Autofocus speed for M5/M50/M6 vs M10

Hi all,

I am fairly new with cameras.

My question is how fast does the M5/M50/M6 (or any EF-M camera with dual pixel auto focus) autofocus with an adapter and EF-S / EF lens compared to the M10 which does not have dual pixel autofocus. Will the speed significantly improve if I upgrade my body to an M5/M50/M6 from the M10?

Context below.

I purchased a very rebel model from an acquaintance which included what I am guessing is the kit lens and a telephoto lens.

On a whim, I purchased a M10 for travel and potentially be able to use the telephoto lens an adapter.

That was around 2 years ago. Fast foward to now, I have purchased a Rokinon 12mm manual focus (EF-M mount), Tamron 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC (Canon mount version with Canon adapter) and Canon 50mm prime (also used with an adapter).

Because I have been using the manual focus on the Rokinon for a while now and only use the Tamron on occasion, I had not used the autofocus for a while.

Recently I had to take some photos for work (not paid professional photographer but need to get a photo here and there) and realised how painfully slow the autofocus is with the Tamron. It takes at least 1 second to autofocus in ideal conditions and when indoors, it takes between 2-5 seconds to autofocus to actually not firing / taking the shot at all.

I tried the kit lens again and the autofocus speed was acceptable but not super fast. So now I have resorted to using the kit lens again and Rokinon for wide angle shots.

The Tamron and Canon 50mm is almost unusable unless I want to manual focus (which I do not want to have to do as I do not have a whole heap of time to learn). Will these two lenses have better autofocus performance if I upgrade the body?

Any of the newer models with DPAF (ie M100) are substantially faster.

R2

Cameranewbiehalp wrote:

Hi all,

I am fairly new with cameras.

My question is how fast does the M5/M50/M6 (or any EF-M camera with dual pixel auto focus) autofocus with an adapter and EF-S / EF lens compared to the M10 which does not have dual pixel autofocus. Will the speed significantly improve if I upgrade my body to an M5/M50/M6 from the M10?

Yes indeed. The AF is faster and more "stable" (if that makes any sense to you).  The M10 was faster than the original EOS M camera ...but it's not as fast and accurate as the latest generation with DPAF.  Those new models with DPAF include the M100, M50, M6 and M5 mirrorless cameras. All future M-series cameras will also continue to sport the DPAF sensors.

Context below.

I purchased a very rebel model from an acquaintance which included what I am guessing is the kit lens and a telephoto lens.

On a whim, I purchased a M10 for travel and potentially be able to use the telephoto lens an adapter.

That was around 2 years ago. Fast foward to now, I have purchased a Rokinon 12mm manual focus (EF-M mount), Tamron 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC (Canon mount version with Canon adapter) and Canon 50mm prime (also used with an adapter).

Because I have been using the manual focus on the Rokinon for a while now and only use the Tamron on occasion, I had not used the autofocus for a while.

Recently I had to take some photos for work (not paid professional photographer but need to get a photo here and there) and realised how painfully slow the autofocus is with the Tamron. It takes at least 1 second to autofocus in ideal conditions and when indoors, it takes between 2-5 seconds to autofocus to actually not firing / taking the shot at all.

The Tamron lens in this instance is a dimmer lens (with f/3.5-6.3) so it's going to be much slower in lowlight conditions such as indoors. Outdoors is where this lens was designed to be used although it ought to perform well indoors with well-lit environments.   Presumably the Canon 50mm is faster for you.  2.5 seconds is a long time to wait for AF to lock.  I just tested my EOS M6 (which currently has the bright EF-M 32mm f/1.4 lens on it and the delay in AF lock was about 0.1 seconds.  Essentially, wherever I pointed the lens, it was an instant lock the moment my finger reached the half-way depression mark on the shutter release button.  A dimmer lens would presumably take longer.  But the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM lens is likewise very fast as well... though at f/2 it's both bright and doesn't have far for the AF to travel to attain a lock.  If I was to use the EF 100mmL or 135mmL lenses, the longer focal length would cause a greater delay.

I tried the kit lens again and the autofocus speed was acceptable but not super fast. So now I have resorted to using the kit lens again and Rokinon for wide angle shots.

