Canon Releases EOS M100 Mirrorless Digital Camera

2017.08.30

Yesterday Canon unveiled a new mirrorless digital camera aimed at beginners where adoption of mirrorless has been growing the fastest. The new Canon EOS M100 is a highly compact APS-C (1.6X Crop) camera with a Canon EF-M mount and a 24 megapixels Dual-Pixel CMOS sensor, like on all-but-one member of the EOS M family.

The 24 megapixels Canon EOS M100 is capable for shooting continuous at 6.1 FPS and recording Full HD videos at 60 FPS. The sensor has a standard ISO 100-25600 sensitivity range and the EOS M100 mechanical-shutter offers 1/4000-30s shutter-speeds. While this camera has a Dual-Pixel CMOS sensor which can use Phase-Detect at every pixel, the autofocus system is presented as a 49-area system for convenience.

The body of EOS M100 has been trimmed down and simplified compared to previous members of the EOS M family. There is a single control-dial around the shutter-release but no Mode-Dial and no Hot-Shoe, elements which have been on nearly every APS-C (Nikon 1 cameras often had no Mode-Dial either) mirrorless digital camera to date. These omissions clearly chosen to make the camera smaller and satisfy beginners who are looking the the smallest size with high image-quality. A Hot-Shoe would invited added bulk and a Mode-Dial is probably seldom used anyway. Manual controls are still available though, including Bulb mode.

Another important concern for beginners is video. Most crucially, the Dual-Pixel CMOS sensor is capable of smoothly transitioning focus during filming. This technology unique to Canon can truly make a positive difference for videos shot by amateurs who generally rely on autofocus. While 4K is the current buzzword, the Canon EOS M100 captures 1080p which is easier to work with and produces smaller files, demanding less strain from computers processing it.

To appeal to general consumers, the EOS M100 is equipped with all the latest social and connectivity features. It has a tilting touchscreen LCD which can rotate until it faces the front for selfies, plus WiFi, Bluetooth and NFC to make sharing those selfies quick and efficient.

The new Canon EOS M100 is scheduled to ship this October for a suggested price of $599 USD or CAD when paired with the EF-M 15-45mm F/3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens. B&H Photo and Adorama are already ready to accept pre-orders at these links. Check our Canon EOS M100 page for more options when they become available.

• Digital Camera