Canon EOS M Series Cameras

wardy07 said:
If anyone could help me please - I'm keen to get either the 'M' or 'M3' both of which I've seen secondhand but unused with various items included I'd kit lenses, adapt or foe EF lenses, external mic etc.
My main use will be video with some photography to compliment my DSLR set up.
My question is, what would be my best option? I have EF lenses from 10mm up to 600mm, some are zooms.
Any help / advice would be appreciated. The kit lenses are 22mm & 18-55 stm.
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Check out the video I posted, the M is cheap and makes a great video cam
 
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Thank you for pointing this out, I did see you had uploaded the video but didn't look at it until just now. Amazing and I will certainly use some if not all of the ideas.
I decided to go for the M2 package which maybe a mistake as I don't think it supports Magic Lantern but the spec for video shooting seemed so much improved from the original 'M' and I'll be getting a lot of gear for the money so hopefully it will all work out.
I really appreciate the help I've received and look forward to using the set up when it is delivered.
 
wardy07 said:
I decided to go for the M2 package which maybe a mistake as I don't think it supports Magic Lantern but the spec for video shooting seemed so much improved from the original 'M'.
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M2 has better autofocusing but no no magic lantern and is more expensive, i disgree that it's better than the M for video.
 
Oops! Maybe I did make a mistake after all - I can return the kit if it doesn't suit my needs but that's such a hassle.
Can I ask why is it not as good as the 'M' for video? Is it the lack of Magic l;antern options or other reasons?
I appreciate youyr knowledge as you have a rig set up.
 
Lots of useful features as shown here
 
Swissy said:
Lots of useful features as shown here
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Thank you very much, I'll have a look at that and consider my options.
I do want to use the camera for stills as well so maybe the better AF of the M2 will be good for that but I'll see when I have the camera here.
 
I'm sure it's a decent camera mate :)
 
Yeah I think it is - the only weird thing is that it was never released in Europe but the reviews I read rate it pretty high so I'm not too worried really.
 
I have an original M that I don't use any more since getting an M3, so if you want to give it a try you may find it turns up in the classifieds soon...
 
I have actually ordered a M2 which may or may not have been a good idea as video is the main point of my getting it and it doesn't support Magic Lantern which it seems really helps. So, I may be interested in yours if the price is right just to back me up if all goes pear shaped.
I'll look out for your thread if yo do sell it and see where that takes me.
Thanks for the heads up
 
wardy07 said:
Thank you very much, I'll have a look at that and consider my options.
I do want to use the camera for stills as well so maybe the better AF of the M2 will be good for that but I'll see when I have the camera here.
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While the AF on the original M has got a lot of stick over the years it isn't that bad. Originally it was a bit dodgy by the firmware fix made a big difference. I am a big fan of the M and use mine a lot. I bought it quite a while ago (before they went really cheap but when there was cash back) and have been very happy with it. I liked it so much that I bought a second one so I could us one as a dedicated digiscoping camera and leave the 22mm on the other. I then accidentally bought a third one when they were on offer... I have resisted the M3 so far as I fear that I might end up wanting to change them all over!
 
postcardcv said:
While the AF on the original M has got a lot of stick over the years it isn't that bad. Originally it was a bit dodgy by the firmware fix made a big difference. I am a big fan of the M and use mine a lot. I bought it quite a while ago (before they went really cheap but when there was cash back) and have been very happy with it. I liked it so much that I bought a second one so I could us one as a dedicated digiscoping camera and leave the 22mm on the other. I then accidentally bought a third one when they were on offer... I have resisted the M3 so far as I fear that I might end up wanting to change them all over!
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I'm considering getting one to dedicate purely to video (rig set up) Peter, and keeping the M2 for photography pretty much as you described. The bodies seem quite reasonably priced secondhand.
 
Don't get me wrong I think the m is decent video camera but the above is a time lapse not a video!
 
That's awesome :)
 
Swissy said:
That's awesome :)
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Thought you'd like it, maybe it compromises the EOS M small form factor a bit too much though...

Anyway speaking of accessories I recently got myself one of these table top tripods:


I just wanted something cheap and pocket-able, something that I can carry around for the odd landscape that might require a bit more stability. It's really well made and I'm very impressed. Really good quality ball-head too, and plenty strong enough for the M. I'm away this week so hopefully I'll get the opportunity to try it out, although I'm also taking my full size tripod so I'll just use whatever is most appropriate. Anyway, if anyone's looking for a table-top tripod, I looked at the reviews on a fair few different ones before settling on this one and, so far, I'm happy with my decision.
 
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It is awesome...probably a bit over the top though. I really like the rig that Swissy posted the video about, much simpler but really easy to make up and not too expensive either. I think I'd need a degree in meccano to assemble this structure!!
Got my M2 kit here now, just waiting on a couple more accessories before I get the thing moving.
 
