Canon EOS M 18.0 MP Compact Systems Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD and EF-M22 STM Lens Black

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.

I have been on the market for a while to buy a mirrorless compact DSLR with APS-C sensor. I bought a Sony NEX 5 camera (before this little Canon released.) I loved the compactness and snappy performance of NEX. I was able take some good photos with that. Yet my photos always lacked this magical look that my semi-professional photographer friends' photos have. I tried to play with the camera settings extensively on my NEX to get what other cameras are producing but I rarely get something that is even remotely close to that. Of course they were using these really expensive cameras with absolutely amazing prime lenses but I still thought that my $700 NEX should have been able to at least be satisfying. Well, it wasn't. At least with the lenses it came with. I didn't want to start investing in NEX prime lenses (which I tried and loved btw) as I thought it was an expensive proposition to be stuck at NEX format. Then I started searching to find a better yet more affordable camera..... I have tried a number of cameras; All Sony NEX Cameras (good performance if you have good lenses), Olympus four third cameras(small sensor), Fuji X series(super crazy expensive camera and lenses but regardless great cameras), Nikon (small sensor-lack of lenses), Panasonic four thirds (small sensor) and some more. That's when I wanted to give the Canon EOS-M a try despite all those really bad professional reviews that bashed the camera mostly due to the autofocus problems. Ohh boy, thank god I gave this camera a chance. In an instant, right out of the package I was able to start taking photos almost like my friends' photos... Vibrant, gorgeous colors with satisfyingly beautiful bookeh. Super zippy performance with amazing lens. Really though, the lens that the camera came with (22mm f2.0) is the superhero. It instantly gives you the "professional photo look" with its bright aperture at f2. This what gives you those beautiful blurry backgrounds. No other compact camera comes with a lens this bright and wide angle. Nothing even close. Trust me when I say this but the difference between this lens and the other lenses that the other cameras come with is just night and day. You would have to pay another $300 to thousands to get some prime lenses with an f2 aperture at least. I bought a new lens adapter which is $99 on ebay Canon EOS M Mount Adapter and a 50mm f1.8 prime lens (an all time classic) which is just $121 Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens .With the adapter now I can tap into the extensive Canon lens portfolio as well. Touch screen is not a novelty at all, it really is the best thing ever. It is just a bliss to be able to touch the screen and focus something in the background or foreground without moving the camera. You don't have to center the object to focus at all. Wherever the object is, just click on and there it is. This is particularly helpful when you are shooting video with camera fixed where you focus foreground and background as you wish. Super artistic, almost movie quality video is possible. Autofocus is not a huge problem at all with the new firmware. In general, autofocus always becomes somewhat slower when you have a bright large aperture like this lens, unless your camera and your lens are both no less than $1,500. That being said, I really never had an instance where I thought I was having a problem with autofocus. The camera is able to focus pretty fast. (see the update below) You can never complain when you get all this for $299. I am not sure if this is still available for that price but even at $500 it would be a steal. UPDATE: Ok, after using the camera for a couple of months, I have become a little less enthused about it. Yes it still is a great camera but after my baby is born I realized that autofocus can become quite a pain, sometimes.... Autofocus is generally acceptable with the 22mm stm lens but with the other lenses (read, non-stm) it is a quite bit of a challange especially under low lighr or contrast light conditions. So it is 4 star review now...

