Canon 6609B074 Digital Camera

The landscape in the hi-tech marketplace changed radically in 2009 when the Panasonic GF1 arrived on the scene. The GF1 was a completely new type of camera.  MCSC (Mirrorless Compact System Cameras) like the GF1 look and function like P&S digicams, but they allow shooters to mount interchangeable lenses. MCSC imaging devices come in a variety of flavors ranging from the tiny Pentax Q10 to the elegant Fuji X-Pro 1, but they all have a few features in common – they handle like P&S digicams, they don’t need mirrors or prisms, they allow the use of interchangeable lenses, and they are substantially smaller than DSLRs.  MCSC units typically look like P&S digicams because there is no mirror or pentaprism in the light path. Mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras were a major advance in camera technology and design like the first 35mm camera (Leica) in 1923, the first compact SLR (Exacta) in 1933, the pentaprism viewfinder (Contax) in 1948, the instant return mirror (Pentax) in 1954, the first 35mm camera to feature a TTL (through the lens) light metering system (Topcon) in 1962, auto-focus lenses (Minolta) in 1984, and the first true consumer digital camera (Fuji DS-X) in 1989.

Suddenly Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Samsung, and Sony were able to exploit a niche market that excluded industry giants Canon and Nikon.  Nikon jumped on the MCSC bandwagon fairly quickly with the Nikon 1 (in two versions), but Canon has been dragging their corporate feet - introducing the Canon SL1 instead, which proved once again (Olympus did it in 1972 with the OM-1) that it was possible to take a standard DSLR and shrink it substantially.  The SL1 (which is essentially identical under the hood to the Canon T4i/T5i) is currently the World’s smallest and lightest DSLR. However, Canon’s management folks finally saw the writing on the wall and earlier this summer introduced Canon’s first MCSC model - the Canon EOS “M”.  Was the “M” worth waiting four years for?  Read on for a definitive answer. 

NUTS & BOLTS
Two distinct classes of consumers populate the demographic that buys the vast majority of MCSC digicams – semi-pros and serious amateur photography enthusiasts tired of heavy and bulky DSLRs and looking for a small and highly capable interchangeable lens camera - or those upgrading from compact and ultra compact P&S units who are looking for SLR-like image quality without giving up the convenience of smaller and easier to use Point & Shoot digicams.  Canon is the last big player to jump on the MCSC bandwagon and their initial entrant in the fray is obviously targeted at the latter group – although many semi-pros and serious amateur shooters will probably like the “M”. 

Canon is the most modular of the major digital camera manufacturers and they have an extensive catalog of consumer proven components to draw from when creating new models. Re-utilizing consumer tested components from older models to create new camera models allows Canon to skip most of the expensive R&D phase of product development and quickly introduce new camera models at prices designed to entice consumers. Unlike many of their competitors Canon didn’t start with a compact P&S digicam and then figure out how to hang a lens mount on the front of it – they started with a DSLR (the T4i) by removing the prism viewfinder and mirror assembly and then stuffed what was left into a newly designed compact magnesium-alloy camera body that’s about the same size as Panasonic’s popular GF5.  I suspect many of you are a bit incredulous.  It isn’t too difficult to envision the T5i shrunk to SL1 size, but basically stuffing a T5i into a standard sized P&S digicam body (even minus the mirror assembly and pentaprism optical viewfinder) seems far fetched, but Canon’s product development folks actually did it.  Let’s compare the two cameras side by side – Resolution 18 megapixels (both cameras). Sensors - APS-C 22.3mm x 14.9 mm (both cameras).  Sensor type – BSI - CMOS (both cameras).  Processor – DIGIC V (both cameras). Hybrid AF system - Contrast Detection AF combined with Phase Detection AF from the upscale EOS 7D (both cameras).  Three (3.0”) inch 1040K capacitive Touchscreen LCD monitors (both cameras) the M’s screen is fixed but the T5i’s screen is fully articulated.  HD video capture at 1920 x 1080p @ 30, 25, or 24 fps (both cameras).  That’s a fairly impressive pedigree for a camera small enough to slip in a jacket pocket. 

