Skip to main content

Canon makes second attempt at mirrorless cameras with the EOS M2, but only in Japan

canon makes second attempt mirrorless eos japan m2
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Canon hasn’t had much of a presence in the mirrorless Compact System Camera space with the sole exception of the EOS M, instead choosing to evolve its mirrored DSLR cameras. But the company just came out with a follow-up, the EOS M2, for the Japanese market. Earlier rumors had suggested a firmware upgrade to the existing M, but this is a brand new camera. Although it’s smaller, the M2 looks identical to its predecessor. But it’s the inside guts that have improved, most importantly the autofocusing system.

The slow autofocusing has been the original M’s Achilles’ heel, with nearly every reviewing citing it as the biggest drawback. The M2 adopts the hybrid CMOS AF II system from the EOS SL1 (with phase detection covering 80 percent of the viewfinder window), which Canon says is 2.3x faster. The M2 has Wi-Fi and a new mode dial.

As for price, the M2 body will cost ¥64,800 ($630). It’s available as a kit with an 18-55mm lens and Speedlite 90EX flash for ¥84,800 ($826); throw in a an EF mount adapter (for use with other Canon lenses) to that kit and the price jumps to ¥104800 ($1,020), or ¥134,800 ($1,313) for a third lens, the 11-22mm.

So far there’s no indication of it being sold anywhere outside Japan. Until Canon U.S.A. officially announces it, don’t expect to see it stateside. Check out the video (in Japanese) here.

(Via Pop Photo)

Editors' Recommendations

Les Shu
Former Digital Trends Contributor
I am formerly a senior editor at Digital Trends. I bring with me more than a decade of tech and lifestyle journalism…
Don’t upgrade your camera. It won’t make you a better photographer
fujifilm focus on video x t2 top lenses

I recently wrote an article that compared the Fujifilm X-T4 and X-T3. Released just a year-and-half after the X-T3, the X-T4 isn’t a full replacement to its predecessor, but it does include some enticing upgrades. Upgrades that look even more enticing if your current camera is even older, like my now ancient-feeling X-T2.

Four years have passed since the X-T2 was released. That’s a long time in the tech industry. And after the release of the X-T4 in April, I felt an overwhelming pressure to upgrade. But is that really necessary?
A photographic arms race
Today’s camera industry has become overwhelmingly competitive. The rise of the smartphone -- while it wiped out point-and-shoot camera sales -- got more people interested in photography, while YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok have given people platforms to display their work. These photographers, videographers, and creators are wanting to move beyond the camera in their pocket and up to something that will let them stand out on these new platforms.

Read more
The best Canon cameras
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Canon has been a respected brand in cameras for decades, and they continue to produce outstanding products for beginner, enthusiast, and professional photographers.

Although most known for its DSLRs, Canon has stormed into mirrorless over the past few years with its EOS M and EOS R lines. These cameras offer the same image quality and many similar features of its DSLR line in smaller, lighter bodies. Canon's mirrorless cameras still have some growing up to do, which is the why the 5D Mark IV, a DSLR with a fast and precise autofocus system, is still our top pick. However, mirrorless is the future, and we doubt it will be long before a Canon EOS R camera supplants the mighty 5D.
At a glance

Read more
Canon EOS R5 is everything the R isn’t, thanks to stabilization, 8K, dual slots
canon eos r5 teased teaser

Less than two years after venturing into full-frame mirrorless, Canon has unveiled the “next generation” of EOS R with a camera that appears to address the biggest complaints from the original. Teased on Thursday, February 13, the Canon EOS R5 will house image stabilization, 8K video, 12-20 fps burst shooting, and dual memory card slots. In the announcement, Canon also shared that nine RF lenses will be launched in 2020.

Canon says the camera will have a newly developed full-frame sensor but didn’t offer any hints on the camera’s resolution. If the 8K video is any indication, however, that sensor’s pixel count will be on the high side. An 8K camera needs at least 33.2 million pixels on the sensor, or 33.2 megapixels -- if the camera uses the full sensor to record video.

Read more