The picture of the naked EOS-M chassis via CSCmagazine.
The famous Photoblogger Ken Rockwell has pretty much a very clear idea: He said that the Canon EOS-M is the “world’s first serious mirrorless camera“.
You may are thining what the heck is wrong with the rest of the mirrorless systesm: “By “serious,” I mean professional grade. Sony, Samsung, Olympus, Panasonic and other third-tier brands offer lots of mirrorless cameras, but then aren’t pro grade; they are just consumer electronics products and usually only with smaller 4/3 sensors (or smaller) and/or lens mounts often with few advanced lenses available.“
No comment guys, I am neutral….very neutral (LOL) and will leave any positive or negative comment to you!
P.S: Unposted before. Spanish EOS-M hands-on by Quesabesde. Some thoughts by Cinema5D.
Canon EOS-M preorder links:
Full presentation page on Amazon (Click here).
EOS-M Black at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here).
EOS-M White at BHphoto (Click here).
EOS-M 22mm pancake at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here).
EOS-M 15-55mm kit lens at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here).
EOS-M adapter at Amazon (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here).
EOS-M Flash at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here).
137 Responses
Well yeah, if you define serious/professional by having at least an APS-C sensor and being either Canon or Nikon, then yes, EOS-M is the first ever serious/professional mirrorless camera. 😐
Give me kudos for my trick to draw attention and traffic to my website. That’s what I do for living.
Please visit my blog if you don’t agree. Please do comments and tell my why you guys don’t agree.
I need people to visit my site. By making statement that draws anger/disagreement is THE BEST way 🙂
Right well I’ll say it to save anyone the trouble, this guy is a complete idiot. Nothing more to add.
For the record, this is the same Ken that called the X100 and its metering system anything but Godlike. The master of extremes, haha. The MILC after this one will be called “The best mirrorless camera you can buy” – mark my words. I wonder why this is how he does the reviews/previews, but my bet is to consistently get as many as possible eager to buy them via his Amazon referral links. Or find/retain sponsors.
What I didn’t like about Ken Rockwell is at first he said the Fuji X100 would be crap and he could take better photos with Nikon D7000 and the 35mm F1.8. After he tried using the X100, he deleted all his previous comments about the X100 and said it was one of best cameras for people photography. He should at least try the camera first before he makes such grandiose comments.
Even after this EOS-M announcement, he threw Fuji X-pro under the bus. He stated in his X-Pro review is that it’s “an amazing one-of-a-kind camera. It has image quality and lenses more like my LEICA M9 than any DSLR, and it’s smaller and lighter than any DSLR.” That sounds like a serious mirrorless camera to me. You might be right about those referral links.
I have heard about ken Rockwell before, and thought that the negative comments thrown his way must be unfair.
Now I think that they must be right.
My friend, an avid Canon user, says that he wrote several quite informative guides on various Canon DSLRs. He also said that the rest of what Rockwell writes (esp about other brands) is better left… ignored, because it rubs wrong way even some avid Canon fans.
for the record.. ken rockwell is a nikon fanboy.
80% of the time he uses nikon… the 5D MK3 may changed that a bit.
Ken R tends to go for extremes, both in gear evaluations and overcoloring in his photography. – But I undetstand his meaning: Compared to Nikon 1 the lens compatibility is better and image sensor much bigger. Compared to m43 the sensor is larger in area. – And the selection of lenses better! Compared to Sony NEX thge lens selection is much better!
However – when we look at camera housings I think Canon is behind both Sony and m43. Both systems have a selection of housings to suit different needs and wallets. No doubt Canon will fill that gap within a year or two.
“Compared to m43 the sensor is larger in area. – And the selection of lenses better!” What have you been drinking ?
JesperMP: I mean that Canon APS-C sensor is larger than m43. That is a fact!
Lenses: About all AF lenses for Canon bayonette can be used with the adapter and AF. That is more lenses than m43 can put up with. (No doubt 3rd party manufacturer will offer adapters for other lenses as for m43, fuji, NEX etc.)
Jesper – you need a drink! 🙂
Kylberg, of course I was referring to your comment about lens selection and not about the sensor size difference.
With one prime and one zoom lens at launch EOS-M certainly do not have a leg up on m43. Canon hasnt even issued a lens roadmap.
So you mean to also count lenses via an adapter.
Even if it is possible to attach EF lenses via an adapter, the question is if it makes much sense. You have the disadvantages of a big system, but neither OVF nor (functioning) PDAF.
I find it makes much more sense in attaching smaller lenses with M-mount for example. There arent any 3rd party adapters for EOS-M yet.
Of course the abowe may change, but for now EOS-M has the smallest lens selection of all mirrorless.
That is somewhat of a straw man. The real “meaning” is that KR is saying that everything else besides the Canon is not serious. How is a system supported by two companies, with some amazing lenses available and the fastest CDAF ever seen not serious? Sony’s mirrorless can AF all lenses for the A-mount. Is that really not enough?
Meanwhile, the EOS-M lacks severely in so many areas, it is ridiculous to call it serious. NEX and m43 are just better buys. Simple as that.
