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Camera (in)Decisions: Canon M6 Review

Jackson, Michigan - foggy morning

It’s true that I upgraded my original Canon M early last year with the Canon M200. 

As the year went on and I used it more and more, a little itch in the back of my brain started. The itch, which weirdly has a voice, started saying, “Using this camera should be easier – and more fun, like your original Canon M was.”

What the itch said was also true. 

Some of those true things included:

  • The M200 is not a customizable camera. You get what you get, no mods allowed.
  • I really missed the physical button to center the focus point, like I had on the OG M and other M cameras.
  • I also missed the little handgrip bump on the front of the M. The M200 is as flat as Ohio

Last March, I said:

There aren’t many buttons or options, it’s not the toughest model, and you don’t have the in-the-hand control you have on a more advanced camera. But coming from the original M, the M200 felt at home in my hands.  

“Trust your instincts,” the itch said, and there I was with this 2019-era mirrorless camera that did not bring me joy.

With all these truths in mind, I went back and looked to see if I could still upgrade to a Canon M6 mark II. The price was still high, and it still wasn’t widely available. That’s when my budget-friendly brain had an idea:

What if I bought an original and used Canon M6?

It doesn’t have all the modern bells and whistles of the mark II, but it does have:

  • Customizable buttons – and lots of them. The M6 has an almost Fuji-level amount of physical dials and buttons.
  • A physical button to recenter the focus point.
  • A wonderful hand grip on the front – more DSLR-style than a modest bump like the M had.
  • All the features of the M200: higher resolution, flippy screen, faster focus, etc.

And, little itch, the silver version looks kind of cool, cashing in on the retro silver-and-black look of film SLRs and rangefinders.

So that’s what I did: I purchased a refurbished Canon M6 and sold off my M200.

Here are some glamour shots with the EF-M 32mm f/1.4, taken on the Canon 5D and EF 100mm f/2.8 macro lens.

So far? I dig the M6. I love the improved ergonomics, retro styling, faster speed, and manual controls – especially the bumpy, knurled dials for aperture or ISO. 

A few things I don’t love:

  • I do wish it had a viewfinder, even though I’m used to not having one on the M series. A rangefinder-style viewfinder would be so handy.
  • There’s a greenish/cyan tint to the files in Lightroom. I’m not sure if it’s the camera or Lightroom’s raw file handling, but I load up some files and they look icky.
  • Certain buttons on the camera drive me crazy: the touchscreen zoom button in the lower right and the physical manual focus button on the main dial. When I go to focus on a subject, the camera is unresponsive because I accidentally brushed that MF button. I turned it completely off in the custom settings.

Those quirks tell me that modern cameras, with so many hybrid demands put on them, are never perfect. My Canon 5D is perfect. Everything else has limitations or annoyances. 

The above shot shows me using the M6 exclusively on a new photo project to learn my new camera. 

This leads to the larger question about my camera strategy: what am I going to keep, and why do I need a different system than my EOS+EF system?

  • Mobility: I like the Canon M lineup’s weight and small size. It’s a perfect everyday carry and travel setup, including if I ever want to do some video.
  • Quality: Images are good, and the lenses make for sharp, pleasing photos.
  • Vibes: Since that first Canon M, I’ve admired the series, flawed though it is. It’s weird investing and tinkering with a dead mirrorless camera system, but I do love these little cameras.

With the M6, it’s so far, so good. This combined with my old, clunky (but reliable) M as a backup, and I’ve got an old+new system similar to my Canon 5D plus 6D.

I brought the M6 with me to Austin, Texas, and Monterrey, Mexico. It served me well during the holidays and on random photo outings. It feels so much better in the hand.

It also quieted the itch.

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Canon EOS M As A Cinema Camera

Amazing. 

One of my core philosophical pillars is the belief in using older gear to do creative work. And because the OG Canon M is still one of my favorite cameras, seeing it come back to life as a cinema camera using Magic Lantern warms my heart. 

FoxTailWhipz’s video series has me exploring this option with my beat-up-but-still-working EOS M. While I can’t get that fancy M-Lite rig anymore, I can invest in a few other pieces of gear to make my M a video powerhouse.

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New Go-To: Canon M200 Review

Quick update: I switched! I’m now using the Canon M6 instead of the M200 – read that review here. 

