Big EOS M Competitors, Reviews And Hands-On Survey

Pre-orders: EOS M page on Amazon, EOS M search on Amazon UK, EOS M on B&H and Adorama. If you live in Germany stop by at wexcameras.de. For more pre-order links (US, UK, DE, world-wide) and specifications click here.

After the heat of Canon’s EOS M announcement (and related server crashes :-)) it’s time to round-up the available news, reviews and hands-ons. Canon’s first attempt in the mirrorless market is a consumer oriented camera, it will typically be sold as a kit with the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM lens for $799 (B&H, Adorama). Canon also announced another lens for the EOS M, the EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens, sold for $299.99 (Adorama, B&H). Various accessories are also available (click here for Amazon’s EOS M page). Nevertheless, while aiming at the consumer market the EOS M has all the advanced/manual controls needed for a creative approach to photography. And there is more: the EOS M can use Canon’s whole lens line-up with the EF-M Lens adapter for EF/EF-S lenses ($199.99, Amazon and B&H). Canon wanted to keep things simple, aiming at users who want high quality images without the complexity of a DSLR. As you probably know, a more pro oriented mirrorless camera by Canon is expected to be announced for Photokina, in September 2012.
Compared to its direct competitors, the EOS M costs $50 more than the Panasonic GF5 with 14mm f/2.5 pancake and $400 more than the Panasonic GF3 with the same 14mm lens, Panasonic’s GX1 with 14-42mm kit lens is $250 less, with the 14-42mm Power Zoom lens the GX1 is $50 more expensive than the EOS M. Compared to Olympus, the EOS M costs $200 more than the E-PL3 with the  17mm pancake. Compared to Sony’s more pro oriented NEX7 (body only), the EOS M is $ 400 less, compared to the recently released NEX F3 with the 18-55mm it’s $200 more. Finally,  there is Nikon, the EOS M costs $50 more than the 1 V1 with the 10-30mm lens, and $300 more than the 1 J1 with the same lens.

Let’s go for the reviews. Engadget (video below), The Verge, comprehensive hands-on at pocket-lint and digitalcamerainfo. Another hands-on at whatdigitalcamera (second video below), preview at C|Net UK. The filmmakers at EOSHD also had their hands on the EOS M. Philip Bloom (The death of the DSLR  in it’s current form is inevitable), Dpreview and Techradar and Imaging Resource and Spanish hands-on at DSLRmagazine, and German at heise.de. More and more EOS M clips on youtube.

Let me know your thoughts….

And Now It Is Official: Canon EOS M Announced! (Sample Images, Hands-On Videos, All Pre-Order Links, Continously Updated With All The News)

This post will be updated as new information flows in. I am updating with new posts.

It is here! Canon’s jump on the mirrorless bandwagon is done. The camera has a price of $800/€850/£769.99 with the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM lens and will soon be available. Black, white, silver and red are the colours of choice.
Sample images and movies on Canon JP (click here). For the first, comprehensive review of the EOS M by digitalcamerainfo click here, or jump directly to the conclusion (click here): “Simply put, the EOS M […] takes the guts of a DSLR and puts it in a body you can put in your pocket” and “The EOS M is […] a simple-to-use DSLR that won’t intimidate, but doesn’t skimp on the components or build quality“.
So, let’s go for the pre-order links (previews, videos, hands-on and more after the pre-order links). N.B: If you are seriously interested in the Canon EOS M, then act quickly. There will be lots (lots!) of pre-orders and the listed shops will, as usually, have a limited supply at the beginning:

Previews and Reviews:
Philip Bloom (The death of the DSLR  in it’s current form is inevitable), Dpreview and Techradar and Imaging Resource and Spanish hands-on at DSLRmagazine, and German at heise.de.

Press release:
Canon’s press release. The lenses at Dpreview. Press at Imaging Resource. Press at Photographyblog. French press at Lemondedelaphoto. Press at Engadget. Press at TheVerge. German press at Photoscala. French press at Focus Numerique. Press at Digitalcamerareview. Japanese press at Itmedia.

Canon’s official product teasers below

What do you think about the EOS M?