He is a joker. Being polemical is the easiest way to attract attention. Canon is so, so conservative that they did not even give this camera a model number (suggesting this will be the only model?!?!). We expect a company not to think on the financial side only, like Canon does. They only launched this system cause the market is changing and asking for it. They never think on the customer when developing new products… that’s my impression. Fortunately the market will require the system development, otherwise…………
LOL, his definition of ‘serious’ is a little out-there. The EOS-M lens selection is not worth mentioning (yet), unless you take into account the adapter. In that case the argument becomes moot because the other systems can do that as well.
And we’re not even talking about sensors. Similar sized sensors are used plenty in mirrorless systems already and some of them score better than Canon professional FF sensors in ‘serious’ sensor tests.
The only reason this camera is a big deal is because it is a Canon. That’s it.
People ask me how I got these scars. Let me tell you.
I had a great photography business, and I was at this
Wedding, see? My wife was in the balcony of The Gotham
theatre with a Canon 5200mm F5.6 and an EOS 5D because
she likes to get CLOSE to the action. I’m down on the
floor waiting for the bride. So, the bride comes out and…
my wife leans over the balcony, and she can’t hold all
that weight see, and she drops it on me.
Why so SERIOUS, Canon. Why. So. Serious?!
KR will still incur the wrath of Sony aficionados, and especially owners of Nex-7 which, like the Canon, may have the full range of Sony and Zeiss lenses, with autofocus. This is a dangerous gamble because no one yet known the new mirorless Canon lens quality. Canon Will it solve the problems caused by low-flange distance?
I’m pretty sure Canon will be fine. A bigger concern for me is whether they got the autofocus speed up in live view/mode in the EOS-M compared to the 650D/4Ti since it uses the same sensor.
On the bright side, the competition in the mirrorless segment should well be very intense with Canon entering the market. I would expect we will see a lot of interesting developments at Photokina this year from all manufacturers which well should benefit all of us.
It’s not like Canon. In Canon you don’t have proper AF with any lenses BUT newest STM released this year. In Sony you’ve got proper AF with ANY A-mount lens since 1987, even before EOS system was created in a first place.
Being NEX owner is awesome, isn’t it?
He feed his family again lol
Ken Rockwell is no idiot, he sometimes seems to enjoy behaving like one 🙂
Well, his position is obviously absurd. What Canon really has is a P&S with an excellent sensor, probably the best sensor of all mirrorless cameras, but my OM-D’s sensor is better than that of my Nikon D300, and even that was good enough.
The Canon has no EVF and no way to attach one. At times I like to use the back LCD for composing, but in bright light it is a PITA. At low shutter speeds using a viewfinder also stabilizes.
Regarding lenses I see only two. The 22/2 is arguably interesting, the 18-55 is not. Just the same slow kit lens as everyone has. For its future lens lineup Canon has the same problem Sony, Samsung and Fuji have: the sensor size demands bigger and heavier lenses than in m4/3. I currently use an OM-D, a 14/2.5, a 20/1.7, a 45/1.8 and a 40-150, and all together weigh below 1 kg. Size and weight, THAT’s the advantage of mirrorless.
Using the adapter? Well, I have two of them for my Nikon lenses and I really only use the Sigma 150/2.8 when I need a high quality tele lens. Do I use it often? Of course not. It’s too big, too heavy, it negates the system’s advantage. Can you imagine using Canon L glass on the EOS-M? Have you seen the image of the 70-200/2.8 + adapter + EOS-M? It’s ridiculous.
Ergonomics? Not really. This is a P&S. Forget about lots of external buttons, just use the LCD, and remember, that the one that you can’t see in bright sunlight.
Well, here we are: we have a camera with a nice sensor and nothing else. Not even a choice of lenses. That’s much less than the Nikon 1 system had. Nikon had one more lens and at least a body with EVF. Pretty poor entry for Canon if you ask me.
This guy is an ugly troll, couldn’t we just move on please?
The only positive regards the EOS-M is the adapter for their EF glass combined with on sensor PD-AF (even then it’s possibly only attractive to existing Canon shooters). Barring that it’s a hopeless entry in my eyes, no innovations or class leading statistics to be found. Probably the same low-resolution Canon video too… unfortunately it will no doubt sell well and they’ll go unpunished for such a lousy release.
P.S. for the adapter and hybrid AF to be of any value they’ll have needed to seriously increase the focussing speed from the 650D! Doubtful given that the burst speed is slower than said camera (?)!
you repeat the same crap you read.
you have never touched the 650D so you cant say a shit about it´s focusing speed.
He is actually right. 650D hunts like any cheap m4/3 body with CDAF only – very disappointing considering integration of PDAF in sensor.
As of today – still the only way to get AF in video is SLT design for a large sensor. Then there’s a big gap, the Canon’s PDAF on Sensor, and then after another gap there’s CDAF down below.
Ah, swearing when it’s not really necessary, reveals all!
I don’t own a 650d but I have used one; for stills it’s a great camera, for video… not so much. The issue then, is that shooting with the EOS-M is live-view dependant and that’s where the 650d suffers horribly: slow compared to competition and hunts in video. You never know, albeit I’m not holding my breath, they may have fixed it.
And Canon’s spec sheets clearly show the EOS-M as being slower (continuous shooting) than the 650d it’s based upon… and that is me repeating what I’ve read. Because it’s ridiculous that an older SLR is faster!
