Canon officially announces the EOS M2 in Japan (with samples)

 

 

It's previously been rumored, and now it's official: Canon has announced the EOS M2, successor to the EOS M mirrorless camera, in Japan. From what it looks like, though, the camera isn't quite what many have hoped for, keeping the same design philosophy and almost the same body as its predecessor. What's changed is the autofocus, which is now a phase-detection / contrast-detection hybrid and covers 80% of the sensor area using Canon's Hybrid CMOS AF II technology, as seen in the Canon SL1. In addition to that, the M2 gains built-in Wi-Fi connectivity.

The main specs of the EOS M2 read as follows:

• 18 megapixel APS-C sensor with a 1.6x crop

• DIGIC 5 image processor

• ISO 100-12,800 (expandable up to 25,600)

• 4.6 fps continuous shooting

• Hybrid phase-detection/contrast AF (Hybrid CMOS AF II)

• 3″, 1.04 million pixel display

• Wi-Fi connectivity

• Weight: 274 g (9.67 oz)

The original EOS M hasn't seen much love outside of Japan, partly due to its slow autofocus, and partly due to the limited amount of lenses that have been available for the system. The AF is promised to be much faster now in the EOS M2, up to 2.3 times over that of the original EOS M. But we doubt that a simple AF upgrade and extra Wi-Fi connectivity will be enough to gain extra ground on markets outside of Japan, considering the alternatives.

Update: A variety of sample images shot with the EOS M2 in various conditions -- albeit all at relatively low sensitivities -- can be seen on the Canon Japan website.

(via Canon Watch and DC Watch)