M5 — First impression

WOW!

1. Size. I looked the photos and sizes charts, but I'm still in shock how small is this micro DSLR is! Even the box is tiny, compare to M3 and original M one.

2. Speed. I never saw my 22mm focusing so fast:) Sigma 30mm is another surprise — I got this lens when for original M came out and never used it on any DSLR camera. With M5 it works very fast and I'm so happy that I didn't sell it because of M3+adapted lenses fiasco. Tamron 150-600 — I need to test it more outside (it's rainy today), but even inside the house, it works very fast and accurate.

3. Handling/ergonomics is very nice. even with big and heavy Tamron.

Need to find more time to do some actual shooting, but feel like M5 will be soon my main camera.

Sorry if I sound like Santa on Prozac, but I'm pretty happy so far:)

The question is, should I get the 18-150mm M lens since I already have coverage with the 55-200mm M and an adapted EF-S 18-135...

Same question here.  I have the 11-22 and 15-45 (and M5) on the way but I will also get the 18-150 or 55-200.  I probably don't need 200 at the long end, but do want the best IQ at 150.  The 18-150 has the advantage of being a single-lens option for some outings like long hikes or walk-around where changing lenses is a nuisance and may cost a shot due to lost time.  The 55-200 would definitely require more lens swapping and more weight/objects to carry, but might be sharper at 150mm. One or the other having better IS would be a factor.

I'm 76 and downsizing in part due to arthritis (hands) and reducing the load when hiking, but my hands also tend to shake a bit especially at the end of a several mile climb.  I'm leaning toward the 18-150, but need to confirm 150mm and IS performance.

Welcome any input.

Mr Grinch wrote:

Markintosh wrote:

WOW!

1. Size. I looked the photos and sizes charts, but I'm still in shock how small is this micro DSLR is! Even the box is tiny, compare to M3 and original M one.

2. Speed. I never saw my 22mm focusing so fast:) Sigma 30mm is another surprise — I got this lens when for original M came out and never used it on any DSLR camera. With M5 it works very fast and I'm so happy that I didn't sell it because of M3+adapted lenses fiasco. Tamron 150-600 — I need to test it more outside (it's rainy today), but even inside the house, it works very fast and accurate.

3. Handling/ergonomics is very nice. even with big and heavy Tamron.

Need to find more time to do some actual shooting, but feel like M5 will be soon my main camera.

Sorry if I sound like Santa on Prozac, but I'm pretty happy so far:)

Glad you are enjoying your new piece!

It is a much better camera than many realize. I find it exemplary for a grab and go camera, and it sits on my desk ready to go at all times, and will always be in my travel bag. The focus is excellent as is the continuous and AI Servo performance. It isn't a professional sports camera, but it will do for moving targets like puppies, kids, kids on bicycles, kids on ponies, kids on sleds, etc.

Quick handling, quick focusing, quick to get into action.

The question is, should I get the 18-150mm M lens since I already have coverage with the 55-200mm M and an adapted EF-S 18-135...

Thanks! I'm not a zoom fan (except 11-22, Tamron 150-600 and exceptionally 55-250STM), but 18-150 looks like great travel lens. I still prefer primes and don't mind to zoom with my legs, but who knows, maybe one day I will go this road as well:) 18-135 should be bigger and heavier, but pretty much the same lens?

18-135 should be bigger and heavier, but pretty much the same lens? I'm trying to minimize amount of glass sitting on my shelf, but this is such a difficult task:((

Hclarkx wrote:

The question is, should I get the 18-150mm M lens since I already have coverage with the 55-200mm M and an adapted EF-S 18-135...

Same question here. I have the 11-22 and 15-45 (and M5) on the way but I will also get the 18-150 or 55-200. I probably don't need 200 at the long end, but do want the best IQ at 150. The 18-150 has the advantage of being a single-lens option for some outings like long hikes or walk-around where changing lenses is a nuisance and may cost a shot due to lost time. The 55-200 would definitely require more lens swapping and more weight/objects to carry, but might be sharper at 150mm. One or the other having better IS would be a factor.

I'm 76 and downsizing in part due to arthritis (hands) and reducing the load when hiking, but my hands also tend to shake a bit especially at the end of a several mile climb. I'm leaning toward the 18-150, but need to confirm 150mm and IS performance.

Welcome any input.

Sound like 18-150 is a great option for you. Photos samples are great and size/weight is perfect for light ad compact traveling.

Personally, I prefer fast primes and can't share my personal experience about 18-150. Good luck with your decision and share some photos!

