I just got one to be my casual body. The only reason I went with the Eos M over the NeX7 is that the cost of the NEX7 + EF adapter would be about half the cost of a new 5D3 and some lenses would not have AF. After reviewing the unit, I also realized that all my flashes work with the Eos M and I can still bring L glass around and still have a more discreet kit when I'm just shooting casually. If I really wanted FF sensor, and a new lens system, I would have just bought a Leica M and their god-like lenses. The Eos M is a cheap alternative to putting some decent glass on a travel friendly package.
DynaSport wrote:
I would have bought one if they had come out sooner. I ended up going M43 which currently has the best selection of lenses. It has been a bumpy road for me, but that is mostly my fault. I bought a lower end body and miss some of the features and handling of the more expensive one, plus learning the controls has been slow and frustrating for me since I have never used anything but a Canon.
But it is a lot easier to carry around than my 20D. I was hesitant to buy any lenses for the camera other than the kit zoom because I wasn't sure I'd like it. But I think I have decided to keep it now.
The negative on the M for me is that there are only two lenses. I know it can use the EOS lenses, but I wanted a smaller system. If I want to use my current lenses, I'd rather just get a new DSLR....Show more →
I got an Olympus E-P3 last year and, hot damn. the learning curve was tuff: tiny awkward controls and horrid menu organization. Flash behavior is much different than EOS so I even muffed up flash pics. Plus wee light cameras are a lot harder to hold steady than a DSLR, so I got lots of blurry pics at first. Basically I had to brace myself a lot more carefully and double shutter speeds over my 7D. Now I'm hitting about 90% but have to try a lot harder compared to using my 7D/5D2. Love the E-P3 with the new Oly 17mm F1.8. But, yeah, I probably would not have bought the E-P3 if Oly didn't have such a nice EVF (VF-2). Can't imagine shooting everything at arm's length...
whtrbt7 wrote:
I just got one to be my casual body. The only reason I went with the Eos M over the NeX7 is that the cost of the NEX7 + EF adapter would be about half the cost of a new 5D3 and some lenses would not have AF. After reviewing the unit, I also realized that all my flashes work with the Eos M and I can still bring L glass around and still have a more discreet kit when I'm just shooting casually. If I really wanted FF sensor, and a new lens system, I would have just bought a Leica M and their god-like lenses. The Eos M is a cheap alternative to putting some decent glass on a travel friendly package. ...Show more →
it's definitely travel friendly size with the 22mm f2 pancake lens
Practical and of good quality for video. Also easy to slip in your pocket with a 22 mm lens and get more than decent IQ pictures. You may note appreciate the slow AF, but you will like the responsive amoled screen. ISO good up to 1600.
Compared to the Sony's, Oly's and Fuji's, it is lacking in some major areas. Namely slow AF, no viewfinder and very few lens. Until they improve on these deficiencies, I won't give it my time of day. I have a X100 which will tied me through until the market matures in the next couple years. I'll see where Canon sits then.
The RX1 is a completely different beast. It's a full frame 35/2 but past that, you can't really change lenses. It's great if you want just a full frame 35/2 but the cost seems to be about half a Leica M9 at which point I would probably just plunk down cash for the Leica. At this point, the Eos M reminds me of Apple TV since its a pro-photographer's hobby project. It fits all of the existing EF and EFS glass which means that if you have the glass already, you don't need to buy any more glass. It's a Canon user's poor man's Leica lol. It's also much smaller than a Leica M which makes it a little more travel friendly when you're already bringing L glass. The one thing that would make the Eos M much better would be a glass viewfinder a la Leica. A rangefinder kind of design would really help as well as a front jog dial. Other than that, the camera is actually pretty cool because it also works with the speedlite set that I have. The one funny thing is that with a wireless flash trigger and L glass, the entire thing becomes decently large but still smaller than a T4i/650D with similar equipment.
So I've played with this for a while now. I like it. The ef-m lenses are sharp and silent. AF is so-so, but certainly manageable for anything but sports. There is certainly room for improvement, but the M is better than its online reputation IMO.
I looked at the m, but decided to go with the Oly OM-D instead. Very nice camera and system. Now I am leaving the 5DMK3 at home on most casual shooting outings.
If you are willing to have it shipped from overseas the M is $900 for the body, two lenses (which are quite nice), wireless commander flash and EF adapter. That makes an EOS mirrorless "system" extremely competitive from a price perspective. If AF can be improved even a little by the firmware, I will be quite happy.
The 40 fits naturally on the M. I've used the 50 1.4 on it also to good effect. I haven't tried, and have no real desire to try, any of my teles on it.
I was sceptial about the EOS M but decided to give it a try as I picked a full system up for $600 from a guy who won it in a competition and did not need it. I have been pleasantly surprised with the ease of use and picture quality. I have ordered a 10bar underwater housing for it as I think it will make a great compact diving camera. Just for fun I mounted it to my 300 2.8 is plus 2x iii and can get vey useable BIF with my Wimberly sidekick. Yes focus is a little slow - but not as bad as some posts would suggest. It did struggle with my 85 1.2 though ... I see it as a handy backup body when trekking, a promising dive camera and useful when I don't want to look like an Uncle Bob at social events.
This is a chicken and egg scenario for Canon. We think they should put more effort into the system and release more lenses and improve several areas of the camera, but they are sitting back watching how it performs, knowing that it's not performing as well as they'd like. As it stands it's really only got the sensor to hold up as it's main virtue, but compared to other mirrorless systems it's miles behind on features and lenses. Time to be proactive Canon, not reactive.
