Finally, Canon is leveraging its position in the mirrorless camera department with the release of its latest shooter, the Canon EOS M5. Unlike its previous attempts at this segment, the camera's specifications appear to be generally favorable, at least on paper.
Essentially, the M5 looks like other competing mirrorless cameras in the market today in the sense that it is compact but has a high-end DSLR impression at the same time. The similarity, however, ends there as the camera also reflects Canon's evolving competence in building mirrorless cameras.
The M5 builds on the strengths of the EOS M3, but also significantly expands its capabilities. One can only turn to the use of Canon's proprietary EF-M Lens, which goes against the micro four-third format that has sort of become the standard lens among competing brands. There is also the use of the Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus, which remains a defining feature in Canon cameras, but has never quite worked for the company's mirrorless cameras before. This was reportedly fixed in the M5.
"Dual Pixel CMOS AF employs a new Canon CMOS sensor with which all of the effective pixels are able to perform both still imaging and phase-detection AF simultaneously to achieve dramatically improved AF performance during Live View and video shooting," Canon explained.
Finally, the camera is also still using the APS-C sensor, which has been seen in Canon 70D and 80D cameras.
Other notable features include the 49-focus points, which could prove useful in capturing sports events and small children. The M5 is also outfitted with an adjustable 3.2-inch touchscreen display as well as an electric viewfinder. Consumers should remember that the display can only tilt 85 degrees, unlike the display in on the 80D, which is capable of swiveling out and around. Its video capability is limited to 1080p resolution, capturing footage at 60 fps.
Canon also said that the M5 will be the first in its EOS line to sport the Bluetooth Low Energy feature. This is an always-on connection to the user's phone and has been previously seen in Nikon's Snapbridge technology.
Now, fans should also be delighted to know that the EOS M5 will come with Canon's Digic 7 image processor. The amount of power boost is expected to ramp up the quality of captured images. There are those who even say that it could be comparable to or even better than the output of the 80D.
The EOS M5 is slated to hit the market in November and it will also not come cheap. The body will be sold for $979.99. The latest lens that Canon unveiled will cost $499.99. As a package, the two items will be sold for $1,479.
