# My own take on the EOS M



## ocabj (Aug 12, 2013)

I took advantage of the B&H $299 deal on the EOS M and 22mm f/2 STM.

My own write-up: http://www.ocabj.net/canon-eos-m-mirrorless-camera-review/

It's not ideal, but I'm going to keep it in my kit considering it saves me from having to hunt down a used 7D.


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## Taemobig (Aug 12, 2013)

Very well written review. I pretty much agree with it.


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## Mellonhead (Aug 14, 2013)

Nice review. In regards to the dark LCD caused by the Exposure Simulation when using strobes... my own workaround is to temporarily switch to ISO 3200 to regain the view and to then use the LCD zoom to manually achieve focus. It's actually much faster than it sounds, but of course it is useless for shooting anything moving. Does anyone have a better method (other than using a modeling lamp)? Can the EOS-M autofocus if the LCD cannot 'see' the subject?


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## drjlo (Aug 14, 2013)

Mellonhead said:


> Nice review. In regards to the dark LCD caused by the Exposure Simulation when using strobes... my own workaround is to temporarily switch to ISO 3200 to regain the view and to then use the LCD zoom to manually achieve focus.



Good tip. It's too bad about exposure sim, but on the other hand, how many people will use EOS-M in studio situations involving strobes? I know I bought the M because I did not fancy any current Canon aps-c DSLR and because I needed a portable body for those situations I did not want to carry my full frame DSLR.


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## ocabj (Aug 15, 2013)

drjlo said:


> Good tip. It's too bad about exposure sim, but on the other hand, how many people will use EOS-M in studio situations involving strobes?



No one, really. But I was attempting see how far I could leverage the system in the type of photography I do, and found this one aspect of the camera that makes it somewhat less than ideal for studio portraits.


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## Dylan777 (Aug 15, 2013)

This always give me good laugh ;D ;D ;D


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## BL (Aug 15, 2013)

yes, this setup looks really stupid, but as long as i dont hand hold, it works really, really well.

used this for some low light, indoor portraits the other day.


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## Dylan777 (Aug 16, 2013)

BL said:


> yes, this setup looks really stupid, but as long as i dont hand hold, it works really, really well.



Again...it always give me great laugh when I see this ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D Kinda likes shooting 1D X with Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III :-\ :-\ :-\

Why do we buy mirrorless again? Better AF speed? Better tracking system?


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## BL (Aug 16, 2013)

i actually prefer using the M over my 5D with legacy L lenses for a number of reasons, and to be quite honest, am quite surprised how much that little camera has grown on me.

1) I use MF *almost* exclusively (for both still and moving subjects), and very much prefer the way it works on the M along with the touch screen
2) I shoot with a tripod, so the space and weight savings is profound when I have to carry things for any distance.
3) I shoot low ISO, usually no higher than 400, so crop-sensor-noise doesn't bother me.

i dunno, it just works for me! my 5D is set aside as my backup 

(but i imagine i'll bust it out occasionally when i need razor thin DOF...)


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## Dylan777 (Aug 16, 2013)

BL said:


> i actually prefer using the M over my 5D with legacy L lenses for a number of reasons, and to be quite honest, am quite surprised how much that little camera has grown on me.
> 
> 1) I use MF *almost* exclusively (for both still and moving subjects), and very much prefer the way it works on the M along with the touch screen
> 2) I shoot with a tripod, so the space and weight savings is profound when I have to carry things for any distance.
> ...



You reminded me when I first got my RX1. Still great little camera to carry around.

Well...if mounting a L lens on M brings more fun to your shooting, then keep it going BL


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## mwh1964 (Aug 16, 2013)

BL said:


> yes, this setup looks really stupid, but as long as i dont hand hold, it works really, really well.
> 
> used this for some low light, indoor portraits the other day.



An L flash. Nice style there


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## BL (Aug 16, 2013)

oh haha

that is a rubber wrist thing, like those 'live strong' bracelets.

i was using a bright yellow one as a way to quickly gel the speedlite, but eventually came across a black one that is a bit more discreet.


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## TAF (Aug 16, 2013)

BL said:


> used this for some low light, indoor portraits the other day.



Nice portrait.

Which brings up my most recent 'M' story. Ever wonder how well sealed the camera is? I found out the hard way...my little furry friend got sick all over my 'M'. Much to my surprise, none of the rather acidic ick got into the camera. The only place where it wicked was across the lens mount. Fortunately, it didn't get all the way past the flange face. But I do think some sort of gasket to prevent rain from getting in there would be a good idea.


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## ocabj (Aug 17, 2013)

BL said:


> oh haha
> 
> that is a rubber wrist thing, like those 'live strong' bracelets.



I have a few of the Lensbracelets. They're nice conversation starters.


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## crasher8 (Aug 17, 2013)

Selling mine. Thinking more of an SL1 for my travel kit.


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## Dylan777 (Aug 18, 2013)

crasher8 said:


> Selling mine. Thinking more of an SL1 for my travel kit.



Highly recommend Sony RX100 II. It's pocketable and really fast AF. IQ at 1600ISO - 3200ISO are very reasonable even in low light.


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## sdsr (Aug 18, 2013)

Your excellent review seems spot-on to me. Nice cat portrait too - which, of course, only emphasizes one of the various drawbacks of this camera: it's easy to take such a portrait with a DSLR hand-held, but you needed (as would anyone else) a tripod for that combination of gear - and there's no way either of our cats would sit still while I set up a camera on a tripod; it's hard enough to take the time to remove a lens cap....


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