Re: The Fate of the EOS M line...
7
aeronium wrote:
Such a compact system with compact lenses - Now being replaced by bulkier RF cameras and bigger RF-S lenses.
I thought people might resist embracing them due to size and cost and larger lenses and it seems I was right. But there's plenty of EOS M users out there who would dearly love for Canon to produce a new product in this line.
I own the R5 and many bigger EF/RF lenses, but my M6 II has always been a joy to carry out for casual photography and videography.
Absolutely. The M-Series is always a pleasant camera to hold and use. The size is what I would consider to be "large enough" in the hand. I can see why professional photographers might demand larger equipment to meet the expectation of clients... and I can appreciate the physics behind the larger optical requirements of these new RF lenses... but at some point Canon need to accept that people don't want to use a larger camera unless they have to. And I suspect that with APS-C sensors in some R-system models, Canon won't see any need to be releasing new EOS M-system cameras or lenses. The sad thing here is that the public would buy them. But Canon refuse to redirect resourced to produce them any more. They also follow the mantra of "telling the public what they want to buy rather than listening to their consumers and meeting demand."
.
The other absurd thing Canon did was perpetually state that the R-System was Full Frame and that consumers should "Step up to the R-system" for this reason alone. Now they've contaminated their own lineup with APS-C sensors and the average consumer is clueless on sensor sizes. To the majority of consumers who don't linger on forums like this one, one large camera is much like the other.
.
I'd say that I reach for my smartphone (iPhone 13 Pro Max) 90% of the time, my EOS M6 camera 7% of the time and my EOS R cameras around 3% of the time... with some amount of play between the two systems. Before owning my current smartphone, the EOS M6 on my desk was the go-to camera for most of my shots. When you buy a new camera or lens you tend to spend a bit more time with it but eventually most of us stick with just one or two favorite lenses.
.
The size of my EOS M (top left) and EOS R6 (right) is quite apparent here.
I hope Canon could could produce something as compact and capable as the M system in their RF APS-C lineup, but I'm doubtful due to the physical limitations of the mount size.
The R-system is a very different camera compared to the M-system cameras. I own a few different EOS R cameras and whilst the new lens designs offer excellent photographic results, the differences in size, weight and especially cost are absurd. Canon have quite clearly taken a different path to the one they were initially navigating. It's quite clear they only took this journey because the customers were leaving Canon to seek out mirrorless cameras from Sony.
.
It's perhaps worth revisiting the fact that the EOS M was originally an attempt by Canon to "dip their toe" in the mirrorless market. They built a rugged and tiny new camera with an APS-C sensor on it that was barely the scale of their first Subcompact digital PowerShot camera. The EOS M was also originally marketed towards women in Japan. In the West, they promoted the EOS M as a "backup body" for professional photographers. The rugged case and all-metal housing with a streamlined body made this ideal for that purpose. It works with EF, EF-S and EF-M lenses so there was no need to buy new lenses if you already had some on hand.
.
The EOS M (2012) behind the Canon PowerShot S100 (2000 model).
You won't likely be doing this with an EOS R-System camera any time soon...
.
The EOS M camera system had plenty of patents for improvement that eventually ended up in the EOS R system cameras. The important DPAF sensor was designed especially with the EOS M in mind because Canon needed to overcome the tentative and hesitant AF on earlier models, something that impacted their sales. They even tested it on entry level DSLRs. Without a doubt, the R-System would not exist in its current form without the EOS M lineup.
.
Both Canon and Sony surveyed their customer base and determined that the thing their consumers wanted most in any camera was a compact system that allowed for creative use yet was small and not as expensive as DSLR. They hijacked some of their PowerShot models with 1.5" sensors (like the G1X experimental series) and installed an APS-C sensor ...yet fitted a small aperture lens to it that negated any benefits of the larger sensor. None of their designs made a lot of sense in this respect. But even Canon admitted publicly that the EOS M system brought in plenty of revenue that kept them afloat during the early days of Covid. This is when the R-System was reaching maturity.
.
