# M3 light travel kit



## tan oak (Feb 1, 2016)

For an upcoming trip to India I decided to leave my Canon 7D kit at home due to the weight (4kg), size, and value. My M3 kit is only (1.7kg) minus the battery charger and cable stuff that can be stored elsewhere. Here is what nicely fills my Think Tank MM20 shoulder bag that I modified with a different padded shoulder strap and internal dividers.

M3 with EVF, RRS plate mounted
EF-M 15-45 zoom (22mm prime on a long back order at BH)
EF adapter with a EF 50mm 1.8 STM 
64GB Sandisk cards
2 spare batteries
Rode video-micro external microphone
Manfretto 209 micro tripod with extension post
RRS BH25 ballhead and clamp
Canon remote control 

I want to capture musical/dance performances as well as architectural details and perhaps some human candids.


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## Random Orbits (Feb 1, 2016)

Hope you're going to have the ef-m 22 f/2 in time for your trip. That is my most used lens of the ef-m system. Have you looked at Canadian authorized dealers? With the USD as strong as it is, looking north of the border makes sense.


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## axtstern (Feb 1, 2016)

Hello tan oak

I usually don't want to confuse people on this forum or superimpose my opinion on someone.
In your case however I need to give some advice.

Before I begin let me put my experience on the map:
I have the classical GAS Syndrom, especially before going abroad.
I usually travel with my family that is 4 people so our trips are never cheap. I use this as an excuse to by myself each time the equipment I desire for such a trip.

My kids are slowly old enough to allow me not only to use some of their weight allowance for my camera equipment but also to hang some of it around their neck so usually I travel with more than one body, several zooms and a few primes.

However I also love the EOS M and M3 and owning all Canon EFM lenses plus the superzoom for the M from Tamron I usually have a certain variety to choose from.

Let me say it straight: The M3 is a very decent supplement to any Canon DSLR but it is a desaster as the sole body when traveling and facing unknown situations.

The M is merciless to you once action is happening. Salsa Dancers in Cuba? Press the button a second to early and you are blind for two seconds. Use serial picture mode? Have a series of 3 or 5 pictures and be blind for 5 seconds. You might have a keeper among them but you loose control. The EV3 by the way just makes these things worse. For those who do not understand what I mean:





Try this picture with a M3

Neither the kit lens nor the 22mm are versatile enough for me.
The 22mm is loved by many people on this forum but that love comes from the age of the 2 lenses and the time of the slim EOS M. The 22 is fast and small but not wide enough for landscape and way to short for portraits as long as you do not want to bother your motive by being disturbingly close.

These days I travel with the EOS M3 with the 11-22 always on and the Tamron 18-200 and the Canon 22mm + the converter and the EV3 as auxillary equipment for special circumstances.

The moments when the M3 is worth the money:
1. 
Mounted with the 11-22 as a companion to a Canon DSLR with the 70-200 (There are not much situation you will miss with that combo)
2.
Mounted with the 22mm in one of these inexpensive evamarine diving bags. very light, very small and water and dust proof when this is important. The speed of the lens and focal length fit my style when diving in shallow water or driving though the desert.
3.
With any lens as the HDR sidekick to a DSLR
The combination is light enough to be handheld or to be kept in place through a gorilla pod.

I get an amazing amount of shots I would have never been able to take with my DSLR allone whenever I have both the DSLR and the M with me, but with just the M I usually have not a single day during a trip where I wish to have even the most lousy Rebel in my hand. It really hurts to try your best to make the M do the picture and getting mediochre results while the soccer mom next to you nails shot after shot with her 450D in green frame mode. 

regards


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## Sporgon (Feb 1, 2016)

Sounds like you should have got a 100D (SL1)


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## axtstern (Feb 1, 2016)

Indeed I was considering buying the 100D several times.
I used to use the 60D with the Tokina 11-16 2.8 but this is a very heavy combination.
A M with the 11-22 is more flexible (but slower) and the combination uses less weight and real estate in my camera bag than the Tokina alone.

I was hoping that Canon would bring out a 200D more or less the 750D in a smaller chassis.
Now the Rumors here are that there will be no 200D... Well I will wait. If they cancel the 100D without a succesor I will make an emergency purchase. I bought the 10-18 STM when it was on special offer even without having a crop body a the moment... Tiocfaidh Ar La


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## Rocky (Feb 2, 2016)

Do not expect to catch dance/musical performance with the M3 and the EF-M lens. They are just TOO SLOW. It is the wrong tool for the job. For candid, architecture, it will do okay.


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## tan oak (Feb 2, 2016)

Rocky & axtstern,

Thanks guys. I agree with you that the M3 is not for action stills. A 7D with fast glass is a better choice but I have learned on past trips where i tried action shooting, it is really not my thing. Static composed images are more my thing. Shooting stills "machine gun" style will yield some images to be proud of like the great one you shared in this thread.

My wife is a dance teacher and performer so she likes HD video clips that capture performers movements and the music (hearing the beat is critical). Still images with no sound are inadequate for her to study performance choreography. At the same time I wanted a tourist-sized "still" EOS camera that would not spook native performers or draw undue attention from local authorities. 

Speaking of lenses, I owned a EF 70-300 DO for a while before it was stolen. I had a hard time finding an architectural use for it so I was not motivated to get the EFM 55-200. I also owned a EFS 10-22 lens for a while and I did not appreciate the advantages it offered at the time. It would be a close match for the EFM 11-22. An EFM 10 to 12mm prime would tempt me if Canon eventually offers one. So for now my EFM 15-45 will fill the sweet spot in-between the extremes and the 50mm should suffice for back of the theater or low light conditions. Plus I'm not bringing kids with' necks to hang my DSLR bodies and lenses on for this trip!