Markintosh wrote:

Hclarkx wrote:

The question is, should I get the 18-150mm M lens since I already have coverage with the 55-200mm M and an adapted EF-S 18-135...

Same question here. I have the 11-22 and 15-45 (and M5) on the way but I will also get the 18-150 or 55-200. I probably don't need 200 at the long end, but do want the best IQ at 150. The 18-150 has the advantage of being a single-lens option for some outings like long hikes or walk-around where changing lenses is a nuisance and may cost a shot due to lost time. The 55-200 would definitely require more lens swapping and more weight/objects to carry, but might be sharper at 150mm. One or the other having better IS would be a factor.

I'm 76 and downsizing in part due to arthritis (hands) and reducing the load when hiking, but my hands also tend to shake a bit especially at the end of a several mile climb. I'm leaning toward the 18-150, but need to confirm 150mm and IS performance.

Welcome any input.

Sound like 18-150 is a great option for you. Photos samples are great and size/weight is perfect for light ad compact traveling.

Personally, I prefer fast primes and can't share my personal experience about 18-150. Good luck with your decision and share some photos!

Thanks, I'll dig into it.  As you can see from my equipment list, I'm a prime fan as well (plus 24-105 walk-around -- though often I use the 50/1.4 as a walk-around and splice/crop to get wider/longer).  My long hike camera has been the SL1 but it's short-comings (compared to the 5DIII) bother me.  I'm looking forward to te IQ of the M5.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/30584464@N03/

With the converter on the 18-135 its about twice the volume and weight as the 18-150.

Hi,

I have the M5, upgraded form a 60d love the size weigh and handling. Couple of things I have noticed, the AF assist light is too easily blocked by your hand, probably a generic problem with a small form factor camera. The most annoying thing I have found is that the auto focus in low light is very poor, I really struggle to get focus, the shots are fine it handles the ISO and noise but do struggle to get focus lock, hopefully this can be improved with a firmware update ? Other than that love the little camera

777Ian wrote:

Hi,

I have the M5, upgraded form a 60d love the size weigh and handling. Couple of things I have noticed, the AF assist light is too easily blocked by your hand, probably a generic problem with a small form factor camera. The most annoying thing I have found is that the auto focus in low light is very poor, I really struggle to get focus, the shots are fine it handles the ISO and noise but do struggle to get focus lock, hopefully this can be improved with a firmware update ? Other than that love the little camera

I'm always turning AF assist light off — it's annoying and also slowing down camera.

fstopx2 wrote:

Markintosh wrote:

WOW!

1. Size. I looked the photos and sizes charts, but I'm still in shock how small is this micro DSLR is! Even the box is tiny, compare to M3 and original M one.

2. Speed. I never saw my 22mm focusing so fast:) Sigma 30mm is another surprise — I got this lens when for original M came out and never used it on any DSLR camera. With M5 it works very fast and I'm so happy that I didn't sell it because of M3+adapted lenses fiasco. Tamron 150-600 — I need to test it more outside (it's rainy today), but even inside the house, it works very fast and accurate.

3. Handling/ergonomics is very nice. even with big and heavy Tamron.

Need to find more time to do some actual shooting, but feel like M5 will be soon my main camera.

Sorry if I sound like Santa on Prozac, but I'm pretty happy so far:)

Got any pics of the Sigma 30mm on the M5? I would love to see this as I am big on fixed lenses with big apertures because of the low light abilities.

Here you go!

777Ian wrote:

Hi,

I have the M5, upgraded form a 60d love the size weigh and handling. Couple of things I have noticed, the AF assist light is too easily blocked by your hand, probably a generic problem with a small form factor camera. The most annoying thing I have found is that the auto focus in low light is very poor, I really struggle to get focus, the shots are fine it handles the ISO and noise but do struggle to get focus lock, hopefully this can be improved with a firmware update ? Other than that love the little camera

Yes, it's poor, but not much worse than my SL1 or 5DIII.  One problem is the slower M lenses when zoomed to the tele end, e.g., the 18-150 at F/6.3 at the long end.  There's just not enough light coming through the aperture to allow an easy focus.  Quite unlike the F4 or faster L lenses.

Also, it seems the DP system prefers to see vertical lines and higher contrast when focusing.  It helps if you can find this in your frame at the desired focus distance (focus lock and re-frame).

There are a host of other options for AF (most I have not explored, at least not enough to discuss in any detail).  I tried AF+MF and focus peaking, but my old eyes weren't up to it.  I have also played briefly with "Smooth Zone AF" in "AF method" in the Camera-3 menu.  That seems to help low-light focusing immensely.  Also, the "AF Frame Size"  set to "normal" is, I think, better than the "small" option (both also on the Camera-3 menu -- set AF Method to 1-point AF to enable these modes).

