Canon M5 Review

Canon M5 including lens EF-M 18-150mm 1:3,5-6,3 IS STM: Mid-range mirror-less with fast viewfinder

With the EOS M5 Canon presents for the first time a mirrorless system camera of the middle class with fast viewfinder. It has a classic DSLR design with a small handle and flash/finder hump, but is even slightly smaller than the smallest DSLR EOS 100D to date. Technically, the M5 boasts a 120fps viewfinder, a 24 megapixel dual pixel AF CMOS sensor and the fast image processing processor Digic 7. There is also a matching new 8.3x EF-M 18-150mm 1:3.5-6.3 IS STM zoom with an equivalent focal length of 29-240 millimetres.

Short evaluation

Pros

• Three dials for independent setting of aperture, ISO and exposure time
• Good video image stabilizer and autofocus
• High achievable resolution (with good lens)
• Good image quality up to ISO 1.600 with very good dynamics up to ISO 800

Cons

• Low ruggedness housing
• Occasional indecisive autofocus
• Rear upper thumbwheel between viewfinder and exposure correction wheel difficult to reach
• No panorama function

The Canon EOS M5 is the first mid-range model in the EF-M system and brings it to a resolution of 24 megapixels. The EOS M5 is Canon’s first serious non-reflecting system camera with handle and viewfinder. However, the cheap-looking case doesn’t do justice at all to the price of just under 1,100 euros (without lens). [Photo: Canon]

The rear touchscreen of the Canon EOS M5 can be used as an AF touchpad when looking through the viewfinder, replacing the AF joystick. The touch screen of the Canon EOS M5 is pleasantly large at eight centimeters and offers a fine resolution of 1.6 million pixels. It can be folded 85 degrees upwards and 180 degrees downwards, making it suitable for the popular Selfies as well [Photo: Canon]

The Canon EOS M5 rear eight-centimetre screen resolves fine 1.62 million pixels and folds up and down. [Photo: Canon]

Canon introduced the EOS-M system four years ago, but a serious model for photo enthusiasts hasn’t been there yet. Moreover, the first EOS M didn’t exactly shine with its autofocus speed. The latter has been history since the introduction of the EOS M3 and M10 last year. But the EOS M5 makes the system interesting for photo enthusiasts for the first time. Despite its 116 x 89 x 61 millimetre compact housing, it offers a small handle, a pop-up flash and an electronic viewfinder. The latter has a high resolution of 2.36 million pixels and, according to Canon, a refresh rate of 120 frames per second. However, Canon is silent about the magnification factor of the viewfinder. The built-in pop-up flash has a guide number of 5.

According to Canon, the image sensor is a similar model to the EOS 80D. The APS-C-sized CMOS sensor (Crop Factor 1.6) delivers 24 megapixel resolution using dual-pixel AF technology for fast phase autofocus across the sensor. Thanks to the touchscreen, autofocus points can be easily selected and moved without a joystick, even while looking through the viewfinder. The sensitivity range of the sensor is from ISO 100 to 25,600. The fast image processor Digic 7 ensures image processing. A maximum of nine continuous frames per second is possible, with autofocus tracking the frame rate drops slightly to seven frames per second. The autofocus should also be smoothly adjusted for video recordings that are made in a maximum Full HD resolution of 60 frames per second. In addition, a digital image stabilizer is available for video recordings, which works with every lens. By using an image-stabilized lens with Dynamic-IS, image stabilization is even more effective in video recording.

The Canon EOS M5 is the first EOS-M camera to feature a built-in pop-up flash (guide number 5) and an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 2.36 million pixels. [Photo: Canon]

The Canon EOS M5 has a small handle and is equipped with NFC, WLAN and Bluetooth. [Photo: Canon]

The tripod thread of the Canon EOS M5 is located in the optical axis. [Photo: Canon]

The rear screen measures eight centimeters in diagonal and also has a resolution of 1.62 million pixels. Thanks to the folding mechanism, even ground level and overhead shots are possible without any problems. In addition to WLAN and NFC, the EOS M5 is also equipped with Bluetooth. This allows a permanent and energy-saving connection to the smartphone or tablet to be established, for example to transfer GPS data to the photos while they are still being taken. For more data-hungry applications such as remote control, the WLAN connection is automatically activated.

