Hasta La Gadget!

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)

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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.
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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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It was about time and don’t tell us that you never dreamed of a compact mirrorless camera from Canon that also happen to be compatible with Other Canon lenses!
Announced worldwide, the EOS M is a 18Mpix APS-C EF compatible Camera capable to shoot 1080p video and come with an ISO speed ranging from 100 up to 25,600!!! The EOS M sports Canon latest Digic 5 Image Engine and a nice 3” smudge resistant touch-screen. Want one? Well don’t worry the EOS M is far from being expensive and will cost you …

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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