Canon EOS M 18.0 MP Compact Systems Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD and EF-M18-55mm is STM Lens

EDIT: An announcement was made that firmware will be released at the end of june that will greatly speed up the AF performance. so... END EDIT This camera is fantastic, I have had it for awhile now and it pleases me more every time I use it. First, build quality: the build on this camera is easily up to the par of the xxD line of prosumer cameras.. well at least from the 50D back, as the camera is built with magnesium alloy on the whole body and an aluminum cased lens. Short of the weather sealing it is built like the tanks of the eos line. Ergonomics: Now, I'm not a clumsy person, I don't go around throwing my cameras all over. even so the M (black version) is really a pleasure to hold and I don't find myself fighting for grip with it. I can't use the rebel line of cameras, they just don't fit me, in fact I am not partial to using the smaller of the xxD line (20,30,40,60D) without a vertical grip. The eos M is a great fit, perhaps it's the size to weight ratio, but it just feels right in my hands. Just in case I do use a wrist strap, I made one by taking one of the neck strap quick connects off and attaching a regular wrist strap (for a nikon 1) through it just as if it were a normal eyelet. Menus: I didn't think i would like the lack of buttons and touchscreen, however I now find them extremely intuitive, one handed operation on the rear is extremely easy. the jog wheel on the rear can control almost all the functions i would need (shutter speed, aperture, exposure comp, etc) one of my favorite things is that the settings stay with the mode I am in, for instance if I have the mode set for A and have it set for multi shot and the focus set to flexizone multi and autofocus, I can switch quickly (using the top dial) to manual and have it set for single point and AF+MF. Most of the parameters and menu features stay with the modes as well, great for switching quickly between two completely different shooting styles. the touch screen is great as well, i can scroll through things with the right dial and then immediately select something to change or a menu by touching, the touch to focus and shoot has been fantastic for tripod shots. Focus: yes, this has been a very outspoken item whenever the M is even mentioned, so much so that the rest of the camera is ignored. is it slow at times, yes, would I pan with a subject and shoot frame after frame all the way down the pitch at a soccer match, probably not. it also isn't great for just run and gun style photography. but most would have a higher end SLR if they really plan on this style of photography. honestly, whenever I think it might be too slow, I prefocus or simply use manual focus. I know this might sound like a pain, but a good photographer will get very good at this. I do this even with my SLR, why? well.. as smart as the AF systems are, they don't always put just what I want in focus, so by the time I pressed to select the focus point and framed, then focused, I usually could have done it faster on the M's fantastically clear screen. don't want the "hassel"? don't even think about buying a leica..... I shot a street festival recently and used manual focus for quite a bit of the action, maybe one out of 50 or so shots wasn't quite the right focus, and that was at f4 at 200mm. that said I love using the AF+MF mode, I can quickly let the camera get close and then narrow right in without any hunt. Low light with no AF assist? you shouldn't be using auto... that's all I'm really going to say about it, it works fine for my style. EDIT: forgot to say how to increase the AF speed for those that aren't too familiar with AF systems, on the M change the AF type to flexizone- single and under the second menu, disable continuous AF. The single point AF is much faster and more accurate because it is more direct, no multi-step, complex algorithm, face detection etc. turning off the continuous AF keeps the camera from hunting and also saves battery life as the camera isn't constantly trying to adjust focus when you are just holding the camera. with these settings the AF is great for this type of camera and should be fantastic once the faster firmware is released. :END EDIT Image quality: this is one of the places this camera really starts to shine, with the digic 5 processor and aps-c sensor this camera is up there with the best prosumer cameras outside of full frame. the low light quality is fantastic and even large prints are just wonderful to see. right out of the box with the 22mm the image quality is better than any fixed lens camera i have ever seen, and yet I can take it everywhere with me just like a point and shoot. I use the lowepro dashpoint 20 case and it fits the camera with 22mm lens and wrist strap into something i can even run with, its great wearing everyday on a belt or slipping into a bag, try that with any size SLR ;) now the real treat comes when using the adapter and L lenses. the picture quality is outstanding, and it recognizes the lens I am using and can automatically ( and quite nicely ) correct the known distortions and vignetting for that lens at the given aperture and focal length. Big lens ergonomics: on my SLRs I have to have a vertical grip, especially when shooting with a 70-200L now with this camera and that lens, its more like the camera is attached to the back of the lens and not the other way around. given this, you are really holding the lens and not the camera, as such its actually more comfortable for me than with the tiny lens, I can hold with my left hand and adjust things by touching the screen or using the dial with my right. did I mention the image quality? yea, well its that good. I actually prefer it to the 60D, the build quality is better, the functions are easier to use, and the processor is better, what does that mean? it introduces us to the next point. Video: where have you been all my life? The M is not actually that much bigger than a gopro and yet the video is up there with the best DSLRs, the brilliant thing is that I can shoot full manual and have the pro quality look of low shutter speed (no rolling shutter) and variable DOF.. the fantastic thing is that with just a small RAM mount I can produce in-car and on-car footage that is above and beyond an action cam and rock solid, this camera is even unobtrusive suction cupped to my windshield. The digic 5 processor works wonders in this cam and the screen is a joy to film with. the M has a stereo 3.5mm mic input and manual volume adjustment. whats more, it doesn't overheat like some of the even more expensive cams like some of the 7Ds, it shoots continually for 29min 59sec though the file is broken apart into 12min segments on the card. I use 16 and 32gig sandisk extreme SDHC cards and at full resolution I got the full length of video 100% error free.. using this camera to shoot video with L lenses is a joy, the video is pristine and as you use manual focus in video anyway, the big slr is actually at a disadvantage here, I can fly this camera, steady cam it, suction cup it, etc. far easier than many of the larger SLRs and yet the video outshines more than its fair share, with audio features not even found on some of the go-to cameras in the market. What can I say, I'm thoroughly impressed.. and it more than easily fits in my carry on.......

