happen also when the M3 is turned off. Add to this that the metal hinge of the pop-up flash, though being a solid metal construction, does not really look as if it can withstand every impact. If the M3 hits concrete ground with the flash out I don’t think the hinges and joints will survive it. And I would prefer the flash pops-up through an electronic signal instead of a mechanical trigger. Maybe the most useful function of the EOS M3’s flash is the following: the flash can be tilted backwards and hence be used as a bounce flash. Smart and nice option.

The touchscreen is excellent, as it already was on the EOS M (and all other Canon cameras having a touchscreen). I was pleasantly surprised to see how much I liked it being articulated. Though it does not tilt like the display on the EOS 70D, it is still very useful. The screen measures 3 inches and has a 1040K dots display with 100% coverage. The hinges that allow to fold the screen look robust, though I wouldn’t stress the construction too much. There is a small contact ribbon laid over the construction. To me the ribbon appears to be the most vulnerable part of the whole construction. As with many recent Canon cameras with a touchscreen, you can access the most important settings through the “Q” button on the upper right corner of the display or on the backplate. A functionality I appreciate and use often.

The menu layout changed slightly from the EOS M, still is very intuitive to use, even if you never used a Canon camera. However, there are some oddities. First of all, Canon removed the possibility to change colour space between sRGB and Adobe RGB. You are forced to use sRGB, this setting cannot be changed. I wonder why. Maybe Canon thought that sRGB is enough for everyone. Generally speaking, when navigating the menu you may have the feeling there could be much more functions and features. That’s even stranger if you consider that Canon featured a two-axis level, which is really useful and more powerful than the one-axis level featured on the higher-end EOS 70D. All in all I had the feeling the menu wasn’t finalised, but that’s probably just me.

Connectivity

While Canon’s implementation of WiFi is better than the majority of the competitors, it is still somewhat weird. It took me some minutes to understand how to connect from my smartphone to the EOS M3. To activate WiFi, Canon wants you to turn on the M3 with the playback button, then to press the Up button on the control wheel on the back of the camera, which in this case turns WiFi on. Then you have to do some more steps to connect. Easy and intuitive is something different. Once turned on, everything works flawlessly. You can put the M3 and you smartphone in touch also through NFC (Near Field Communication). I found it a bit awkward, since the NFC antenna is on the bottom of the camera. Tapping the M3 with a Galaxy S5 turned out to be a somewhat acrobatic affair.

The EOS M3 WiFi functionalities allow to share images, connect the M3 to another camera or a smartphone/tablet/computer/printer, and obviously to the Internet. Setup is straight-forward enough, but a  basic understanding of how things work is needed. There are free Canon apps you can use to connect and do all this things. A nice feature is employed in the EOS M3 WiFi functionality. You can tag your photos with GPS information provided by your smartphone (shooting time, latitude, longitude and altitude). This replaces built-on GPS, and even if it can not compare with built-in GPS, it is a nice and well working option. Canon’s new app to connect to the M3 is Canon Camera Connect (iOS / Android). Please note that I was not able to setup a working connection with this app. Everything worked fine with the previous app, Camera Window (iOS / Android).

Auto-Focus

The original EOS M’s auto-focus system was its weakest point. Canon claims the EOS M3’s AF is 6 times faster than the original EOS M. It is certainly on pair with most competitors, but not industry leading. The focus position can be set using the touchscreen. The 49 AF points (7×7 array) cover a large area, 80% vertically and 70% horizontally. You’ll have no issues with everyday photography. The EOS M3’s AF system is able to track moving subjects but the continuous shooting rate slows down. AF struggles with fast moving subjects, as on most MILCs and even some DSLRs. There is still room for improvement here. However, I never found the AF to be a problem when shooting with EF-M lenses.

Canon’s EF and EF-S lenses can be used with the EOS M3 through Canon’s excellent EF-M mount adapter. Electronic aperture control, auto-focus and image stabilisation are fully supported. However, things change a bit when using EF and EF-S lenses with the mount adapter. Though Canon claims you can use over 70 lenses with the M3, the AF performance differs dramatically. In my experience all recent STM lenses work well. AF with the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM pancake lens is barely distinguishable from AF with native lenses. Same can be said for the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens. I tested both lenses with the EOS M3 and AF worked pretty good.

