Hasta La Gadget!

Canon has long been a leader in the world of DSLRs, but when it comes to smaller sized shooters, Canon had largely concentrated on commercially viable consumer and prosumer class digital cameras, not really treading on the mirrorless camera technology known as Micro Four Thirds which has been around for some years now. The mirrorless camera comes close to a DSLR in terms of image quality, and yet is far less bulkier in terms of size, not to mention allowing you to change a fair number of lenses (a market which is growing), making it a favorite secondary camera to many.

Well, Canon has finally decided to dip their toes into this particular market, by offering the Canon EOS M digital camera which is said to deliver exceptional EOS Full HD video quality with continuous autofocus, not to mention having it accompanied by a notable and expansive range of lenses.

Inspired by EOS technology, the EOS M will be able to leverage on the company’s core technologies, while distilling them down in order to deliver outstanding video capture capabilities without sacrificing image quality when it comes to still shots. Whenever you want to capture still images, the EOS M camera’s 18-megapixel APS-C-sized CMOS image sensor is more than capable of delivering a shallow depth of field, in addition to incredible low-light image quality and a wide dynamic range which is more than capable of capturing rich gradation and detail.

This is the latest member of the EOS family, where both videographers and photographers alike regardless of their level of professionalism and interest, will be able to play nice with a couple of lenses that were specially designed for Canon’s new camera format – namely the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM kit lens and the optional EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens. Not only that, you are also able to make full use of your Canon EF and EF-S lenses courtesy of the optional Mount Adapter EF-EOS M.

Press Release

[ Canon EOS M digital camera enters into the mirrorless territory copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

There have been plenty of false alarms in recent months, but Canon’s first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (ILC) is finally here — in fact, we’re holding it in our hands. The EOS M is clearly reminiscent of a point-and-shoot, such as the company’s high-end PowerShot S100. Sure, Canon could have added some of the dedicated controls that its professional user base would demand, but photojournalists aren’t the target here, for a few reasons. Canon’s primary motivation, at least from an official perspective, was to create a camera that serves to bridge the gap between pocketable compacts and full-size DSLRs with a simple user interface designed to educate, not intimidate. Also key, however, was avoiding cannibalization of the company’s low-end and mid-range Digital SLR models, which clearly still have a place in the lineup one tier above this ILC.

Consumers willing to sacrifice hardware controls for a touchscreen-driven UI won’t be missing out on much else — functionally, the EOS M is a near-clone of Rebel T4i with the same 18-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, DIGIC 5 processor and 3-inch touchscreen. Even the advanced two-stage focusing system has made its way from the T4i, which utilizes both phase-difference and contrast AF in order to achieve focus more efficiently when capturing video. The housing design and lens mount are unlike any other that Canon has produced, however, combining features from other models without completely eliminating the need for a DSLR, or a compact for that matter. If you can get by without granular controls, you’ll do just fine here — the design really is spectacular. With an $800 price tag, the EOS M falls within the upper tier of the mirrorless category, and it remains to be seen whether it will be an obvious pick when it finally hits stores in October, a month after competitors tease their own products at the massive Photokina expo in Germany. How does it fare today? You’ll find our impressions just past the break.

Continue reading Canon EOS M mirrorless camera hands-on (video)

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Canon EOS M mirrorless camera hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 15:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canon’s EOS M mirrorless camera may have only been officially announced this morning – and not due to hit shelves until October – but if you want one from the first batch the advice is to flex your credit card today. Pre-order listings for the new EOS M have already gone live at some online retailers, priced at $799, along with warnings that initial stock is unlikely to be sufficient to meet demand from shutterbugs.

“Initial orders for this product are scheduled to begin shipping in October, but due to the high demand we anticipate being unable to fulfill all customer orders with our first allocation” Amazon warns today. “Product supply from Canon is very limited. Your place in line will be maintained, and we will not charge your credit card until we ship the product.”

The retailer also has pre-order listings for the EOS M accessories, with the Speedlite flash and 18-55mm zoom lens also expected in October and also carrying stock warnings. The basic EOS M kit comes with the camera body itself, the EF-M 22m f/2 STM kit-lens, a neck strap, LP-E12 battery pack, LC-E12 battery charger, USB interface cable and a CD with the various manuals and apps.

Unsurprisingly, given the EOS M being Canon’s first attempt at the mirrorless segment and the huge number of aficionados to the brand, the camera has prompted a fair degree of interest. As well as being more pocket-friendly than Canon’s DSLR range, it uses a slick touchscreen interface which borrows gestures like pinch-zoom from smartphones and tablets.

More details on the Canon EOS M here.

Canon EOS M up for pre-order: Supplies already short is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Welcome to the land of good complexions, whiny mopeds and surprisingly early Canon hands-on videos. While most English-speaking journos have only been given the briefest glimpse of the new $800 mirrorless EOS M, Italian site PMStudioNews has posted a full hands-on video to YouTube. It shows a red variant of the 18-megapixel, APS-C shooter, in addition to the black and white models we’ve already seen, plus a beige leather case if you fast-forward around seven minutes. More importantly though, it shows off the touchscreen UI in some detail, including touch-to-shoot and a screen layout that looks quite different to what we’ve known from the button- and dial-heavy G1 X and its predecessors, and more like that of the Rebel T4i entry-level DSLR. Sure, it offers full manual control, but it also looks kinda fiddly — something we’ll look out for when it comes to review time in the Fall.

Update: Canon has produced some sample stills and videos to show what the camera can do. Also, a helpful reader just spotted that DigitalCameraWorld has posted a hands-on video too, and it’s in English.

Continue reading Canon EOS M video shows off touchscreen UI, accessories, color variants (updated: link to sample images)

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Canon EOS M video shows off touchscreen UI, accessories, color variants (updated: link to sample images) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 05:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.