Viewfinder/LCD
 The “M” like every other MCSC camera doesn’t provide an optical viewfinder.  Users must relay on the 3.0” (1,040,000 million pixels) wide-viewing-angle TFT LCD monitor. The monitor is very sharp, color accurate, and fluid. The “M” like it’s big brothers the T5i abd the SL1 features touchscreen controls. The “M”’s screen is capacitative rather than resistive, which means the touchscreen functions like a smartphone touchscreen - it’s sensitive to contact rather than pressure - resulting in a user experience that smartphone users will find very familiar. Some MCSC units offer an optional hot-shoe mounted external optical viewfinder, but the “M” is not among them. 

Auto Focus (AF)
The “M” features the same hybrid (Contrast detection/Phase detection) 32 point AF system that graces its siblings the SL1 and the T5i.  Users can select the specific AF point (touch focus AF) they want to base focus on (handy for composing images with off-center subjects) or they can allow the camera to automatically select the AF point (closest subject priority) or they can opt for center focus and utilize the cross-sensor AF point. The “M”s AF system did a pretty good job with AF acquisition and focus lock displaying consistent performance that is, for all intents and purposes, almost identical to the “M”s bigger brothers the T5i and SL1.  The “M”s AF system evaluates subject movement and automatically selects tracking AF mode, which vastly simplifies shooting sports and action. AF is consistently quick and accurate (although like its bigger siblings a bit slower than average) even in moderately dim lighting – suitable for essentially anything this camera’s target audience is likely to throw its way..

Manual Focus (MF)
Manual focus is dead easy – simply turn the MF ring on the lens to adjust focus, just like they used to do back in the olden days – although it won’t fell like it did in the olden days since the “M”s manual focus is by wire.

Flash/ Hot Shoe
The “M” doesn’t feature a built-in flash.   The “M” does feature a dedicated hot shoe and can mount all Canon EX Speedlights including the new 90EX that was designed specifically for the “M”.  The 90EX is quite small (it uses two AAA batteries), but it still adds more bulk to the package than a built-in flash would have.

Image Storage/Image File Formats
The “M” saves images to SD/SDHC/SDXC memory media. Images may be saved in JPEG and RAW formats and there is a RAW+JPEG mode that saves a RAW file with an embedded JPEG file.

Power/Battery Life
The “M” draws its juice from a proprietary Canon Lithium-Ion LP-E12 rechargeable battery pack. Canon claims the “M” is good for about 230 exposures with a fully charged LP-E12. The included charger needs about 2 hours to charge the battery back to full capacity.

Lens Mount/Kit Lens 
Canon was obliged to re-design the EF-S lens mount for the much smaller/thinner “M” and initially only two lenses will be available in the new mount - the “M”s f2.0/22mm STM “Pancake” kit lens is the standard optic for this camera and it performs nicely in that capacity. This 22mm objective produces a 35mm (equivalent) field of view - regarded by most veteran photographers as a wide normal lens.  The relatively fast f2.0 maximum aperture and 35mm (effective) focal length make this lens very similar to the relatively fast general-purpose objectives like the f1.8/50mm lenses that used to be featured on 35mm film SLRs.  The second lens in the “M” line-up is a compact “M” version of the f3.5-f5.6/18mm-55mm STM kit zoom that is offered with all of Canon’s entry level DSLRs.  That’s the bad news – now here is the good news.  Canon provides an optional lens adapter - the EF-EOS M - that allows ANY EF/EF-S lens to be mounted on the “M”.

