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Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?

Started Oct 25, 2021 | Discussions
Hamdib Forum Member • Posts: 60
Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?
1

Hello there,

I am looking to buy a digital mirrorless camera for street photography ?

It is very cheap to buy a M5 right now. (about 450$) So that I could invest on lenses. (22mm and 32mm)

How is it (M5) as street photography machine ? Any comments ?

OR shall I wait for M5 mark 2 (heard it's coming soon)  /  go for M6 mark 2 ?

Thanks.

PS: This is really a comparison between M5, M6 mark 2 (and future M5 mark2)

Canon EOS M5 Canon EOS M6 II
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Sue Anne Rush
Sue Anne Rush Senior Member • Posts: 6,285
Re: Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?
2

Hello...

Yes buy the Canon EOS M5 IMHO. 

Hamdib wrote:

Hello there,

I am looking to buy a digital mirrorless camera for street photography ?

It is very cheap to buy a M5 right now. (about 450$) So that I could invest on lenses. (22mm and 32mm)

How is it (M5) as street photography machine ? Any comments ?

OR shall I wait for M5 mark 2 (heard it's coming soon) / go for M6 mark 2 ?

Thanks.

PS: This is really a comparison between M5, M6 mark 2 (and future M5 mark2)

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Sue Anne Rush

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nnowak Veteran Member • Posts: 9,075
Re: Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?
9

Hamdib wrote:

Hello there,

I am looking to buy a digital mirrorless camera for street photography ?

It is very cheap to buy a M5 right now. (about 450$) So that I could invest on lenses. (22mm and 32mm)

$450 seems a bit steep for a used M5.  Both MPB and ebay are quite a bit lower than that.

How is it (M5) as street photography machine ? Any comments ?

Accurate, but not fast.  It also struggles to focus in lower light levels.

OR shall I wait for M5 mark 2 (heard it's coming soon)

There are zero rumors of a M5 mark II coming any time in the near future.  The original M5 outsold the original M6 by a significant margin.  If Canon was going to do a mark II version of the M5, it should have happened two years ago when the M6 II launched.

/ go for M6 mark 2 ?

Thanks.

PS: This is really a comparison between M5, M6 mark 2 (and future M5 mark2)

If you want Canon's latest AF, you should be looking at the M6 II, the M50 II, or M200.  The M5 Mark II is unlikely to ever appear.

lumenite Senior Member • Posts: 1,208
Re: Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?
2

Hamdib wrote:

Hello there,

I am looking to buy a digital mirrorless camera for street photography ?

It is very cheap to buy a M5 right now. (about 450$) So that I could invest on lenses. (22mm and 32mm)

How is it (M5) as street photography machine ? Any comments ?

OR shall I wait for M5 mark 2 (heard it's coming soon) / go for M6 mark 2 ?

Thanks.

PS: This is really a comparison between M5, M6 mark 2 (and future M5 mark2)

If you can be satisfied with M5 at the price, go get it and enjoy it with wonderful 22 and 32mm lenses. That's it. Do not wait for a new lens nor a new body.

When it comes to M5's control, it has plenty control dials, but they are not comfortable for me to use rapidly. AF is so-so, but it works well for most cases. M6mk2's AF is much better but consider it costs almost two times. If you know how to be content with it, M5 might be very enjoyable and satisfying.

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istscott
istscott Regular Member • Posts: 467
Re: Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?
2

If you want the best EF-M camera right now get the M6 Mark II. I held out a long time but eventually bought one and can tell it's a step up from everything else.

$450 for the M5 seems overpriced. I bought a used M5 with a kit lens for less than that back in 2019, but I eventually sold it. It's definitely a nice camera and does have ergonomic benefits over the M50/M100 series. Though, as long as you don't need a hot-shoe and viewfinder on a camera at the same time then it's worse than the M6 Mark II in every other way.

We have no way of knowing if an M5 Mark II will ever come.

prospects Regular Member • Posts: 285
Re: Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?
2

The M5 is a decent camera if you’d need the extra controls. However, $450 USD doesn’t seem to be particularly cheap for the M5 today.

There are alternatives:

- M50 has better AF than M5, with a loss of some controls

- M6 II is best in class (better AF than M50, with extra controls and a new sensor that finally on par with Sony sensors at a loss of a dedicated EVF)

- M50 II updates M50 AF capabilities to be in line with M6II

I would either recommend the M50II or M6II over the M5 for quality of life benefits (AF) benefits especially if you are shooting street with a lot of moving subjects. Go for the M50 if you can find it at a low price, but it seems to be discontinued as well.

Low light AF using the M5 is just sub-par compared to any of the three above.

