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Canon aims to break open a new market with its newly-announced Canon EOS M, straddling the divide between the traditional EOS DSLR audience and those who have higher expectations than point-and-shoots. “Although there’s no question that this is an EOS camera” Canon UK’s David Parry told TechRadar, “it’s targeted at people who are not traditionally an EOS camera customer.” The new model is Canon’s first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera.

Although the target segment might be new, that doesn’t mean Canon isn’t clear on who, exactly, it comprises. The EOS M is ”for people who are interested in photography and want to take better images, but don’t know, or don’t want to know about shutter speeds, aperture and so on” Parry explained.

For that audience, Canon has borrowed liberally from smartphone and tablet UIs, introducing pinch-zoom and swiping gestures to the EOS M’s 3-inch touchscreen LCD. It also offers a Scene Intelligent Auto mode which basically takes the thought out of all shooting scenarios.

However, while the EOS M might end up stuck in automatic mode more often than not, it’s not to say that the camera can’t manage more flexibility. There’s full control over the hybrid AF system and a native ISO range of 100-12,800 (extendable to 25,600), while the stereo microphone has 64-step user-adjustable audio to go with its 1080p Full HD video recording.

If those photography-keen but tech-shy buyers want to get their hands on the EOS M when it hits shelves in October, they might want to order sooner rather than later, though. Retailers are already warning that Canon’s first wave of stock is unlikely to satisfy even pre-orders, never mind those who decide they want the mirrorless camera at the last-minute.

Canon: EOS M is our DSLR gateway drug is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Canon has released sample shots from the new EOS M mirrorless camera, along with a suitably uptempo promo video positioning the snapper as perfect for the impatient Instagram generation. The new gallery of stills and video clips put the EOS M through its paces in portrait, macro and landscape photography, as well as in low-light video situations, and if we weren’t drooling over the new Canon before, we certainly are now.

Unsurprisingly, Canon is talking up the balance of compact portability and image quality in its advert for the EOS M. The roughly palm-sized body – shown in black, silver, white and a rather fetching red – is small and sturdy enough to be dropped into a bag without a case, and the touchscreen brings a smartphone-like degree of easy control and navigation.

Canon EOS M promo video:

As for the samples, while Canon is obviously going to pick the shots that paint the EOS M in its best light, we can’t say we’re disappointed with the output. The landscape has some beautifully saturated blues but doesn’t lose the brown tones of the bushes to murk, for instance (click the image for full-size).

As for the macro, it’s as crisp as you’d hope, with evidence of the shallow depth of field Canon is so keen to highlight in its promo clip. You can find video samples here.

The Canon EOS M will go on sale in October, priced at $799.99. More details here.

Canon EOS M spills samples plus promo for the Instagram generation is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Canon has officially joined the mirrorless interchangeable lens camera crowd with the new Canon EOS M, an 18-megapixel compact with touchscreen control and sized for your pocket. Packing an APS-C CMOS sensor, ISO 100-12800 (expandable to 25600 in H mode) and Full HD video recording, the EOS-M uses the same DIGI 5 Image Processor found in Canon’s DSLRs, along with a Hybrid CMOS autofocus system with 31 AF points, face detection and multi-point AF.

A stepping motor system in the pair of new lenses for the EOS M – consisting of the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM kit lens and the optional EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens – mean pretty much silent AF, Canon claims, and there’s a stereo microphone integrated with 64-step user-adjustable audio. 1080p and 720p MPEG-4 AVC H.264 footage is captured.

Construction is from magnesium and stainless steel; on the back, meanwhile, is a 3-inch Clear View 1.04m dot LCD touchscreen, complete with multitouch support for pinch-zooming and swipe navigation, and finished off with an anti-smudge coating. The touchscreen is also used for the EOS M’s more consumer-centric editing features, such as Picture Styles to add filters and the like to stills and video, and Video Snapshot which collates a sequence of stills into a video clip, all in-camera.

