Canon entered the mirrorless camera market late and their first offering, the EOS M (Canon EOS M intro), never took off. One of the reasons for the lack of interest was a problem with slow auto focus. That was resolved later with a firmware update, but it was too little, too late. Recent price drops indicated Canon might have a replacement on the way. And sure enough, earlier this week Canon Japan announced a new mirrorless camera. The Canon EOS M2 has improved auto focus, built-in Wi-Fi, and the body is a bit smaller than the original EOS M.

Canon EOS M2 Key Features & Specs:

• 18.0-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
• DIGIC 5 processing
• Hybrid CMOS AF II system
• Sensitivity: ISO 100-12,800, expandable to ISO 25,600
• 4.6 FPS high-speed burst
• 3-inch touchscreen LCD display
• 1080p full HD video
• Movie Servo AF continuous subject tracking

The auto focus system in the Canon EOS M2 is the same Hybrid CMOS AF II introduced in Canon’s EOS Rebel SL1 / 100D digital SLR (Canon EOS Rebel SL1 intro), earlier this year. Until the EOS 70D (Canon EOS 70D video intro), the EOS SL1 had the most advanced live view / video auto focus in Canon’s interchangeable lens camera lineup. The 18-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor has embedded phase detect pixels across 80% of the height and width of the surface, resulting in smoother, quicker, more accurate auto focus. The Japanese EOS M2 product page has a video comparing the auto focus of the M2 to the original M and it looks like a significant improvement. For those of you who want to see it, I found the same video on a Russian YouTube account. Warning – all text is in Japanese:

The other big change on the EOS M2 is the built-in Wi-Fi. From here on out, I think almost all cameras will include built-in Wi-Fi. It’s a no-brainer feature, once a manufacturer has the technology sorted out – especially for consumer-level cameras like the EOS M2. Everyone is used to using their Smart Phones to take pictures and sharing immediately – no one wants to wait. Built-in Wi-Fi allows you to wirelessly transfer photos and videos from your camera to your Smart Phone or tablet. Then you can process them and share them via social media apps like Facebook and Instagram. You can also use your phone or tablet as a wireless remote control. It really is a great feature. I’ve been using it with the Canon EOS 70D and other cameras for a while now and I don’t want to be without it anymore.

No pricing has been announced yet and there’s no word about the EOS M2 being introduced outside of Japan. In fact, there are actually rumors that Canon doesn’t intend to bring it to North America at all. I find that doubtful, though – unless Canon has another EOS M model up their sleeve. What’s most likely is that Canon will introduce the EOS M2 in North America next month at the annual CES tradeshow in Las Vegas. We’ll just have to wait and see.

As for pricing, the EOS M originally listed for US $799 with the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM pancake lens. The general consensus was that price was pretty high, so hopefully Canon will introduce the EOS M2 at a lower price point. It will be available later this month in Japan in either black or white. It will be sold body-only and in three different kits: with the standard EF-M 18-55 IS STM zoom lens; a double lens kit with the EF-M 18-55 IS STM and EF-M 22mm F2 STM lenses along with the EF-EOS M adapter for Canon EF SLR lenses; and a three lens kit that includes all three EF-M lenses: the 18-55 IS STM, 22mm F2 STM, the 11-22mm F4-5.6 IS STM, and the EF-EOS M adapter.

Sources: Canon Japan & DCWatch

Related Content:
All Canon User Reviews
All Digital Camera User Reviews
Canon Cameras Forum
Compact System Cameras Forum
More Compact System Camera News & Articles
Canon News, Reviews & Articles
Canon Web Site