Canon EOS M3 - Stales Snacks for USA

On last night's Photo Mish Mash, our weekly show, I touched on the rumor that Canon was going to focus on mirrorless offerings in 2016.  I was skeptical. Well it looks like they have taken the first steps in that direction and are releasing the EOS M3 in the US.  It has already been available for several months outside the US. The EOS M3 uses the same 24MP APS-C  sensor and Hybrid CMOS III AF system as the  Rebel T6s/ T6i, and features a control dial, an articulating rear screen capable of flipping up for selfies and a flash hot shoe. You need an adapter to use with EF and EF-S lenses though the adapter is certainly affordable at $49.   If you want to stay within the Canon ecosystem, and many photographers do, the EOS M3 provides a decent solution but at $679 body only, $799 with 18-55 EF-M lens - it is priced higher than the comparable Sony a6000. Autofocus is the big question. The Hybrid CMOS II AF system I have in my T6s is decent but noticeably slower than the a6000, especially at tracking- more hands-on coming soon. Subscribe to my Youtube channel to be notified of the full review.Preorder from B&H Photo | Amazon (Shipping in early October)I love the Gizmodo headline "Canon's EOS M3 Is Its Latest Shrug of a Shot at Mirrorless in the US" Emphasis mine.Canon feels late to the party and they are bringing the snacks few people want. Let's hope this is a bridge move and the M4 will really bring a competitive mirrorless model from Canon though they have had THREE versions now where they failed. . . so why should 4 be any different? I also don't believe we will see a EOS M4 until late next year at the earliest, falling further behind in this growing market.Current EOS M lenses

Canon - EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Lens $399 - Buy from B&H Photo

Canon - EF-M 22mm f/2 STM Lens (Silver) $249 - Buy from B&H Photo

Canon - EF-M 55-200mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM Lens $349 - Buy from B&H Photo

 

Canon EF-M Lens Adapter Kit for Canon EF / EF-S Lenses $49 - Buy from B&H Photo

EOS-M3 First Look - Canon's Newest Mirrorless Camera

Update: The EOS-M3 will NOT be released outside of Europe/Asia.Specs:  Canon UK has a full Spec SheetWe have our first look at the new Canon EOS-M3, the successor to the EOS-M. Note- The M2 was only released in Asia. And now a picture of the back courtesy of DSLR Forum DEDetails are very light - we can see that there is a redesigned grip and the mode dial and drive mode dials have appeared, they were not present on earlier models and we know no that it will be compatible with Hotshoe EVF Attachment from Canon.Specs of the original EOS-M:

• 18.0 Megapixel CMOS (APS-C) sensor (same as in Canon Rebel series)
• DIGIC 5 Image Processor
• ISO 100-12800; expandable to 25600 (H)
• Hybrid CMOS AF (the largest complaint regarding this camera was slow AF)
• EOS Full HD Movie mode with Movie Servo AF for continuous focus tracking of moving subjects
• EOS-M Mount, Compatible with Canon EF and EF-S lenses (Optional EF Lens Adapter is required - no light loss or quality degradation - cost is $44.95)
• 3.0" Touchscreen
• Retailed for $899, now can be found around $300.

As I mentioned in the specs the largest complaint regarding this camera was the AF speed.  Canon addressed this with a firmware update in June 2013 and those I have spoken to were happier with the performance improvements but compared to similar mirrorless models it still lags behind.What do I want to see in the new EOS-M3?

• Dual Pixel AF system from the Canon 70D
• Same or better sensor as the Canon 70D
• Wifi
• Slightly articulating screen would be nice ala Sony A7 series (UPDATE: with the new leaked pic of the back it is confirmed that the screen will be at least slightly articulating!
• Robust video options, higher bitrates and 60fps at 1080p

What do you want to see in this little camera?  Will be announced Feb 6th. Very few upgrades on the EOS-M2,

• Faster focusing (2.3x speed is the claim)
• 4.6 fps vs 4.3 in original
• 10% smaller