# So I got myself a new Eos M3...



## Ivan Muller (Jul 1, 2015)

I have had it for a few weeks now and I am busy writing up my review...but here are a few thoughts so far in no particular order of importance:

1. The performance is quite inconsistent with the standard zoom lens...I find focus and sharpness is quite hit and miss. Sometimes its sharp, other times its not. I don't know if its the camera or lens, or just my copy but I don't seem to find the same inconsistency with my 22mm f2.

2. Sensor is quite noisy and I think one will have to fine tune ones ETTR exposure techniques. Especially when pushed or shadows opened it becomes quite noisy. No banding in shadows when pushed, but boy are they noisy! Of course my other camera is a 6D, so that's what I am used to, but still....

3. A few nice features like two axis spirit level, aperture/shutter speed control ring around shutter release button, plus a few customizable options.

4. AF a bit better but sometimes still slow...

5. Surprisingly I have found a few good uses for the articulated LCD!

6. Body doesn't feel as solid as the old M, not that its bad but it feels a bit more 'plasticky'

7. My copy of the standard zoom is very inconsistent as mentioned above, sometimes I get pin sharp images and other times they are not...I cant quite figure out why and when yet. Futhermore the corners are a bit softer at the wide end than I would like, even when stopped down to f8 or so...I have had generally poor results at the 55mm end but then other times it sharp....go figure!

8. I find I have to sharpen my files more than I am used to and that of course introduces more noise.

9. Focuses fast with some EF lenses like my 70-300L and 17-40 zoom, but on the other hand hunts a lot with my cheap and nasty 50f1.8. 

10 AF rectangle is quite large with the result that it doesn't always focus where one wants. For instance unless one is very close you cant just place it on the eye, so more of the face is included, which results in softer eyes than I would like...

11. Strange auto exposure bracketing. IT shoots three frames in sequence at its own time automtically and sometimes the last bracket takes quite a while to happen...

12. I can t get rid of this nagging feeling that its not a 'complete' camera, almost as if not enough time was spend in thinking the design through...I would have thought that with all the negative publicity of version ONE, Canon would have pulled out all the stops, but that's probably just me being too hopeful and unrealistic! for instance why bother with this 24mp sensor when a perfectly usable one from the 7d2 was available, with known fast live view focus lower high iso noise...I just can figure out the thinking behind this camera....

13. The shutter is quite a bit louder than the original M

NB. I bought it and I am keeping it, so I am just going to have to learn how to overcome the many negatives as I perceive them. I have found that when the files are converted to B&W and with a TRI-X filter via something like Nik Silver Efex, the images look quite nice and have a nice grainy Tri X look, which I quite like! Maybe this will become my B&W camera a la Leica MM! 

I will put up my full review soon with lots of sample images.

Enclosed image of my back lit winter garden was made at 500iso, 1/40 sec IS image at f11 and focal length 51mm. One of several of the same scene and surprisingly quite sharp at the tele end for a change...

B&W image shot at 1600iso, tri-x filter and crop to show detail. Of course more noise and contrast introduced by tri-x filter than native noise/contrast from file. not sharpened because with the extra 'noise' i find images look sharp enough....

My favorite images from my 'old' Eos M can be seen here: http://thelazytravelphotographer.blogspot.com/2014/12/some-of-my-favourite-eos-m-pictures.html#more 

http://thelazytravelphotographer.blogspot.com/


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## distant.star (Jul 1, 2015)

.
I'm sorry to hear this.

You know how much I love your work. And you deserve better!


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jul 1, 2015)

I would not expect too much,l the M series was not intended to be a enthusiast camera, and so far, Canon has not tried to put out a advanced model.

As far as having a inconsistent lens, don't hesitate to return it, lenses can be problematic just like other electronics.

I would limit ISO's to 400 myself.

I don't know what the M3's cost, but Canon sold off the original M's for a low price, so they cost far less than a good point and shoot which made them a good buy.


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## Dylan777 (Jul 2, 2015)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> I would not expect too much,l the M series was not intended to be a enthusiast camera, and so far, Canon has not tried to put out a advanced model.
> 
> As far as having a inconsistent lens, don't hesitate to return it, lenses can be problematic just like other electronics.
> 
> ...



If that the case, I would much prefer RX100 series(pocketable body)


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## twagn (Jul 4, 2015)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> I would not expect too much,l the M series was not intended to be a enthusiast camera, and so far, Canon has not tried to put out a advanced model.



However a good photographer can make a good image with a coke bottle lens.


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## twagn (Jul 4, 2015)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> I would not expect too much,l the M series was not intended to be a enthusiast camera, and so far, Canon has not tried to put out a advanced model.
> 
> As far as having a inconsistent lens, don't hesitate to return it, lenses can be problematic just like other electronics.
> 
> ...




I find it difficult to assume credibility to your post's without examples of your work. Maybe I'm missing a link? 10,000 post's but no examples of your work? ...surely I'm missing something


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## smozes (Jul 6, 2015)

Ivan Muller said:


> 10 AF rectangle is quite large with the result that it doesn't always focus where one wants. For instance unless one is very close you cant just place it on the eye, so more of the face is included, which results in softer eyes than I would like...
> 
> 11. Strange auto exposure bracketing. IT shoots three frames in sequence at its own time automtically and sometimes the last bracket takes quite a while to happen...



The AF rectangle size could be "changed" on the M via the zoom function. But on the M3, it's only possible to zoom in with manual focus. If you try to use AF while zoomed in, it zooms out and sets focus there. While the manual focus override with focus peaking is very handy, at the same time they removed the ability to zoom in for AF. The difference is also apparent in the respective manuals of the cameras, where the M3 no longer mentions this ability. You can only refine focus with MF override. I asked Canon about this and they couldn't explain why this was the case.

