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.
Portrait, Wedding, Travel, Video — A7 V (2024): The definitive full-frame mirrorless. Hard to argue for anything else at this price.
Who should buy what
EOS M (2012)
A7 V (2024)
Quick take: The a7 v has the highest resolution at 33mp; the eos m is the most affordable; only the a7 v is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS M (2012) | A7 V (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £80 | £2,799 |
| Sensor | 18MP APS-C CMOS | Full-frame BSI-CMOS 35mm, partially stacked |
| Resolution | 18.0MP | 33.0MP |
| Video | 1080p 30fps | 4K 60fps 10-bit |
| Autofocus | Contrast-detect AF only — notoriously slow | 759-point phase-detect, AI subject recognition (human, animal, bird, insect, vehicle) |
| Stabilisation | — | 5-axis IBIS, 8.0 stops |
| Burst Rate | 4fps | 10fps mechanical, 20fps electronic |
| Battery Life | ~230 shots (CIPA) | 760 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 262g (body only) | 514g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 108.6 × 66.5 × 32.3mm | 131.3 × 96.4 × 70.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | None (optional EVF accessory) | EVF 0.90× 9.44M-dot |
| Screen | 3.0" fixed touchscreen, 1.04M dots | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.44M-dot |
| Mount | Canon EF-M mount | Sony E-Mount |
| Memory Cards | 1× SD/SDHC/SDXC | 2× SD UHS-II / CFexpress Type A |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0 | Wi-Fi 6GHz, Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS M | A7 V |
|---|---|---|
| Casual | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Street | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Sports & Action | — |
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