The Canon EOS M10 is the most recent addition to the Canon EOS M family of the mirrorless camera bodies and lenses. The Canon EOS M10 was launched in October 2015, with their news release shared in an earlier article that I wrote and shared here. The review unit package that I received for this particular review was the Rilakkuma Special Edition x EOS M10 Kit III (EF-M 15-45mm & EF-M 55-200mm).
I brought the Canon EOS M10 out for events, photo walks and as my daily compact camera in my bag. Some of the events that I attended with the Canon EOS M10 kit III set were LG IT Media launch, Marine Cove McDonald’s re-opening, Emirates Singapore Derby 2016 and a heritage visit to Peranakan Museum for their special exhibition, Nonya Needlework – Embroidery and beadwork in the Peranakan World. I also brought the Canon EOS M10 with the EF-M 55-200mm lens for some outdoors photo walk near my neighourhood, testing it with some bird photography shoot.
During the two weeks review period, I also had the cute and adorable EOS M Rilakkuma Bear with me, joining me for my photo walks and I had a few interesting Toy Travel adventures into the Singapore heartlands, events and heritage exploration! I had some nice memories of them that I shared on my Instagram! This famous iconic cute bear with the Canon EOS M collaboration, gave me a number of photography opportunities to compose and photograph different perspectives with the Rilakkuma Bear inside the frame, sharing it on social media, with my own style of creative writing.
First, let me bring you back and refresh your memories, here are some key information and details about the Canon EOS M10 –
Technical Specifications
- Image sensor: 18.0 mega-pixel APS-C CMOS sensor
- Imaging processor: DIGIC 6
- ISO speed: 100-12,800 (expandable to 25,600)
- Continuous shooting speed: 4.6 fps
- Maximum video quality: 1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
- AF: Hybrid CMOS AF II
- LCD: 180 / 45 degrees tilt type touch screen, approx. 1.04 million dots
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, NFC-enabled
- Dimensions: 108 mm in length, 66.6 mm in breadth and 35.0 mm in depth
- Weight: Approx. 301 g (CIPA standard)
What were my experiences, thoughts and views on the Canon EOS M10 during my two weeks review period? Let me share with you ~
Pros
- Lightweight and compact
- Easy to use
- Intitutive, interactive and informative screen, similar to the new Canon DSLR models
- Touch screen allows the photographer to change the settings easily
- Colours – rich and accurate, quality is close to Canon DSLR standards
- Easy access button on the right side of the camera body to activate wi-fi and connect with smartphone/tablet
- Improved Auto-Focus (AF) speed and number of AF points from earlier Canon EOS M models
- A range of stylish face jackets from a range of colours are available to accessorise the Canon EOS M10, making it fun, colourful, lively and fashionable.
Cons
- No side grip on the camera body, making it uncomfortable to hold
- There is no hot-shoe mount therefore the Canon EVF accessory could not be used with the EOS-M10
- The On/Off button is too small, difficult to press and it is placed together with the switch for video/photography/auto mode selection
- The noise level at ISO 12,800 is grainy and I don’t recommend to shoot at that ISO level
The Canon EF-M lenses, EF-M 15-45mm and EF-M 55-200mm, are designed and built for the E0S M series camera bodies. These new lenses showed Canon’s commitment towards the Canon EOS M mirrorless series and I would be expecting more EF-M lenses choices to be available in the future.
Let me share with you more about my experiences with the two EF-M lenses below ~
EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM Review
This lens is small, compact and lightweight. It would be suitable for a general walkabout/daily /travel lens that do not require telephoto focal range. The built and feel of this lens is not too bad, it doesn’t feel flimsy at all. For this small lens package, it has produced some pretty good photo quality shots that may be comparable with DSLR quality (also thanks to the APS-C CMOS sensor with Digic 6 processor) from my experiences during the review period.
There is something that photographers need to take note, there is a mechanical lever that locks the lens in place, making it collapsible and compact when not in use. It takes a while to get used to this function, some might find it a bit troublesome, some might find it useful that the lens can be collapsible and very compact.