I purchased this camera with 22mm lens used - as new - for $285.oo - including shipping. For the serious armature, this is a great little camera. For the professional photographer, this is a nice little camera to have in pocket for unexpected photo opportunities. As for me, I would have given up everything to become a professional photographer with such a camera and set-up with my computer system. That is to say fifty years ago. But still, this little camera is amazing even today. And a new version will appear on the market maybe soon that will be even better. But the price will ago up significantly. The objections critics raise against the slower focusing are those wonderful idealists. Lots of cameras I have handled are slower than this. The reviewer who reported 4-5 seconds to focus is very suspect. My experience has been solid focusing in less than one second. True, this is not fast enough for sports, but for most anything else, it is just fine. I recommend buying the 18-55mm zoom lens instead of buying the adapter to use with your other Canon EOS lenses. It just doesn't make sense to me to attach heavy lenses on this little doll of a camera when I have the well balanced Rebel T2i and T4i cameras. I made the mistake of buying the off brand adapter (which works perfectly) and can now use all my EOS lenses on the M camera bodies. But I've decided to use only the STM lenses on my M camera. I can't see putting a big lens on this small camera. The M camera has no built-in flash, but it does have a hot shoe. This will work perfectly with my Canon 270EX Speedlite. and, if needed, with my larger Speedlite. This is my personal preference. I hardly ever use flash. It's just that a hot shoe is so much more versatile and effective than a built-in flash. The tiny opening on the camera face, that I thought might be a flash, is just a beam to help the camera auto focus. The 22mm lens is very sharp, and an aperture of f 2.0 , coupled with the camera's ability to use high ISO's low light shooting is easy. The sweetest sweet spot is f 8. The sensor and processer really do their jobs. I could never get such sharpness and detail with any tiny sensor camera. And the M does shoot RAW+JPG. With the M camera you get an easy to carry, easy to use camera, and high quality photographs. And it's only a little slower in focusing than optimal for some uses. UPDATE 12/18/13 I forgot to mention before about the lack of a viewfinder. After some use of this camera, I miss it. Especially if I were trying to use the camera for sports, or moving dogs at the Dog Park, I usually press a camera against my face to steady it when I shoot, but the Image Stabilizer works very well if the camera is held properly - as shown in the User Guide. Additionally, I push the camera away from me to cause the neck strap to pull on the back of my neck. That creates kind of a tripod effect with my body. But still, I often have a problem with direct sunlight obscuring my subjects. I've tried a specially built shade device, but it was too clumsy to be useful. I also hadn't mentioned the Touch Screen. Well, it's fast and great. I mostly like being able to touch the screen to guide what the camera is to Auto Focus on. That's very cool. And I will purchase the next upgrade of the M, but only if it has a viewfinder and an articulating screen.

My husband and I travel quite often so we wanted a camera that is small and portable, but can take quality photos. We are only hobbyist so we decided to get the Canon EOS M. This camera is small and can be carried in my purse when we are out and about. My brother is a professional photographer so I’ve played with his Canon 5D Mark III before. I would have to say that I am very impress with what the EOS M can do and so is my brother. He borrows this camera to bring along with his Mark III when he goes on small photoshoots with clients. Since the EOS M is portable and light weight, he uses this as a substitute to his backup camera, the Mark II. It comes with a 22mm f2 STM lens and since Canon lenses are interchangeable between cameras, we have not had to get new lenses. We did have to get an adapter when we want to use a regular Canon lens but it was worth it. Auto-Focus: A lot of people complained about how slow the auto-focus is. We got this camera when it first came out so I agree that the auto-focus is a bit slow. This isn’t a problem for us though as we take most of our photos in manual. Image quality: This camera takes very clear and amazing images. It takes all the photos that we need it to take for the price we paid for. Some reviewers compared the quality of the EOS M to a Mark III but I don’t think that does justice to a $600 EOS M1 to be compared to a $2,000 Mark III. Intuitive: As hobbyists, my husband and I find that this camera is very easy to use. Everything is in the touch screen and it is very intuitive. We got the EOS M1 when they first came out at $600 so I can only imagine how good the M2 and the M3 are. Canon has been known to produce very high quality camera systems and this is no exception. Overall, we are very satisfied with our purchase.

Good one for photography.But not good grip. I am not camera expert but need to learn more with character focusing in video,because I brought it only for videos. After One year [I did not much used it due to some reasons] .I found dead pixel issue & getting one little red dot in each pic & video. Looking for solution

The camera is very good, only it does not bring its box and the menu comes in Japanese but you can change it to English, very good product I recommend it.

Nice

I quite love mine.

great camera - dslr quality - but no viewfinder makes it very lame to try and use properly -- be prepared for professional build quality with cheapo camera usability - when trying to photograph a specific small subject the focus square will not go small enough so you might have the wrong thing in focus -- the touch screen is great -- the 22mm f/2 lens is wonderful