Also. there’s no rumours about M5II anytime soon.

copperswede Junior Member • Posts: 34
Re: Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?
5

I am not commenting about the price but the performance of the m5. It’s a great camera except some AF issues in some situations. The sensor is the same as 80D which has quite good performance. The dials and menus are intuitive. Think the camera is a joy to use it all depends on your shooting expectations.

Larawanista
Larawanista Veteran Member • Posts: 4,736
Re: Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?
2

Daytime street photography? Yes the M5 can handle it. Evening or low-light photography? Unless you use 1.4 lenses, it will struggle. Your best bet is the M6II. It's simply the best cropped mirrorless body Canon has ever made.

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R2D2 Forum Pro • Posts: 26,528
Re: Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?
2

Larawanista wrote:

Daytime street photography? Yes the M5 can handle it. Evening or low-light photography? Unless you use 1.4 lenses, it will struggle. Your best bet is the M6II. It's simply the best cropped mirrorless body Canon has ever made.

+1

R2

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J Peters Contributing Member • Posts: 759
Re: Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?
1

I like my M5 still. A grey market seller was recently selling new old stock at a price so low that I thought it was a misprint (sorry but they've since run out). I snapped up a second body and I'm very happy. I have almost all the EF-M lenses. If I were starting from scratch I would get the M6 II.

Anthony Milton Regular Member • Posts: 271
Re: Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?
1

I bought an M50 in preference to the M5. It is now relatively inexpensive following the introduction of the M50 Mark II. I didn't upgrade as the improvements are minimal.I haven't upgraded to the M6 Mark ii, because of the absence on an EVF, and the M50 will produce the excellent photographs which I like.

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PhotosByHall Contributing Member • Posts: 600
Re: Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?
3

Anthony Milton wrote:

I bought an M50 in preference to the M5. It is now relatively inexpensive following the introduction of the M50 Mark II. I didn't upgrade as the improvements are minimal.I haven't upgraded to the M6 Mark ii, because of the absence on an EVF, and the M50 will produce the excellent photographs which I like.

Same for me.

While the m5 is better ergonomically, the M50 is the better camera in every other way.

I also would have gone for the m6-2, but I also need a viewfinder and a hotshoe at the same time.

I Imagine the M5-2 would solve all of these problems, but we are probably never going to see it

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rz64 Regular Member • Posts: 454
Re: Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?
1

Hamdib wrote:

Hello there,

I am looking to buy a digital mirrorless camera for street photography ?

It is very cheap to buy a M5 right now. (about 450$) So that I could invest on lenses. (22mm and 32mm)

How is it (M5) as street photography machine ? Any comments ?

OR shall I wait for M5 mark 2 (heard it's coming soon) / go for M6 mark 2 ?

Thanks.

PS: This is really a comparison between M5, M6 mark 2 (and future M5 mark2)

I don't have M5 (but M6), but I know pros and cons of my camera, M5 might be similar.

For me, the M6 is still a good camera, not only for street photography. Of course, M6 II offers some improvements, but (for me) they are not of great importance.

I just want to add something "to smile": Canon Europe still offers M5 as "Our flagship Mirrorless for enthusiasts looking to tell stories with the uncompromising quality and speed of DSLR". Obviously, there is no need for M5 II

Here is the link: https://www.canon-europe.com/cameras/eos-m5/

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m100
m100 Senior Member • Posts: 2,048
Re: Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?

rz64 wrote:

Hamdib wrote:

Hello there,

I am looking to buy a digital mirrorless camera for street photography ?

It is very cheap to buy a M5 right now. (about 450$) So that I could invest on lenses. (22mm and 32mm)

How is it (M5) as street photography machine ? Any comments ?

OR shall I wait for M5 mark 2 (heard it's coming soon) / go for M6 mark 2 ?

Thanks.

PS: This is really a comparison between M5, M6 mark 2 (and future M5 mark2)

I don't have M5 (but M6), but I know pros and cons of my camera, M5 might be similar.

For me, the M6 is still a good camera, not only for street photography. Of course, M6 II offers some improvements, but (for me) they are not of great importance.

I just want to add something "to smile": Canon Europe still offers M5 as "Our flagship Mirrorless for enthusiasts looking to tell stories with the uncompromising quality and speed of DSLR". Obviously, there is no need for M5 II

Here is the link: https://www.canon-europe.com/cameras/eos-m5/

I don't see refurbished cameras like on the USA site ?

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rz64 Regular Member • Posts: 454
Re: Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?

m100 wrote:

rz64 wrote:

Hamdib wrote:

Hello there,

I am looking to buy a digital mirrorless camera for street photography ?

It is very cheap to buy a M5 right now. (about 450$) So that I could invest on lenses. (22mm and 32mm)

How is it (M5) as street photography machine ? Any comments ?

OR shall I wait for M5 mark 2 (heard it's coming soon) / go for M6 mark 2 ?

Thanks.

