EOS M -best value for the money?

I currently have a 5D2 and several lenses. The bad part about the big setup is that it is, well, big and not very easy to tote around on my sport bike. I saw someone post an eBay link in Market Watch that the EOS M kit was selling grey market for $250. I am seriously thinking about picking this up as a way to be able to take a camera with me on the motorcycle.

I have seen plenty of shots to realize that the camera is capable of doing what I need. What I am wondering though, is the EOS M at $250 the best value for the $$ that I am going to get? Or is there perhaps another mirrorless small camera in that price range that may perform better? I also know that I have the ability to use my EF lenses with an adapter, so that will likely also fit into the decision.

The only reason I ever considered the EOS M was because you can use EF lenses with full AF. A simple $60 adapter and you can use all your lenses. Its a great camera, not without its faults, but if you want a small camera, with DSLR capable features and IQ it can't be beat. Its worth it alone for the 1.6 crop sensor. Do it!

mikeinctown wrote in post #17033669
I currently have a 5D2 and several lenses. The bad part about the big setup is that it is, well, big and not very easy to tote around on my sport bike. I saw someone post an eBay link in Market Watch that the EOS M kit was selling grey market for $250. I am seriously thinking about picking this up as a way to be able to take a camera with me on the motorcycle.

I have seen plenty of shots to realize that the camera is capable of doing what I need. What I am wondering though, is the EOS M at $250 the best value for the $$ that I am going to get? Or is there perhaps another mirrorless small camera in that price range that may perform better? I also know that I have the ability to use my EF lenses with an adapter, so that will likely also fit into the decision.

Like you I've got the "big kit" but wanted something to carry on my bike. It's a mountain bike not a motorcycle, but the same parameters apply. Works great as long as I'm not trying to shoot fast action. I tried a G-16, nice camera but much prefer the M, both handling wise and the image quality.

I found the ability to use all of my Canon speedlights a big advantage as well as the lens thing.

At $250 you can't miss.

JD

The simple answer is, yes

I've explored many other mirrorless options and also own an X-E1, the M is for sure the best value on the market right now imo.

Heya,

I have the EOS-M with 22mm F2 lens. I picked up a few extra batteries and the Fotodiox EF/EF-S adapter (cheaper and works fine). Very handy little camera. It has great image quality. It's easy to use. I got my whole setup for $285, because I found a used one on ebay with some scratches.

What I learned while using the EOS-M so far, is that it has two big things that you have to be aware of before you sink money into it. 1) it's small, so holding it and using it with other lenses is very different since there's zero viewfinder and you use the LCD for everything, this is not a perfect feel for me, I had to really get used to it. 2) It has very slow autofocus, I mean super slow. It's not good for action. It's great for stills, landscape, portrait, etc. But don't try to take a picture of a herd of passing bison or something. If you can get over those two big things, it's an excellent little camera.

I went with the EOS-M because it can share my EF lenses.

I mainly use it for it's 22mm F2 lens. That thing lives on there. It's a handy little compact camera to pack when I'm not wanting to lug my bigger cameras. I use it along side my 5D classic (gripped with RRS L bracket, huge, heavy) and 650D (attached to long telephotos). It's handy to have a small camera that literally fits in my cargo pants pocket or dangles around my neck without bulky weight.

It's probably not the best value at $250. But if you want a compact mirrorless with great lenses that can use your EF/EF-S lenses, it's the only option at this price.

Very best,

MalVeauX, my 5DII is gripped with the L bracket and it isn't small by any means. My smallest lens is the Sigma 35A, so even those paired together are fairly hefty. The 5DII with the 70-200V2 is even bigger. So I know and feel your pain.

I had a T3i which I bought over a Nikon as my first DSLR because of the way it felt in my hand. The Nikon was just too small. (D3100) I just keep going bigger. I know the small size of the EOS M won't feel as good in my hands as my gripped 5DII, but I am after something small and I think this will fit the bill. Thank you as well for the info on the adapter. Good to know that I can buy an adapter that works fine at half the price of the Canon.

So glad to hear positive experiences from people in the same boat as I am. Thanks all so far.

I'll take a Samsung NX2000 @$270. 3.7" touchscreen and a lot more lenses to choose from including pancakes (16, 20, 30, 16-50pz). Canon doesn't really care about the M in the states so the $250 price is great, but is it the best value? Not natively. (you lose the size advantage when you start adapting lenses)

BrickR wrote in post #17034296
I'll take a Samsung NX2000 @$270. 3.7" touchscreen and a lot more lenses to choose from including pancakes (16, 20, 30, 16-50pz). Canon doesn't really care about the M in the states so the $250 price is great, but is it the best value? Not natively. (you lose the size advantage when you start adapting lenses)

The moment you're not using a pancake, the concept of size advantage is gone on any of these cameras.

The NX with a 30 F2 is a nice option. But the moment you put non-pancakes on there, it's just another thing in your hands with a big bulky lens and nothing to hold on to, just like the `M. Tamron makes lenses for the M by the way. It's getting more "M" lenses. But they're not needed, since the EF and EF-S line already exists with way, way more lenses than either of these two systems have naively.