EXPOSURE
The EOS “M” provides shooters with a comprehensive range of exposure options including: Program AE (P&S mode with user input), Shutter Priority mode (users select the shutter speed and the camera selects the appropriate aperture), Aperture Priority mode (users select the aperture and the camera selects the appropriate shutter speed), and Manual mode (users select all exposure parameters). The “M” also provides a small but useful selection of Scene modes including Creative Auto (P&S mode), Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night portrait, Handheld Night, and HDR Backlight Control mode. In all Scene Modes the camera’s DIGIC 5 processor automatically optimizes all exposure parameters (aperture, shutter speed, white balance, sensitivity, etc.) for the specific scene genre selected.
 
Light Metering
The “M”s light metering options include the default Evaluative (Multi) mode, plus center weighted averaging, Spot, and partial modes. The Evaluative metering mode (linked to Face Detection AF/AE) assesses numerous individual points across the frame while Center-weighted metering biases exposure on the central portion of frame (great for landscape and travel images where the subject is likely to be centered). The Spot and Partial modes allow users to bias exposure to the most important single element shown in the frame. The “M”s default Evaluative metering mode is consistently accurate and I suspect most users will leave the camera in the default metering mode full time.
 
White Balance (WB)
The “M” provides an acceptable range of White Balance options for an MCSC digicam including: TTL Auto and user pre-sets for Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, & Fluorescent. The “M”’s auto WB setting does a very good job as do all the outdoor settings (Daylight, Shade, Cloudy). I didn’t try the Tungsten or Fluorescent WB modes.

Design, Controls, Durability, & Ergonomics
The EOS M is a compact, magnesium-alloy bodied MCSC digicam.  Upon initial inspection the “M” is so minimalist in its design that it appears Spartan when compared to other MCSC.  The “M” available in black, white, silver and red body colors for the fashionista set. The EOS M is a very small camera, and only provides a small finger-rail grip and back deck thumb pad to help users maintain a secure grip so wise purchasers will use the included neck strap full time.  Construction/build quality is robust, more than tough enough for this camera’s target audience.  Fit/finish is excellent and dust/moisture seals are adequate. Most “M” users will rely primarily on the touchscreen, however there is a minimal (but sufficient) selection of manual controls.  All controls are logically placed and easily accessed and the menu system is straightforward and easily navigated.
 
In the Field/Handling & Operation
I get asked a lot for camera recommendations and I am always happy to help an aspiring photographer find the camera that is best for him/her.  Back in March, just when the weather was starting to get nice here in the Ohio Valley I helped a young skateboarder friend select a Canon T4i to replace his P&S digicam.  I hadn’t seen my friend or heard from him either so I was pleasantly surprised to hear from him recently.  He wanted to show me his new camera and asked if I’d like to meet him at the Extreme Park the following day to check out his new toy.  I asked him several questions but he refused to answer any of them.  I agreed to meet him the following day and when I arrived at the extreme park my young friend was waiting.  He gathered up his skateboard and his bottle of water and said, It’s in the truck” and we walked across the street to his truck.
 
He pulled out a brand new Canon EOS “M”, the first one I’d actually seen.  I’ve been hearing about the “M” and I was very interested in playing with it.  My friend said he had tried and tried to get into the T4i, but that it was just too big and cumbersome for him to use comfortably – he had finally gone looking for something that was about the size of his old compact P&S that could also use interchangeable lenses.  Once he saw the “M” and realized that he could use the lenses from his T4i on this much smaller camera he was sold.  He E-Bayed his T4i and bought an “M” with the 22mm kit lens.  He also ordered the EF EOS M adaptor and EX90 flash, but hadn’t received them yet.  My young friend wanted me to teach him how to get the most out of his new camera and I agreed to put it through its paces with him in tow to observe.