Canon introduces the new EF-M 18-150mm 1:3.5-6.3 IS STM as the seventh EF-M lens to match the EOS M5 and all other EOS-M cameras. The 8.3x zoom has a focal length range of 29 to 240 millimetres equivalent to a small picture. The 300 gram lightweight universal lens is therefore ideal for city trips. The built-in optical image stabilizer allows up to four f-stops longer exposure times than without, also the Dynamic IS for video recording is supported. The quiet STM drive is designed for fast and silent focusing. The iris diaphragm consists of seven lamellae. The closest focusing distance varies from 25 centimeters at 18 millimeters to 45 centimeters at 150 millimeters. Thus a maximum magnification of 1:3.2 is achieved in telescopic position.

The Canon EF-M 18-150 mm 3.5-6.3 IS STM zooms 8.3x with an equivalent focal length of 29 to 240 millimetres. [Photo: Canon]

The Canon EF-M 18-150 mm 3.5-6.3 IS STM is the seventh EF-M lens and will be available from November 2016 in silver and black at a price of almost 500 euros. [Photo: Canon]

The mirrorless Canon EOS-M system, although already many years old, consisted of only three cameras and six lenses, which can certainly be called “stepmotherly”. But with the introduction of the EOS M5, the first serious EOS-M camera for ambitious photographers, this changed at the past Photokina. With the EF-M 18-150, Canon also had a new lens in its luggage and recently added the EOS M6, an M5 without a fixed viewfinder. Whether the EOS M5 is actually a “game changer” for the system and what the camera can do with the new lens is clarified by our test.

Ergonomics and workmanship

On the one hand compact and yet equipped with a large screen, many control elements (16 buttons and five wheels plus shutter release and activation lever) and a handle, the EOS M5 gives hope for a camera that is easy to operate and yet relatively small in size, does not take up too much space in your pocket and pulls too hard on the shoulder strap. But the weight of just over 400 grams for the bare case is quite proud, together with the EF-M 18-150 mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS STM it’s even over 700 grams. In view of this, one is a little surprised about the rather cheap looking plastic housing, which groans and creaks at every corner, especially on the handle side.  And while the keys on the top and back still offer a halfway decent pressure point, the WLAN key on the side of the handle and the function key close to the bayonet look quite different. The former still offers a certain stroke, the latter does not even have one. Also the thumb function wheel on the top of the camera seems a bit too narrow between the viewfinder and the exposure correction wheel for a central European thumb, so that you can hardly turn it two clicks before the thumb bumps.

The handle of the compact Canon EOS M5 doesn’t look too big, but still offers good grip. Especially thanks to the many wheels and buttons, the M5 is easy to operate, although the rear thumbwheel looks a bit constricted.

However, the handle itself is well done for such a compact camera and even offers the little finger some space. The grained rubber coating is also sufficiently non-slip and the trigger is easy to reach. However, the pressure point of the shutter release is also borderline. The first pressure point is a little spongy and the resistance to the second pressure point is a little bit too low, so that one likes to release the first pressure point although one only wanted to hold the focus or, however, in the caution not to release it accidentally, loses the first pressure point and thus the focus memory again.

However, the actual operation with regard to the distribution of functions among the buttons, the presettings and possibilities is again very successful. For example, the M5 offers two user programs directly on the program selector wheel, as well as the important ISO button and a button for switching to manual focus. Thanks to the three function wheels, aperture, exposure time and ISO sensitivity can even be adjusted independently of each other with a different wheel, which is very convenient. The exposure-compensation wheel is sufficiently tight to prevent accidental adjustment. By the way, because of these many wheels, the exposure correction in manual mode can also be combined with the ISO automatic.