Very best,

The M is definitely good value at that price, & considering the image quality. Do yourself a favor & get a hold of the 11-22. It suits the camera down to the ground. I hated mine until I got the 11-22. AF speed doesn't matter then. I bought mine for a pretty similar use, for carrying around on my 2 wheeled transportation. Great for that. Just my 2 cents.

BrickR wrote in post #17034296
I'll take a Samsung NX2000 @$270. 3.7" touchscreen and a lot more lenses to choose from including pancakes (16, 20, 30, 16-50pz). Canon doesn't really care about the M in the states so the $250 price is great, but is it the best value? Not natively. (you lose the size advantage when you start adapting lenses)

The NX cameras are pretty good, my only gripe with them is they come with a very boring lens which I'd personally never want to use, so really the kit will end up costing closer to $500 when you get one of the primes you'd actually want to use with a system like that. The M's 22mm "kit lens" is one of the main reasons I bought mine.

MalVeauX wrote in post #17034305
The moment you're not using a pancake, the concept of size advantage is gone on any of these cameras.

The NX with a 30 F2 is a nice option. But the moment you put non-pancakes on there, it's just another thing in your hands with a big bulky lens and nothing to hold on to, just like the `M. Tamron makes lenses for the M by the way. It's getting more "M" lenses. But they're not needed, since the EF and EF-S line already exists with way, way more lenses than either of these two systems have naively.

Very best,

I agree, EF-S lenses aren't that much bigger than EF-M lenses and all of them will work on the M with AF that matches the speed of the native lenses for the most part. My EF 35/2 was actually noticeably quicker than my 22mm was, I was tempted to keep that lens just to use on my M since I never liked it on my 6D. Oh, and that lens plus the adapter was about the same size as the kit zoom if not smaller (I shot the M with the kit zoom in a store).

EverydayGetaway wrote in post #17034950
I agree, EF-S lenses aren't that much bigger than EF-M lenses and all of them will work on the M with AF that matches the speed of the native lenses for the most part. My EF 35/2 was actually noticeably quicker than my 22mm was, I was tempted to keep that lens just to use on my M since I never liked it on my 6D. Oh, and that lens plus the adapter was about the same size as the kit zoom if not smaller (I shot the M with the kit zoom in a store).

Oddly enough, the older geared micro motor drive lenses seem to focus faster than the USM versions on the M for some reason. And faster than the 40 mm STM pancake. If I didn't have the 22 pancake, I would have no hesitation in using the older EF 24 f/2.8 Might have to try to track down the 35 f/2

I have a 2ti backup. Is this better for taking pictures of wildlife (and wild kids) than a 2ti?

Luxx wrote in post #17035202
I have a 2ti backup. Is this better for taking pictures of wildlife (and wild kids) than a 2ti?

No,

The EOS-M has very slow autofocus, it will never track anything moving very well, and you'll more often simply miss shots and opportunities. The T2i is way better suited to shooting moving kids, and moving wildlife. If you're shooting stationary stuff, like wildlife at zoo's, or sitting animals in the wild (not moving at all), and children who are sitting still, then the EOS-M can do that. The EOS-M is basically not for action of any kind I find. But it's great for everything else.

Very best,

BrickR wrote in post #17034296
I'll take a Samsung NX2000 @$270. 3.7" touchscreen and a lot more lenses to choose from including pancakes (16, 20, 30, 16-50pz). Canon doesn't really care about the M in the states so the $250 price is great, but is it the best value? Not natively. (you lose the size advantage when you start adapting lenses)

Wow, looked at the specs of that camera and now I'm wondering. On one hand, the wireless capability of the Samsung is really appealing. I am looking at picking up a Galaxy phone and I could see some great uses in this. The camera also comes with LR4, which I do not have. I have been using Canon DPP with the exception of when the LR trials allow one to use the product for free. The FPS is also almost 2x as much, which I believe means that the AF will be faster as well.

The Canon has slower AF, FPS, and no LR packaged. Sensor size is the same and pixel count is relatively close. The Canon can use all my lenses though and speedlights as well. The Canon is also a little less expensive.

I am buying the camera though for portability, so what are the chances I'll be carrying my laptop and all other devices with me to take advantage of any wireless capability?

Heya,

Just to point out, all my Youngnuo gear that works on my 5D, 650D, etc, all also work perfectly on my EOS-M. Kind of nice that every lens I have, and all my lighting, all works on the EOS-M. So adding it to my line up didn't require me to get extra stuff, it's just one more interesting camera that fits in my pocket, but still uses all my stuff. I like that because shooting inside with it, is great. I like using it with a wireless trigger, it tells one of my speedlites sitting on a table to bounce some flash off the ceiling. So I can take images of my kid crawling around even in a dark house with a little camera, commanding my big-camera gear around all the same. Very useful if you use extra stuff like lighting.

Very best,