Canon EOS M100 review

Introduction

The EOS M100 is Canon's newest entry-level mirrorless ILC model. Despite being appreciably smaller (and cheaper) than its higher-end M5 and M6 siblings, it comes with the same 24MP APS-C sensor equipped with excellent Dual Pixel autofocus. It also has Canon's latest DIGIC 7 processor, as well as Wi-Fi with NFC and Bluetooth for connectivity.

The M100 is aimed squarely at smartphone photographers looking to get their first 'real' camera, and its polished touch-centric control scheme reflects this. It's small, it's light, and because of the large APS-C sensor, is almost always capable of better photos than any smartphone.

Appropriately given the target audience, there's even a dedicated 'Wireless' button to make it as easy as possible to get your images from the M100 to the wilds of Facebook and Instagram.

Key Features:

• 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor
• Dual Pixel autofocus for stills and video
• DIGIC 7 processor
• 3" tilting LCD
• 6fps burst shooting (4fps with continuous AF)
• 1080/60p video with digital IS
• Wi-Fi and NFC with Bluetooth
• 295 shot-per-charge battery live (via CIPA)

Although smartphones have largely decimated the compact camera segment, the EOS M100 is not without competition from other interchangeable lens cameras, all of which offer image quality above and beyond the typical smartphone camera. Users shopping based on price are likely to also consider the Panasonic Lumix GX850, Olympus PEN E-PL8, Fujifilm X-A3 and even the venerable Sony a6000.

Canon's color output is a perennial crowd pleaser at the DPR offices. Out-of-camera JPEG. Canon EF 50mm F1.8 STM. ISO 200 | F5.6 | 1/800 sec

The EOS M100 is among the least intimidating cameras in this group, for new users. It's got the fewest physical controls, and tapping to focus and manipulate settings on-screen in Auto mode is likely to come naturally to just about anyone who hasn't been under a rock since the first iPhone came out.

Compared to...

	Canon M100	Panasonic GX850	Olympus E-PL8	Sony a6000	Fujifilm X-A3
Resolution	24MP	16MP	16MP	24MP	24MP
Sensor size	APS-C	Four Thirds	Four Thirds	APS-C	APS-C
Image stab.	Lens-based	Lens-based	In-camera	Lens-based	Lens-based
AF system (live view)	Dual Pixel	Contrast-detect	Contrast-detect	Hybrid	Contrast-detect
LCD	3" tilting	3" tilting	3" tilting	3" tilting	3" tilting
Touchscreen	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Burst speed (AF locked)	6.1 fps	10 fps	8 fps	11 fps	6 fps
Video	1080/60p	4K/30p	1080/30p	1080/60p	1080/60p
Wireless	Wi-Fi + NFC + BT	Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi + NFC	Wi-Fi
Battery life	295 shots	210 shots	350 shots	360 shots	410 shots
Dimensions (mm)	108x67x35	107x65x33	115x67x38	120x67x45	117x67x40
Weight	302 g	269 g	357 g	344 g	339g
Typical price w/lens (11/2017)	$599	$549	$649	$548	$549

Based on the above table, it's clear that in the mirrorless interchangeable lens market, this price bracket is getting pretty crowded. There are several different philosophies represented in here. The Sony a6000 has been around for a while but it continues to be a great value proposition. The GX850 is the only camera here to shoot 4K, and is slightly smaller than the M100, but comes with a smaller M43 sensor, which has an impact on still image quality at medium and high ISO sensitivity settings.

Overall, then, is the image quality and user experience of Canon's most compact ILC enough to make it stand out in this crowd? Let's find out.

Body, handling and features

The EOS M100 really is impressively compact for an interchangeable lens camera. With the 22mm F2 pancake prime lens attached, it comes in under a pound and is small enough to fit into a coat pocket or slide into a purse without fuss.

With a single adjustment dial and a simplified mode dial, the M100 is very light on external controls. This may be a turn-off to more seasoned users, but for new photographers, it should be great - fewer controls means less intimidation for beginners.

It helps that the touchscreen interface is logical, polished and responsive. Tap-to-focus is just as effective on the M100 as it would be on a high-end smartphone, and once you become accustomed to the way the M100 operates, it operates quite swiftly.

Besides the lens release, all the controls on the M100 are visible here.

