Guest Blog: Canon EOS M Review
Today we’re handing over to Lauren, our favourite Canon Guru. Lauren’s been lucky enough to spend a good amount of time with the camera and has sent us some demo images.
We know Canon know how to make a really good camera, they boast a great range of dSLRs and, if you look carefully, you can STILL spot people running around with the compact G series Powershots as far back as the G7. Canon are the last of the big names to join the compact system camera market and I was keen to see what direction they would take it in.
Fairly innocent at first glance, it really does produce dSLR quality in a (depending on lens choice) jacket-pocketable, certainly handbag friendly, shell. The 18mp APS-C sized ‘Hybrid AF’ sensor will look familiar to those who’ve had a look at the EOS 650D. It produces the great colours we’re used to from the digital EOS system and excellent low-light performance.
The buttons are minimal, making it much less intimidating than a dSLR to those used compact cameras or mobile phones. As a dSLR user who’s used to buttons and dials, I was a little wary about using the EOS M in manual modes, but I needn’t have been. The touch screen is responsive and accurate and within a few minutes I was changing settings on the fly without giving it much thought. The layout is such that you can change the most important settings without having to use the touch screen if you don’t want to, I found using a combination of the screen and the dial on the back worked best for me. Without trying them side-by-side I can’t say for certain, but it SEEMED I was able to change settings as quickly as when I’m using my dSLR, which I was not expecting!
It’s small and light but reassuringly well built, the EF-M 18-55mm is a particularly lovely kit lens, though I have to say I’m smitten with the EF-M 22mm f/2.0. Although these are the only dedicated EF-M mount lenses available so far, the EF/EF-S mount adaptor means you can utilize the full line up of current EF and EF-S lenses as well. Both EF-M lenses sport the STM stepping motor providing fast and accurate focusing for stills and smooth focusing during video. I found the ‘Touch Shutter’ feature the easiest and quickest way to take a picture with the focus exactly where I wanted it, especially for off-center subjects.
In short, I like it a lot. If I wasn’t feeling like lugging the dSLR kit out, this is definitely the camera I’d want to chuck in the bag for general snaps. I’d feel safe in the knowledge that I wouldn’t be disappointed by the quality and the pictures would likely be indistinguishable from those taken with my dSLR sporting a similar lens. If you’d asked my opinion on CSCs a few weeks ago I would have said I’d always rather have a dSLR with me, but this little camera has actually changed my mind. Well played Canon!
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Posted by Iconography Ltd
16th November 2012