The "kit lenses" I often see used on the display-model EOS M cameras here in Australia tend to be the EF-M 15-45mm lens which I think is f/3.5-6.2,  In the brightly lit department stores, that lens is fast and generally accurate.  They also tend to have the cameras set in Auto mode which accesses the AF points across the screen of the camera.  This lens is VERY good when the lighting in the scene is brighter.  Outdoor shots in daylight is where this lens really performs.  But if you shoot a lot of indoor shots, you may want to try out something with a brighter aperture - especially if your current lenses are struggling.  But since your Canon 50mm lens is probably f/1.8 or faster, I'm surprised this lens is problematic for you.  But I do think that the more recent models with DPAF ought to make quite a difference.

The Tamron and Canon 50mm is almost unusable unless I want to manual focus (which I do not want to have to do as I do not have a whole heap of time to learn). Will these two lenses have better autofocus performance if I upgrade the body?

I'm a little curious as to why your Canon 50mm lens is so slow to focus.  It may come down to the focal length (which is closer to 80mm on the EOS M APS-C cameras).  Longer focal lengths tend to require steadier hands in low light, especially if there's no Image Stabilization (which isn't as important on wider lenses - but is often essential with longer focal lengths).
.
The M10 is a very good camera though the newer models will be much faster to focus and more responsive to operate (meaning the recovery from one function to another and the general operational speed is faster).  I held out with the original EOS M until one of the new models with DPAF became available before upgrading.  I'm happy with the choice I made and I'm sure most owners of any of the newer models would agree that they're very decent cameras to work with.  The new M50 might be an option for you. My preference is for the M6.  I imagine the next M to come along will be similar to both.
--
Regards,
Marco Nero.

I think Marco Nero answered most of your questions already.

I have only one thing to add: which 50mm Canon lens do you have—EF 50mm F1.8 STM or EF 50mm F1.8 II? If it is the former, it is one of the slowest-focusing EF lenses, but it should perform fairly stablly with the M10. But if it is the latter, then its old DC motor will perform exceedingly poorly with M10—the motor is strictly optimized for phase-detect AF used in DSLRs, and not equipped to work with contrast-detect AF used in the M10. I can easily believe it taking several seconds of racking back and forth before attaining focus.

The STM version will perform very well with the newer M bodies. The old one should perform dramatically better in theory, since the new M’s rely on PDAF and not CDAF, but since it is an old, discontinued lens which I sold off years ago, I may be wrong.

I have just checked my EF 1.8 lens (with micrometer focussing motor), which dates from 1987. Using the Canon EF-EFM adaptor on my M50, outdoors in very dull conditions, focussing was immediate, indoors it also focussed immediately, or if the light was too dull it hunted and didn't focus at all. Remember the two photos were hand held and the lens doesn't have IS

Plum Blossom

Bookcase

Interestingly I have just tried my Sigma 170-500mm 5.6-6.3 APO. DG lens with a M50 using EF-EFM adaptor. It focussed immediately at both 170 mm and 500 mm . The lens dates from 2006, and is too soft for my liking on a 24 megapixel camera.

Plum Blossom

Cameranewbiehalp wrote:

beagle1 wrote:

I shoot sports and BIF with the old Canon M5

www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless

Thanks. I had a look and it has some adapted lenses as well. You mention sports and BIF which are quite fast paced and thus require fast autofocus?

R2D2 wrote:

Any of the newer models with DPAF (ie M100) are substantially faster.

Is that true even with adapted lenses?

Yes.

From all dpaf M cameras the M50 has the best AF by the way.

Cameranewbiehalp wrote:

Thanks everyone for all your answers. I'm actually a tad overwhelmed by everyone's knowledge here.

Re the Cannon 50mm, I am not quite sure which one it is. I purchased it new in the last year for something like S$120 if that helps.

EF 50mm f/1.8 stm?

In terms of focusing, probably because I have quite unsteady hands from all the coffee I drink. On a tripod, it works ok but again, I want to be able to take photos easier.

I think I will save up for a newer body and keep the M10 as a back up.

Thank you all again for your help.

I own an M6 and it's reasonably fast. I tested the M50 once and it definitely felt like it focused faster. Touch AF was also very convenient on the M50.

Anthony Milton wrote:

Bookcase

I'd just like to applaud your taste in authors. Ian Rankin, Elizabeth George, P D James, Patricia Cornwell, and Alexander McCall Smith are among my favorites.

I own the m50 and a sony a6500 and in low light, with the same lenses the m50 beats the a6500 hands down ( especially with such lenses as 150-600 sigma, 400mm L canon etc.