  • Cute little camera (45%, 195 Votes)
  • Don't care (29%, 126 Votes)
  • Piece of crap (26%, 113 Votes)

Total Voters: 434

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Official specs:

  • 18.0 MP CMOS (APS-C) Sensor
  • DIGIC 5 Image Processor
  • Full HD Movie with Focus Tracking
  • 3.0″ Touch Screen LCD with 1040K-dots
  • Touch AF and Multi-touch Operation
  • Hybrid CMOS Auto-focus for Photo & Video
  • Compatible with Canon EF and EF-S Lenses
  • ISO 100-12800, Expandable to 25600 (H)
  • Canon’s First Mirrorless Camera
  • Includes Canon EF-M 22mm F/2 STM Lens

 


Canon’s press release…:

Click here to open the rest of the article

[Video] EOS M First Hands On Video

While we are waiting for the official announcement of the EOS M, Canon’s mirrorless camera, there is already a first hands-on video that showed up on youtube (thanks to reader Mitch!). The video is in Italian (I speak it). Surprise surprise: the camera comes in different colors. The Canon guy says that «a lot of prototypes have been tried out in Canon – we think we achieved a good product with the EOS M». When asked about a model with viewfinder, he basically is saying that «a viewfinder is something that only DSLR shooter would miss», and: «Maybe there will be a camera with viewfinder in the future». Still no information about the price. Basically, the specs I posted yesterday are confirmed. Moreover…:

  • Manual controls (exposure and aperture) are available through the touchscreen
  • Shutter can be released through the touchscreen, after focus has been locked (2:28″ on the video)
  • 14 bit RAW header
  • External microphone
  • Phase and contrast detection AF
  • Different colors available

The touch-screen seems to be very functional, clean and easy to use. The EOS adapter is huge, but, i guess, that’s the price for being able to use EOS lenses line-up.

[Rumor] EOS M Full Specifications Leaked

Digicame-info posted what appear to be the real specs of Canon’s mirrorless camera, expected to be announced tomorrow. Looks like the Rebel T4i/650D sensor with its hybrid AF system (auto-focus through phase detection) is featured on the EOS M – good news for all of us that are into video. Hence, it can be assumed to a high degree of certainty that the EOS M will not have the sensor of the PowerShot G1 X: the EOS M most probably has an APS-C sized 18MP sensor, the same (?) as the Rebel T4i/650D. The EOS M will come with two Kit lens, the EF-M22mm STM and the EF-M18-55mm IS STM. The remaining specs below.

– APS-C CMOS sensor 18 million pixels
– The image processing engine DIGIC5
– Hybrid CMOS AF in combination with phase-contrast
– Video Servo AF, Servo AF, AF touch
– The range is equivalent ISO 25600 ISO100-12800, in the expansion
– To 30 seconds shutter speed is 1/4000, bulb, flash sync is 1/200 sec
– Second continuous shooting speed is 4.3 frames /
– 1.04 million dot LCD monitor 3.0-type wide, touch panel
– The media SD / SDHC / SDXC (corresponding UHS-I)
– Video is 1920×1080 30p/25p/24p, 1280×720 60p/50p, 640×480 30p/25p
Method – video compression MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, audio Linear PCM, MOV format
– Available in over 60 species of EF lens mount adapter EF-EOS M
– Hand-held Twilight mode synthesized by the continuous shooting at a shutter speed four with less camera shake
– HDR mode to synthesize three different exposure
– Multi-shot noise reduction function to reduce the noise by combining the four images
– Creative filters
– The size is x 66.5mm (width) 108.6mm (height) x 32.3mm (depth)
– The weight (body only) 262g, (including battery and memory card) 298g
– Kit lens EF-M22mm STM, EF-M18-55mm IS STM
– Comes with a mount adapter and EF-EOS M 90EX Speedlite kit of some

I expect the announcement tomorrow, July 23, around 06-07 AM London time (00:00 EST). Stay tuned as I will provide all the news in real time (pre-order links, specifications, and what ever is out there :-) ).

[via Digicame-info]

EOS M External Flash Picture Leaked (Canon Mirrorless Camera)

Thanks to an anonymous reader who sent me this image via email. After the images of the EOS M, the new EF-M 22mm f/2 STM lens and the also new, Image Stabilized EF-M 18-55mm lens, we are able to provide an image of the external flash for Canon’s soon-to-be-announced (Monday, July 23rd) mirrorless system camera.

Stay tuned on Monday: I will cover the announcement, expected for 6-7 AM London time, providing all the new and information.