Canon 2016

Canon borrows a few tricks from its DSLR line for its latest mirrorless:

Canon’s already got a handful of mirrorless cameras under its belt, but the company hasn’t quite committed itself to the format in the same way we’ve seen from likes of Sony, Olympus and Fujifilm.

The company’s latest, unveiled early in the lead up the big Photokina event in Cologne next week, looks to mark a much whole-hearted shift toward the space. And in a sense, it serves as an acknowledgement that the category is both too popular to ignore, and can be embraced while making limited compromises when it comes to things like speed and quality.

The EOS M5 draws fairly heavily from the company’s own DSLR line, namely the EOS 80D, with which it shares some key specs, including a 24.4-megapixel APS-C sensor. In fact, Canon’s claiming that the image quality is pretty comparable to what you’ll be able to get on the 80D.

Also on-board with both cameras is the Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus, designed to help users grab shots in video mode. The camera’s also quite quick to the draw, with a 9-frames-per-second burst shooting speed.

One of the downsides with the form factor versus its DSLR older cousin is a lower-rated battery life – kind of a given when you’re dealing with a smaller camera, really. The camera’s size does have its advantages, of course – at 13.4 ounces, it’s roughly have the weight of the aforementioned DSLR.

The camera’s got a few other tricks on board, as well, including Bluetooth, WiFi and NFC pairing. It’s due out in November, priced at $980 for just the body. Canon will also be offering up a new mirrorless-friendly 18-150mm lens at $499.  Or you can plunk down $1,479 to get it paired with the new camera in December.