Read what Rockwell said about raw files back in 2008: http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/raw.htm
He can make big mistakes with predictions.
> “By “serious,” I mean professional grade.”
Haha. Hehehe. Bwuhaha. BWUHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH!!!!!1!
Is that April 1st already?
Nonsense. The only thing that makes the Canon more “serious” are the Canon letters on it. Olympus EM-5 is a lot more “Pro Grade”:
– Weather Sealing
– Battery Grip available
– Integrated Viewfinder
– Remote Flash Support (with Add-On Flash)
– Battery Rating 330 Shots (Canon: 230 Shots)
But yes, it has no APS-C Sensor. So I’m sure no professional Photographer can take a photo with this Olympus Toy-Camera
Ken talks extremes to get us and the rest of the blogs talking about him and going to his site.
He has some good advice on a number of matters, but he’s an extremist who likes an audience, so I would not give too much value to his talk. Although I own the X-Pro 1, a number of friends have the Sony’s (5n and 7) and I think they are really good cameras. Let’s see how Canon’s AF and IQ perform and maybe it can join the group of good ones, but to put it on a pedestal before it is even out, is just a marketing ploy.
And what’s with the obsession on what’s the best one? The best one is the one that fits your desires/budget. There is no “best” one. Although for me there is one that is kind of “the less good one”, which is the Nikon 1. If it was 400/500 bucks, perhaps I would understand it and its placement.
typical nonsense of ken the super pro rockwell. lol.
He is a joker. Being polemical is the easiest way to attract attention. Canon is so, so conservative that they did not even give this camera a model number (suggesting this will be the only model?!?!). We expect a company not to think on the financial side only, like Canon does. They only launched this system cause the market is changing and asking for it. They never think on the customer when developing new products… that’s my impression. Fortunately the market will require the system development, otherwise…………
LOL!
I am sure that after this article he won’t need “help for his growing family” Canon will make sure of that… 😛
Ken Rockwell is a dickhead. Simple. He uses the same tactic as English tabloids to call attention: BIG NOW AMAZING! or SHITE RAPIST GEAR!
I can not trust his opinion because he only wants traffic.
+1 he is an oportunistic dick.
and i can´t stand the oversaturated pictures of his ugly kids anymore….
Of course he’s just trying to get more hits. The camera comes with either f/3.5-5.6 zoom or f/2 prime lenses. No f/2.8 zoom or f/1.4 prime there. Obviously consumer grade. But then what site doesn’t try what they can to get more hits ?
Pity, because this should not be the way. Come on, EOSHD, Cinema5D, they drive hits in the honourable way…good reporting and great articles that correspond to the interests of their audiences. Same goes for Luminous Landscape, maybe not greatly neutral but the man has respect and deserves respect for well written, honest articles.
Rockwell? no respect for babbling sensational statements that only leave him looking like a dick. He is the papparazi of bloggers…must suck the life of others in order to fulfill his own with no creativity.
Lol, on a mission to civilize humanity are we?
You should watch The Newsroom, good show 😀
No, I am just likening him to an evangelical priest…the ones that con you with gospel for cash.
i have visit Ken Rockwell web… and only see web for store advertisements.
That explains everything Ken say.
oh no ! a recommendation from Ken Rockwell … looks like the New Canon is doomed !! :((
I do not know of anyone who knows the market that takes this guy seriously …
Harold
ken rockwell is known troll and id%&t…. nuff said.
and i say that as a canon user
Funny… first serious mirrorles camera… it should be a joke.
Panny GH2, Oly OM5 and Sony NEX7 are much more serious camera than the EF-M.
How can K.Rockwell consider a serious camera one that does not have an EVF or allow an add-on EVF, sells with a simple flash, does not have almost any external control and does not have any really advance or pro features… LOL
The only interesting item of the new Canon is the nice pancake lens and the well designed adapter for EOS lenses. The rest is like a Sony NEX series camera, even the sensor size.
And the camera is not cheap!! I prefer a OM5 or a GH2 (or the upcoming GH3) or a Canon or Nikon DSRL, etc…
It is a seriously flawed argument.
These cameras have few lenses in native mount, but the Canon with an adapter has loads, so it’s better…
Lack of manual controls, no EVF, no weathersealing, bugger all grip…
What remains to be seen is how fast is the AF with the adapter and non STM lenses. I think I read that AF performance on the 650D with the mirror up is not great.
Ken Rockwell usually made controversial comments just to be considered by the people. I never consider his commentes seriously.
I vote for removing this post at all.
And letting Ken rot in his well of misery.
+1 Such an “Expert” shouldn’t get additional attention
+1 Admin?
At this point it may be that Panasonic and Olympus have missed their chance. None of us know what Canon has planned over the next year or two, but just the fact that they are in the market costs m4/3 many thousands of sales – not just the people who buy this camera but also people who wait to see what Canon will do next.
Four years into m4/3 and we are just now beginning to see semi-pro and pro grade equipment (ok, we have the GH which might count, especially for video, but not much beyond that.) We are just beginning to see professional grade zoom lenses and we have yet to see an equivalent to the highly popular Canon 24-105 and Nikon 24-120. (You’d think Olympus would have learned something from the immense popularity of the 14-54 and 12-60 on their 4/3 cameras, but apparently not.) And four years in, Olympus is still struggling to provide decent focusing speed with their existing 4/3 lenses – something Canon appears to give their loyal owners from the start. (And Sony now has available for the NEX.)
