# My Eos M at work...



## Ivan Muller (Jul 9, 2013)

I have used my Eos M with a variety of Ef lenses on some commercial assignments and I must say I am impressed. More images and a review of the M at work here...http://thelazytravelphotographer.blogspot.com/2013/07/my-eos-m-at-worka-review.html


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## sheedoe (Jul 9, 2013)

I really like the group shot and interior shots. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to my EOS M arriving tomorrow .


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## zim (Jul 9, 2013)

Framing through that viewfinder must be errrr..... interesting?


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## thejager (Jul 9, 2013)

man i wish i had that viewfinder...


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## fotorex (Jul 10, 2013)

Here is my EOS M at work.

I just tested the new SW Update 2.0.2_RM 8)
This little thing is so cool. It is even capable to take fotos of it self in recursive mode. 8)






Frank


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## Ivan Muller (Jul 10, 2013)

zim said:


> Framing through that viewfinder must be errrr..... interesting?



Zim, of course its not really meant to be used with THAT lens, but its on my M body most of the time and is really only meant for use with the 22mm...


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Jul 10, 2013)

Ivan - this was an excellent, well written practical review with some great images to back it up. Bravo!


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## Ivan Muller (Jul 10, 2013)

TWI by Dustin Abbott said:


> Ivan - this was an excellent, well written practical review with some great images to back it up. Bravo!



thanks Dustin, I appreciate your feedback!


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## MrFotoFool (Jul 10, 2013)

What is that viewfinder and where do you get one?


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## Ivan Muller (Jul 10, 2013)

MrFotoFool said:


> What is that viewfinder and where do you get one?



This one is from Leica but there are also ones from Voightlander, Panansonic, Ricoh...just look for one that will cover 35mm equivalent...


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## MrFotoFool (Jul 11, 2013)

Ivan Muller said:


> MrFotoFool said:
> 
> 
> > What is that viewfinder and where do you get one?
> ...




Thank you.


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## optikus (Jul 11, 2013)

Hello,

the results you got are very interesting and show a completely different "M" as to be expected reading the mass of reviews in the past, especially from the aspect of manual lenses usw.

Thank you very much!

Joerg


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## Tyroop (Jul 11, 2013)

Excellent review and some great photos to back up your words. I have been equally impressed with this little camera and can't for the life of me work out why it gets such a bad press. The common theme seems to be that those who own the camera like it and those making the negative comments don't own it.

When I bought it I had no intention of the EOS M replacing my DSLR gear, but now I might do just that. In your line of work you obviously have a need for a DSLR and other people are in the same situation. With the photos I take, there are very few situations where the EOS M won't suffice for my own personal needs.

The image quality is excellent and it is such a joy not to have to haul a bulky camera and lenses around.


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## Ivan Muller (Jul 11, 2013)

Tyroop said:


> I have been equally impressed with this little camera and can't for the life of me work out why it gets such a bad press.



Thanks! I think it got bad press because perhaps the reviewers expected more from Canon in that they were the last ones to come to the party and therefore should, in theory, have had more time to do proper R&D...and generally there seems to be a bit of Canon sensor bashing going around, which I believe is not entirely based on fact but on the other hand I believe strong competition is the only way to push companies to do better...

But what held me back initially was the price, reported slow AF and lack of viewfinder .

I bought mine the minute the price came down and I got the whole package including the 22f2, flash, and lens adapter.

I have a rule that I try not to buy anything before I have tested it, and in the shop I was not unduly put of by the 'slow' af and the lens looked sharp on the stores monitor. But it just shows that one shouldnt believe averything you read the Af didint seem to be half as slow as everyone claimed.. 

What drew me to it was the possibility of having an inexpensive backup camera, the flash wich could also be used as a 'master' to trigger my other speedlights and the adapter that made it possible to use al my other lenses. 

I also already had an OVF that would fit so the thought of using it for my personal photography was appealing.

I come from a Leica X1 experience and let me tell you compared to that camera the Eos M is like a Ferrari and that was before the firmware update! So I suppose my expectations werent that high to begin with...but I have been pleasantly surprised all around and at the moment I think its the bargain of the year.

BUT, I have not looked at any of the other mirrorless cameras out there and I can t really say how the M compares. I was quite drawn to the new Fuji X100s, but have put that on hold until I see what the next Eos M looks like...and I am hoping it will have a decent viewfinder and even faster AF....but at the moment I am extremly pleased with the performance of the Eos M.


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## spinworkxroy (Jul 11, 2013)

Thanks for the great review and trust you have in the M.
I originally bough it as a backup camera for candid general shooting.
However, after reading your blog, i'm actually thinking of leaving my 5D3 at home and only bringing the M with a 24-70ii lens for my upcoming trip to the UK. I was worried i might miss my 5D3 too much if i didn't bring it but i know i wouldn't miss the weight of tugging it around.
And since i'm not needing the high iso or higher mp or RAW quality of the 5D3, the M might just be all i need for the trip..
Would you bravely do the same if it were me or should i still bring the 5D3 just in case….i really am not looking forward to tugging it around London...