Now we have the R-series which Canon are clearly devoting all their manufacturing efforts towards. In some instances the new RF lenses are larger than their EF counterparts. But their lenses are now hideously expensive. Sometimes twice (or more) the price of their EF predecessors. People can barely afford the decent quality lenses, let alone the compromises they come with. Some cameras combined with one or possibly two lenses were the price of a new car! But the bodies of the new cameras were released to compete with rival brands like Sony, and were superseded within days or weeks of release.
.
The benefits of carrying such a tiny camera (M6) with an APS-C sized sensor.
EOS M (2012) compared to the EOS M6 (2017)
.
From where I sit, Canon are still grasping at straws and it's sad to see this happen. They've had plenty of time to design the "perfect" camera and to find a way for it to meet demand and consumer expectation. So far they have failed because either the price is too high or they use the wrong (ie nonperforming) sensor for the mount. They released the EOS R with limitations and a single card slot. They released the R6 with 20MP sensor that had people shying away from anything under 24MP. They released the R5 with too large a sensor to try to impress with 8K video that few people cared for or couldn't handle on their home computer. They released an R6 II barely two years after the original with no major differences beyond a few extra pixels. Now they've announced an R8 but stripped away IBIS, removed mechanical shutter, limited the shutter speed.... but hey, they threw in a few more MPs and cut the price accordingly. In essence, they keep releasing cameras that people don't need or want and they do this with such regularity and consistency now that anything you buy today is redundant 6 months later.
.
Images taken with my EOS M cameras (M + M6) over the years.
.
Where does this leave the EOS M line? Well, sadly ... as popular as it still is, and as easy as it would be for Canon to install IBIS and release a new body and lens to meet demand, they probably won't because they've convinced themselves that the EF mount (including the EF-M) is in the past and only the RF mount is worthy of their time. It's something of an insult to their customers who remained loyal and enjoyed using this product. I think that the lack of new product on the shelves in recent years shows the M is now abandoned. And shame on Canon for introducing a new mount (EF-M) in 2012 and then apparently abandoning it less than 10 years later. People like the M series for the size, weight and (previously) the cost. It has a lot of appeal as a travel camera and it's a shame we didn't see IBIS trickle down into the M-system as we expected it to.
.
Images taken with my iPhone 13 Pro Max smartphone
.
The EOS M-System made photography fun. That's not something we experience with the larger R-series. And now, more so than ever before, nearly everyone owns and uses a modern smartphone which has a very decent camera system onboard. These phone cameras can stack images together to take fantastic lowlight shots that are handheld. They also take excellent daily shots in normal lighting conditions. And every single year these cameras on the smartphones get better and better. Everyone will continue to update their smartphones and will carry them every single day... something that Canon should be mindful of.
.
As I see it, Canon have put themselves in a corner by creating a vast pile of new cameras and lenses that may well be reviewed kindly but do not meet the demands of consumers in a world where the economy is literally collapsing. Nobody but those with large, disposable incomes will throw down thousands of dollars on a new lens or a new body unless they feel compelled to do so. Canon have now bloated the market by not withdrawing superceded R-System models from sale. The R6 is sold alongside the R6 II in all my local Canon dealer store windows. The original R is for sale if you look around. Now an R8 has been thrust upon us and the stripping of non-critical features and halving of prices would appear to announce that Canon is now desperate for cash flow. They even compare their new R8 with the recently released R6 II to try to sell the new model by claiming it's "new and improved". They are literally putting down a recently released model of camera to prop up another. It's cannibalism in a way. And I'd have thought Canon would have learned a lesson from the late 90s and early 2000s when they realized that having too many models on the market triggered confusion with new buyers who would inevitably go off to look at another brand. They resolved this issue but cutting out a large number of on-the-shelf cameras to reduce choice and solidify sales.
.
A picture of my EOS R6 + RF 85mmL lens... taken with an iPhone. It almost looks tiny but usually requires two hands to manage and operate properly.
.
We can only try to make the best use of our EOS M cameras as we can - whilst their batteries remain available and their parts continue to operate. Replacement parts and repairs are already becoming hard to resolve. In a few hours I'll be on the road to the mountains to take some night sky pictures with my EOS Ra and my EOS M6 camera. Both are discontinued by Canon so I hope I can continue to use them for years to come without issue.