Had the m43 makers moved quickly into the higher end of the market they could have owned mirrorless before Canon and Nikon got in. Instead they gave us layers and layers of similar cameras – I’m a fan and a user, but I can’t keep them straight – and a whole series of variations on kit lenses. Did Olympus not learn anything from the success of their high grade lenses for regular 4/3?
I am ready for my third generation of m4/3 gear, but I have to say Sony and now Canon are looking awfully interesting. At the very least I will now wait to buy until after the Photokina announcements. At the extreme, I may be out of m43 by the end of the year.
That’s my rant for the day. On the whole it’s a great time to be in photography but a hell of a hard time to decide on a system.
Nikon’s system works because of excellent focusing ability. Current M43 camera’s have excellent autofocus. Canon’s mirrorless seems to be very lacking in that department. For some people fast autofocus is not important but many people take pictures of animate objects and slow autofocus is a real pain.
Lots of people trust the Canon brand and their ‘magic’ but may well be feel let down by the EOS-M. I do hope that they manage to sort out autofocus in the next couple of years – there are lots of great things about Canon but their non-slr autofocus is not one of them.
You’re right about m4/3 stagnating in the past.
And i thought they did released high end bodies right from the start? The Olympus EP cameras have always had great build quality. It was also priced around $1k in the first 3 years. What was missing then was the entry level priced bodies. Where were the $400-$550 bodies? It took the NEX for them to reconsider pricing.
M4/3 could have made an RX-100 or G1 X like compacts within the last 4 years. Perhaps Canikon had a paying agreement with them not to market such a product?
He’s a twaddler, nothing else…
The whole point of mirrorless is the size. Smaller lenses with IBIS is a winning combination. If the OM-D had the name Canon on it, it would be one of the most popular cameras in history. How many quality lenses does the Canon M offer that are not way to big to be comfortably used on their new camera? Rockwell is a fool. Panny 7-14mm, 12-35mm, 20mm, 25mm… Oly 12mm, 45mm, 75mm… Etc…
The same comparing to NEX: 50 f/1.8, 24 f/1.8, zooms from standard, through tele to super-zooms, pancake (including fisheye conversion), really good primes from Sigma and nice zoom from Tamron, upcoming pancake-zoom, professional NEX 7, whole system of accessories and the widest compatibility with 3rd party lenses of all systems on the market. Then there are sensors in these cameras beating anything Canon currently can offer (16 MPx in cheapest NEX beats Canon in high ISOs while 24 MPx in NEX7 beats Canon in sharpness, details and overall image on most commonly used sensitivities without any weird colour casts like in Nikon).
NEX is by miles more serious system then EOS-M is or ever will be (unless Canon will manage to catch 3 years delay and decide to cut their DSLRs sales – which is as likely as meteor hitting Nikon’s HQ tomorrow morning).
Ill stick to my awesome om-d and this tool can stick with his serious-ly lacking canon mirrorless. What a fanboy
I can understand if he says the body is professional grade compared to others (I’m still skeptical. I mean, NEX-7? Olympus? Fuji?) but to back that up by saying others have a lack of advanced lenses? Um. I’ve only seen two lenses for the new Canon mirrorless. Am I missing something here?
Everybody should now know that Ken Rockwell is a joke, he shoots his idiotic thoughts around just to create some buzz and get visits for his website.
And I say this being a Canon user with 10K in L glass.
Agree with above: Remove this post. That idiot KR isn’t worth the space.
Re: Ken Rockwell – “world’s first serious mirrorless camera”
Statements like this show how poor (at least some of) his writings are and/or a lack of journalistic independence and/or ignorance and/or plain stupidity.
At least I had a good laugh.
Ken Rockwell or Idiot Shill . . . maybe it was a mis-type?
That 18-55mm STM lens shows where this “world’s first serious mirrorless camera” is headed. It will be replacing the rebel line as an entry-level camera.
Which are Canon’s best selling DSLR products? The rebel series + 18-55mm kit lens + cheap 50mm f/1.8. What is the biggest threat to this market? A slew of amazing small cameras that look more attractive and do the same. Canon’s solution: shave more mm’s off the rebel and cripple it even more. The new EOS M products clearly replace the rebel + 18-55mm + 50mm combo. Pro grade my ass.
CALM DOWN! This is just a trick to draw traffic to his blog and surely draw comments on this site:)
He needs visitors. Along with this site,both can team up to gather some. Good stupid trick
Trololol.
Nothing to see here, folks! Move along, move along…
Rockwell is an idiot. He still thinks film is king and promotes the most tedious, expensive way to take photos. Do not take anything he says seriously. Look at his photos anyway. They are “consumer crap” over saturated cliches you’ll find in most camera magazines.
MC, can’t agree enough with your comments… I like to know why he’s left out Fuji and the Fujifilm X-Pro1. Is it not a Pro camera? At least it has a proper viewfinder, unlike the new Canon, and I’m not trying to say there’s anything wrong with this new camera – just saying its not the first, or the only pro grade CSC camera. Just because KR is well known on the web doesn’t mean he is an authority, or to be believed hook, line and sinker!
