Canon EOS M5 review (a modern mirrorless, DPReview)

Canon Eos M5 Mark Ii Mirrorless

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.

Canon EOS M5 kits in stock and ready to ship at major retailers

Eos M5

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

After too much waiting, the EOS M5 eventually is in stock and ready to ship at authorised Canon retailers:

Not living in the US? Let’s see if the Canon EOS M5 is available and at what price in your country: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Canon EOS M5 added to DPReview’s studio scene comparison tool

Eos M6 Price

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

You can now compare the Canon EOS M5’s image quality in JPG and raw using DPReview’s studio scene comparison tool. Four cameras can be compared, ISO values can be set. DPReview also posted a set of 103 real world EOS M5 sample pictures.

Want to learn more about the EOS M5? The user manual for the Canon EOS M5 can be downloaded at Canon USA. Good to learn about the features.

Canon EOS M5 real-world sample pictures (DPReview)

Canon Eos M5 Mark Ii

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 a set of 103 sample pictures shot with the new Canon EOS M5.

The user manual for the Canon EOS M5 can be downloaded at Canon USA. Good to learn about the features of the EOS M5.

New prime lenses and a zoom for Canon EOS M system coming in 2017? [CW3]

Canon Eos M5 Mark Ii Mirrorless

I have been told (thanks) that Canon will announce new lenses for their EOS M system in 2017.

The rumor makes sense. Having announced the EOS M5 to the world,  Canon now definitely needs some good native lenses to improve the system. The lenses that are actually available for the EOS M do their job but are nothing particularly exciting. According to my source Canon will announce at least two prime lenses for the EOS M system, a 35mm and a 50mm. Both lenses are said “to be fast” but I didn’t get any information about the specs. Another lens for EOS M may be announced in 2017, a zoom lens that has been described to us as having a “quality above the other EOS M kit lenses” (whatever it means).

Canon Watch’s take: while the rumor comes with no specifications and is of the kind “something to come some-when” (the kind of rumors I do not like), I think this rumor has a good chance to be reliable. Canon simply can’t afford not to build some better lenses for their EOS M system, not after the feature-packed EOS M5 many people was waiting for. A 35mm and 50mm prime and a more pro-level (and possibly fast) zoom lens would benefit Canon’s EOS M ecosystem. As good as the EF/EF-S to EF-M adapter may work, there is nothing like native lenses.

Please note: this is not the first time we get the suggestion that Canon is working on prime lenses for the EOS M system. The first rumors are more than a year old, and we didn’t see new prime lenses for EOS M so far.