I am also let down by AEB and have noticed the unreasonably long delay, sometimes, before the last shot. But the entire sequence is so slow, that a tripod is mandatory while previously it could be done handheld, and HDR is still shot at the expected speed. Why would HDR be shot at a normal pace but AEB is slow and inconsistent? Again Canon couldn't explain.

All in all, very inconsistent and somewhat disappointing, but definitely more usable than the M, if only for eliminating the long blackout between shots. It does feel like a much more complete camera with the grip, manual controls, EVF, tilting screen and flash. Some have speculated that responsibility for the firmware was reassigned to Canon's PowerShot team, which may explain its relative immaturity.


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## Ivan Muller (Jul 11, 2015)

Well I got another standard zoom to check out and my initial impressions and its much better than my first copy. At 55mm the images are consistently sharper although extreme corners take a dip. Wide open its quite sharp in the center but edges are very weak, but it does improve with stopping down. Best lens by far is the 22mm f2...

I have had another look at processing images with DPP4 and with the 'digital lens optimizer' activated the images look a lot less noise although I have noticed that the DPP software also dials in quite a bit of Luminance Noise Reduction. The digital lens optimizer results in much improved sharpness without any further increase in sharpness really necessary, but dialing a wee bit of sharpness does make the image very sharp, although one has to be careful not to over sharpen.

So things are looking up, but what a learning curve it has been so far with many many test shots and experimenting!

I did some test shots in the studio and with the 85mm f1.8 via the Canon EF adapter and focus was fast and very accurate. The lcd 'opens' up exposure to facilitate focus but when the shutter is pressed the 'correct' exposure appears on the screen. My modeling lights were fairly dim, about 250w through soft boxes but all worked well although I did notice somewhat of a delay when pressing the shutter and actual exposure. I used a 430EXmk2 to trigger my mono blocks. Disappointingly my 17-40 zooms image quality was quite soft in the studio and elsewhere....not sure why yet.

I also got a faster SD card and it feels as if the camera is a bit more responsive...the 16gig card can do about 500 images which should take about two batteries to complete. The cost of the second canon battery was shockingly expensive! No 3rd party batteries available yet in my neck of the woods...

Enclosed a 800 iso image made with my 70-3ooL zoom at f5.6 and 1/500th sec...the lens is a bit awkward to use on the M3 without the EVF, but the IS does improve the handling and I am actually quite surprised that I caught this fairly sharp shot of my Boston terrier stretching...but it shows what can be done...processed in DPP and Viveza.

http://thelazytravelphotographer.blogspot.com/


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## Haydn1971 (Jul 11, 2015)

twagn said:


> I find it difficult to assume credibility to your post's without examples of your work. Maybe I'm missing a link? 10,000 post's but no examples of your work? ...surely I'm missing something



Having a pop at long established members doesn't really do much for your credibility either I'm afraid.


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## distant.star (Jul 11, 2015)

Haydn1971 said:


> twagn said:
> 
> 
> > I find it difficult to assume credibility to your post's without examples of your work. Maybe I'm missing a link? 10,000 post's but no examples of your work? ...surely I'm missing something
> ...



Perhaps not, but what is, is. As David Henry Thoreau wrote...

"What old people say you cannot do, you try and find that you can. Old deeds for old people, and new deeds for new."


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## iKenndac (Jul 11, 2015)

I have an EOS M3 sitting here on my desk and I _want_ to love it. I really do.

As for the "plasticky" comment, I don't think it's bad. However, the only older M I've used is one with the glossy red finish, which was pretty nasty.

I love the size, I love the feel of the little grip, and I love how it handles. Compared to my current walkaround camera (an Olympus OM-D E-M10), the whole package is a lot more tidy with less lumps and bumps hanging off the body, which is nice. Having used EOS DSLRs since the 300D I find the UI much easier to use compared to the Olympus, which I find overly complex and confusing. The ability to use EF lenses in a pinch is also super nice.

However, two things are preventing me from really committing to the EOS M range:

1) No viewfinder. The add-on EVF is huge and bulky, not to mention expensive. The compact little EVF on the OM-D is great, and I really miss it when using the M3.

2) Canon's apparent reluctance to really commit to the M range. Limited lenses and not even selling the thing worldwide doesn't really fill me with confidence. 

It's a real shame, because the M3 is a really great little camera - particularly with the 22mm pancake. I'd even suck it up and buy the external EVF if Canon would just commit to the range a bit more.

Here's hoping to a worldwide release of an EOS M4! 

I've attached a photo I took using the M3 and the 22mm pancake at f/4 of the aforementioned glossy red EOS M2.


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## crashpc (Jul 13, 2015)

No offense, but comparing less than half sizedchip to FF, ehm, what did you expect...


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## ashmadux (Aug 4, 2015)

Ivan Muller said:


> I have had it for a few weeks now and I am busy writing up my review...but here are a few thoughts so far in no particular order of importance:
> 
> 1. The performance is quite inconsistent with the standard zoom lens...I find focus and sharpness is quite hit and miss. Sometimes its sharp, other times its not. I don't know if its the camera or lens, or just my copy but I don't seem to find the same inconsistency with my 22mm f2.
> 
> ...




I went from a 6d to a 5d3. I'm still trying to fins a solution for the 2x(!) noise increase. Sharper pictures, but the noise and banding are the only slights i have against this wonderful, wonderful machine.

Comign from a 6d, you are spoiled. I know, its true, just admit it....never worry about noise with a 6d, but wow that AF stinks.


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