Ken Rockwell has lots of knowledge of digital photography and especially he knows the old Nikon gear very well.
But the truth is that his recommendations are very subjective (far from objective) based on something (for whatever reason) he either likes a lot or hates. There’s not much in-between those extreme ends…
forget about him ,.it sould be this title,”.The world first seriously dickhead mirror less review”
he’s the king of link-baiting (within the photo industry, at least)
He makes a point – even if you don’t like it… and the M will sell like hotcakes to all the photographers who previously sniffed at the idea of mirrorless because there simply wasn’t one with a Canon badge. And it’s great for competition so everyone will benefit.
How about a Panasonic GH2 or Olympus OM-D?
I’d pick both of those before this Canon.
If I had a way to somehow gather the amount of bullshit I’ve read in Rockwell’s website, I’d be the World’s Greatest Fertilizer Tycoon.
And in about a week he’ll post another piece where he says that canon is crap and olympus is better. And the week after that he’ll dismiss mirrorless altogether.
I still don’t get why people keep quoting that dude. Maybe I should start a photo blog and just write random things. It seems like it doesn’t matter what you write, you’ll be linked and quoted regardless of the content and the quality of it.
WTF!
new sony cameras are more PRO! they even decide the framing of your potraits!
something smells bad here LOL!
all brands need to sell stuff so they can create new stuff to sell us. if you need to pay somebody to say your crap is the best in the world, well it has to be done.
i haven´t even seen the menu of that camera but i´m almost sure it has no real “pro” features like noise reduction control (also not on rebels) mirror lock up (also not on the rebels) manual flash control (doesn´t even has a built-in flash), has slow auto-focus (maybe some sort of Slow-Phase-Detection-Autofocus).
at least canon users now will have the possibility of using other lens mounts via adaptors. what is for sure is canon will not release any FD to EOS adaptors the way olympus did with OM to m4/3.
Seems a better deal than any M43 but sadly still an overpriced toy. My money stays in the old oak box.
I was going to comment on how much of a IDIOT he is, but too many people beat me to it. So I’m just left with calling him a Donkey..
I think he subjects himself to a lot of well deserved ridicule with that assessment. I value his other reviews mostly but Ken seems to have an emotional softspot for Canon’s color rendering.
On various sites Canon officials are quoted this new camera is mainly aimed at creative videographers. That says it all.
I’d rather buy an E-PM1, save a lot of money and buy a set of very good prime lenses from the saved money. On the other hand, I already own the most advanced and pro grade mirrorless system camera available today: the OM-D. (Sorry Fuji and Leica, Fuji executes badly on a good idea and the M9 is just so yesterday in everything it does – and more importantly – does not.
How can anyone form such a strong opinion on something they have never even laid their hands on?
Guess good old Ken has been sleeping for the past 2 years! How can a camera even be serious without a built-in viewfinder and full manual control?!? Already heard about the NEX-7 or the OM-D, Ken?
Can’t understand this review…
Ken Rockwell is the worlds most serious dushebag
so canon arent playing catch up. they are setting the standard ?.
Mildly entertaining, but it’s like tiger woods talking about football. In one simple statement he has basically said that you could write all he knows about mirrorless cameras on a nikon1 sensor.
KR is nuts. The Sony NEX 5n is the best value for $$, best image quality, best ergonomics, etc etc.
most of Rockwell haters are just helplessly idiot , never understand how clever he is and actually his advice or recommendations are spot-on , most of people do not need more than 16mp and most of people do not need FF, but they chase latest coolest kids on their area anyway.
just get a bit more logical and read all what he has said , most of his comments are , despite of his provocative or aggressive phasing , making very much sense.
I mostly like his provocative style and I can agree with many of his opinions, even when they seem completely contradictory from one day to the next one. You have to know how to read him.
But honestly, I think that this time he’s just being sloppy. I doubt he’s ever put his hands on a EM-5 and the m4/3 lenses available (or the great 4/3 lenses available with adapter), and it’s obvious that he has not put his hands on the EOS-M either. This preview is a bit over the top and does make him look like an idiot.
Why are we paying so much attention to the person in the corner jumping up and down and screaming “Look at me!” ?
At least spell his name incorrectly.
(to paraphrase P.T. Barnum, Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde, or Big Tim Sullivan – we don’t know which – “I don’t care what you say about me as long as you spell my name right.”
What is Ken Rockwell smoking? The first professional grade mirrorless digital camera maker is Leica. M9, M9P and M Monochrome have full frame sensor. Ken Rockwell trashes M8 for its half-frame sensor, but Canon EOS-M’s APS-C sensor is *smaller* than half frame! He considers that professional grade? Does he read what he writes?
I think I know got it why Ken has no comment system on his blog 🙂
Lol. Good one admin.
His website is pretty okay for Nikon gears history database, but for opinion, well, he’s more on controversy side.
Kens been on the fade out for years. By quoting crap like this he gets more hits.
Come on, it’s just bullsh!t marketing for Internet hits…
Hi all, Ken is a dick now a days. I used to read his articles, a lot of it but now he is just full of him self than anyone else I know. I moved on and I read and enjoy reading Steve Huff’s blog/web site – (http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/).
