Brand new Canon EOS M10 mirrorless - worthy competitor for the Sony A5100?

The short answer is no.  The EOS M10 is a $599 (with 15-45mm kit lens) APS-C mirrorless camera that takes 18MP still photos, records 1080/30p video and needs an adapter for EF/EF-S lenses.







The APS-C A5100 (with 16-50mm power zoom), on the other hand, costs $50 less, shoots 24MP stills, records video at up to 1080/60p, is about the same size (but has a handgrip) - and doesn't need an adapter to share lenses with full size Sony E mount bodies.

These cameras both seem to be aimed at the same market, casual shooters who want APS-C DSLR still/video performance in a compact body. Both cameras are equipped with wi-fi, have built-in flash and flip-forward LCDs for self-shooters - and both lack hot shoes and microphone jacks.

But the Sony seems to be the better camera - on features and price.

It is difficult to understand what Canon is doing here. While the head of Canon Marketing Japan says they want to be the number one mirrorless manufacturer by 2017, the mirrorless cameras they've introduced in the past year (e.g., EOS M3, EOS M10) have been under-spec'd and over-priced when compared to the competition.

Unfortunately for Canon, they are near the bottom in mirrorless sales in the home market (and worldwide) and have a long way to go if they want to beat Sony and Olympus to get to number one (courtesy BCN via PetaPixel):



Conversely, as DSLR sales fall and mirrorless sales rise (albeit from a lower base) - Sony interchangeable lens camera sales have seen significant growth in the past couple of years, as seen in this chart from the NPD Group:


The new EOS M3 and M10 cameras will certainly be attractive to Canon shooters who want a smaller camera body to complement their APS-C and full frame DSLRs - but appealing to existing users doesn't grow market share.  I don't recommend them at this price and don't think Canon will sell enough of them to be competitive (until, like the original EOS M, they are on closeout and selling for bargain basement prices).

If anything here has helped you to make a buying decision, please click on the links above or the display ads below or in the margins.  It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these posts coming.

And please follow HCR here, on G+, on YouTube on Vimeo and on Twitter (button below) for the latest news on micro-budget video and cinema.

Follow @hybridcamrev

SALE - Sony NEX-7 w Kit Lens $1029 @ DigitalRev

With the rumored imminent release of the "NEX-9" - it looks like we're starting to see discounts on the Sony NEX-7.  This was a breakthrough hybrid still/video camera when it was released - the first APS-C mirrorless camera with a built-in EVF and Sony's three wheel "Tri-Navi" system - far superior to the menu-based controls of the NEX-3 and NEX-5 series.

The NEX-7 is still generating buzz - Trey Ratcliff over at the great travel photography site Stuck in Customs recently published a provocative post called "Hello Sony. Goodbye Nikon. The Story of Why I am Switching from Nikon to Sony"  In the piece, Trey, a long-time Nikon shooter, explains why the NEX-7 is now his only travel camera:

"...the NEX-7 is the best for my kind of photography. I'm using it exclusively now and will be in the immediate future until something better comes along..."

And now that the price has come down, the NEX-7 is starting to become a much better value for money.  You can get a 24.3MP NEX-7 with the 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 kit lens for $1029 at DigitalRev right now - a couple of hundred dollars less than the same camera will cost you at Amazon, Adorama or Sunset Electronics via eBay.


Here is Kai's review of the NEX-7 from January of last year:





There are only a few left at this price, so get 'em while they're hot!

Happy 4th of July - Panasonic GH3 for $1049 at Samy's via Amazon!

Whether it's an Independence Day Sale or a markdown to compete with pre-orders for the $1199 Canon EOS 70D -  the flagship Panasonic DMC-GH3 has been marked down to $1049 at Samy's and $1069 at Amazon direct.

With all the recent talk about the 70D, it is useful to remember that the GH3 still has several real advantages over the $1199 Canon:

• Splashproof metal, magnesium alloy body
• 1080/60p
• 50mbps and 72mbps video recording
• Headphone jack

And, if you already have the GH3, and need an offset loupe that works with your shoulder rig, Varavon's Swivel LCD viewfinder loupe is now available on eBay for $214

5 Stars for Panasonic G6 at Expert Reviews UK!

Their verdict: "A good all-rounder that excels for video capture." The $749.99 G6 may be the best still/video camera below $1000 that Panasonic has produced to date.  It addresses almost all of the video shortcomings of the G series (by adding a microphone jack and full manual control of video), while improving on the still photo capabilities of all of the GH cameras except the $1298 GH3. A few headlines from the review after the jump.

• The autofocus speed gap between DSLRs and mirrorless DSLMs has been closed: "...autofocus that's just as fast as an SLR, and possibly even faster in low light."
• Electronic viewfinders have closed the gap with optical viewfinders: "Its electronic viewfinder is significantly bigger, and with a 1.44-million dot resolution, it's sharp enough to reveal more detail than its rivals' optical viewfinders..."
• The G6's wi-fi feature allows live monitoring of video (better than the GH3), but no live HDMI out (worse than the GH3) [personally, I prefer wi-fi monitoring - I have a phone and a tablet already, while monitors are an additional expense].

Read the full review here - but please come back and preorder your G6 here.  It won't cost you anything extra - and it helps us to continue bringing you the best camera and tech deals.  Thanks so much for your support.

Update - Amazon is offering 4% off this camera (and many others) until June 15th - time to push that cart through.

Update #2 - The G6 is now in stock in the US at Adorama and the Adorama eBay Store for $749!

New Nikon D7100 - GH3 killer?

Is this the GH3 killer?  So soon?  With its true weathersealing, new moire-free Toshiba sensor (demonstrated by Andrew Reid on the D5200), headphone jack, dual SD card slot and $100 lower price - is the D7100 a true hybrid still/video competitor for the GH3?

It will really depend on how the video looks (the only video Nikon has released to date is a low-res ISO 6400 flash clip, which you can see here).

But a few things are certain. It will not match the noiselessness of the GH3's electronic shutter, wi-fi capability, unlimited continuous video clip length, articulated LCD and 1080/60p.  And it doesn't have the GH3's choice of bit rates and codecs.

The D7100 looks like a solid competitor for the GH3, but, in my view, it is not a GH3 killer.

Tellingly, Nikon's product video for the D7100 doesn't mention video at all.  The video images from this camera may turn out to be great, but from a marketing perspective, ignoring consumers who are interested in video is a fail.

All of that said, if you already have Nikon lenses, and you want a potentially moire-free, weatherproof still/video camera with a headphone jack that is not much larger and heavier than the GH3 - the D7100 may be the camera for you.

If so, and if you find the information here useful, please support future reviews, and video tutorials by pre-ordering your D7100 from these links at Amazon or Adorama. Thanks!