After I pointed out to him that photographing skateboarders and BMX bikers with a wide-angle lens was both dangerous and unlikely to produce anything truly useful, we decided to take a walking tour of the surrounding Butchertown neighborhood shooting pictures of the old shotgun houses, tiny yards full of colorful flowers, and Carpenter Gothic architechtural details. We then took his truck to the Dairy Castle for Chili Dogs and then to Bardstown Road to do some street photography.  The “M” is small, unintimidating, and very responsive.  The 22mm prime (35mm effective focal length on the APS-C sized sensor) was great for getting in close and nobody pays any attention to anybody with a small camera or a camera phone taking pictures – so we were able to pick out a couple of local characters and get some decent candid shots of them enjoying the scorching weather and Bardstown Road’s “hippie” aesthetic.  We agreed to get together the following morning and shoot some more. 

The following morning we started out at Cave Hill Cemetery with cobalt blue skies and morning “golden” light.  We shot each other on the porch of the rustic old groundskeeper’s cabin, we shot a pair of swans on the tiny central lake, and then decided to drive up to the knobs on the other side of the river and look for scenics.  The Knobs are a range of low knobby hills just a few miles north of the Ohio River; all that remains of the Wisconsin glacier that reached its southernmost point here.  The knobs are the trees, earth, and rocks (glacial till) that the glacier pushed along in front as it moved south 11,000 or 12,000 years ago.  We drove through Starlight and a couple of other small towns – stopping here and there to take pictures.  The “M” was a joy to use, although it was clearly designed more for small camera fans like my friend than it was for small elegant camera lovers like me.  I asked my friend if he was going to keep this camera for more than six months and he said he loves the “M” but he hates the 22mm lens (this is his first ever prime lens) and so won’t make his decision until he gets his adapter and tries out his Canon zooms on the “M”. 

PERFORMANCE

Image Quality
The “M”s image quality (with the Canon EF-M f2.0/22mm prime) ranges from excellent to pro quality - especially at the 100 ISO sensitivity setting - with decent detail capture in both shadow and highlight areas. Edge transitions are crisp, corners are reasonably sharp, and noise is very well managed. ISO 400 images display remarkably low noise levels and actually look pretty decent, but they are a bit soft and fine detail (like hair and grass) looks a little mushy. I didn’t try any sensitivity higher than ISO 400, so I can’t offer any specifics on how the “M” and 22mm prime work in dim/low light, but based on everything else – I would expect the combo to be much better than most of the P&S digicams out there and equal to or better than most entry level DSLRs with kit zooms.  Overall, the “M”s images show a nice dynamic range; colors are bright, hue accurate,  slightly over saturated, and a bit on the warm side of neutral with slightly more contrast than average.

Video Quality
HD video clips shot with the “M” (we only shot a couple) were consistently well exposed with accurate (although noticeably oversaturated) colors and fluid movement. Audio is crisp and clear and the wind filter seems to be fairly effective without being too intrusive.

Timing/Shutter Lag
The “M” seems a tiny bit slower than the T5i and SL1, but that conclusion is based on subjective rather than objective data. The boot up cycle is about 2 seconds. Shutter fire is essentially real time with pre-focus and almost instantaneous from scratch – faster than 95% of the P&S digicams I’ve used and equal to or slightly slower than most of the entry level DSLRs I’ve used.
 
Conclusion
Here’s the bottom line – the EOS “M” with the f2.0/22mm Pancake lens mounted is only about a third the size of a T5i with f3.5-f5.6/18mm-55mm and the "M"s image quality is actually better with the 22mm than the T5i's is with the 18mm-55mm at the short end of the kit zoom.  So, if size and weight are a serious consideration then the “M” (which is essentially a reconfigured T5i with a much smaller footprint) may be the camera you’ve been searching for.  With the 22mm Pancake lens mounted the “M” is definitely pocketable (although you won’t be sticking it in the back pocket of your jeans – unless you wear baggy jeans) and it provides just about everything its bigger siblings provide in terms of capability. If MCSC units are not your cup of tea and you’d still like something smaller and lighter than a standard sized DSLR then check out the Canon SL1.  Kudos to Canon’s product development folks – who have so far this year introduced three radically different cameras that all share the same set of basic components.  That’s some impressive digital engineering.

Recommend this product? Yes