Mirrorless cameras have become great alternatives to the unweildy DSLRs for both amateur and professional photographers. These days this young camera classification has amassed some serious power and can go head to head with DSLRs. Does the Canon M10 have what it takes to do so?
DESIGN 4.0 / 5.0
The M10 is compact and lightweight. Given that its design is targeted towards travelers and on-the-go photographers, Canon has done a pretty good job of catering to that need. It is 66.6mm high and 108 mm thick. The body on its own is quite light and weight is more centered on the lens which will take some time for DSLR users to get used to. Having said that, the M10 is sturdily built with all the buttons and toggles within comfortable reach of the fingers and thumbs.
The only issue I have with the design is the lack of grip space at 35 mm thick on the palm grip end of the camera, making the M10 feel more like a phone than a camera to hold. However, the positioning of the buttons do make up for this, and eventually users will get used to its petite size.
HARDWARE 4.5 / 5.0
The M10 has an 18-megapixel CMOS sensor with a native aspect ratio of 3:2. It uses the DIGIC 6 processor and the Hybrid CMOS autofocus system with phase detection built into the sensor. The autofocus has 49 maximum points with one-shot and Servo autofocus modes. It also allows automatic selection and manual focusing via the lens. In terms of ISO sensitivity, the camera has a range of 100 to 12800 in one-third increments. It can be expanded up to 25600. The focal-place shutter is electronically-controlled and has speeds ranging from 30 to 1/4000 of a second making it possible to shoot at high speeds in decent lighting or take long exposure shots at night. The three-inch, tilt-type LCD monitor can be controlled by touch and allows on-the-fly photo editing. It has a built-in flash, but no viewfinder (a separate viewfinder can be added to the mount). The kit that I got had two lenses: a 15-45mm and a 55-200mm lens; other kits will have just the 15-45mm lens.
USER EXPERIENCE 5.0 / 5.0
I am used to fiddling with the manual settings of my camera, and the Canon M10 does not really allow instantaneous changing of settings like ISO sensitivity and aperture size. I was pleasantly surprised, however, that even on automatic settings and focus, the photos came out beautifully with a vibrant depth of color and a stark depth of field. From the well-lit outdoors to the dim indoors, the photos come out almost perfect every time.
Due to the lack of a viewfinder, Canon sought to remedy it by adding a focus assist on the screen display, turning elements that are in focus red on the screen, quickly subsiding my initial disappointment. The M10 is the perfect camera to bring along on holiday or while travelling: it’s light, compact, easy to use, and quite powerful. You get the practical strengths of a DSLR without the clunk and complication, and when you’re on the go, you rarely have the time to fiddle around.
VALUE 4.5 / 5.0
With a price ranging from PHP 20,998 to PHP 24,000 depending where you’re looking and on the kit you’re buying, the M10 is a highly affordable camera to take on your next adventure. I sure am thinking about it.
Bottomline:
The Canon M10 is a decently-priced, no-fuss camera that takes stunning pictures.
Also published in GADGETS MAGAZINE April 2017 issue
Reviewed by Robby Vaflor