I heard so many negative things about Canon EOS M so I stayed away from it for long time. Auto focus speed, lack of EVF option, Controls, lack of native lens selection, initial price, and the list goes on. Well, prices have come down drastically and my curiosity got the best of me as I heard that image quality was that of T4i which is very good. I went with this 22mm f/2 kit instead of 18-55mm zoom because I personally like the image quality and the speed of the prime lenses over the zoom ability. Image Quality is foremost important to me. 22mm f/2 which is near 35mm equivalent in full frame and has fast f/2 aperture (not much difference between f/2 and more typical f/1.8, but there is big difference between f/1.8 and f/2.8). f/2.8 primes while the IQ is typically better than a zoom, speed and DOF control isn't much different from a good f/2.8 zoom lenses. I am so glad Canon went with f/2 instead of f/2.8. I love the bokeh and ability to isolate subject with this lens as well as low light capability paired with the ASP-C sensor. It's one sharp lens that I wouldn't mind paying for entire price of the camera kit for. Sony and M43 versions of 35mm equivalent primes with at least f/1.8 aperture (since they don't make f/2) costs more than the entire EOS M Camera kit. Even if you already have Olympus, Panasonic, or Sony Nex, I would get this kit just for this lens. 22mm f/2 is pancake lens making the entire camera jacket pocketable. Great. Now, as for image quality, it's GREAT. Paired with 22mm f/2 Canon EOS M is able to produce beautiful sharp images. 35mm is most versatile range in my opinion. The entire kit cost $300 - 350. Wow. Try to get ASP-C sensor Mirrorless body with a "fast" pancake prime and see how much it cost you. M43 has Olympus 17mm f/1.8 $400-500 alone and Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 for around $300-400 used or new. Again slightly faster aperture is negated by smaller sensor compared to larger sensor on Canon when looking at low light and shallow DOF. Sony Nex has Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 premium lens that costs around $700-1000. Nothing cheaper if you are looking for around 35mm range prime with near f/1.8 aperture. I currently use Olympus m43, but I picked up this kit as it hits that 35mm fast prime void for $100 less. As for the CON of this kit. Canon EOS M does have much slower AF. It got better to be tolerable from what I hear, but "compared" to other options, it's definitely slower. Not for moving subjects. I was planning to use this kit for still subjects so that's no problem. The control is kind of bad, but it can be considered ok or even good only if you don't mind using the touch screen to change your settings instead of buttons. I personally got used to using the touch screen and come to like it. No built in Flash. (I real like the convenience of those tiltable build in flashes). I do like those tiltable displays for creative shots or candid shots. It would have been great if it had it. No EVF option. Well, at initial price this was a problem, but with current prices, that is comparable to other mirrorless in this price range. All it all, I say give it a try. Not much to lose with these prices. Don't get anything else even if you have other Canon lenses. This kit is perfect as it is with its limitations for current PRICE. Buying flash, 18-55mm (maybe this is ok since it's cheap as well), or the adapter kind of spoils the bargain aspect with little gain. If you have other Canon lenses that means you have a DSLR Body. Why would you use it on this camera with the limitations mentioned? Portability? As soon as you put that large lens on save 40mm f/2.8, it becomes an awkward set up. Don't do it. Flash? maybe... hopefully with f/2 and its high iso capability, you don't need one. Canon EOS M currently isn't so great if you are looking to "grow" your system. There are MUCH better options. Get it for stand alone 22mm (35mm equivalent) f/2 set up with maybe addition of 18-55mm. I would not get the 18-55mm bundle over this one as Sony Nex 3N or F3 kit is better than Canon EOS M 18-55mm kit in terms of value for features including similar image qualities for similar price. Canon EOS M only becomes incredible value for those who appreciates 35mm fast prime as you can't get one at this price on any other system with this good of image quality any where. I am saying this 22mm f/2 kit for the price is a five star, and not EOS M if you disregard the price.

I am an advanced amateur and primarily use Canon DSLRs. I also shoot Nikon and Panasonic cameras. I wanted to buy the EOS M when it first came out but like everyone else, I was scared away by all the bad reviews on the auto focus speed. With the price drop and the new firmware, I decided to take a chance. The camera arrived 2 weeks ago with the 18-55mm lens. The first thing I noticed was the nice look and feel of the camera. The camera came with the new firmware installed so I assume this particular camera was just produced this year. The first shots were fireworks pictures at night at the beach. The pictures were very nice even though they were shot at ISO 1600. I could have used a lower ISO but didn't since this was just a test. I think in the low light, this camera shoots as least as good as my Canon 60D but definitely not as good as the 5D MK II. That's pretty good! Regarding shooting in manual, I did not find setting the ISO, shutter speed, or aperture difficult with the touch screen. It's not difficult, just different. I could get used to this. If you just push the INFO button, you can change most of the key settings very quickly by pressing that item twice. I shoot mostly pictures of people. The next test was at a dinner in a restaurant. Here's where I had speed issues with the camera. Taking one picture was OK. When I say OK, I mean there is still a very slight delay before the picture is taken. I did miss some pictures of my grandkids as they moved after the shutter button was pushed but before the shutter actually tripped. The most trouble came when taking pictures in succession since the screen "blacks out" between shots. During that time, you cannot see what is on the screen so you need to recompose when the screen comes back and then press the shutter again to capture the picture. For even just slow people movement, this is a problem. I even tried turning off the picture review and changing some settings other people on the internet have suggested to make the camera faster. The speed was still too slow when taking mulitple shots in succession. A side note, as a mirror less camera, the shutter is very loud. Maybe even louder than a regular DSLR. With great reluctance, I returned the camera to Amazon this week. I really wanted to like this camera. I will wait for the next EOS M version.

