Canon T3i vs EOS-M

Caidh Mor

Caidh Mor

So, it's come to my attention that Canon released a mirrorless (not too surprising) and that not only has the price on it plummeted to below half of the initial asking price (far more surprising, as Canon camera costs seem to linger a while).

Now I've played around with and quite enjoyed the T3i's video capabilities in the stock firmware, and have heard that its capabilities are even more impressive for a camera at its price point with Magic Lantern installed. However, the EOS-M boasts the same sensor as the T3i, and Magic Lantern has a stable build for them as well (albeit not exactly bug-free). They also sell an adapter to allow any of the EF and EF-S lenses to mount to the camera. I've read many reviews on them, and the early verdict was mixed-to-negative, with the opinions shifting upward after some firmware update and the price drop.

So, has anyone tried out the Canon mirrorless entry? If so, did you find it to approach the quality of the T3i, 7d, or it's ilk? It seems, from what I've been reading, that one of these would be a solid B cam, or with the 22mm pancake one it would be light enough to make a very simple DIY glidecam for. And with the price point of around half that of similar setups of the T3i, it seems one hell of a deal...but something just feels fishy about how little I've heard about it. Has anyone seen or experienced anything that would conflict with that analysis? If so, would you tend towards bulking your camera up with a T3i at the higher price? Or perhaps switching brands to another mirrorless with an NEX?
 
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It's disappointing how little there is out there about the EOS-M.

I have one, which I bought to serve as a B-cam to a T2i. The 22mm is incredibly sharp - and also seems to be discontinued. I also have the EF adapter.

The challenges:
- The menu is largely touch-screen driven, which makes the camera quite clumsy in fast-paced environments.
- There is no viewfinder loupe available, and the LCDVF fitted to the T2i interferes with touch-screen operation.

The advantages:
- Incredibly clean at high ISO.
- Compact size makes it easily placed in weird spots.
- Full manual audio controls out of the box (still not great-quality audio circuitry)

I love this little camera. Plus, with the 22mm lens, it fits on the Glidecam iGlide stabilizer. I really wish there was a viewfinder loupe. That plus a handgrip would make an awesome little camera.
 
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Thanks for the feedback. It's looking more and more appealing to me, I might need to grab one. It wouldn't be too hard to build a decent stockpile of EF lenses then that would work with both my T3i and my buddy's 7D.

Anyone else have any exposure to it? Or even know someone who has?
 
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Hi Caidh Mor - I've been recommending this camera ever since it was marked down for closeout. At its original price, it was not a very good value for the money - but at $237.39 for the red body and $59.95 for the Fotodiox autofocusing EF adapter, it's a steal.

Here is what this camera can do:


Live music: http://vimeo.com/75122636#t=38s (h.264)


Fashion: http://vimeo.com/72938179 (RAW - note the lack of moire in the fabric of the dress)


Travel: http://vimeo.com/55604121 (h.264)


Skate: http://vimeo.com/80326419 (h.264)


Not bad for a $300 camera.

Hope this is helpful,

Bill
 
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brunerww said:
Hi Caidh Mor - I've been recommending this camera ever since it was marked down for closeout. At its original price, it was not a very good value for the money - but at $237.39 for the red body and $59.95 for the Fotodiox autofocusing EF adapter, it's a steal.

Here is what this camera can do:


Live music: http://vimeo.com/75122636#t=38s (h.264)


Fashion: http://vimeo.com/72938179 (RAW - note the lack of moire in the fabric of the dress)


Travel: http://vimeo.com/55604121 (h.264)


Skate: http://vimeo.com/80326419 (h.264)


Not bad for a $300 camera.

Hope this is helpful,

Bill
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Wow, incredibly helpful, thank you very much!

It's pretty much settled at this point, I'll have to grab one of these. Even just as a B-Cam for secondary setups, complex rigs, or BTS, this thing seems to be well worth the cost.
 
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Caidh Mor said:
It's pretty much settled at this point, I'll have to grab one of these. Even just as a B-Cam for secondary setups, complex rigs, or BTS, this thing seems to be well worth the cost.
Click to expand...

I need to retract two of my previous comments.

First, the LCDVF 3/2 does fit nicely on the EOS-M. I went back and re-checked my measurements and found that it will center well over the LCD touch-screen. It takes careful placement, but it fits. The only challenge, then, is that the loupe must be removed to change any of the touch-screen-driven settings. So, purchasing an extra mounting frame allows me to move my loupe between the T2i and the EOS-M.

Second, the EOS-M is once again available, at least through B&H at the moment, with the 22mm lens. If you are trying to decide between the camera with the 18-55mm and the camera with the 22mm, get the 22mm. It's a stunning little gem. The major downside to the lenses available with the EOS-M is that they both feature infinite focus rings with a servo-driven focus. This makes a little bit of noise, but if audio recording is removed from the camera it won't be a problem.

The EOS-M with LCDVF 3/2 and a handgrip or small shoulder support will make a killer little documentary-style rig in the spirit of the old Super8mm and 16mm film cameras.

Get the EF-M to EF-S adapter, though. The ability to use the wider array of Canon glass is invaluable.
 
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I have one. The touch screen menus are a bit cumbersome coming from 5Ds but they are fairly easy to understand and figure out. I haven't had a bunch of time to play with it yet, but my impressions so far are positive. The 40mm f2.8 pancake lens with the EF adapter is quite sharp on this camera.
 
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One of the things I wanted to do with the eos-m was use a usb remote controller with it, but apparently it doesn't respond properly over usb to software such as DSLRcontroller.

I would have considered it for something usable on a quadcopter.
 
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stef said:
One of the things I wanted to do with the eos-m was use a usb remote controller with it, but apparently it doesn't respond properly over usb to software such as DSLRcontroller.

I would have considered it for something usable on a quadcopter.
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Good to know. I will have to look into that and see if magic lantern or tragic lantern has a fix.
 
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stef said:
I would have considered it for something usable on a quadcopter.
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This was one of the bigger things I've been keeping in mind. An adjustable lens camera that might be able to ride in an affordable quadcopter? And potentially return RAW footage from its ride? That sounds pretty attractive at that price point. It would all be a matter of the right lens, and that 22mm pancake seems to fit right into the niche...
 
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Well, I hope you already managed to snag one. I was on B&H last night; they, along with most retailers, are now showing the EOS-M and all lenses as discontinued. Batteries and lens adapters are still available. No wonder the prices tumbled in the last few weeks.

There are a few folks on Amazon that still show some in stock, but some of them look like sleazy bait-and-switch shops. Caveat emptor.

I have seen rumors that there will be an updated version released later this year, but those are just rumors at this point. I'll be interested to see what transpires.
 
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AcousticAl said:
I have seen rumors that there will be an updated version released later this year, but those are just rumors at this point. I'll be interested to see what transpires.
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There is a v2 selling in Japan now. Similar, but has WiFi which presumably allows remote control. And pretty good AF apparently.

I haven't seen much of using the eos m for aerial video, although it's used for stills.
 
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