EOS M vs M2 (or am I missing an option?)

I bought the EOS M on a lark - it was cheap, a guy traded me one for a 28-135mm IS. I toss it in my bag and used it only for fun. Then I broke my arm, and the EOS M was the only camera I used for months, after which I grew quite attached to it.

Even with the firmware upgrade, yes I admit that focus is acceptable but still on the slow side for street, which is where I use it the most. It gets lost from time to time, and focus is pretty useless in semi dark conditions.

Then I tried the EOS M2, and I thought WOW, this is amazing. I fell in love for only the focus speed because of how quick it is over the M. The price tag, however, was not so amazing. M3, on paper, sounds even better.

I don't plan to go solely mirrorless - my criteria was primarily cheap fun for street, and I won't cry if I break or lose it. But every upgrade path from the M seems to get into serious money very quickly.

Any of you switch from EOS M to M2 with no regrets? Is there another camera/system that I'm missing?

Masa Yume wrote in post #17436629
I bought the EOS M on a lark - it was cheap, a guy traded me one for a 28-135mm IS. I toss it in my bag and used it only for fun. Then I broke my arm, and the EOS M was the only camera I used for months, after which I grew quite attached to it.

Even with the firmware upgrade, yes I admit that focus is acceptable but still on the slow side for street, which is where I use it the most. It gets lost from time to time, and focus is pretty useless in semi dark conditions.

Then I tried the EOS M2, and I thought WOW, this is amazing. I fell in love for only the focus speed because of how quick it is over the M. The price tag, however, was not so amazing. M3, on paper, sounds even better.

I don't plan to go solely mirrorless - my criteria was primarily cheap fun for street, and I won't cry if I break or lose it. But every upgrade path from the M seems to get into serious money very quickly.

Any of you switch from EOS M to M2 with no regrets? Is there another camera/system that I'm missing?

I'd look into the Sony a5000 and a6000, but the only problem there is that they don't have any lenses comparable to the 22mm STM. Samsung also makes a few pretty good little EOS M like cameras, my friend has one and raves about it. There's also the great little Fuji options, they cost a little more, but pretty much all of their lenses are fantastic and they have even more on the way.

I love my M for the same reasons you listed, but if Sony had a lens like the 22mm I'd likely sell it and pick up the a5000... but that's also largely because I would be able to share all my lenses even more easily between my main camera (a7S) and secondary.

I too like the M and put together a complete package for travel purposes. I did just however, close a deal on a new M2 package. I will replace the body (M) in my kit with the M2 and sell the original M along with the new lens and flash from the new kit. All told it will be a reasonable price for a smaller body, faster AF and Wifi (at least in my opinion).

Some of the M2 prices are dropping with the announcement of the M3. I just don't think I need the additional features of the M3 for my purposes. I think the M is great for the photos and I have been impressed with each of the four lenses available in the M format.

Everyone has their own needs.

Is it fair to assume that all of you who own the M2 got it from Ebay? That's the only place I've been able to find it. And I'm also assuming the M3 will only be available to Americans through Ebay (or a visit to Japan).

Any thoughts on availability? I'm also interested in the 2. The 3 sounds great, but has a lot of features I don't need.

I used to own the M1, but was dissatisfied with the autofocus. I would have kept it, however, but used every penny I could to get the 6D.

I'll probably re-buy the original M (since it's only going to get cheaper). For macro, stills, etc. it's a great camera.

Yes the M2 is on order from ebay but from someone in the US. Apparently he buys and resells here. Like I said in my post, the price wasn't bad and I can resell the used M with the new 18-55 lens and new flash since I have the complete set already.

That will make it a reasonable upgrade in terms of price.

In my case, I spend a fair amount of time in Asia, so I have relatively easy access to get one. I bought my Eos M in the US though.

Just received my M2 this morning (my M with the accessories from the M2 kit are posted in the FS area). Here are some very early unscientific reactions.

It is smaller than the M and lighter. One area that is quickly noticeable is the "bump" on the top of the M body is substantially reduced. Holding and M and an M2 in each hand gives the feel of a lighter weight on the M2 but the more thorough reviews will have those kind of details.

I am still working through the options in each of the two configurable photo settings. Basically popped in a battery and a card and took some photos with each body.

The M2 auto focus is certainly faster than the M (again see the reviews). I have not yet tried video but we all knew the M was excellent in this area. The movement of the microphones on the body to the front should help this area but I use a gun mike on the hotshoe for my limited video work.

Was it a good purchase? My initial reaction is yes. While this is described by many as an incremental upgrade it provided some of the things that I was seeking in a smaller camera: lighter weight, wifi (which I have not tried yet), compatibility with my M kit, faster autofocus and some additional options in the photography area.

Everyone will have their own thoughts. I liked the M but with more time to learn all of the ins and outs of the M2 I think I will soon love the M2.

The cool thing about the wifi (which applies to other cameras as well, such as my 6D) is that now you can download full resolution jpegs to your mobile device. While it's not as good as proper processing in Lightroom, Photoshop, etc., it's a lot better than just downloading sample files. They just upgrade EOS Remote and the new feature was well-needed.

I played with it a little later today. Going straight the phone worked very well. Also played with the remote control of the M2 from the phone. I can see a lot of advantages there too.

So far I am glad I made the switch.

Glad to hear the first hand report on it. I haven't seen that may English write ups on it, looking forward to your long term thoughts.

A cool feature of remote control is that you can place the camera somewhere else (though not too far, obviously) and take photos. It's good for wildlife and more (pretty much whatever creative outlet you can think up).

Agreed on the "not too far" piece. Have you seen the You Tubes of a fox or lion or other creature finding a GoPro in a remote type setup and start to see how well it would taste for lunch?

But yes, there are some real advantages like that and it is a major reason why I upgraded to the M2!

I was looking at buying the new EOS M3, as I already have the 'M' version and wanted to upgrade. I ended up opting for the Sony a6000 because it has a continuous shutter rate of 11fps versus the M3's 4.2 fps. Plus the a6000 is well-reviewed and is getting generally good ratings, while people seem to hardly know anything about the EOS-M3, resulting in a dearth of reviews.