Canon isn't too well-known for its mirrorless cameras. For Canon, that's actually okay since most budding photographers might not know what a mirrorless camera is anyway.
But most of us do know the Canon name and the Canon brand for their professional DSLR cameras and red ring L-series pro lenses. Does Canon make a good mirrorless camera though? Surely they must, based on their pro-photog products.
Compared to the mirrorless camera offerings from Sony, Fuji, Olympus and even Samsung, Canon is trailing the pack. The company has, however, tried and tried again to find its place in the mirrorless niche with its EOS M line of cameras. Reviewers have found those wanting, but Canon's latest EOS M10 (sibling of the EOS M3) is headed in the right direction.
The Canon EOS M10 is for beginners but it's a good first step for both Canon and for newbie photo enthusiasts looking outside the viewfinders of their smartphones. Aesthetically, the M10 looks deceivingly like a regular point-and-shoot cam. It forgoes the rubber grip, multiple control dials, and flash hot-shoe of the M3 for a single mode dial (turn for video, stills, or auto modes), a record button, and a textured ring around the shutter button. It certainly looks like something easy enough to pick up and start shooting with.
On the back, the M10's 3-inch, tilting touchscreen takes up most of the space leaving room for a menu button and playback buttons. On the inside, the M10 uses an 18-megapixel APS-C sensor run by Canon's proprietary DIGIC 6 image processor. Other run-of-the-mill specs on the unit include ISO sensitivity from 100 to 12,800, 1080p video at 24-30 frames per second (no slo-mo though), a faster 49-point Hybrid AF II autofocus system, and can burst up to 4.6 frames per second.
The whole package is slim enough to slip into a pocket, but then again, this is a mirrorless camera so it bulks up real quick once the lens is attached. Packaged with the M10 is a 15-45mm f3.5-6.3 kit lens. It's okay by entry-level standards and it at least comes with an image stabilizer for those on-the-move shots.
The camera is available for preorder now with an expected shipping date on Nov. 10. $599.99 is what it will cost beginners to level up their photography game with the M10. It comes in two colors, black or white. There's also an $849.99 setup that includes an extra 55-200mm telephoto lens. However, for this entry-level piece of camera gear, beginners might just want to walk up closer to their subjects for now.
