Most of us believe that mirrorless cameras are the logical successor to the traditional digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera. You can replace the lens of the mirrorless camera but then you also pay a high premium to own one of these right now.
Canon may not be the first name to hit your mind when it comes to a mirrorless camera but with the EOS M3 this year, they are looking to line up alongside other bigwigs like Panasonic, Sony, and Pentax.
Key Features: Canon EOS M3
Key Feature: Canon EOS M3
- Mirrorless camera
- 24.2- megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
- Built-in flash
- Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity support for image share
- Weighs 366 grams
- 3-inch LCD Touch display with 180x45 degree tilt option
- Full-HD 1080p video recording at 30p
- Priced at Rs 49,995
What’s Good?
It’s great to see Canon using its imaging expertise to carve out a mirrorless camera range. The 24.2-megapixel quality of the EOS M3 delivers crisp quality pictures that are high on detail and the colour equation of the images look fairly balanced. Even though the EOS M3 is part of Canon’s mirrorless range, it more or less feels like part of the brand’s EOS DLSR series.
The 3-inch touch screen is quick to respond to functions. Much like every other compact camera these days, EOS M3 offers connectivity support for WIFi and NFC that are primarily used to share images socially to Facebook in a jiffy. The construction of EOS M3 has been given thorough introspection to ensure the handling and comfort part about the camera for the users is set to his/her requirements.
The image processing speed of the camera left us impressed.
What’s Bad?
The Canon EOS M3 mirrorless camera weighs 366 grams, which is not bulky, but the overall dimensions of the camera make it feel heavier. While the image processing is at par with most other cameras in the business, the auto-focus ability of the EOS M3 leaves us wanting more, and for a camera that costs 50K, high expectations are warranted.
The 180/45 degree option with the 3-inch LCD touchscreen display did not work for us and even the positioning of the panel feels like a waste. Canon would have done better with the standard display panel rotation that most of the cameras offer in the market.
The low-light prowess of Canon EOS M3 is low on quality with image details that throw up noise much more than we expected. The other thing about Canon EOS M3 is the camera’s lack of 4K or ultra-high definition video recording ability. What’s even worse is that you cannot shoot 1080p videos at 30p instead, you have to be content with 60p.
Why Buy It?
Canon EOS M3 is a mixed bag product. The 24.2-megapixel sensor offers high-quality images with detail and clarity. It’s hard for us to talk about the slow-poke auto-focus feature of the camera that dampened our mood on a product that otherwise offers options like Wi-Fi and NFC for quick sharing of pictures.
The range of lens available for the EOS M3 needs a quick update, or else Canon will find it tough to capture the mirrorless camera space that has competition from all spheres.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)