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## verysimplejason (Jul 12, 2013)

spinworkxroy said:


> Thanks for the great review and trust you have in the M.
> I originally bough it as a backup camera for candid general shooting.
> However, after reading your blog, i'm actually thinking of leaving my 5D3 at home and only bringing the M with a 24-70ii lens for my upcoming trip to the UK. I was worried i might miss my 5D3 too much if i didn't bring it but i know i wouldn't miss the weight of tugging it around.
> And since i'm not needing the high iso or higher mp or RAW quality of the 5D3, the M might just be all i need for the trip..
> Would you bravely do the same if it were me or should i still bring the 5D3 just in case….i really am not looking forward to tugging it around London...



Just a suggestion... why not leave also the 24-70 also and just bring a 22mm and 18-55 EF-M lenses + a small external flash? It'll make your trip more fun. I believe those 2 lenses are enough to cover most of your needs and they're good optically though not as good as your 24-70.


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## Ivan Muller (Jul 12, 2013)

spinworkxroy said:


> Would you bravely do the same if it were me or should i still bring the 5D3 just in case….i really am not looking forward to tugging it around London...



Roy, thanks for the kind words!

I firmly believe less is more. I also firmly believe that there is nothing like shooting for a long period, at least a year or more with only one camera and one lens combination to clarify ones vision and to really find out what sort of photography one would like to do and which other lenses, if any, is needed.

I used a Leica X1 for two years almost exclusively for my personal photography. What I learned during this time was that the 35mm lens is really all I need 90% of the time. Occasionally I thought that perhaps a 50 or an 80 would have been nice although certainly not essential...

( I also found out that I like a mixture of people and landscapes and structures in a documentary and austere sort of way...)

But that's just me but that is also the only perspective from which I can answer your question...

Thus the short answer:

All I would need is the Eos M and the 22mm f2 lens....

The long answer:

But London and the European cities also have stunning architecture and structures and for that I would also need a tripod and my shift lenses. My all time favorite lens camera combination is my Mamiya ZD with the 50mm shift, equivalent to a 32mm lens, close to 'ideal' 35mm, which I have found is almost perfect for the lower European structures and churches etc, like the Duomo in Milan. The Medium format camera, although old technology, still gives me superb image quality with more dynamic range than the 5D2, although resolution is close as both are 22mp, and I actually prefer the 36 x48 ratio more than the 24x36 of the 35mm format...

So on a typical trip I would take the 5d2 plus 40mm pancake ( close to the 'ideal' 35mm) 24mm TS and my 70-300L ( just in case for architectural details that are far away - although generally I never use it). Also my Mamiya with 50mm shift and then the Eos m with 22mm. Plus Tripod. No wonder I have a lower back problem!

But if I take all this stuff I have a rule to only use one lens and camera at a time. So for instance, I would take the Mamiya combo on a tripod, put it on my shoulder and just walk down the street until I see something to photograph. Viewing and seeing with one lens is just so much easier and after a while you just know whats going to be in the viewfinder...

Having more than one lens and camera slows the whole process down and involves too may decision making processes. 

.....and sometimes I just leave all the cameras behind and just soak up the experience without a camera 

some examples of a one lens one camera combo can be found on my blog 
here....http://thelazytravelphotographer.blogspot.com/2013/02/hofmeyer.html

and here.... http://thelazytravelphotographer.blogspot.com/2013/02/12-minutes-in-booysens.html 

But of course rules are meant to be broken and sometimes I ignore everything I have said above!

Goodluck with the decisions, enjoy the trip and share your images with us!


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## spinworkxroy (Jul 13, 2013)

Thanks man..
Actually, i'm not too bothered about architectural photos and stuff because this is my 3rd visit to the UK in 4 years so..i think i've covered pretty much what i needed to..the only difference, the past 2 times, i didn't own the 5D 

Honestly, i've been using the M these 2 days for my event shooting..and i absolutely hated it..i guess for studio and still work it works fine but for faster action in variable lighting, it failed miserably.
The fact that 80% of my shots had wrong exposure, 90% of the shots failed to focus and the servo mode 100% of the time couldn't keep up. It was a good thing I wasn't the main photographer, i was just there to "test" the M...and i compare with the Sony Nex series, it fails miserably for fast event shooting. I tried the 22stm, 50f1.4,85f1.4 with the M and they all failed.

The only time it worked was when i set EVERYTHING to full manual, Aperture,shutter,iso,MF...only then i could get everything right..but without peaking, manual focusing was also a pain. 

So to me, somehow this camera might make an ok backup and fun camera to carry around for candid and random shooting...but i think even for the UK, i will still bring along my 5D..just in case...because when the M fails, it REALLY fails


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## spinworkxroy (Jul 13, 2013)

[quote author=verysimplejason]
Just a suggestion... why not leave also the 24-70 also and just bring a 22mm and 18-55 EF-M lenses + a small external flash? It'll make your trip more fun. I believe those 2 lenses are enough to cover most of your needs and they're good optically though not as good as your 24-70. 
[/quote]

Because the only lens for the M i own is the 22mm..i bought from the B&H fire sale..
And the only flashes i own are the 600ex so they've even bigger than the camera haha..


