Canon EOS M, The Mirrorless Camera We’ve Been Waiting For

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Canon shows everybody how it's done.

 

Finally! Canon has at last announced its answer to Micro Four Thirds and other mirrorless formats. And unlike Nikon, which was content to dash off a crappy toy in the shape of the “1,” the EOS M is pretty much exactly what we hoped for: an EOS SLR packed into a tiny body.

The M’s sensor is the same as the one found in the recent EOS 650D – an 18MP APS-C sized monster. This is held in a little compact body with a three-inch touch-screen, the latest DIGIC 5 image processor chip, 1080p/720p video, a maximum standard ISO of 12,800 (with a booster mode for ISO 25,600) and some measure of manual control over the video exposure and audio levels.

With the addition of a few more manual knobs and dials, this camera would be almost perfect.

The EOS M is clearly a camera aimed at enthusiasts, and at people looking to upgrade from a point-and-shoot without the bulk of an SLR. And given that most entry-level SLRs have truly terrible, gloomy pentamirror-based viewfinders, ditching the mirror altogether isn’t such a bad idea.

That sensor also means that there’s a lens adapter for Canon’s entire range of EF-mount lenses, which would is incredibly neat. As it is the M launches with two new pieces of glass with a new EF-M mount: a 22mm ƒ2 and an 18-55mm ƒ3.5-5.6. The latter is likely to be the same piece of dull mediocrity found as a kit lens on all cheap SLRs. The former is a decent stab at a fast 35mm (equivalent) fixed lens – the natural focal length for this kind of camera – just ask Henry Cartier Bresson.

I have a feeling that the future of all cameras is hidden inside this one. With the rumors saying that Nikon will be releasing a budget full-frame SLR soon, and the expansion of APS-C at the mirrorless end, I foresee the death of APS-C SLRs within a few years.

The EOS M will go one sale in October for $800, complete with that sweet-looking 22mm lens.

Source: DP Review

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