EOS-M is dead. I'm moving to Sony...

2ndact scene1 wrote:

After reading posts on the EOS M forum ("the M line is dead!") and other forums I follow - Ricoh ("no update to the GR in 3 years - the GR is dead!"), SONY APSC ("no new APSC lenses in years - the a6000 series is a dead end") not to mention the Nikon 1 forum (" our system really is dead!"), I am just getting very depressed. I am going to buy a Panasonic boombox and lock myself in my room and listen to sad Russian symphonies until smartphones completely take over.

Well no, there is a plan B. I am thinking about a Panasonic M4/3 camera - maybe the G85.

you do know the M43 is dying......................

You are probably asking why.

Is it the EOS R announcement bringing the future of the EOS M line into question?

No, I actually kind of like the idea of a mirrorless 5D mark iv put on a crash diet along with some new features. It will just take a year or two to get the price down below my threshold of about $1,000 (refurb or used). I also don't think EOS M is going away. The rebel line is more likely to get downsized IMO.

Panasonic? Oh, it must be the 4K thing? ........in four years I have only used video on my Canon cameras when I pushed the video on button by mistake. OTH, I am not ruling it out in the future and Panasonic does have neat 4K functions like post focus. But that is not the reason.

Camera performance? FPS, focusing speed?....... I don't do much action type shooting so FPS is not a big issue for me.

Is it IBIS?.......... I am beginning to think IBIS would be really useful but it is not the primary issue.

Lenses? ......That's it. Specifically, I need is a fast 28mm (FFE) lens. I shoot quite a few events as a volunteer for non profits and also enjoy shooting concerts and festivals. The non profit events always have group pictures and I want to take crowd shots at other events. I find that quite often, a 35MM (FFE) is not wide enough, usually because you cannot backup far enough due to space constraints. And not getting a good group shot is a big issue. Also, these events are typically in dimly lit venues, so the lens has to be f2.8 or better. A 28mm f2.8 (FFE) would work but fast 24mm lens (FFE) would also be viable.

I use a 6D or an 80D for stage performances, so the wide angle lens will be on a second body. I am trying to avoid carrying two DSLRs, so a mirrorless solution is strongly preferred. As we know, there is no Canon EFM 28mm (FFE) prime lens available nor is one likely in the future. There is the 17-55MM f2.8 EFS zoom but it is big and heavy and doesn't really make sense. There are third party zooms also, but they are only a bit smaller/lighter.

I don't use my EOS M very much anymore but an M5 or M6 would be a great solution to this problem. However, I don't see even a third party solution to the lens issue, other than manual focus Samyang/Rokinon products. So M4/3 with a fast 24mm or 28mm FFE lens looks like a solution, with IBIS thrown in as a bonus. I did start to look at a SONY a6000 with a 16mm Sigma f1.4 or 19mm Sigma f2.8 but I am leaning to Panasonic or maybe Olympus at the moment. But if anyone has a EOS M fast wide angle lens solution, please let me know!

PS: I have considered putting a wide angle on the 6D, where there are several good reasonably priced options, and using a new MILC body for stage performances. The main issue is that I often have to use ISO 3200 to 6400 for stage performances, so I think the 6D makes more sense for that purpose.