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## Ivan Muller (Jul 14, 2013)

spinworkxroy said:


> Thanks man..
> 
> So to me, somehow this camera might make an ok backup and fun camera to carry around for candid and random shooting...but i think even for the UK, i will still bring along my 5D..just in case...because when the M fails, it REALLY fails



....well at least you have got your answer!


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## Chosenbydestiny (Jul 14, 2013)

It gets bad press because people still think something in that price range is supposed to perform as good or better than something that sells for up to 5x more. I actually want one. Eos m plus adapter is the best backup camera for field work that you can buy right now ^^


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## spinworkxroy (Jul 14, 2013)

Chosenbydestiny said:


> It gets bad press because people still think something in that price range is supposed to perform as good or better than something that sells for up to 5x more. I actually want one. Eos m plus adapter is the best backup camera for field work that you can buy right now ^^



Not really..i never expected it to match something 5x more expensive. The fact i had so much trouble with it not because it couldn't keep with with the 5D..the fact is, it couldn't even keep up with the Nex5N or the FujiX100s. I have friends shooting the same event using those cameras while i was using the M...they has alot more luck than i did and that's what got me disappointed in it. So i borrowed their cameras and true enough..they were way better.
the only reason why i bought it is because i could use my canon glass and also because it was cheap....but if given a choice, i would've gone with a nex anyday after that weekend of shooting and deleting over 80% of my photos because of wrong exposure or bad focusing...


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## bholliman (Jul 15, 2013)

spinworkxroy said:


> Honestly, i've been using the M these 2 days for my event shooting..and i absolutely hated it..i guess for studio and still work it works fine but for faster action in variable lighting, it failed miserably.



I can't replicate your experience, but I used my M with 22/2 lens today at a birthday party for my neighbors 5-year-old daughter and it did OK. It performed better when the kids were semi stationary than when they were running around, but overall it performed better than I expected.

The image quality was really good, even at 3200 ISO. My biggest issue was recovery time between shots rather than AF performance. I missed some shots waiting for the camera to write to the SD card at times. I was pretty pleased with the video as well.

After 5 days with the M+ 22/2, I'm very happy with it. I've mostly used it for landscapes and shots of the kids around the house and it has performed very well in my opinion.


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## spinworkxroy (Jul 15, 2013)

bholliman said:


> I can't replicate your experience, but I used my M with 22/2 lens today at a birthday party for my neighbors 5-year-old daughter and it did OK. It performed better when the kids were semi stationary than when they were running around, but overall it performed better than I expected.
> 
> The image quality was really good, even at 3200 ISO. My biggest issue was recovery time between shots rather than AF performance. I missed some shots waiting for the camera to write to the SD card at times. I was pretty pleased with the video as well.
> 
> After 5 days with the M+ 22/2, I'm very happy with it. I've mostly used it for landscapes and shots of the kids around the house and it has performed very well in my opinion.



Well, the event i was shooting at is a yoyo competition indoors so the lighting was variable throughout the day..the ISO was at least 1600, and the players moved about the stage very quicky and in quick succession..so that's why the AF failed..by the time it caught focus, the player already moved..even in video mode, it just refuses to track and keep focus..
well, the cameras we usually use to shoot are the 1dx and 5d3 so i just tried out the M for fun since we already had main photographers shooting anyways.. the off stage photos turned out great with the M..as long as there are no super quick movements, the camera is great..
i was just slightly irritated that other brands at similar pricing performed better at the same event..i wasn't the only M user there and the other guy also gave up


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## comsense (Jul 15, 2013)

spinworkxroy said:


> Chosenbydestiny said:
> 
> 
> > It gets bad press because people still think something in that price range is supposed to perform as good or better than something that sells for up to 5x more. I actually want one. Eos m plus adapter is the best backup camera for field work that you can buy right now ^^
> ...


I had the same experience. It is really a great camera for prepared stills and studios. If you want to shoot something unexpectedly or something moving, it sucks. The time to capture shots (including time to AF) and time between shots is unacceptable for camera of this 'class'. I wonder how bad it was before firmware update??? Its poor sales are completely justified. I believe at $300 its still a good deal but not the 'deal of the year' some people are claiming. 
Fan boys on other thread were not happy...... ;D ;D ;D


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## bholliman (Jul 15, 2013)

spinworkxroy said:


> ...the cameras we usually use to shoot are the 1dx and 5d3 so i just tried out the M for fun since we already had main photographers shooting anyways.. the off stage photos turned out great with the M..as long as there are no super quick movements, the camera is great..



I agree, its a great camera for stationary or slow moving subjects... but I'll use one of my DSLR's if I want to shoot something moving quickly! 

I don't have access to any competitors ILC's, so my only point of comparison was my 6D/7D and point & shoot S100.


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## Ivan Muller (Jul 17, 2013)

bholliman said:


> spinworkxroy said:
> 
> 
> > I agree, its a great camera for stationary or slow moving subjects... but I'll use one of my DSLR's if I want to shoot something moving quickly!
> ...


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