Mirrorless cameras are the future for most people, and it seems Canon is finally ready to take the category seriously. The company has announced the fifth entry in its interchangeable lens mirrorless bracket, EOS M5 with a 24.2-megapixel APS-C sized CMOS sensor and the Digic 7 image processor, one that brings dual pixel autofocus and inbuilt EVF (electronic viewfinder) technology for the first time to an EOS M camera. The former results in M5 having the fastest autofocus speed in the Canon mirrorless lineup.
It’s also the first Canon EOS camera to come with Combination IS (along with 5-axis image stabilisation), as the manufacturer calls it, a system that combines optical IS and in-camera digital IS to provide smoother videos. And in a bid to appeal to the generation that wants instant sharing, Canon is also touting a “low energy Bluetooth Smart feature that can maintain a constant connection with your compatible smartphone or tablet”.
It follows the EOS M3 announced back in February 2015, improving upon it with faster auto-focus speeds, more ISO range and better continuous shooting capability. The new camera will be available in November 2016 at $979.99 (roughly Rs. 65,680) for the body only, a serious jump from the M3’s launch price of $679.99 (roughly Rs. 45,500).
Though Canon has yet to officially announce it in India, it is visible on its website without any mention of the price. With the EOS M3 only launching in the country in January this year for Rs. 49,995, it could be sometime before it gets here though.
Canon also announced a new lens in the EF-M category alongside the EOS M5 announcement, the EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM. The new EOS M5 will be available in two kit lens versions, $1,479 (roughly Rs. 99,100) for the 18-150mm one in early December in the US, and $1,099 (roughly Rs. 73,600) in early November with the 15-45mm kit lens. You can also pick up the 18-150mm lens separately at the end of the year for $499.99 (roughly Rs. 33,500).
The EOS M5 will offer continuous shooting up to 7.0 fps (up to 9.0 fps with AF Lock), video recording at full-HD 60p and an ISO range of 100–25600.
The camera’s main competition includes the Sony A6300. Not only does Sony allow full-HD at 120fps, it can boast of 4K recording, better ISO range at 51,200 and 14-stop latitude. It’s also the camera with the most autofocus points and one of the fastest AF speeds too.
Sony also offers competition to the new Canon EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 lens with its own E 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3, albeit more expensive at Rs. 49,990. And for Canon’s EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3, Sony has another E-mount lens in its price range with the 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6. Sony’s 16-50mm costs Rs. 19,990/ $349.99, while the Canon 15-45mm costs $299 (roughly Rs. 20,000).