Trying to shoot above about 50 or 70mm with the 15-150mm M lens in a dark room is almost fruitless even with "Smooth zone AF" though I can't imagine ever using more than 50mm on this lens inside or outside in near darkness.

beagle1 wrote:

Hclarkx wrote:

777Ian wrote:

Hi,

I have the M5, upgraded form a 60d love the size weigh and handling. Couple of things I have noticed, the AF assist light is too easily blocked by your hand, probably a generic problem with a small form factor camera. The most annoying thing I have found is that the auto focus in low light is very poor, I really struggle to get focus, the shots are fine it handles the ISO and noise but do struggle to get focus lock, hopefully this can be improved with a firmware update ? Other than that love the little camera

Yes, it's poor, but not much worse than my SL1 or 5DIII. One problem is the slower M lenses when zoomed to the tele end, e.g., the 18-150 at F/6.3 at the long end. There's just not enough light coming through the aperture to allow an easy focus. Quite unlike the F4 or faster L lenses.

Also, it seems the DP system prefers to see vertical lines and higher contrast when focusing. It helps if you can find this in your frame at the desired focus distance (focus lock and re-frame).

There are a host of other options for AF (most I have not explored, at least not enough to discuss in any detail). I tried AF+MF and focus peaking, but my old eyes weren't up to it. I have also played briefly with "Smooth Zone AF" in "AF method" in the Camera-3 menu. That seems to help low-light focusing immensely. Also, the "AF Frame Size" set to "normal" is, I think, better than the "small" option (both also on the Camera-3 menu -- set AF Method to 1-point AF to enable these modes).

Trying to shoot above about 50 or 70mm with the 15-150mm M lens in a dark room is almost fruitless even with "Smooth zone AF" though I can't imagine ever using more than 50mm on this lens inside or outside in near darkness.

I'm more interested in how the AF performs in good light with older EF and EF-S lenses

I can't help you there.  I didn't buy the adapter and am selling all of my S and L lenses.  The M lenses all seem plenty quick with modest or better light.  I passed on the adapter after reading of mixed results and considerable learning required to make S and L lenses focus well on the M5.  I'm ready for a simpler life.

This is not quite on topic, but where did you find the wrist strap shown with the M5? Been looking some time now for one that fits on the M5 and its tiny lug holes...

Thanks!

I got my M5 as the backup body to my 80D as well as the secondary camera to avoid having to change lenses while out on safari. The 80D usually had the  Canon 100-400 or the 70-200 while the M5 usually sported the 18-135  via the adapter.

This setup worked pretty good except for the slower startup response of the M5.  Definitely had to plan my M5 shots and not just aim and shot. Another annoyance is the location of the Menu button. More often than I wanted, the palm of my right hand would press the Menu button when just holding the camera. It needs a lock or some kind of physical protection against accidental activation.

Other than the Menu button, the other controls worked fine. From first looks at the images, there are no issues with the quality of the pictures. Don't have any native lenses so I don't know how good the camera can be with them.

Turned off the image review and kept the LCD screen use to a minimum in order to stretch the battery time. Otherwise I couldn't go all day on a single battery charge.

Build quality is very good with a solid feel but not overly heavy. Makes for an inviting walk around camera when full pocket-ability is not an absolute must.

mvkuilen wrote:

I got my M5 as the backup body to my 80D as well as the secondary camera to avoid having to change lenses while out on safari. The 80D usually had the Canon 100-400 or the 70-200 while the M5 usually sported the 18-135 via the adapter.

This setup worked pretty good except for the slower startup response of the M5. Definitely had to plan my M5 shots and not just aim and shot. Another annoyance is the location of the Menu button. More often than I wanted, the palm of my right hand would press the Menu button when just holding the camera. It needs a lock or some kind of physical protection against accidental activation.

Other than the Menu button, the other controls worked fine. From first looks at the images, there are no issues with the quality of the pictures. Don't have any native lenses so I don't know how good the camera can be with them.

Turned off the image review and kept the LCD screen use to a minimum in order to stretch the battery time. Otherwise I couldn't go all day on a single battery charge.

Build quality is very good with a solid feel but not overly heavy. Makes for an inviting walk around camera when full pocket-ability is not an absolute must.

Enjoy your new camera! M5 is a great little camera with huge potential — in past 1/2 year all my other cameras are collecting dust:))