Other lenses’ AF performance may be unpredictable. Based on some quick and dirty tests I did with USM driven and other Canon lenses, I can say that AF can be used for anything being a static subject. Even then, some lenses, like the EF 50mm f/1.8 II and the EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, may start hunting or at least are very slow to focus, especially if light starts to get lower. A second or more to focus appears to be the norm here. It’s interesting to note that other people had much better experiences when using the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II. After having talked to other M3 owners using EF and EF-S lenses thru the adapter, I came to the conclusion that everyone’s mileage was different. I can’t say why AF performance of EF/EF-S lenses on the EOS M3 is not reproducible.

However, there is a Canon first timer and welcome addition featured on the EOS M3: focus peaking. It is well implemented, works flawlessly, and might often be better suited when focusing with non-native lenses. I found it a charm to use with the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM lens, and it’s also fun. Three different colour options can be set, as well as the sensitivity level. If you have to use an older EF or EF-S lens on the M3 then focus peaking may be your best friend. Focus peaking also opens new possibilities for use with fully manual lenses, even from other brands. That’s cool, and I think a lot of people are very happy that Canon eventually gave this feature to the EOS M3.

Image quality

Canon’s new 24MP sensor rocks. It’s the same sensor featured on the EOS 760D/Rebel T6s and EOS 750D/Rebel T6i, and it delivers plenty of details and resolution. Out-of-the-box JPGs are excellent, and if you just master the basics of exposure you’ll get great photos without much need for post-processing. Colours are punchy, contrast is good, sharpness could be improved. The image quality is maintained also at higher ISO settings. To me, JPGs look absolutely acceptable up to ISO 6400, but I understand that this is also a subjective matter. No one should have issues up to ISO 3200. I think Canon made some changes in the JPG engine with their very recent cameras. The EOS M3 has the most accurate metering I saw on Canon cameras of this class (and more accurate than the original EOS M and my EOS 70D).

I think Canon has changed something in the noise reduction pipeline too. Luminance noise appears earlier but there are also more fine details. Luminance noise may be visible also at lower ISO settings (ISO 800). Below you see a ISO series shot with the EF-M 22mm f/2, both JPGs and RAW (high res version can be downloaded here).

If you have a close look at the ISO 12800 crops below, you can see the afore mentioned luminance noise, and a slight red colour cast visible both in JPG and RAW.

All in all, relatively clean images for being ISO 12800. ISO 6400 and ISO 12800 can be used for the web or for small size prints. Below you see the same scene taken at ISO 12800 with the original EOS M. Especially the JPG is much more noisy compared to the EOS M3. Despite having added 6MP more resolution, Canon managed to keep noise under control better than on the original EOS M.

A complain I have is that the JPGs could be a bit sharper. You can tweak sharpness in the picture style settings, or you post-process on your computer. This is likely a choice by Canon to avoid artefacts.

Canon is still behind the competition when it comes to dynamic range. However, Canon’s new 24MP sensor delivers plenty of resolution power. See how much detail you can get when doing a 1:1 crop of the butterfly in the picture below.

Below is another ISO series, this time shot with the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM and going up to ISO 25600. I made up the improvised test set you see below. Focus was set on the book. All pictures used for the ISO series below can be downloaded (ZIP file, 350MB). Colour accuracy is well maintained also at high ISO settings.

Call me a fanboy if you want, but the noise performance in the crop below, shot at ISO 25600, isn’t bad at all. I like the kind of noise Canon’s new 24MP sensor produces, it’s very film-like (in the RAW file).

And what about the ISO 12800 crops below? I didn’t expect this kind of performance and amount of details at ISO 12800.

The final word

So what is it about with the Canon EOS M3? It’s a well made and powerful mirrorless camera. Nevertheless, you can’t avoid the feeling that Canon is not yet fully committed to the EOS M system. The most visible sign of this lack of commitment is likely the fact that the EOS M system has only four native lenses. It’s true that you can virtually use more than 70 EF and EF-S lenses with the adapter, but AF performance will never be the same as with native lenses, especially when you are tracking subjects. However, a recent rumor suggests Canon will go serious with the EOS M system in 2016, and that a score of native lenses may be announced. Let’s hope. On the other hand, it’s since the beginning of the EOS M system that we are told Canon will eventually go serious, next year.