The selection of interfaces has also been successful. In addition to a micro HDMI connection, there is a micro USB socket, a 3.5 mm stereo microphone connection and a 2.5 mm cable remote release connection. An infrared remote control and alternatively WLAN can also be used for (remote) triggering. However, the Micro-USB socket lacks a charging function for the replaceable lithium-ion battery; it can only be supplied with power externally in the charging cradle supplied. It’s not modern, both options would be appropriate for such a camera, which costs a good 1,100 Euros. In view of the only moderate battery life of just under 300 images according to the CIPA standard, the purchase of a second battery is also advisable. The SD card slot, which is located under the battery cover on the underside of the camera, is compatible with UHS-I at most, so UHS-II cards only work with the older, slower interface. With a good 51 megabytes per second, the write rate is decent, uses the possible just over 90 MB/s, which UHS-I allows, but does not exploit either (more on this in the Equipment section).

The eight-centimeter touchscreen, which can be folded upwards by 85 degrees and even downwards by 180 degrees (for the obligatory selfies), is very nice, with an extremely fine resolution of 1.6 million pixels. Despite this size, it does not occupy the entire surface of the flap element, so there is even a little air upwards. The touch screen can be used not only to set the focus point or optionally to release the shutter, but also to operate the camera. If you prefer, you can even adjust the aperture and exposure time with a tip and a wipe on the screen. This is how a modern user interface works, without neglecting the classic one! The menus do not pose any puzzles, especially for Canon photographers. Even newcomers should not find it too difficult to familiarise themselves with the menu, depending on their level of knowledge, especially as the menu does not offer an overwhelming number of setting options, but the most important ones do. By the way, the Live View leaves nothing to be desired with fade-in spirit level, grid lines, live histogram and exposure preview as well as focus magnifier including focus peaking.

The EOS M5 is the first camera in Canon’s not so young mirrorless system to have a built-in electronic viewfinder, so you don’t have to buy it as an option anymore. It has a fine resolution of 2.36 million pixels and reproduces a brilliant and sufficiently large viewfinder image, even though Canon itself does not provide a magnification factor on request. In our opinion, it corresponds to a factor of about 0.5 to 0.6 in the 35mm equivalent, so it is as big as the overwhelming APS-C competition is used to, but is far from coming close to the top models of the competition, some of which offer viewfinder magnifications such as 35mm cameras.

Equipment

Although the Canon EOS M5 is designed for ambitious photographers who would perhaps opt for an EOS 80D, 800D or 77D in Canon’s DSLR system, it doesn’t pose an insurmountable problem even for beginners. The automatic subject recognition recognizes 58 different motifs and automatically adjusts the camera to them. In the same way, the photographer can also set one of nine subject programs, including an HDR program for backlighting or the self-portrait function. But those who would like to take a panorama will unfortunately be left alone by the Canon. Neither a panorama automatic nor a panorama assistant are available. Fans of “creative” filter effects, on the other hand, get their money’s worth. The experienced photographer will certainly develop real photographic creativity in the semi-automatic mode or the manual mode with aperture and/or exposure time setting. The automatic program, on the other hand, lacks a shift function to adjust the program curve if necessary. The shortest exposure time is 1/4,000 second, an electronic shutter, which could offer a silent and possibly even shorter shutter speed, is unfortunately missing.

The autofocus works according to the dual-pixel CMOS principle, in which the pixel is divided into two halves and quasi carries out a phase comparison measurement. This works quite well most of the time and especially up to the edge of the sensor. However, there does not seem to be a pure contrast autofocus fallback, because with subjects that cannot be captured quickly by phase AF technology, the autofocus stops altogether after a short pumping period. Fortunately, we were only able to observe this phenomenon in the laboratory, but rarely in practice. The pure release delay of 80 to 100 milliseconds is more in the range of DSLRs than that of fast mirrorless system cameras, which can be three to ten times faster. With a release speed of 0.3 to 0.5 seconds including focusing, the M5 works sufficiently fast, but does not set any speed records here either. Small focus movements are more important to the camera than the large jumps that take place in our measurement (from infinity to two meters).

