EOS Mvs A9 II
Canon
EOS M (2012)
Starting from £80 new
Best for Canon mirrorless history & EF-M collectors
View EOS M
Sony
A9 II (2019)
Starting from £3299 new
Best for Professional sports, wildlife & photojournalism
View A9 II
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.
Professional Sports, Wildlife & Photojournalism — A9 II (2019): The A9 II polished the A9's groundbreaking formula — 20fps blackout-free, improved subject tracking, and a LAN port made it the professional sports standard.
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
A9 II (2019)
- Sports photographers who need 20fps with reliable eye and body tracking
- Photojournalists who need LAN transfer and instant wireless file delivery
- Wildlife photographers who want the fastest Sony AF in a proven body
- A9 owners who need the improved ergonomics, weather sealing, and Ethernet
Quick take: The a9 ii has the highest resolution at 24mp; the eos m is the most affordable; only the a9 ii is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS M (2012) | A9 II (2019) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £80 | £3,299 |
| Sensor | 18MP APS-C CMOS | 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | 18.0MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 1080p 30fps | 4K/30p, 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Contrast-detect AF only — notoriously slow | 693 phase-detect + 425 contrast-detect, real-time eye/body tracking |
| Stabilisation | — | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 4fps | 20fps (blackout-free with full AF/AE) |
| Battery Life | ~230 shots (CIPA) | ~500 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 262g (body only) | 678g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 108.6 × 66.5 × 32.3mm | 128.9 × 96.4 × 77.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | None (optional EVF accessory) | EVF, OLED 3.69M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.0" fixed touchscreen, 1.04M dots | 3.0" tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Canon EF-M mount | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | 1× SD/SDHC/SDXC | Dual SD UHS-II slots |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0 | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet (LAN), HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS M | A9 II |
|---|---|---|
| Casual | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Landscape | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with EOS M
Camera family history