I have owned a rebel T3i, then upgraded to t4i because of the STM feature. Since then, I have bought a 17-50 f2.8 lens, a 30 mm f1.4 lens, 18-55 stm and a 70-300 lens. the problem that I have which everyone would share is the bulk of the dslr especially when traveling. To me it is a no brainer to buy a camera this size, almost a point and shoot camera, with APSC size sensor (much larger sensor compared to micro 4/3, nikon 1 system and sony rx100) for just $299! And if you add to that a 22mm (35mm equivalent) bright f 2.0 lens, then this is an excellent value. Not only that, the firmware upgrade which is already installed in the camera fixed the slow focus issue that plagued this camera. In my experience, I have more fun composing my shots when using a prime lens than a zoom lens, and with this I get really what I want -- excellent image, light camera and bright compact lens -- everything else like buttons, flash and EVF I can live without. So it is fun for me to be able to carry this light camera and get excellent results as if I am carrying my rebel t4i, because performance wise, these two are essentially the same. The only difference is that the EOS M has less bulk and less buttons. I honestly don't mind losing the buttons because the touch screen works fine for me. This is also good for my wife who always makes mistakes using my dslr. With this, I could just set it in the auto function and she could just use it like a point and shoot. I am ok with that for her because I know that image quality would still be excellent. Now, I am hoping that third party lens makers like sigma and tamron would build compatible lenses. If I can just get a prime f1.4 lens specifically made for this camera, then I would definitely be golden! I just get excited thinking about that possibility for a smallish APSC camera! So hopefully I get my wish before xmas.

I'm a pro photographer and bought this to casually carry around instead of lugging SLRs and lenses everywhere. I actually shoot with all Nikon gear, but I've used Canon products before. I got this for the low price and size -- which are both great considering the quality this little camera delivers. I wanted to love this camera but my 3 main frustrations were the touchscreen, no on-camera flash, and the lack of viewfinder. I thought I could live with/without these features, but it turns out I couldn't. Dislike: 1) Touchscreen: when the camera is on and it's just dangling from your neck, the touchscreen is constantly being "touched" by bumping against your body. I have to turn off a lot of the touch functions (especially the shutter) because of this. Even still, the camera tries to focus when I'm walking because it's bouncing against me. Which is odd because you wouldn't think it would respond to a part of your body covered by a t-shirt.. In general I'm not a fan of an all touchscreen camera -- it just seems too impersonal and techy. 2) No on-camera flash: It would be so great if this had a small flash on it, even the size of an iPhone flash. I got the camera for family outings, hikes, etc. There were so many times when I was in a dark restaurant and wanted to take a photo of some friends and needed a little fill light. 3) Lack of viewfinder: I realize it'd be hard to fit a viewfinder on this camera, so I'm not knocking the camera, per se. But personally I'm so used to using a viewfinder that I just couldn't transition to not having one. If you aren't a pro shooter and are used to taking pictures with your iPhone, a viewfinder might not be as important to you. Like: 1) The image quality is impressive for such a small camera. I mostly used it with the 22mm f/2.0 and got some nice results. 2) It feels solid -- has just enough weight to it and doesn't feel cheap. 3) Price -- the current price makes this an awesome deal for what you get 4) Design - slick, simple design In summary, I just didn't have enough fun shooting with this camera and found myself leaving it at home and bringing my SLR w/ a 35mm 1.4 instead. It's a nice camera, but it just didn't fit my needs and shooting style. I'm going to get a Fujifilm X series camera and just sacrifice the small, "pocket" size (as well as spend more money).