Meanwhile, Canon’s existing EF and EF-S lenses can also be used with the EOS M, thanks to an optional Mount Adapter; there’s also a Speedlite 90EX flash for the hotshoe, with a 30 foot range at ISO 100. It can also be controlled wirelessly.

The Canon EOS M will go on sale in October, priced at $799.99 with the EF-M 22m f/2 STM kit lens. A white version, with the same lens, will be available exclusively through Canon’s own online store at the same time. Meanwhile, the new EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens will arrive at the same time, priced at $299.99, along with the $199.99 Mount Adapter EF-EOS M and $149.99 Speedlite 90EX flash.

Canon EOS M 18MP mirrorless camera official for October is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Rumors of a Canon mirrorless camera have circled the web since long before Nikon’s foray into the compact ILC space. And while that manufacturer’s model fell far short of some expectations, it appears that Canon’s iteration may in fact have been worth the not-so-insignificant wait. Unlike the Nikon 1 Series, Canon’s new EOS M isn’t a drastic departure from the company’s existing mid-range DSLR lineup. In fact, under the hood it’s quite similar to the Rebel T4i, with an 18-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, DIGIC 5 processor, 3-inch 1.04MP smudge-resistant touchscreen and the T4i’s new hybrid autofocus system, which pairs both contrast and phase-difference AF for speedier, more accurate performance. Externally, however, the EOS M looks more like a cross between the PowerShot G1 X and S100, tipping the scale at 14.2 ounces with the included EF-M 22mm f/2 STM kit lens, compared to 27.4 ounces for the T4i, and 19 for the G1 X. It’s physically smaller than the G1 X as well, and only slightly larger than the pocketable S100. The camera offers a sensitivity range in line with the competition, ranging from 100 to 25,600 (extended) in still mode and 12,800 (extended) when shooting video — captured in 1920 x 1080 format at 24, 25 or 30 progressive frames per second. There’s also a continuous shooting mode at 4.3 frames per second with fixed focus and exposure.

The EOS M’s control layout should be more familiar to Canon point-and-shoot owners than DSLR users — as one component of the size compromise, dedicated buttons are replaced with touchscreen options and a bit of menu diving. There’s also no electronic viewfinder, though a full-size hot shoe is included with full support for Canon’s lineup of Speedlite flashes, including the new $150 90EX strobe and ST-E3-RT Transmitter, and the GP-E2 GPS Receiver. Though the camera lacks certain direct controls, it still supports full manual shooting, even in video mode. There’s also a built-in stereo mic with manual level adjustment. In addition to that 22mm kit optic, Canon is offering an EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens for $300, or you can add the $200 EF-EOS M mount adapter to enable use with existing lenses. The $800 EOS M kit is set to ship in October, and will be available in retail stores in black, though Canon’s online store will also stock a white model (which will be paired with the same black lens). You can peek at both configurations, along with the new lenses and accessories in the gallery below. Then shoot past the break for the full PR from Canon.

Michael Gorman contributed to this report.

Continue reading Canon unveils EOS M mirrorless: 18 MP APS-C, EF compatibility, $800 in October with 22mm lens

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Canon unveils EOS M mirrorless: 18 MP APS-C, EF compatibility, $800 in October with 22mm lens originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The International Space Station is set to get a new camera that is specifically designed to image the Earth. The camera is called ISERV and it was launched on board the Japanese Aerospace exploration Agencies HTV-3 transfer vehicle. The camera system will be controllable from operators on the ground and will be able to take crystal clear pictures of specific areas on the Earth’s surface.

ISERV stands for International Space Station SERVIR Environmental Research and Visualization System. The camera will be installed in the Window Observational Research Facility inside the station’s Destiny laboratory. The camera portion of ISERV appears to be a standard DSLR and the massive lens is a modified commercial telescope.

Operators on the ground will be able to enter a precise location, and when the ISS passes over, images will be taken and automatically and sent back to the ground operators. The goal is to use the camera to help scientists gain operational experience and expertise to design more capable control systems in the future. The camera will also be used to monitor disasters on Earth.