M5 Review

Executive Summary – I returned the camera due to the occasional shutter not responding, occasional underexposure, on off button location, camera strap hooks digging into my finger, accidentally hitting the video record button multiple times says this is a design issue and not a user error, LCD not flip upable, Continuous High shooting is only available for 2 seconds. After 2 seconds the buffer fills up and you’re back to 1 FPS. Image quality no better than my M3. Price of $979 was also a factor. I also found I don’t like shooting with an EVF or OVF anymore. After years of shooting with my iPhone, an LCD to compose and preview seems natural. The shutter not responding and occasional underexposure I’m sure will be fixed with a firmware upgrade at some point, but other issues are hardware related. If you like using an EVF and want a compact camera that has fast AF and shot to shot times then this is a great camera, just not the one for me. I’ll stick with my M3 for now.

This is mirrorless vs DSLR issue, but since my M3 and two lenses is so light, I can carry a tripod to shoots I wouldn’t normally take one and then I can get nice long exposures shooting at ISO 100 and F/8. I get shots that I would never see since taking a large dslr and tripod just wasn’t feasible.

A great size for enlargement is 12×18, only $4.00 at costco.

I rarely shoot on continuous high or low, less than 5% of my pix, but on the two occasions that I did, I can see how one spec is really necessary to list. 7 or 9 FPS is great, but you can only do this for 2 seconds before the buffer fills up, then it slow down to about 1 FPS unless you wait while the buffer clears and finishes writing everything to the 80 MB/s SD card. Maybe the 300 MB/s cards perform better, but if you want to shoot CH for 3-10 seconds with the shutter button held down, I’d recommend a different camera. I even shot it with manual focus and it still was super slow. The Live View stops updating too after 2 seconds. Since I always opt to shoot with the LCD I would like it to update, maybe at a lower resolution or ?

Coming from a film background, the FPS was achieved until we ran out of film, 36 shots. If you assume you can shoot at the stated FPS of DSLRs until you run out of space on your card, that’s not accurate. It’s until you run out of space in your buffer, the memory in your camera that is temporary storage while the camera writes to the SD card. The camera will then slow down to about 1 FPS. Super slow if you’re shooting action. Solution ? None really. Take your finger off the shutter and wait for the buffer to clear then start shooting again. Try a 300 MB/s card too. I only have 80 MB/s cards.

Looks and feels like a miniature DSLR
Continuous drive is really fast
Menus are slightly different than the M3.
For another $120 I’d just get the 15-45 kit lens. I’m using it with the older 18-55 lens and a shorter lens would be preferable for traveling since I shove the camera into my camera bag and take it out constantly.
For traveling, especially when I take an airplane to my destination, after using the M3 and M5 I don’t see taking my 6D or GH4 or D810 when I travel in the future. I just don’t need the 4K of the GH4 or the FF resolution and dynamic range of the 6D or D810 to make it worth carrying all that extra weight with me. When I travel by car it’s a different story depending on how far I have to hike from the car of course. I love all the DSLRs I have owned but now that there is a lighter alternative available without losing much in IQ I find myself using them less and less when I go shooting.
EVF, I almost never used this. I’m so used to shooting with my M3 and iPhone that I don’t really have the need to use a VF anymore! Especially with my 50+ year old eyesight, it’s easier to shoot with my glasses on and use the LCD
I’m considering going back to my M3!

Neutral or unrelated to M5 specifically
I shot jpeg and raw something I almost never do, but had to since Preview and CS6 have not been updated to read the M5 cr2 files yet.
Lack of weather sealing? Not really an issue for me. It’s currently raining here on Jeju Island and I either cover the lens with my hand, use an umbrella, or don’t shoot. If it’s a windy and driving rain, I would not be shooting anyways. Dusty? Like Antelope Canyon? It wasn’t a problem dust getting inside my camera, but don’t change lenses!
The 22mm is a great lens, no worrying about zooming. It’s light and small. No IS though. Lack of IS isn’t a problem with this lens, the problem is the menu UI could be improved here since when switching from an IS lens to the non IS 22mm, the menu item will just disappear instead of being greyed out. Not intuitive at all and something that should be fixed in a firmware upgrade. Why? I was looking all over for the IS option wondering where it was and how IS got turned off but it turned out that I switched to the 22mm which doesn’t have IS but the UI needs to be improved here.

Pros:

The touch screen to move the AF point is really handy. I just told her to touch my face on the screen to focus and it was done. Explaining pressing the shutter half way down then recomposing just isn’t always successful.

Cons:

I’ve shot with it a few days and I haven’t read the manual so some of these issues may be explained there.

Buffer fills up too fast.
Underexposed on several occasions when light was even
The screen doesn’t tilt up, but then with the eye piece sticking out it would have a tough time getting around it.
When attaching the 22mm, the IS selection should still be in menu blah and item blah, but just greyed out, and an n/a note attached. I ran into this multiple times wondering why IS was off yet I know I left it on. I then dig into the menus and can’t find it. Really frustrating after switching lenses to the 22mm.
The camera strap fittings stick out too much for me. I wish I could remove them. A common problem on almost all cameras for me though since I never use a strap.
Screen stays on, couldn’t turn it off or make it time out sooner. I can’t figure out how to turn off the LCD screen except to put my finger by the EVF sensor
Got an error message or note about screen being off and would turn back on with activity, but after pressing the shutter several times it didn’t come back on. I turned it off and on and then it worked fine. The screen has blacked out on me another time, not sure why.
I got it in a state where the shutter button wouldn’t take the shot. Turned off and on and it resolved it. I think it wouldn’t focus on something but there was plenty of light and contrast. The shots I thought I took didn’t appear on my flash card. I’ll pay more attention next time it happens, but I’m not a paid beta tester for Canon!
I’ve turned on video recording when I didn’t want to at least a few times. Never happened with my M3. Not sure, will pay more attention next time, but I am guessing it has to do with button placement.
Auto ISO is almost useless. I want the ISO to increase to keep my picture sharp, but it stays below 1/125. This should be configurable with a minimum shutter speed setting.
I like the M3 power switch better since I can turn on and off with my right index finger and hold and operate the camera with my right hand only. This is something I do often. I put the camera in my right jacket pocket with a 22mm on and walk around with it and shoot. I can’t do this with my M5
AF and exposure and a run and gun situation failed me. I don’t usually shoot in a wedding type situation but did at the airport when a Kpop star arrived and there were dozens of other people going crazy. I had just gotten off the plane and was half asleep, grabbed my M5 and just held the shutter button down while chasing this guy. The auto ISO failure along with ??? resulted in me getting X winners out of N shots. Really unacceptable and disappointing since this situation is exactly when I would grab the M5 over the M3.
I don’t like using EVFs since they feel like a big step down in true color and resolution compared to an OVF, but more importantly I have gotten used to using an LCD to compose and shoot and review having used my M3 for almost 2 years and an iPhone for over 5 years now.
Some other commenters have mentioned not being able to turn off IS. You can turn off IS. Click Menu > Camera menu > 4th tab > IS Settings. If you can’t turn off IS here, then you have the 22mm attached unless there is another EF-M lens without IS. Not sure how this menu behaves when the EF->EF-M adaptor is installed.
My initial impression is that travel I’d rather use my M3! It’s only been 5 days though, so let’s see how I feel after 10 more days of vacation.
9th day. I generally like my M3 better, but knew I would shoot an action sequence. When shooting on High speed continuous, the buffer fills up, the screen doesn’t update, and the shutter won’t take another picture until the buffer clears. So even though the specs say blah blah frames per second, you can only do this for blah blah second or blah shots. When shooting a short sequence like this, I expect my camera to get every shot in focus and expose them properly. This didn’t happen.
I don’t like the viewfinder. I wish I could remove it since it makes the camera bigger.
The Dial Function, haven’t really tested it yet to have an informed opinion
AEB doesn’t work the way I would like. I’d like more than 3 shots.
Shutter sounds louder at all speeds compared to the M3
The shutter delay that dpreview talks about on blah blah happened to me after 500?? or so shots. It was very noticeable and happened for 5 shots or so, I took video of it that you can see here. I turned the camera off and back on and it fixed it
Shooting in the rain, if a small drop of water gets on the LCD sensor, then the LCD turns off in favor of the EVF. This is a pain. I need to figure out how to turn off the LCD permanently.
Auto ISO doesn’t work as I would have designed it or as I would like either. I’d like to be able to shoot with a minimum shutter speed and at F/8 and then have the ISO adjust to accommodate both.
So this is my 10th day shooting with the M5. I like it, but the only thing it has is faster AF and Continuous Drive compared to my M3. I don’t like the way the screen articulates as much as the M3. I don’t like the EVF size getting in the way and turning on in favor of the LCD due to something getting near the sensor, or a rain drop on it. I don’t like the power button as much. I also think it has some bugs with underexposure, shutter delay, not as fast continuous drive as some would think from reading the specs, LCD blackout (could just display in lower res? that would work for me so I can still compose) I will probably go back to shooting my M3.
I’m using the LCD monitor to compose and view a shot 100% of the time, never use the EVF. What for? Bright sunlight? Action shots?
The LCD will cut out when shooting waste level and the sensor gets too close to the body. This is irritating. Rain water. Just a small drop on the sensor will make the LCD cut out. I’d like to disable the evf and sensor altogether.
Underexposed some flash shots, didn’t have it set to Slow Sychro, user error, but maybe this should be the default setting from the factory?

Who is the M5 for?

iPhone shooter:

If you are contemplating your first camera upgrading from using an iPhone or Samsung phone then I’d recommend the M3 especially if you are on a budget. Buy the kit lens, 11-22, and 55-200 and you’ll be all set. If you want much faster shot to shot times and AF speed for shooting sports etc, then consider the M5, but it costs twice as much for the body.

DSLR shooter:

If you have a DSLR and want something with similar performance but in a much lighter and smaller body the M5 is a great choice. After using the M5, only a select few would still shoot their APS-C DSLRs over the M5, most likely sports shooters using a 7Dii or D500. All other, the feature set gap has narrowed so much and the benefits of less weight and bulk

This is a great travel and every day camera. Only someone wanting a large res FF sensor or super fast AF and shot to shot times or 4K video will need another camera.

However

With the current bugs that I’ve run into, I’d wait until a firmware update comes out and these issues are resolved before buying. If you want a camera in the mean time for travel and everyday photography, than the M3 will work fine unless you need really fast AF, shot to shot times, and a large buffer.

I’ve shot with an M3 and M5 every day for the last 2 weeks under varying conditions from 17F-47F, raining, snowing, sunny, windy, calm.

I’m going back to my M3 especially for traveling.

Why?

I don’t like using an EVF. I’ve gotten used to an LCD screen to compose and review my shots using my iPhone for 6 years and a M3 for the last 2 years.

I had various problems with the M5. Over exposure. Intermittent delay in shutter release. Shot to shot times were faster than my M3, but not as fast as advertised. One time it was much slower for no particular reason. Almost as if the buffer filled up after 2 shots. I don’t like the camera strap mounts since they stick out too far and actually dig into my right index finger. AF wasn’t as good as I hoped. Set to Continuous high and ?? AF, holding the button down only produced N usable in focus shots. Disappointing. Ultimately, I found no real advantage over my M3 yet it costs three times as much.

The M3 has a power button I work with my right index finger so I can shoot one handed. No bugs. Everything works. Only complaint is AF and shot to shot times are not as fast as I’d like and basically unusable for action shots, but I really don’t take action shots. The M3 is lighter. The shutter is quieter. I like the LCD screen better. I like the camera strap mounts better since they don’t dig into my hand or finger. This is the best camera to walk around and take pix with. Attach the 22mm and I put it in my jacket pocket and walk around taking pix.

I just shot the protest here in Seoul and for video, it’s easier to use a go pro with a handle attached in my left hand and the M3 in the right hand.

Summary. For travel I’d currently choose a m3. 15-45 or 18-55 and 11-22 and a 22

The telephoto is the least used lens when traveling so u can skip it. I didn’t really miss my macro on this trip either. I’d keep the 18-55 on one body and the 11-22 on the other. Once in awhile I’d put the 22 on so I could walk around without a bag and just put the camera in my jacket pocket.

The m5 fast shooting didn’t work as expected. I didn’t need the evf. Even if the fast shooting did work I really don’t need it when traveling so the m3 is still my go to camera. Even if a firmware upgrade appears that fixes the over exposure, intermittent shutter delay after button is pushed, shot to shot times I will most likely still use my M3 for travel and most other photography except for sports and action.

“So I would ask M3 users, what might be flaws or show stoppers compared to my original M”

M v M3: I only owned an M for a short while but think the M3 is better in all respects. I’ve shot with the M3 since it was released in April 2015. I paid $500 for it, and now it’s $300 refurbished directly from Canon. This is a great deal. I shoot landscapes, portraits, but mostly travel. The only thing I wanted in the update was faster AF and continuous drive equaling fast shot to shot times. Fast to me is 5 FPS or faster for 20-30 frames auto focusing while auto exposing perfectly like a landscape with uniform light. A remote release socket and headphone jack would be nice to have, but not a big deal.

M3 v M5: I like the M3 better. I’ve shot 2000 images, 85gb, and 20 videos with the M5 since it was released over the last 2 weeks. The M5 has several firmware problems and design issues including: 1) Got it in a state where shutter release would not work. Had to turn on and off to fix it. 2) I accidentally hit the video record button 9 times, so almost daily when shooting all day. 3) The power switch can’t be turned on and off with the right hand while holding the camera. I like this feature of the M3 being able to shoot one handed. 4) I don’t like the camera strap mounts since they stick out too far and dig into my right index finger when shooting. 5) The LCD will cut out when shooting waist level and the sensor gets too close to the body. Just a small drop of rain water on the sensor will make the LCD cut out. This is irritating. I’d like to disable the evf and sensor altogether. 5) AF and AE failed me in a hold the shutter button down and follow the subject situation the 5 times I used it. It didn’t shoot fast enough after just 8-9 frames, LCD couldn’t keep up, and exposure didn’t change from going to bright sun into the shadows. 6) The shutter delay that dpreview talks about in their review happened to me 4-5 times in 14 days. It was very noticeable and happened for 5 shots or so before I realize what was happening and turned the camera on and off. Not sure why this happens since I was in bright sunlight and wasn’t doing anything stressful. The shutter delay is definitely reproducible, but not daily. It seems to be fixed by power cycling the camera though. I didn’t have to take the battery out. This is irritating.

Summation. There are no showstoppers to prevent me from getting an M3. I shoot with two and they have never failed me. I don’t shoot action sequences with it and use only Canon EF-M lenses. At $300 refurbished this is the best deal around for a travel camera. The M3 and the 22mm make a great walk around camera. The 11-22 and 18-55 are also great lenses. I use the 55-200 but for only 10-20% of my shots.

The M5 has several issues that need to be fixed with a firmware upgrade, but others that are more hardware and design UI related that you might not like

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