Once it is unlocked, the front of the EF-M 15-45mm lens protrude out when it is used between the focal range. While it may not be the best in aesthetics, this small and compact lens sure pack some pretty good quality photography output for its specifications.
EF-M 55-200mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM Review
This is a small, compact and lightweight telephoto zoom lens, it is easy to bring out for your photo shoot or your overseas holiday trip if you decide to bring along a telephoto zoom lens. For this focal length range, it’s mid to tele focal length, at 200mm focal length, this can be very useful and helpful to capture photographs at a distance away.
For a telephoto zoom lens, I would usually test the quality of the bokeh at their maximum focal length @ 200mm. The bokeh is pretty good for this lens specifications, quite smooth bokeh. As for the speed of this lens, it is not fast and the photographer might find it difficult to get the object zoomed in and lock focus. In this aspect, wildlife and fast action photography with this lens might prove a bit more challenging than usual. Nevertheless, with patience, positioning and waiting for the right moment, you can capture some wildlife shots too.
Video recording
The Canon EOS M10 is able to record Full HD videos at 1920 x 1080 (30p/25p/24p). This function is very useful for recording videos and memories of your holiday trips or events, not too difficult to use.
During Emirates Singapore Derby 2016, at the Marquee, watching the horses racing past us towards the finishing line, I used the EOS M10 video recording function and recorded a short video clip of the horse racing action. I also did a short video clip of my very friendly and cute neighbourhood cat playing with my Peak Design Everyday Messenger Bag! Check out the videos shot with the Canon EOS M10 on my YouTube!
In the modern social media era, there are great awareness, accessibility and usage of videos in our daily leisure life, professional/commercial aspects of it. Having a camera with good and easy to use video recording capabilities is now pretty much an integral part of our life, whether leisure or professional. Videos are great for personal usage, sharing with family, friends and followers on social media.
The Rilakkuma Special Edition x Canon EOS M10 kit III set, consisting of EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM and EF-M 55-200mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM, is a good combination for a first time photographer (e.g. photographers moving up from digital compact cameras or current entry level DSLR users) that would like/prefer to own a mirrorless camera system. It is easy to use and the two different focal lengths of the EF-M lenses cover from wide angle zoom to telephoto zoom. The whole Canon EOS M10 setup is lightweight and compact, ideal for your daily bring out usage, attending events, parties, gatherings, and even bringing it overseas for your holiday travels. For the more experienced photographers that already have a DSLR camera system setup and looking for a mirrorless setup, they might prefer the Canon EOS M3 instead.
The mirrorless camera eco-system has improved over the years, it can be a photographer’s main or secondary setup depending on their photography focus and needs. They can be great for travel, street, food or daily camera usage photography. However, in my personal humble opinion, the mirrorless camera system is still not ready to take over sports, wildlife and fast action photography.
Looking back at Canon’s mirrorless EOS M family of cameras and EF-M lenses since their maiden debut with the Canon EOS M1, they have changed, improvised and expanded their mirrorless family of camera bodies, lenses and accessories over the years. From my personal experiences using Canon’s photography products and accessories over the past 12 years (and still counting), along with my recent trip to Canon EXPO 2016 Shanghai, listening to the keynote speeches, media interactions with Canon’s key senior executives and observing recent launches, my personal view is that Canon is committed to their mirrorless EOS M and I am looking forward to more Canon mirrorless products (EOS M bodies and more EF-M lenses) in the near future.
If you are interested, do drop by and read an article that I wrote earlier, “The Next Wave and Trends (From Canon EXPO Shanghai 2016)”, where I based my observations and views from when I was summarising on the Canon EOS M10 review and Canon EOS M mirrorless system family.
If you are looking for a fun, simple and easy to use mirrorless camera with interchangable lenses capability, do check out the Canon EOS M10, have a feel and see how it goes for you!
* I would like to thank Canon Singapore and Ogilvy Public Relations for the opportunity to review the Canon EOS M10 kit III set with the Canon EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM and Canon EF-M 55-200mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM lenses *
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