Can anyone tell me please, would Magic Lantern make a big difference to video with a Canon 'M'? I bought the 'M2' but would buy an original 'M' as well if it makes a huge difference and use the M2 for stills.
Also, I read that there have been issues with ML but have they been sorted now by using the 'Nightly Builds' download?
All help will be appreciated.
 
wardy07 said:
Can anyone tell me please, would Magic Lantern make a big difference to video with a Canon 'M'? I bought the 'M2' but would buy an original 'M' as well if it makes a huge difference and use the M2 for stills.
Also, I read that there have been issues with ML but have they been sorted now by using the 'Nightly Builds' download?
All help will be appreciated.
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It'll add features such as focus peaking, zebras, better zoom, info etc. I'll add i don't personally use my M + ML for video so i've not tried it extensively, i use it for stills where it's still worth having.
 
I find the focus peaking invaluable, worth having just for that imo.

I have never had any issues using ML on my M or any of my Canon's
 
Swissy said:
I find the focus peaking invaluable, worth having just for that imo.

I have never had any issues using ML on my M or any of my Canon's
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That's a good endorsement so I think I'll get the 'M' I've been offered to run alongside the M2.
Thanks for your help.
 
Sharky said:
It'll add features such as focus peaking, zebras, better zoom, info etc. I'll add i don't personally use my M + ML for video so i've not tried it extensively, i use it for stills where it's still worth having.
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Thanks for your help also, really appreciated.
 
Do you still have to use one specific older version for the M? I seem to recall a 'shutter issue' which meant that the current version was not suitable.
 
Sharky said:
No worries, if i can test something just let me know. Like Giovanni never had any issues running ML either and something i use on both my eos-m and 6D.
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Thank you, I appreciate you saying that.
One thing, have you used any Canon EF lenses using an adaptor with your 'M' camera? I just wondered what the IQ and performance was like especially with longer lenses as the EF-m range is a bit limited.
 
wardy07 said:
Looks good to me - I have the same lens so this is really helpful. Are you using Magic Lantern on your camera?
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Not for those pictures. I have it on a card, but didn't really spend enough time to get around to being proficient.

I forgot: I took some cricket photographs (a local team in which my son plays) with the M, the standard adapter and the 70-200L F4 IS lens. They were superb.

My only real criticism with the camera is that it seems to be tough on batteries.
 
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wakarimasen said:
Not for those pictures. I have it on a card, but didn't really spend enough time to get around to being proficient.

I forgot: I took some cricket photographs (a local team in which my son plays) with the M, the standard adapter and the 70-200L F4 IS lens. They were superb.

My only real criticism with the camera is that it seems to be tough on batteries.
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I've not really had much of an opportunity to use mine yet so all these comments are really helpful. I have got 4 batteries mind you as I heard it can be a bit greedy!.Thank you for your help Roy.
 
wakarimasen said:
Anyone have tips regarding batteries? I know the Canon own-brand version is the more expensive, but do they last longer? Also, does anyone else use the LCD view thingie (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...ue&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_2&smid=A13QADB1CUPV1N)? I really miss not holding the camera up to my eye!
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I've got the viewfinder on my M2 as I'm a bit of a viewfinder freak! I haven't used it much but it's a nice option to have given the low cost and you can remove it so easily if you want to go back to the screen. I mainly got mine for video and it seems to work fine with that so far.
 
wardy07 said:
Thank you, I appreciate you saying that.
One thing, have you used any Canon EF lenses using an adaptor with your 'M' camera? I just wondered what the IQ and performance was like especially with longer lenses as the EF-m range is a bit limited.
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I use my M with EF lenses a lot, mainly with the 40 f2.8 and the 100 f2.8 and works very well with both. I have tried it with a number of other EF lenses and all of the Canon ones have worked very well, the only lens that caused me any issue was a cheapie Sigma.
 
postcardcv said:
I use my M with EF lenses a lot, mainly with the 40 f2.8 and the 100 f2.8 and works very well with both. I have tried it with a number of other EF lenses and all of the Canon ones have worked very well, the only lens that caused me any issue was a cheapie Sigma.
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That's good to know Peter, I'll give them a try when I next get the chance to get out.
 
wardy07 said:
Thank you, I appreciate you saying that.
One thing, have you used any Canon EF lenses using an adaptor with your 'M' camera? I just wondered what the IQ and performance was like especially with longer lenses as the EF-m range is a bit limited.
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Yep, i use the Canon version of the adaptor and no issues apart from the more sluggish autofocus but it's more than acceptable to me. Tried all mine up to a 400mm prime, no image quality issues :)
 
Sharky said:
Yep, i use the Canon version of the adaptor and no issues apart from the more sluggish autofocus but it's more than acceptable to me. Tried all mine up to a 400mm prime, no image quality issues :)
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Cheers, lots of positive comments which is good news!;)
 
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