Being so small, the M100 doesn't have much in the way of a grip, but the texture along the front of the camera helps it to feel a little more secure in your hand. The pop-up flash is a nice bonus, especially if you're out with the kit lens and the light's getting dim. There's a dedicated wireless button that brings up your previously paired devices, though NFC functionality is even slicker for quick, automatic pairing with Android devices.

The M100 also has a slightly plasticky feel, which shouldn't be too surprising given its entry-level billing, but it feels solid nonetheless. The screen mechanism in particular feels nice and sturdy, though we do wish it would tilt both down as well as up (like Canon's own higher-end EOS M6).

Unlike most compact cameras these days, the M100 has separate doors for the battery and the memory card. Also, the tripod socket is in line with the lens mount, which is a nice touch.

The EOS M100 comes with a smaller battery than its higher-end EOS M siblings, and offers a thoroughly middle-of-the-road 295 shots as rated by CIPA. Unfortunately, the M100 lacks any sort of USB charging, which would have been great to have for charging via USB battery packs on the go.

For new users, we're happy to report that leaving the camera in 'Auto' generally delivered good results. Exposures were usually very accurate, and the M100 can automatically detect moving objects, responding by raising shutter speeds and enabling continuous autofocus - this is a feature we've seen appearing on several of its rivals. Face detection occasionally sees 'faces' in everyday objects, but simply tapping to focus on your intendedsubject will get around this issue.

Canon's customizable 'Q' onscreen menu provides you with a variety of parameters at your fingertips.

In-camera Raw conversion is nice to see in a camera at this level, allowing you to change parameters such as white balance, picture style and lens corrections after you've taken your shot. It isn't quite as customizable as some competitors, but in keeping with the theme of this camera, it's approachable for users who may be new to such a function, and should help to demystify Raw shooting for beginners.

If you want to, you can save your preferred settings for use later, making it easy to tone your images as you like before you even send them to your phone - and the adjustments are likely to allow for greater editing possibilities than, say, Instagram's built-in adjustments.

A pop-up flash is always handy, and you can pull this one back with your finger to have the flash bounce off the ceiling, which will result in softer shadows on your subject.

The EOS M100 succeeds in an area where many others fail: It's a fun camera to use. Auto mode works great for casual snapshots, there's an abundance of fun creative modes to play around with, and taking manual control over the M100 works more smoothly than the single control dial would suggest. It proves itself to be a great option for the novice photographer while still allowing room to grow.

While we reviewers would like to see more native EOS M lens options, beginners sticking primarily to the kit lens will be greeted with solid and sharp image quality. For blurrier backgrounds and less noise in low light, the $249 22mm F2 pancake prime pairs wonderfully with the M100.

Use cases

Social

Great face-detection makes it easy to grab quick, in-focus photos of your friends in just about any situation. It even works on strangers, and people you don't much care for. Out-of-camera JPEG. Canon EF-M 22mm F2. ISO 100 | 1/1600 sec | F2.8

The M100 makes a great social camera for a variety of reasons, not least of which is robust face-detection. It's dead easy to take in-focus images of friends in automatic mode, and the camera is responsive enough to capture quick moments - though the slower burst speed compared to its rivals means you are more responsible for hitting the shutter at just the right moment, whereas some competitors might encourage you to fire off a burst of images, and then select the right one later (assuming it's in focus).

The M100 is also very unassuming. With such a small size and such a lack of obvious direct control, it is unlikely to intimidate your subjects. Despite this, the image quality can handily measure up against peers costing hundreds of dollars more, whether you're photographing your friends in front of a bright landscape or at a dimly lit restaurant.

Out-of-camera JPEG. Canon EF-M 22mm F2. ISO 1250 | 1/60 sec | F2.8

Be aware, though, that despite the robust autofocus performance in bright light, it can sometimes resort to annoying 'hunting' as light levels drop - best to leave the AF Assist lamp on in these sorts of situations, irritating though it may be.

Wi-Fi with Bluetooth and NFC make it exceptionally easy to get your images from the M100 off to your friends within seconds of taking them, and the all-important tilting screen combines with a usefully wide-angle kit lens to make this a very selfie-friendly camera.

