The Demise of the EF-M and EOS M series?

[Tronhard]

Well, Canon rumors and some other websites are rife with suggestions that next year Canon will announce the discontinuation of the M series development and will sell off its remaining EF-M stock.  One final release may be the M7, a flagship 34MP body with DPAF, IBIS and a bunch of other features.  The suggestion is that this has been in development for some time and Canon will release it as it has gone too far to scrap.

As one who has an M and 2xM5's, plus almost all of the EF-M lenses, I view this possiblity with mixed feelings.  I agree that Canon needed to pare down on its range of lens mounts and with the limited number of EF-M lenses out there I can understand that this was the easiest one to dispense with.  Especially given the suggestions that Canon will be releasing other RF compatible bodies aimed at the lower end of the market.  What I have seen already is disappointment from vloggers and people who have wanted to travel light with small ILC bodies and lenses - into which category I belong.

The fact that the M7 is being released would suggest that this was a relatively recent move.  So, it will be interesting to see if 3rd party lens manufacturers have been aware of this for some time, in which case they may not have anything for the EF-M in the pipeline, or if this has come too later in their lens development cycle and they will continue to release some (hopefully) nice glass. 

At present I have no skin in the RF game, so I will ponder when things become clearer as to whether I shall get the last M7 or just move on to the R6, for example.

[Waddizzle]

The M Series bodies are excellent cameras.  I carry my M3 with the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM everywhere.  I would hate to see it the camera line fade away, too.  I would hope that they would prefer to sell the camera line, than to just simply discontinue it on short notice.

But, the camera market has dramatically changed since the M Series was introduced.  Whatever niche Canon was looking at for it may have gone away.  Given the choice between a Powershot and a M Series, I would definitely go M Series again.

[wq9nsc]

The M series does seem like it perfectly fits the need for a very compact fairly high performance camera system but maybe the market is just too small given that so many people are satisfied with their phones. I have a new iPhone and the camera continues to improve but for those used to the responsiveness and control interface of a "real" camera it is still frustrating in many situations. 

I have been thinking about picking up one of the M bodies and a couple of lenses to use when I want a very small and light camera and don't need the greater performance of my 1DX or 5DS series bodies and glass.  I am still on the fence waiting to see what Canon is doing with the system however even if they are discontinued it will still do what I need and I don't buy camera bodies based upon potential resale value.

Rodger

[Tronhard]

If the M5 was equivalent to the 80D, to gauge by the numbering one might infer that the M7 was equivalent to what a 7DIII would have been.  At a rumored 34MP might have also have been seen as a 90D with upgrades.

As a mirrorless platform the M series was, for me, riddled with confusion with regards to its numbering.  Instead of the usual numbers denoting the status of the body, as for the xxD for consumer, xxD for enthusiasts,  1D, 5D, 6D etc. for professionals, I found no coherent structure and I think that did not do the series any favours. Numbering seemed to be to be totally random. Furthermore the fact that only two bodies had an integrated EV, seemed to indicate that this series was for the new generation of photographer/bloggers/travellers who learned their skills on cell phones.  That perception was reinforced by the fact that no EF-M lens was produced with a focal length greater than 200mm.

While I admit the series could utilize EF lenses with an adaptor, that added huge bulk and tipped the balance way forward of the body, so that limited my interest in using this with large, high-end glass.   The M5, if it was intended as the flaghip body, was lessened by the tilt, flip LCD, whereas the (to me) more video-centric M50 body had a full-artiulating screen but lost the EV dial on the top.  I just hope an M7 has the same screen and all the controls of the M5...

Yet, in the end, despite it all, I liked the format because of its compact size and lightness - great for travel, hiking or when you just don't want to be noticed.  Despite their limitations, I am OK with the lenses that were produced, particulalry the primes.

[ebiggs1]

I guess I am the odd one out.  I never saw the M line up as a winner. I thought from the start it would be a short lived experiment. A stop gap between DSLR and mirrorless because others had mirrorless but Canon didn't. IMHO, it was/is a dead end before it even began.

Not that it makes any difference but in my circle of friends none have an M series. Only ones I know of are here!

[Waddizzle]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

I guess I am the odd one out.  I never saw the M line up as a winner. I thought from the start it would be a short lived experiment. A stop gap between DSLR and mirrorless because others had mirrorless but Canon didn't. IMHO, it was/is a dead end before it even began.

Not that it makes any difference but in my circle of friends none have an M series. Only ones I know of are here!

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My M3 is not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes.  Once I bought the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM lens, I have never taken it off.  It is a pancake lens.  Camera and lens combo can fit inside of any almost any pocket capable of holding a smart phone.  

It is great to have when I do not want to look like Joe "the pro" Photographer.  It is small and quiet.

[ebiggs1]

Don't disagree but so is a Powershot! That's all it really is, a glorified Powershot.  I love my Powershot cameras perhaps if I didn't have three I might have bought an M camera.

[Tronhard]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

Don't disagree but so is a Powershot! That's all it really is, a glorified Powershot.  I love my Powershot cameras perhaps if I didn't have three I might have bought an M camera.

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Oh dear...  I have four PowerShots - G1x, G1xMkIII, and two G5x and four EOS M's - one M and three M5's!

And I love them ALL!

[Tronhard]

So now the Canon Rumors website is rife with suggestions of an EOS M5MkII, an EOS M7 and a bunch of EF-M lenses, including an improved 15-45, some primes,a new macro lens and a 100-300!

Considering my investment in this platform, I will await confirmation, but the 100--300 would be interesting...

[Waddizzle]

I think the rumors for 32MP M50 Mark II sound very interesting.  My only dislike with the M3 is the lack of an EVF.  I have the EVF adapter, but it is a serious drain on the battery, and it is little too easy to get dislodged from the body.