This also explains why, despite the not too enthusiastic measurement result, it is still possible to follow the focus of the subject even at quite high continuous shooting speeds of seven frames per second. Without these, the Canon can even shoot at nine frames per second. It maintains this speed for 15 raw or 25 JPEG images before slowing significantly, especially for raw images. Thus, the buffer is not too big, but especially with JPEG it is sufficient for almost three seconds long recordings at full speed. Then, depending on the motif, it continues with just over five frames per second with JPEG or only one frame per second with Raw. The SD card interface, which has a maximum speed of 51 megabytes per second, has a limiting effect here. A lossless compressed raw requires just over 50 megabytes, which explains the slow continuous shooting speed when the buffer is full.

On the left side of the Canon EOS M5 housing you can connect a USB cable, a remote release cable and a stereo microphone. However, the battery cannot be charged via USB, but must be placed in the charger cradle provided.

On the handle side of the Canon EOS M5 are the micro HDMI port and the WLAN button, which has enough hub, but a bad pressure point.

The Canon EOS-M system remains conservatively modest when it comes to the video function. The resolution reaches maximum Full-HD, but at almost 60 frames per second with a smooth refresh rate that can be reduced to up to 24 frames per second if desired. Autofocus tracking in the video works well, but above all the image stabilizer makes an important contribution to successful video recordings. Canon combines the optical stabiliser of the lens with a digital video stabiliser that can even compensate for rotational movements. Thus the stabilizer works on five axes and can provide even while walking still for a quite calm video picture. If desired, the exposure can be adjusted manually in video mode, as can the focus or microphone level. Compression is done using the effective H.264 codec, which is compatible with many devices.

The M5’s built-in pop-up flash extends only at the touch of a manual button and never automatically as it is a mechanical bolt. The flash only offers a guide number of six (as measured by us), which is suitable for brightening close subjects indoors, but quickly reaches its limits outside, especially due to the flash sync time of only 1/200 second. Fortunately, the Canon has a system flash shoe, with which the comprehensive flash system of the Japanese manufacturer can be fully used, including wireless control and high-speed synchronization. But also the setting options of the integrated flash can be seen with a synchronization to the second shutter curtain, a long time synchronization, a flash exposure correction and even a manual power control, even if only in three steps. Unfortunately, the integrated flash is not suitable as a wireless master. The anti-red eye function works by the way with the help of the orange LED AF auxiliary light, which is emitted before the picture is taken, so that the pupils of the person portrayed close a little and the back of the eye wall reflects less flash light in red colour.

The Canon EOS M5 offers some rudimentary image processing functions, such as trimming or rotating the images, although the latter is not really necessary thanks to the orientation sensor. Interesting is the possibility to rate the pictures in the camera, so that you can find your favorites faster after transferring them to your computer. The built-in raw converter is also praiseworthy. Thanks to WLAN, Bluetooth and NFC, the Canon EOS M5 also offers good networking capabilities. In an energy-saving way, for example, it uses a permanent smartphone connection to tap into the GPS of the smartphone. WLAN can be switched on as required, for example for transmitting large images or for remote camera control. But the M5 also connects to the Canon Connect Station CS100 with image memory, for example, so that the recordings can be conveniently saved in the home network and played back on the television.

Picture quality

The test lens in our case was the new EF-M 18-150 mm 3.5-6.3 IS STM, available with the EOS M5, which offers a focal length range from 29 to 240 millimetres, equivalent to 35mm, that is both suitable for everyday use and large. As already stated in the test report of the lens (see further links), it shows a high barrel distortion in wide angle and cushion distortion at medium and long focal lengths, but hardly shadows at the edge of the image and the chromatic aberrations are also limited. With a maximum resolution of 65 line pairs per millimeter (lp/mm, at 50 percent contrast in 35mm equivalent), it also shows that the EOS M5 can achieve very high resolution. Beyond F5.6, however, the resolution decreases due to diffraction and a significant drop in the resolution at the edge cannot be denied in the case of the lens, which, however, only becomes visible with printouts larger than in DIN A4 format.