It’s also a bit disappointing that Canon does not feature some “fun” stuff on the EOS M3. There is no panorama mode, for instance, nor other gimmicks like film emulations as featured on the Fuji X-T10. Nowadays, when all cameras deliver excellent images, the buying difference is often given by the added software functions. Canon’s offer is limited to a standard set of creative filters, and to the established picture styles. As a Canon shooter I felt happy to have focus peaking, a feature that’s pretty common since years on mirrorless cameras. The Creative Assist feature is Canon’s attempt to deliver some creative fun on the EOS M3. You can adjust a range of effects through sliders on the screen, and eventually save your creative efforts in a “recipe” you can share with other M3 owners. Background blur, brightness, contrast, colour saturation, colour tone and various monochrome filters can be set. It’s nice and it works well.

Don’t get me wrong. The EOS M3 is powerful and well-made mirrorless camera. Everything works as advised, and it works really well. Image quality is excellent, build quality too, the AF is on pair with most competitors, it’s an EOS so it shares all the powerful possibilities of the system, and it is small and compact. There is a lot to like about the EOS M3. The new 24MP sensor delivers images with lots of details, and manages to keep noise at relatively low levels at high ISO. Still, it looks like a somewhat half-hearted affair to me.

It seems that Canon does not want to show their engineering skills and power. Think EVF (Electronic Viewfinder), an option featured on many similar priced mirrorless offerings. You can use an EVF on the EOS M3, but you have to purchase it separately and mount it on the hot shoe. The Canon EVF-DC1 Electronic Viewfinder sets you back by more than $200. The Fuji X-T10 has a built-in EVF that works perfectly, and sells for more or less the same price as the EOS M3. Not amused.

What to answer to someone asking if she should buy the Canon EOS M3? Short and honest answer: if you do not have scores of Canon lenses on your shelves, or are otherwise committed to Canon, then maybe not. Take the ecosystem. Fuji managed to release 16 native lenses in a few years for their mirrorless cameras, and all are excellent. Canon released just four native lenses, two of them being rather unexciting. Only the ultra wide-angle EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM and the razor-sharp EF-M 22mm f/2 STM lenses are better than “meh”. So, someone looking for her first mirrorless camera may be better advised to have a look on the similar priced Fuji X-T10, if the 24MP of the EOS M3 are not a game-changer (the X-T10 has 16MP). I think no other brand is so seriously committed to mirrorless as Fuji. And they make great gear with all the features you may want on a mirrorless camera. Not to mention the lenses.

Canon’s lack of commitment to the EOS M system is a pity, since other things (like the control layout) are incredibly curated and well organised, and clearly the result of a well-thought concept. The EOS M3 is a well-engineered idea. But there is an elephant in the room. At the end of the day the EOS M3 remains a powerful and promising concept, a well working and compact camera, but also a piece of gear that’s unfortunately not allowed to compete with Canon’s DSLRs. I can’t help, but I think it must have been not funny being part of the EOS M3 design team.

What I liked

• Excellent image quality
• Lots of details at low ISO
• Relatively low noise at high ISO
• Most accurate metering I have seen on Canon cameras of this class
• 2-axis level
• Exposure compensation dial
• Focus peaking
• Intuitive control layout
• Touchscreen and interface, also very intuitive
• Build quality

What I did not like

• Fixed sRGB color space
• Flash pops-out mechanically, may pop-out when you do not want it to do
• Creative possibilities on camera are limited compared to competition
• Ecosystem (lenses) is still limited (only 4)
• Pricier than competitors with more features
• No built-in EVF
• Limited battery life
• Unexciting video modes

Why did I buy it?

Because having invested in EF-M and other Canon lenses it was the obvious choice for me. It’s my new travel camera (with 22mm, 11-22mm, EF-S 18-135). I am tired to travel with heavy gear and the EOS M3 is the perfect compromise for my purposes and needs.

Have something to say about the EOS M3?

If you want to share your experiences with the EOS M, showcase your photos, or just interact with other Canon shooters, you are welcome to join our new We Shoot EOS M forum.

Canon EOS M3 price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

All images © Canon Watch 2015, not to use without permission.

Canon EOS M3 full specifications: