Canon EOS M5
Announced September 15, 2016
PixelMeter The PixelMeter is our 1–100 aggregate of reviewer scores from trusted publications and creators. Weighted by source tier — not a raw average, and not PetaPixel’s own review.
Reviewer Consensus
Good
The Canon EOS M5 is a capable mirrorless camera that integrates a 24MP sensor and responsive Dual Pixel autofocus into a compact, enthusiast-friendly body. While it offers excellent ergonomics and a high-quality electronic viewfinder, it lacks 4K video recording and faces stiff competition at its current price point.
Weighted from 32 reviewer scores
Pros
- Highly effective Dual Pixel autofocus system
- Excellent physical control layout and ergonomic design
- Responsive, high-resolution touchscreen interface
- Quality electronic viewfinder and tilting display
- Versatile lens compatibility via EF adapter
Cons
- Absence of 4K video recording
- Poorly positioned video record button and screen flip mechanism
- Limited and slow-growing native lens selection
- Lack of a dedicated headphone jack for audio monitoring
- High price relative to competing models
- Launch price $979.99 (USD)
- Sensor 24.2MP APS-C CMOS
- Video 1080p 60p
- Burst 9 fps mechanical
What the Reviewers Say
All 32 expert reviews, weighted into the PixelMeter score.
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- DPReview 82/100
The EOS M5 has plenty going for it. Shooting smooth, properly focused video is incredibly easy, and the new 24MP sensor has made great strides in overall image quality.
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The Canon EOS M5 offers image quality comparable to many other APS-C cameras, and the body itself offers a lot of physical controls plus (for the first time in the EOS M series) a built-in electronic viewfinder.
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Canon's EOS M5 is a mid-range mirrorless camera featuring a 24 Megapixel APSC sensor, Dual Pixel CMOS AF for smooth and confident refocusing with native or adapted EF lenses, a built-in OLED viewfinder and a tilting 3.2in touchscreen which can angle forwards to face the subject.
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With the EOS M5, Canon has finally made the kind of mirrorless model that its users have been asking for.
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Reviewing one of the feature-filled EOS cameras currently hitting the streets is a daunting, time-consuming effort.
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A bit of that might still be true here, but it is much easier to give the Canon EOS M5 an unqualified thumb’s up.
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It’s not without faults, but it’s a very useable, very fun camera.
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I think the big thing for me out of all of this now is that you've got a big player like Canon who's now made a mirrorless camera, took him a while but they made a mirrorless camera that really competes with a lot of the Sony bodies.
- The Verge 7.3/10
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- WIRED 7/10
That's not to say the M5 is perfect—I have several reservations about this camera—but it certainly shows Canon moving in the right direction, and it demonstrates that the DSLR giant can make a very capable higher-end mirrorless camera.
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If you can look past the plastic build quality, and plastic construction of the lenses available for the camera, then you have a neat and compact system. However, there is a premium price on this camera, which makes the alternatives feel like better value for money.
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The Canon EOS M5 feels like the first time the company has really taken compact system cameras seriously.
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I'm very happy with how this camera handled. I like the fact that this was the first time I ever shot anything with this camera and I was able to come back with great keeper shots.
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The Canon EOS M5 is a great camera for enthusiasts who want to take advantage of the benefits of mirrorless technology.
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The EOS M5 really opens up the SLR-versus-mirrorless debate. Many people like electronic viewfinders because they show the image exactly as the camera will capture it, but others prefer the visual clarity of an optical viewfinder.
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The Canon EOS M5 is the best mirrorless camera that Canon has made to date, but it lacks some features you can get elsewhere at this price point.
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The 24MP APS-C sensor delivers images with bags of detail, while the polished handling, including a well thought-out control layout that's brilliantly integrated with the touchscreen interface, makes it a nice camera to shoot with.
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There's a lot to like in the Canon EOS M5. It combines the controllability of a DSLR with the smaller size and weight of a mirrorless camera.
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It might have taken a while, but finally now we have a Canon mirrorless worth owning.
- Digital Trends 7/10
With the EOS M5, Canon has shown us that it is at least willing to take a stab at the enthusiast mirrorless market, and we couldn’t be happier about that decision.
- Photo Review 88/100
On the whole the EOS M5 is a nice little addition to the mirrorless camera market, although so far Canon has only produced seven EF-M lenses, three of which have plastic mounts (typical of cheap lenses).
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The M5 is a step forward for Canon's EOS M range, but it's nothing for the competition to worry about.
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The Canon EOS M5 has plenty of weaknesses. It lacks 4K, which makes it a no-go for anyone who’s serious about video, and that’s a big disappointment considering how well appointed its other video features are.
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No big surprises here: the EOS M5 is capable of producing some very nice pictures. It does use the same sensor and processor combination as the much-loved 80D, after all.
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The M5 isn't a perfect camera, but its blemishes are small and mostly ignorable. I'm using mine like a small DSLR.
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The Canon EOS M5 is a handy, handsome, fun and competent little camera; just don't expect it to work as quickly as a DSLR or a Sony mirrorless camera.
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Canon's Canon EOS M5 is nice, small, and light, but with all the features that you want from a DSLR. I liked it a lot but wasn't fully satisfied and felt it could be more.
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Canon EOS M5 is a good package camera all around. Getting a preview image that is about to be taken is excellent.
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The EOS M5 is certainly Canon's best mirrorless camera to date. But that's not saying much, so we'll go one further and say it's one of the better mirrorless cameras we've used of any manufacturer.
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So yeah, pretty, pretty damn stoked about this.
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Far as new camera users thinking about getting into the mirrorless game or thinking about getting their first camera, but they want something with a little bit of quality that's small, take a look at this Canon EOS M5.
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All in all, this is a really great camera; you get amazing quality and a very compact small form.