The M5 itself shows a good signal-to-noise ratio of over 40 dB but below 45 dB at ISO 100 and 200. At ISO 400, the value drops below 40 dB and falls below the critical limit of 35 dB at ISO 1.600. With a diameter of less than two pixels, the noise remains fine-grained and from ISO 3.200 is easily visible in the form of brightness noise. Even at higher sensitivities, it only rises gently, but at the highest sensitivity of ISO 25.600 it makes a significant leap upwards. The Canon, on the other hand, has colour noise perfectly under control. The noise suppression is noticeable from ISO 800 onwards through the loss of details, but it only becomes critical above ISO 1.600, where the images become much softer and details are missing that are still visible at lower sensitivities. Particularly at ISO 12,800 and 25,600, the loss of detail is extremely high.

Up to and including ISO 800, the input dynamic reaches a very good value of over eleven f-stops and then slowly begins to decrease with the increase in sensitivity. Up to ISO 3.200, the value remains within the good range with more than ten f-stops; the input dynamics are also critically low again with the two highest adjustable ISO sensitivities. The tonal value curve is well distributed for a crisp display, the initial tonal range is very good at ISO 100 and 200, here almost all of the 256 possible brightness nuances are actually used. With increasing sensitivity, however, this value drops rapidly, above ISO 800 there are less than 160 brightness gradations, above ISO 3,200 it becomes critical with less than 100 levels, so that fine brightness transitions look graded. The colour rendition, on the other hand, is good again, even with higher sensitivities up to ISO 3,200, over two million colours are distinguished, with ISO 100 and 200 even eight million. The colour rendering is mostly quite neutral, green tones are partly slightly desaturated, while red tones are somewhat oversaturated. Nothing critical and within the normal framework of a manufacturer-specific coordination. By the way, sharpness artifacts are present, but in the completely uncritical range.

 

The Canon EOS M5’s APS-C sensor (cop factor 1.6) resolves 24 megapixels. For focusing, the dual-pixel AF is available, which divides the pixels into two halves for phase measurement.

The tripod thread in the optical axis is one of the few metal parts of the Canon EOS M5 with a plastic housing.

The SD memory card is removed from the battery compartment on the underside of the camera of the Canon EOS M5. The interface reaches just over 50 MB/s write speed and is UHS-I compatible.

The JPEG images are well coordinated, the images look crisp and beautiful, but without showing any signs of too strong an intervention in the image processing. As always, however, the raw data images are a better basis for post-processing, especially as they offer a higher color depth and can therefore be used to get even more detail out of critical motifs in lights and shadows.

Bottom line

All in all, the Canon EOS M5 can be described as a well-done mirrorless system camera, with some exceptions in certain areas. It offers a good equipment, which only misses a few points (e.g. a panorama function) as well as a well thought-out user interface, which is partly slowed down by the case ergonomics. In our eyes, the biggest drawback is the unworthy quality of the workmanship. Canon is not famous in this price range for the best processed cameras, the emphasis on technology, image quality and operation is also completely legitimate, but the processing quality of the M5 is very borderline. The camera is again convincing in terms of image quality, scoring particularly well at the lowest sensitivities, but less above ISO 1,600. So the Canon is not an available light monster, but otherwise does not need to hide behind the competition. Canon could and should step on the gas and not rest too much on the relatively inexpensive EF adapter, which is even available as a free addition to the camera, because the advantage of the compactness of a mirrorless system camera is left out. The adapter makes the EOS M5 an ideal second camera for owners of an EOS DSLR.

Canon EOS M5 Datasheet