Pros and Cons of New Canon EOS M

The EOS M is roughly half the size of its DSLR brethren, Canon's Rebel T4i. The EOS M camera body weighs nine ounces, and adding the included 22mm lens tips the scales to 10.5 ounces, a noticeable difference from the T4i's camera lens-on weight of 20.3 ounces. The smaller profile of the EOS M body itself is also noteworthy, as about an inch was shaved off the dimensions, compared to the T4i.

Sure, $800 certainly isn't chump change and there are competitive brands with similar and lower-priced products, but compared to cameras with similar specs as the EOS M — like the aforementioned Rebel T4i, which costs $1,200 and also boasts an 18MP CMOS sensor — you may actually end up spending less money on the EOS M once you look at side-by-side comparisons of the cameras that meet your photography needs.

After getting used to swiping and pinching our way through the day on our multitouch smartphones, it can seem archaic to move back to the button-clicking of those "state-of-the-art" cameras. The three-inch LCD monitor on the EOS M allows for multitouch gestures like pinch-to-zoom and swipe. The drawback? The screen doesn't tilt or flip out like you may have gotten used to when using a DSLR.

Depending on your photography level and preferences, the absence of a few traditionally standard digital camera features on the EOS M may by the deciding factor on whether this small-bodied mirrorless camera is for you. There's no built-in flash or viewfinder, though there are competitors like the Sony NEX F3 that feature flash and external viewfinders.

A separate flash unit — the Speedlite 90EX — will be available for purchase in October for $150, but there's no word on whether an external viewfinder is in the works. Though, in most shooting scenarios other than direct sunlight, the LCD screen will work just fine.