My original Canon M has been my go-to camera for 12 years. It goes almost everywhere I go: trips, family events, walks around the neighborhood. Its small size and stellar image quality, paired with the EF-M 22mm f/2, made it my everyday gear for more than a decade.

Right before the holidays, though, it started to show its age. In a few cases, I would go to turn it on, and it took a few extra seconds to wheeze into operation. When it did limp to life, it glitched or randomly powered off. 

I don’t blame it! It’s worked very hard for a long time, taking tons of abuse at birthday parties and Lake Michigan beaches. It has never focused or shuttered quickly. And I know there have been a few rough bumps and drops that helped shorten its lifespan.

Seeing what was coming, I started shopping for a replacement camera. Even though it’s been discontinued, I have enjoyed the Canon M series for its punch-above-its-weight quality. These cameras are well-built, solid machines that deliver excellent image quality. Even if Canon never releases another M series body or lens, I felt that my investment in the system meant I could keep using it for another decade or longer.

My first pick, the Canon M6 Mark II, seemed like a solid unit—the best of the M series and the grand finale of the line. But it is more expensive and harder to find brand new than some of the more budget-friendly models. 

Twelve years ago, I grabbed the Canon M during a fire sale, and have more than gotten my value out of that kit. Similarly, this time I opted for the budget camera – good enough is good enough. My choice: the M200 kit. 

The Canon M200 is aimed at beginners and bloggers. There aren’t many buttons or options, it’s not the toughest model, and you don’t have the in-the-hand control you have on a more advanced camera. But coming from the original M, the M200 felt at home in my hands. 

By buying the kit lens, I also went from two lenses (22mm and 32mm) to three, with a convenient zoom lens perfect for travel. I’ve never been a big zoom lens user, but the kit price was right. 

Last weekend, on a sunny, freezing February morning, I took the M200 out to a local baseball field to catch the colors and sunrise. The sparse button layout and mostly touch-screen controls were much the same as the OG M, and I mostly set my M to P mode or AV mode and auto ISO to focus on shooting. That’s what I did here, playing around with focal lengths and testing the image quality.

The M200 has a handy flip-up screen for selfies, or flipping it up 90 degrees and looking down, twin-reflex style, to focus and recompose. It’s also great if you want to record video of yourself – set it up on a tripod, flip the screen, and you can see exactly what the camera is recording.

This is a stock feature for most cameras nowadays, but it’s a nice upgrade from the M’s frustrating touchscreen limitations. 

A few other quick hits:

  • One feature I do miss from the M is that you could hit the physical “delete” button to send the focus point back to the center on the touch screen. That was convenient. The M200 has a dedicated touch-screen button for this feature, but I miss the feel of hitting that physical button to re-center the focal point. 
  • Another feature I miss from the M: the ridge on the front of the camera that acted like a small handhold. The M200 is almost completely flat except for a thumb groove on the back, in the upper right.
  • The M200 feels much lighter in hand. The M was a dense brick of a camera.
  • The M200 comes with a built-in, pop-out flash. This might come in handy for family photos is dark situations. 
  • The button layout is taking some getting used to after 12 years of muscle memory. The on/off switch is now inside the top setting dial, where the M had a dedicated on/off button. More settings seem to be moved to the touchscreen, which isn’t my preference, but not unexpected on this consumer-friendly model.
  • This could be the zoom lens I’ve been testing out, but the colors are different. Not bad, but not what I’m used to. I’ll have to try the ol’ trusty 22mm f/2, which is not only a perfect lens, but produces perfect colors, too, especially in skin tones – the classic Canon Look™.

Other than that, I like what I like, and for my needs, the M200 was a great choice. Time will tell how long it holds up or if it reaches 12 years’ worth of use like the M (Update: it didn’t). Until then, this affordable, easy-to-find mirrorless camera is all I need every day I need it. 

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Camera Review: Canon EOS M

Previously:

Canon EOS M: Body

After toying around with the mirrorless camera world, I got to appreciate the conveniences – what I call the throw-it-in-the-car effect. Mirrorless cameras like the Fuji X100 are light, small, and not prone to bang into things with a lens sticking out of the front.

Two years after purchase, I still love my Canon EOS M. I just had someone ask me about it on Flickr, and thought I’d share my review again.

It’s a great little camera as long as you accept its limitations.

Read my original review.

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