Canon EOS-M, new mirrorless camera for APV

[ovdt]

Canon has just released a new mirrorless APS-C sensor camera which I'm very excited right now.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/07/23/Canon-announces-EOS-M-mirrorless-system-camera-hands-on-preview#specs

It has new chip same as EOS650, which is sweet for video. It weights around 300 gr. The are new lenses:

18-55: 129gr
22mm: 105 gr

With EF lens adaptor, we can use any Canon lens but it will lack of smart autofocus.


The only data I couldn't find was the remote triggering. I can't see any Infrared or wired shutter port. That's the biggest downside for APV.

HDMI output is there, so we can see what we are filming.

 

[Bowley]

Looks like a great camera. HDMI output.. this seems to be the way canon are going with their latest models, using HDMI over AV output, thats unfortunate for us, I considered a G1X until I discovered it had no AV out. I dont particularly want to have to use a converter. For remote triggering or Intervalometer, I would imagine CHDK will be developed for it in coming months.

 

[jes1111]

The USB connector gives AV out. It should also allow mechanical triggering.

 

[ovdt]

After posting this message, Canon product managers visited us at our office to give a look to new EOS-M and 650D.

There is an infrared port, so it can be used for triggering photo.

There is AV out, so no need for HDMI conversion.

The video lacks of 50/60p recording at 1920/1080 resolution.

With NEX5-N, I could shoot videos setting only the shutter (S mode) or only aperture (Av). But with EOS-M and 650D, you can use full auto video shooting, or Manual shooting. It could be much better to shoot with aperture priority / shutter priority.

The body is nearly the same size as NEX5-N. The good thing about NEX5-N is we have a 16mm wide angle. The widest lens on Canon side is 22mm now.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Huh, very intresting. I had been looking at the Nex5N, but this is definitely a competitor. I have a 350D right now, but just the kit lens and the cheap 55mm prime. I see pros/cons with both.

Canon Pros: CHDK, use existing lenses if you have already "bought in" to the Canon ecosystem

Sony Pros: I find Sony's image stabilization to be superior to others. I also find their video modes are superior, for example the Nex5N will do 1080/60p.

As I say, I have a 350D, but I also have a Sony XR500V camcorder and a WX10 compact which I intended to use for AP, but I have actually find myself, not being a professional photographer by any stretch, can get better pictures out of it than the 350. The 350 is kind of old-school and doesn't have as many auto modes, etc. When I bought the XR500V, I compared it to the Canons, etc. I found that while the normal shooting modes of the high end Canon camcorder was just every so slightly better than the Sony, the Sony's low light performance, and anti-shake performance was much better. Both are features which can make a really big difference to real-world video.

I'll give this new Canon a look, but honestly, the lack of 1080/60 is a pretty big negative, IMO.

 

[ovdt]

NEX5N is still better in terms of video shooting. The first EOS-M is the entry level of Canon's mirrorless system. We can expect new models from Canon which can address the negative sides of current EOS-M video shooting capabilities.

According to the dpreview ISO tests, NEX5N is still better than EOS650D, thus EOS-M.

For photo shooting, I bought Sigma 19mm F2.8 lens for NEX5-N which has better results than the 16mm and 18-55 kit lens. It's price is around USD 199 and worth a look for those who own a NEX series.

I will be waiting the Photokina event for new camera releases.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Yes, that's what I find in the compact camera range as well. Canon tends to restrict some features in order to push you into buying a higher end camera to get the features you want. Sony tends to include those features at a lower price-point. I think it simply comes down to the fact that Canon has earned itself a reputation in the market which allows them to do this. Sony is an underdog competitor, and so they have to offer value.

I also forgot to mention in my last post about the 1080/60p. To me this is important because it allows you to slow down the video to 1/2 speed which makes it look smoother, while still retaining true 30p frame capture rate.

Still, CHDK is nice. I don't think Sony has anything like this? My XR500V shoots 1080/60i, and that kinda sucks because any modern digital viewing method requires de-interlacing, and I just haven't found a really good way to do that. The best I've found is using YADIF, but even then, it's not as good as something simply shot in 30p, let alone 60p. I wish I could change the firmware in the camera to simply set it to record 30p, but I haven't ever seen any Sony camera hacks.