He is not bias, he will tell you has it is, how he sees it as a photographer in the real world and he not a Canon fan boy like Ken. There is nothing wrong with Canon or any other system. Everyone is different and likes different things but don’t tell me that Canon was, is and will be the best system.
Anyway guys and girls, let it go, just let it go:) not worth the discussion.
On the camera note, my first impression is not very good. I was actually hoping that Canon would introduce a killer of a mirrorless camera, better looking than NEX-7 (which I own). Oh wait they still have a chance after 4 years later entering the mirrorless camera market; they had enough time to come up with a awesome, beautiful camera that would blow everyone’s mind!
Let’s wait another 4 years.
Thank you Canon
The only thing right now that I am happy with Canon is the lens 22mm f2. Come on Sony release some prime fast lenses and I don’t need 55-300 but some user would love that.
Steve Huff is objective, giving the bad points as well as the good on cameras that he tests. His reviews of the Fujifilm X-Pro1 are level headed. While he loves the camera, he addressed the shortcomings of the AF honestly. Rockwell goes from calling the XP1 the new Leica to addressing it as a toy. Unlike Ken Rockwell, Steve Huff is never shrill. Ken Rockwell is like AM talk radio at 3:00 in th morning.
Don’t feed the Ken Troll!
That is what happens when you write (p)reviews based on press releases.
Or maybe someone hacked his website 😀 ?
Actually I was not able to find a serious review about this eos m! So I wait for it, knowing that, the worst thing is the lack of EVF. When there is a serious review things are becoming more interesting ….
You can read review of 650D, since the eos-m share the same sensor, digic cpu and lcd, IQ will be the same with the same lense. The only unknow is IQ of the two eos-m lenses and the real AF speed of the future production model, with STM lenses and with classic EF lenses.
Never heard of KR before, and wish I would not today either. Too bad…
First his article about how lead solder is GOOD for the consumer industry and blaming china for becoming RoHs compliant first, and now this BS on how Canon makes a “Pro” mirrorless camera. I bet this bumble has not even taken apart a camera by himself before.
Leaded solder is TERRIBLE for your health, and has been known to cause brain damage to people who work with it. If you have ever known an elderly engineer who has spent many hours in front of a soldering iron, their hands are known to shake because the lead impairs the brain’s ability to properly balance your extremities.
In additon, Canon, Nikon, Panasonic and Olympus make cameras of equivalent quality, on the circuit level. If his “second tier” cameras include both Canon and Nikon, then why did BOTH Canon and Nikon screw up their most recent full frame cameras? Every company makes mistakes, but saying one brand makes pro cameras over another based on NOTHING is a line of BS.
Honestly, I used to trust this guy for his knowledge of velvia and medium format photography. Now I’m starting to question his true knowledge.
Wow, such a bold revelation… This is the same guy that says all lens hoods are pointless and refuses to use them. Too bad he gets traffic that this and other more objective and compitent sites deserve.
Term Pro must always be defined before using it. It is true that no mirrorless camera manufacturer have so far shown what their intentions are in a longer time frame. To me pro means support, aimed features for some purpose, system that is predictable (knowing you get those needed features and support in the future too) in newer bodies and the lens selection is up to the task (with native lenses without adapters) AND for many purposes the system needs to be weather sealed. Now, what boxes are ticked so far with EOS-M? Not to mention about the reliability of focusing 🙂
While I agree that Ken is full of it often, I think what he is referring to is that most professional photographers (not MF) use either Canon or Nikon systems. There is a HUGE ecosystem for rental equipment and multi-national support networks that are simply not matched by any other canera manufacturer. Olympus is the closest, but not nearly as big.
That being said a professional CAN use whatever they want, but most working pros use either Nikon or Canon. This makes the EOS-M (with adaptor) part of a professional system.
Take it or leave it but that is the camera market today. Having said that, I am currently leaning to the NEX over this particular canon body due to price.
Torn between the Nex 7 and the Fuji X-Pro 1, I went for the Fuji (sorry guys). I preferred the more manual contact and loved the image output after using both for 2 weeks before buying. I’m still extremely happy and the Fuji suits my shooting style perfectly.
Ken sees this as a 3rd rate camera! Just glad I never hung on for the long awaited, mediocre offering from Canon. Fuji and Sony have brought their own innovations to the market and are setting the pace in quality; Canon on the other had has had plenty of time o react and develop their own masterpiece, but came up with a low end clone that wouldn’t have inspired me 3 years ago!
FIRST SERIOUS? Ken, you made a fool out of yourself, but your sales rant made me laugh! Credibility does have a price it seems!
I’m sorry, I mean, Ken’s site has been useful on a number of instances, but what?
This is probably the least “serious” attempt at a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera there has been so far.
What has canon done that everyone else hasn’t?
The ONE redeeming feature is hybrid PDAF/CDAF, and impressions so far show performance to be pessimal to below average at best. Nor are they the first; Nikon did it first does it a lot better. But then they also chicken-ed out at came out with a relatively small sensor system that is meant to be positioned below their DSLR line.
EF Lens compatability is great, but it’s not fair to say that makes it a “serious” attempt at mirrorless. Virtually every other mirrorless manufacturer provides an adapter of some sorts. It just so happens Canon has the largest lens selection.
The first professional attempt on mirrorless with no viewfinder at all?
