EOS-M5 & L Series lenses, plus more.....

[TheRogue]

Hello from the UK

I’ve been a lifelong user of Canon cameras. From the original 35mm EOS cameras and all the way through the transition to digital. It would take an age to list what I have owned and used over 30 odd years. So I will refrain from doing that.

The point of my post and indeed joining the forum. I am looking seriously at the EOS M5, not least because of it being able to use the EF lens range.

My questions are, will the (EF) lenses lose any functionality in being attached to the M5?  AND not least, is the camera capable of utilising the exceptional quality of the L lenses? Obviously the sensor in the M5 is smaller. I’m just toying with with that camera and L lenses. Or wether to stick with the M series lenses and wondered if anyone (more knowledgable than me) had any thoughts?

Thanks guys.
Steve aka The Rogue.

[Waddizzle]

"My questions are, will the (EF) lenses lose any functionality in being attached to the M5?  AND not least, is the camera capable of utilising the exceptional quality of the L lenses? Obviously the sensor in the M5 is smaller. I’m just toying with with that camera and L lenses. Or wether to stick with the M series lenses and wondered if anyone (more knowledgable than me) had any thoughts?"

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1.  You should not lose any functionality attaching Canon EF/EF-S lenses to the M5 by using Canon's adapter.

2.  The "L" Series of lenses are all EF lenses, which means that they should work.  Be aware that with the M5 you may lose some of the AF functionality of super telephoto lenses when you use extenders.

3.  The image sensor in the M5 is an APS-C sensor, similar to the 80D.

While the M Series of cameras can work with EF/EF-S lenses, the cameras have a MUCH smaller battery to go along with the compact body.  My M3 is rated for 100-150 shots with an M Series lens.  No doubt an L Series lens would afford considerably fewer shots.

I immediately discoverd that the M3 has focus peaking LCD display.  Almost from the start I have used my M3 primarily with manual focus WA lenses, which do not drain the battery, at all.  My favorite is a Rokinon 14mm. 

With my son, we have also discovered that the M Series is PERFECT for macro photography because of the small body and tilting display.  My son is a master chef, and frequently takes pictures of plates of food.  With a 24MP sensor and DIGIC 6 CPU, the M3 captures very detailed images with the EF 100 f/2.8L USM Macro lens.

The M5 is supposed to be an improvement over the M3. 

[TTMartin]

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@TheRogue wrote:

This is useful information. I do tend to go for the latest lenses available at the time. So I guess this covers that.

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I encourage you to give the EF-M lenses a try. You may fall in love with their lighter weight and size. Remember the best camera (and lens) is the one you have with you. 

That doesn't preclude you from buying and using L lenses for when you are going out specifically to do photography. But, you may find yourself carrying your camera and EF-M kit more often with the smaller and lighter lenses. 

[ebiggs1]

"Besides, even the widest "L" lenses aren't very wide on an APS-C camera."

Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L USM Lens, not wide enough for you?

[jrhoffman75]

Wide, but it's a fisheye lens.

[TCampbell]

Probably the most significant feature of the lens adapter is the spacing adjustment.  All lenses are disigned with a specific back-focus distance (the distance from the back of the lens (really the rear-most element) to the focal plane.

Canon EF and EF-S lenses have a back-focus distance optimized for their camera bodies.  Those bodies have a 44mm distance from the mounting flange on the front of the camera body to the sensor plane inside the camera.  

Canon EF-M lenses are optimized for the much shorter 18mm distance from the mounting point on an EOS-M body to the image sensor inside that camera body.  

If you merely adapted the mounting hardware but didn't adjust the spacing then the focusing commands wouldn't work as expected and it would be more difficult to achieve decent focus.    It's basically the opposite of putting on extension tubes on a lens (which naturally make closest focus point nearer to the camera lens and slightly enlarge the image) in that you'd end up with your entire focus range being shifted much farther away.

The adapter alters the spacing by allowing the lens to mount 26mm farther away so that any EF or EF-S lens is now at the intended 44mm distance.  Of course it also passes through the electronic connections so the camera can talk to the lens and it adapts the mounting ring.

So the bottom line is yes, it works, and you give up nothing (except the compact size).

[TheRogue]

This is true. I was going to buy a kit to start and then a couple of specialist L lenses, such as the 85mm f1.2. So the future is looking rosey!

[ebiggs1]

" I am looking seriously at the EOS M5,..."

I think the M5 is a bad idea uless you do just want to use the lenses designed for it.  It is just a fancy-dancy P&S.  There are so many better choices available.  Just my .02 cents but worth every penny.

[Waddizzle]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

" I am looking seriously at the EOS M5,..."

I think the M5 is a bad idea uless you do just want to use the lenses designed for it.  It is just a fancy-dancy P&S.  There are so many better choices available.  Just my .02 cents but worth every penny.

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I wouldn't go as far to say that the M5 is a bad idea as a whole.  But, buying the M5 to use primarily with L Series lenses probably is a bad idea.   An 80D would be a much better choice, at that price point.

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I had bought the M3 because I wanted a smaller camera body, which could capture great images.  I went for the M Series over the G Series primarily because of the interchangeable lenses.  The M Series also seemed far more serviceable than the G Series cameras, too.  I can clean the sensor, if need be. 

My M3 is more of a niche camera, than an all-purpose workhorse.  I have never tried to use something the size of an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L with the M3, because the body is really just too small.  You would have to support 100% of the weight of the lens, by holding the lens, probably by the tripod foot. Now, you're focusing off the LCD screen, if you're not using a viewfinder. 

I think the weight balance would probably be bad, too, with the small body.  Besides, the battery is too small for a full shoot with such a big lens, anyway.

[TheRogue]

Hmmmm interessting! "Fancy-dancy P&S". What is P&S? Excuse the ignorance!

[Waddizzle]

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@TheRogue wrote:

Hmmmm interessting! "Fancy-dancy P&S". What is P&S? Excuse the ignorance!

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point and shoot.  expensive disposable cameras, if you ask me.