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## dpetry (Feb 3, 2016)

axtstern said:


> The M is merciless to you once action is happening. Salsa Dancers in Cuba? Press the button a second to early and you are blind for two seconds. Use serial picture mode? Have a series of 3 or 5 pictures and be blind for 5 seconds.



Hello axtstern.
It seems most of the issues you described can be solved with pre-focusing.
About the speed of the camera between shots, a good idea is to try to get one perfect shot instead of burst it and then select the best, Cartie-Bresson decisive moment style.
I used to photograph Tango, which you may now is as energetic as salsa. Back in the day I used the Canon Rebel D (300D) and most of the time burst would give me good results, but training to click only on the right moment, considering the camera slowness (in this case slower than the M, M2 o3 M3), gave me better results.
A family trip seems is a wonderful occasion for that.


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## Rocky (Feb 11, 2016)

Get a fast 50mm MF lens with adapter for the M. Then you can prefcousing with NO shutter delay. Check out how accurate the focusing mark on the MF lens before your trip. Redo the focusing indicator or shim the adapter if you have to


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## Jamesy (Feb 14, 2016)

@OP.
I have the M3, 187-55, 11-22, 22/2 and was considering the 15-45 and selling the 18-55 with my original M kit as I don't really use the M since getting the M3.

What are your thoughts on the 15-45 for general travel?


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## H. Jones (Feb 16, 2016)

Jamesy said:


> @OP.
> I have the M3, 187-55, 11-22, 22/2 and was considering the 15-45 and selling the 18-55 with my original M kit as I don't really use the M since getting the M3.
> 
> What are your thoughts on the 15-45 for general travel?



Not the original poster nor familiar with the 15-45mm specifically, but I can tell you that the equivalent-on-full-frame 24-70mm focal range is a fantastic range. That's my everyday carry lens with my 5D3, and it's probably my most used lens on assignment for newspapers. Crop 45mm is long enough for great portraits, and crop 15mm will get you wide enough for most landscapes and interior uses. 

Anywhere I go, I take my 24-70mm if I need to be certain I'll get the shots I need, and I've enjoyed vacations using almost exclusively this range. So I think the 15-45mm will be great for most general travel uses, although it might be a little dark for night-time uses. In the sun or clouds it should work fine.


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## archiea (Feb 16, 2016)

I would say that the biggest concern is the delay with the shutter depressed. I shot the eos-m3 in manual focus all the time. there is a distinct pre-2005 delay between you pressing the shutter and it firing. I think because of the notoriously less that fast AF that folks don't notice this.. Perhaps it is the cause of the slower shutter. For me, I call my eos-m3 my "iphone camera" with interchangeable lenses. Its the camera thats with me all the time in a little temba insert bag. Nothing will stop a good photography from getting great shots with this camera. its jsut that if you had relied on the speed of the dslrs from the past 10 years, even rebels, this isnt it. And for me its inexcusable. Its the same guts & chip of a x0D line minus the mirror actiona nd its SLOWER in reaction to a shutter depress? c'Mon!


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## Rocky (Feb 17, 2016)

archiea said:


> I would say that the biggest concern is the delay with the shutter depressed. I shot the eos-m3 in manual focus all the time. there is a distinct pre-2005 delay between you pressing the shutter and it firing. I think because of the notoriously less that fast AF that folks don't notice this.. Perhaps it is the cause of the slower shutter. For me, I call my eos-m3 my "iphone camera" with interchangeable lenses. Its the camera thats with me all the time in a little temba insert bag. Nothing will stop a good photography from getting great shots with this camera. its jsut that if you had relied on the speed of the dslrs from the past 10 years, even rebels, this isnt it. And for me its inexcusable. Its the same guts & chip of a x0D line minus the mirror actiona nd its SLOWER in reaction to a shutter depress? c'Mon!


I agree that there is delay when MF with the EF-M lens. However, If you use the Non-EF-M MF lens, the shutter response is "instant", after the previous picture has cleared the buffer and written into the SD card.


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## alan sh (May 16, 2016)

Could the issue that axstern is having be cause buy the picture being displayed for 2 seconds between shots? I've turned that off on my M3 (If I want to look at it, I'll press the display button)

Alan


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## tan oak (Aug 6, 2016)

tan oak said:


> For an upcoming trip to India I decided to leave my Canon 7D kit at home due to the weight (4kg), size, and value. My M3 kit is only (1.7kg) minus the battery charger and cable stuff that can be stored elsewhere. Here is what nicely fills my Think Tank MM20 shoulder bag that I modified with a different padded shoulder strap and internal dividers.
> 
> M3 with EVF, RRS plate mounted
> EF-M 15-45 zoom (22mm prime on a long back order at BH)
> ...



Just received an used (9+) EF-M 55-200 lens from BH to add to my travel kit. The Rode microphone and micro tripod are being evicted from my kit for now to allow all three lenses to fit comfortably. I discovered that the Canon ET-54B hood for this telephoto lens can be reversed mounted on the lens for storage. It does not interfere with camera usage when reversed. This allows the M3+55-200 to easily fit facing down in my Think Tank MM20 bag. The hood adds another inch in length in it's normal position and does not fit without rearranging everything entirely.


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## neuroanatomist (Aug 6, 2016)

tan oak said:


> I discovered that the Canon ET-54B hood for this telephoto lens can be reversed mounted on the lens for storage.



That's true of almost all Canon lenses (although not the M22 or M28 Macro) – bayonet-mount hoods can generally be reversed for storage.


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## Rocky (Aug 8, 2016)

Bring additional body as back up or a good point and shoot.
If you have two M bodies, you can have one lens on each body to minimize the changing of lenses.


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