I’m very very underwhelmed by canon, not the features for a pro cam nor the design..
steve huff thinks the EOS-M is blah and i agree
“Steve Huff says:
July 22, 2012 at 10:45 pm
Well, to me this offering is sort of “blah” – I see nothing that this camera can offer over other offerings besides the ability to use Canon lenses (which Canon users and fans will enjoy). I’m sure the IQ will be beautiful and I probably will review it though wouldn’t buy one for myself. I love my OM-D”
Who are you trolling mr. rockwell? my grandma? sorry but she allready has the OM-D and it´s far superior to your pink EOS- M!
Aside from not having a viewfinder, am I the only one that is upset with the lack of manual controls. I do not like touch screen on my camera at all.
Ken Rockwell is just saying this to drive traffic to his worthless site. This is just troll-bait.
Just looking at the comparisons to the t4i/650d, the Sony sensor in the EM5 and the Nex5n/7 is still superior to Canon’s. I left Canon because its become clear Sony has lapped the field in sensor tech. The m43 sensor in the EM5 has IQ and DR as good as Canon’s APS-c and the Nex5n is better. I would rather use my 5n and Conrus adapter for Canon lenses until Canon puts a tilt screen on the M body. I don’t care about AF while shooting video because manual focusing with peaking is superior and more organic looking than waiting for the camera to finish hunting and lock focus.
Even the EVF of the GX1 is a poor tool regarding the one made by Fuji, or the NEX 7: this is not PRO !
Ken Rockwell has no idea what he is talking about.
The EOS M and the Nikon 1 are a concerted effort from Canon and Nikon to nip the m43 market in the bud. Their aim is to make mirrorless cameras look like beginner cameras, and secure their DSLRs as only viable enthousiast and pro cameras.
It is concerted to the degree where they really strangle m43: Canon offers a 2x larger sensor, Nikon offers a 2x smaller sensor. Those who prefer IQ/DoF will drift to Canon, while those who understand that small lenses are not an option on APS-C, will gravitate towards Nikon.
I’m sorry but you are an idiot by giving this clown any attention. He makes money by writing stupid things that get him links from people like you and that in turn give him more free traffic from search engines. Thank you so much for helping him being a little more famous and wealthy. Please note the sarcasm.
Ken’s not that far off, look t the body structure. looks pretty good to me. Not all serious cameras have to be as big as a brick.
Ken Rockwell must be joking. If he’s not he is losing his mind or he was high or drunk when he wrote this review. The Canon EOS M handles like a P&S camera, not like a professional camera. The Leica M9, the Fujifilm X-Pro-1, the Sony NEX-7, the Olympus OM-D, and the upcoming Panasonic GH3 are all better.
yeah Ken Rockwell just proved that he really does know nothing or is taking some HUGE payoffs to write this stuff. Honesly the G5 is a much more “advanced” camera than this thing. I was waiting for a long time for this camera to be anounced hoping that is would be great! but is wasn’t 🙁 SOO glad I went u43rds. I even use to use a canon 7D but needed a smaller system for my traveling.
The Canon EOS M is the world’s LEAST serious mirrorless camera. Now that doesn’t mean that later models in the EOS M line won’t be serious professional products, but the EOS M surely isn’t. The EOS M has been purposely dumbed down by Canon to make it an entry level camera. It doesn’t hold a candle to even Canon’s own S100 camera in terms of settings and functionality.
Ken is a smart guy. He writes a review that would take half an hour using press releases as his source of information. He adds a couple of paragraphs of ridiculous ‘opinion’ based hyperbole, this feeds the dogs and creates hysteria from the m43/nex people and delight from the many canon people that are out there. This generates traffic to his site from both parties, the outraged ‘third tier’ system users, spread the word across the many forums supporting them, thus generating more traffic for KR and the delighted canon users decide that this one is so good they donate the $5 that KR asks for as a donation to his growing family. I hope he uses all that extra money to secretly purchase a E-m5 or a nex7. Well done Ken, you must get a lot of hate mail but you get well paid for it at times like these, I’m sure.
Ken Rockwell is a blowhard and a moron, and should be ignored, IMO. He already gets way more attention than he deserves.
Ken a clown? He conceived the world’s first dedicated digital colorspace converter chip, the TMC2272, back in 1990 when he worked at TRW LSI Products. He’s been working with the matrix math, hardware and software that does this for decades. He also coined the word “gigacolors,” for use with 36-bit and 48-bit color data. TRW LSI was a small, ultra-creative division of TRW. He is also a pro photogarpher, see his velvia 5x4s. If you can do better, good for you!
His reviews are precise, unbiasedd and very useful.I put him as #1 for deciding what to get next. I am only an amateur velvia/zeiss shooter,looking to get into digits, maybe the canon 6D?
He writes: “If Canon ever creates a full-frame LEICA M body, either in 35mm or digital, it would half-bury LEICA, so I suspect that Canon hasn’t done this simply to keep LEICA in business our of respect for elders.”
Guffaw!
Two is how many lenses this thing has, both of which are cheap kit lenses. A system that actually loses to NEX in terms of selection and quality.
Don’t know how much alcohol he needed for this or how much money he got for this…:D Just ridiulous!
I used to read KW now I do not and know know why. From a very distant Semi Pro; 4X5 B&W, Nikon D7000, Flash, Pocket Wizards, and Paul C Bluff lights! 4/3 is my next system too.
