Canon EOS M Review (Part 2)
So I bought an EOS M. Probably the most hated camera Canon has made in years, possibly EVER. It was a late entry into the ILC realm and suffered poorly in reviews because of its sluggish and inaccurate focusing system and spartan design and feature set. No onboard flash and no optical viewfinder didn't win many fans either. And it was pricier than the competition.
A year after its release, Canon provided a firmware update to improve autofocus and cut the retail price in half. Suddenly the EOS M was the belle of the ball. Tiny body, 18 megapixel APS-C sensor and interchangeable lenses. There was suddenly a lot to like.
I talk all about why I finally procured myself one of these quirky little cameras in my last blog entry: "So I bought an M" or "How I learned to stop worrying and learn to love the M".
Now here's when I finally show you some pictures from the thing. Here are the very first shots I took with the M during the transaction at a coffee shop and on the way back to my car. It was my first craigslist camera equipment purchase!
(Click on photos to zoom)
Midnight the cat.
Focusing with the touchscreen is fun, and very smarphone-like. You can set the camera to immediately take the picture when you tap the screen. I don't like this feature and use the shutter. All these photos are shot with the 22mm f2 STM. A ruggedly constructed and sharp little lens. As you can see the bokeh is pleasant and soft at f2, especially in the crosswalk button shot.
Whenever I get a new camera, one of the first subjects I photograph is my cat. Because he's pitch black he's very hard to focus on. I did the Midnight test with my Canon 6D when I first got it back in December and it exceeded my expectations and was extremely fast and accurate.
Unfortunely the M is neither fast nor accurate, let alone extremely. But in bright enough light it's fine. As you can see by the finely focused feline photo above. I love the sharpness of his nose and how his fur and background all softly OOF (out of focus).
Here are some more focus/bokeh tests:
Here's a test in low light at ISO 12,800:
Again notice the precise focus? Took some work. And with a little tweaking with noise reduction in Lightroom it's kind of usable. It was really low light. Bit too painterly for my taste, though it may be fun to experiment with.
The macro capability is incredible. Because there's no mirror, the lens is very close to the sensor, which in turn allows for really close focusing on subjects. It's cool playing with the touchscreen and focusing on random items. Fun toy.
This is the tiniest robot in my collection. About 1.5 inches high. Had this thing forever. Since I was maybe 8?
I have a collection of Rs. I got the biggest one first, at work. It is the "R" in Sauder. The rest were gifts. I now have 7 total. I have a lot of collections. Robots, cameras, comics, posters.
More low light shooting with Midnight the cat before bedtime. This time with some fill light from my iPad.
This is a rubber eraser/gorilla from MOMA that I got as a birthday gift years ago.
Here is a the mini-gallery of comic book art I have at my desk, some super tiny clothespins, and a monkey lighter I bought in Japan. He lives at my desk also.
Stay tuned for the 3rd and final part of my Canon EOS M review where I LEAVE THE HOUSE!