EOS Mvs Nikon Z8
Canon
EOS M (2012)
Starting from £80 new
Best for Canon mirrorless history & EF-M collectors
View EOS M
Nikon
Nikon Z8 (2023)
Starting from £3999 new
Best for Sports, wildlife & hybrid professionals
View Nikon Z8
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Canon Mirrorless History & Ef-M Collectors — EOS M (2012): Canon's first mirrorless — a historic body that broke new ground with touch-AF and EF-M, but its sluggish contrast-detect system quickly became its Achilles heel.
Sports, Wildlife & Hybrid Professionals — Nikon Z8 (2023): Z9 performance in a compact body — 45MP, 8K/60p RAW, and 20fps burst without the bulk or price of the flagship.
Who should buy what
EOS M (2012)
- Canon shooters who want the camera that started Canon's mirrorless story
- Budget first-time mirrorless buyers who already own EF/EF-S glass
- Collectors of significant digital camera milestones
Nikon Z8 (2023)
- Professional photographers who want Z9 capability in a smaller body
- Wildlife and sports shooters who want 8K RAW and 120fps burst
- Z6 III or Z7 II owners upgrading to pro-grade performance
- Hybrid professionals who need the best Nikon video and stills in one body
Quick take: The nikon z8 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the eos m is the most affordable; only the nikon z8 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS M (2012) | Nikon Z8 (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £80 | £3,999 |
| Sensor | 18MP APS-C CMOS | 45.7MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS |
| Resolution | 18.0MP | 45.7MP |
| Video | 1080p 30fps | 8K/60p RAW, 4K/120p, ProRes RAW |
| Autofocus | Contrast-detect AF only — notoriously slow | Subject detection AF, 493-point phase-detect |
| Stabilisation | — | 6-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | 4fps | 20fps RAW / 120fps JPEG |
| Battery Life | ~230 shots (CIPA) | 330 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 262g (body only) | 910g body only |
| Dimensions | 108.6 × 66.5 × 32.3mm | 144.0 × 118.5 × 83.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | None (optional EVF accessory) | 0.5" Quad-VGA OLED EVF, 3.69M dots, 120fps |
| Screen | 3.0" fixed touchscreen, 1.04M dots | 3.2" tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Canon EF-M mount | Nikon Z-mount |
| Memory Cards | 1× SD/SDHC/SDXC | Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0 | USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS M | Nikon Z8 |
|---|---|---|
| Casual | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Street | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Landscape | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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Camera family history