Landscape

Processed to taste in Adobe Camera Raw. Canon EF-M 22mm F2. ISO 160 | F5.6 | 1/4000 sec

When it comes to shooting landscapes, the M100 has a lot going for it. The relatively large APS-C sensor is Canon's latest, which means images will have low noise and plenty of detail, though it can't quite match up to the best in the segment. If you're just uploading images to social, default image settings are great - but if you think you want to make prints, you should tweak your JPEG sharpening settings (see our preferred settings here) or just shoot and process the Raw images.

The tilting screen and touch controls should be handy if you're working on a tripod, but the design of the M100's base means that you'll likely have to take it off if you need to change the battery.

Out-of-camera JPEG. Canon EF-M 15-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM. ISO 100 | 1/320 sec | F5 Photo by Allison Johnson

We criticize Canon quite a bit for the limited lens ecosystem for its M-series cameras, but we have to admit that the wide-angle EF-M 11-22mm F4-5.6 lens is reasonably affordable and of good optical quality if you find that the kit lens isn't quite getting you what you need.

If you find yourself shooting most of your landscapes when you're hiking or backpacking, there's no denying that the M100's small size and weight mean it's much more likely you'll find room for it in your pack than, say, a larger DSLR. Just bring an extra battery or two.

Sports & Action

Canon's M-series as a whole isn't necessarily our first choice for shooters needing sports and action capabilities, and the entry-level M100 doesn't change how we feel about that. It's true that the Dual Pixel Autofocus works pretty darn well for moving subjects, but when you fire off a burst of images, the live preview is replaced with a laggy slideshow of the images you've just shot; this makes it hard to follow your subject.

Out-of-camera JPEG. Canon EF-M 22mm F2. ISO 6400 | 1/60 sec | F2

We find that, generally, Canon's lower-end Dual Pixel cameras work best if you half-press the shutter to continuously autofocus on your subject or a subject's face (Face + Tracking mode in Servo AF), and fully depress the shutter in Single Image drive mode to only fire off images when you want to grab them. It's easier to keep track of what's going on, and the camera remains more responsive, and your hit rate of in-focus images will be higher.

The optional EF-M 55-200mm F4.5-6.3 telephoto lens will work great for some grab shots from the stands at your kid's soccer game, but it will struggle to keep up if it happens to be a more dimly lit evening game.

All this being said, the Dual Pixel AF on the M100 is likely to offer a more friendly user experience and more consistently in-focus results than competitors' contrast-detect only systems, or even the viewfinder autofocus systems on lower-end DSLRs.

Travel

Out-of-camera JPEG. Canon EF-M 22mm F2. ISO 200 | 1/250 sec | F5

We've already written a couple of times about the M-series' suitability as travel cameras, and we think the M100 represents a pretty compelling option here - it offers less direct control than the EOS M6, but features identical image quality in an even smaller package.

Canon's EOS M lenses, though they don't offer the most exciting lineup, are universally light (easy to travel with) and relatively inexpensive. Indeed, between a standard 15-45mm kit lens and the 22mm F2 pancake, you're pretty well covered for a wide variety of scenarios.

That the auto mode on the M100 automatically detects subject movement and adjusts settings accordingly makes it easier to react to unpredictably changing situations that can happen on a vacation or exotic trip - you never know when you're going to happen upon a bicycle race, for example.

Image processed to taste from Raw in-camera. Canon EF-M 15-45mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM. ISO 200 | 1/4000 sec | F5.6

Our biggest gripe with the M100 for travel purposes is simply the lack of USB charging. The battery life is decent but not great, and for such a small camera, it'd be handy to be able to charge it off the same USB power bank I use to charge my phone. At least the batteries are fairly small, so it's not much of a burden to carry an extra or two with you.

Video

Just like stills, video quality from the EOS M100 is identical to its higher-end EOS M siblings. You get full HD 1080/60p video capture, and Dual Pixel Autofocus lets you easily tap-to-focus on your intended subject. There's digital image stabilization and you can control the audio levels for the internal microphones, but you can't attach an external mic on the M100.

The sum of our feelings regarding this line of camera's overall video capability is that it makes it extremely easy to capture stable, in-focus footage, and Full HD is often still good enough for social sharing. If you need better quality though, or 4K resolution, you'll have to look elsewhere.

Below is a demonstration of video quality, autofocus and stabilization for vlogging on the EOS M6. With the flip-up screen, the M100 could also do for a basic vlogging camera in a pinch, if your audience doesn't need high-quality audio.

Tags: review, canon, shooting-experience