This guy must be a Canon fanboy or is payed by Canon to write how great this camera is. While honestly I think this is a failure camera, for beginners it is a fine go, but I expected a lot more from Canon, hoped to see a pro-grade mirrorless camera, unfortunately they give a beginner and enthusiast mirrorless camera.
Even banana looking Pentax k-01 looks more attractive because it can use any k mount lens built decades ago without the need of any adapter. In addition there is a screw mount adapter to use other pentax lenses. And that is a lot more than the currently EOS M can take.
Adapters? Well m43 looks attractive to me because it seems there are adapters for almost any lens system available out there. There are plenty of videos and still images demonstrating beautiful images created using 30 or so years ago constructed lenses on m43 cameras. People use Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Leica, even OM, Voigtlander, four thirds, etc lenses in addition to a really big m43 family of lenses which is growing fast.
Regarding sensor size, well Pentax k-01 uses similar sensor as K-5 does which is arguably known as (one of) the best APS-C sized sensor in the market.
Sony NEX 7 looks to have a lot more to offer in terms of functionality. (yet fails with lenses)
So I personally think that Canon Eos M is a nice beginner and enthusiast camera but is far away from being a professional camera. Simply the handling fails for it to be considered a pro at least in my eyes.
Please do not misguide people.
lol you can this serious, that shit don’t even have a viewfinder. again with the sensor shit, sony and fujifilm has the same sensor size too idiot. Does a bigger sensor mean that u can take better pics, if that is true u don’t deserve to be famous because u r saying that all the previous generation users of film are not pro.
goodbye ken , thats it for me
No built-In Viewfinder no talk. Don’t need to even go into the IQ and Color Quality. What rubbish, haha…
There are no pro or consumer camera’s, there are only pro or consumers how make photo’s.
There is image quality sure, and in digital photography are there 3 pilars: 1 quality of lenses, 2 quality and size of the sensor and 3 quality of the software (16 bits, 12/14 bits or 8 bits) etc.
If we go for the best lenses: Leica M9, Fuji-pro X and maybe some panasonic and olympus lenses.
If we go for the best sensor: Full frame or bigger
If we go for software: 14 bits RAW but better 16 bits RAW
So it’s stupid to call Canon as the best Mirrorless of today
Canon has a long way to go…..but it does have the
resources, if not the marketing will, to produce an
absolutely state of the art small camera. Unfortunately
the “M” is not that. But then, so far neither Nikon, Pentax or Minolta – oops Sony – have exactly hit it out of
the park with their offerings. Olympus looks to be about
1 for 6 or 7 with their approach, Panasonic hasn’t done
much better. I guess Ricoh (pre merger) and Samsung are
contenders, if they’re even still in the race. The most promising seems to be Fujifilm in spite of a few quirks.
It will be an interesting Photokina – to see what Leica
offers, whether it’s a rebadged Panasonic or something
new – like an X3 with a M mount.
No, Canon EOS-M is just an average camera. I have a Sony Nex-5 and Olympus E-PL1. The weekness of many mirrorless cameras is in the tiny flash and lack of view finder. Canon EOS-M does not have a view finder. So it is not a perfect camera anyway.
A perfect mirrorless camera must have a hot shoe and a view finder to use great manual focus lens from Nikon and Canon. A view finder also allow you to accurately compose a picture in bright sun light. The LCD is pretty much useless in bright sun light. Sony Nex-7 is an example of a serious camera. I am not saying Nex-7 is the best but it is a serious camera.
You guys are so serious, neither understand nor at least recognize satire!
Haha, this guy is a moron and a peasant.
How a person like this is going to be able to give a valid opinion.
I agree, I gets a lot of attention, but that is because he have a really good PR.
The rest is bullshiet.
A moron and a peasnat? You you sound like a know it all? Do you know much more than he? Ken Rockwell conceived the world’s first dedicated digital colorspace converter chip, the TMC2272, back in 1990 when he worked at TRW LSI Products. He’s been working with the matrix math, hardware and software that does this for decades. He also coined the word “gigacolors,” for use with 36-bit and 48-bit color data. TRW LSI was a small, ultra-creative division of TRW. He is also a pro photogarpher, see his velvia 5x4s. If you can do better, good for you!
His reviews are precise, unbiasedd and very useful.I put him as #1 for deciding what to get next. I am only an amateur velvia/zeiss shooter,looking to get into digits, maybe the canon 6D?
You must be Ken’s mother, being so sensitive about him..
Btw, please, show me some of the great pictures made by Brockwell, im curious..
I happen to agree with Ken R about the EOS M being the first serious ML camera. Why? Simple. It’s the only ML with a professional sensor from a real camera manufacturer. Everything else is either manufactured by microwave oven makers or is not in the same category as far as sensor size and quality goes. Happy with your Sony’s and Panasonic’s? Good for you. I’m happy with my Sony TV and my Panasonic microwave oven too. A photo camera? No, thank you. I’ll stick with Nikon or Canon. Olympus? It used to be a photography company back in the OM days, but today it is absolutely not. Ken is right. You are wrong. End of story.
Sony sensors are the best on the market: Olympus, Nikon and Pentax use Sony sensors.