PS: This is really a comparison between M5, M6 mark 2 (and future M5 mark2)

I don't have M5 (but M6), but I know pros and cons of my camera, M5 might be similar.

For me, the M6 is still a good camera, not only for street photography. Of course, M6 II offers some improvements, but (for me) they are not of great importance.

I just want to add something "to smile": Canon Europe still offers M5 as "Our flagship Mirrorless for enthusiasts looking to tell stories with the uncompromising quality and speed of DSLR". Obviously, there is no need for M5 II

Here is the link: https://www.canon-europe.com/cameras/eos-m5/

I don't see refurbished cameras like on the USA site ?

On the EU site you can't get any new M5 bodies: "actually online not available". It also seems to be hardly possible to get new bodies somewhere else here in EU.

I just wanted to emphasize: if there is a (as Canon states) "flagship Mirrorless", why do customers need a successor for it?

As others have already written numerously, no sign for a new M5 II

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davev8
davev8 Veteran Member • Posts: 4,833
Re: Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?
2

Hamdib wrote:

Hello there,

I am looking to buy a digital mirrorless camera for street photography ?

It is very cheap to buy a M5 right now. (about 450$) So that I could invest on lenses. (22mm and 32mm)

How is it (M5) as street photography machine ? Any comments ?

OR shall I wait for M5 mark 2 (heard it's coming soon) / go for M6 mark 2 ?

Thanks.

PS: This is really a comparison between M5, M6 mark 2 (and future M5 mark2)

i had the M5 nice camera good sensor plenty of external controls ..but ergonomics suffer as do any camera as small as the M5 so not its fault but its AF is slow for anything that moves ..in fact, the tracking was not as speedy as my EOS 20D DLSR from 2004 and was the reason i sold it and as there is not going to be a M5mkii and went R mount...i think if your street photography has people in it i would really try and get a body with eye AF as it really is a game-changer ..i believe the M50 has better AF than the M5 and i believe the M6mkii has very good AF ..the M is a very nice system and i do miss the 11-22

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Attention Dislexsic i mean dyslexic person... This post will have many although spell checked, spelling and grammatical errs ..its The best its going get so no need to tell me it is bad I know it is .....................................................................................................
the EOS M is not dead and wont be for a long time ....as long as you don't want a flagship camera with a VF...if that's the case it died sometime ago
My 5D IS a MK1 classic
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There is no argument for FF vs APS-c (or m43) with shallow DOF..as it's a law of physics and a very subjective personal thing if you want to make use of the shallow DOF only FF can offer
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If you wait for a camera that will tick all your boxes ....by then you will have more boxes to tick..... so the wait continues .....David Appleton

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Dlee13
Dlee13 Contributing Member • Posts: 716
Re: Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?
2

I owned the M5 from launch until earlier then year and sold it for the M50 Mark II. In terms if IQ you’ll get a maybe slightly better JPEG’s in the M50II due to the newer processor but Raw images will be the same as I believe they use the same sensor.

The main and big difference will be AF. The M50 II is honestly night and day better than the M5.

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Miguel-C
Miguel-C Senior Member • Posts: 2,321
Re: Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?
1

Canon m5 owner here, its a pretty good camera fpr photography and i love its body design. Its probably the best and most efficient camera design canon has ever come up with. Plenty of dials and controls.

The AF is good with good lenses and should be plenty for street photography. The newer cameras will evidently have better tracking... If you need that only you can tell.

The M50 is one of the worst cameras ive ever held in my hands. Squishy, flimsy and less controls. I would go for an m6II if you need the best canon has to offer.

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GeraldW Veteran Member • Posts: 8,872
Re: Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?
3

When I decided to finally go mirrorless, I finally decided on the M5 and bought a pair of used ones this year.  With both cameras I use an auxiliary hand grip to get a taller grip area and more leverage for large lenses.  One camera is set up for use with native EF-M lenses (the 22 f/2 & 18-150); and the second one uses a Canon EF to EF-M adapter and a grip extender I made 35 years ago for use with a Nikon FE2, so I can use a Tamron 18-400 (29-640 equivalent) and a Canon EF-S 60 mm macro for nature subjects.

Not exactly the street photography you plan on; but I have had no problems catching ducks and geese taking off and landing on a nearby pond, and I much prefer the built-in eye level finder to the add ons used with the M6 II.  Particularly, since the eye level finder on the M6 II uses up the hot shoe if I want to use flash.

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Jerry

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Maxxxxximus New Member • Posts: 2
Re: Is Canon EOS M5 still relevant in 2021 ?
8

I got my M5 10 days ago at a good price with the 18-150mm kit lens. I must say: I'm very happy so far. As I carry this gear on long hikes, weight was a factor, and I don't want to change lenses. I shoot mostly landscapes, flowers, animals, and for me, this combo does the trick quite perfectly.

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