Canon EOS-M + EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM lens

The EOS-M: Canon's first mirrorless camera - with my favorite EF Lens

Canon's EOS-M with the EF 50mm f/1.2L USM lens.

When Canon announced the release of their first mirrorless camera: the EOS-M, many Canon users in the photography community were overjoyed because this new addition to the product line was well overdue.  Some of the more pessimistic members said that Canon had waited too long to release their first mirrorless camera and would be forced to play second-fiddle to those other manufacturers already dominating the market.

When the EOS-M was released for the purpose of early reviews, the first comments were less than flattering.  The main bone of contention was that the EOS-M was a little slow in the Auto Focus department.  And they weren't far off the mark.  Yet here we are, almost a year later, and the EOS-M is now (arguably) a celebrated success.   The success was due to two very shrewd marketing decisions: a Firmware Update which addressed some of the AF concerns coupled with a massive price drop.  No doubt the latter was a three-pronged attack: part publicity act coupled with an attempt to clear the retail shelves for an upcoming model ...and to achieve deeper market penetration.  It would appear that this final act was successful as countless students, hobbyists and even professionals snapped up the EOS-M for their personal use.  Many bought two or even three.  At these prices, hardly anyone could turn it down.

I purchased the EOS-M on the date of release here in Australia.  I had read several of the earlier negative reviews but the camera still looked good to me on paper and I felt confident that Canon wouldn't (couldn't) possibly release a half-baked camera onto the market without confidence.  But the EOS-M had little fanfare when it was released in the West.  In Japan it was actively marketed as a "woman's camera" and fortunately none of that stigma followed it when it was released internationally.  When I got my hands on mine, I was actually pleasantly surprised.  It produced clean images and it was intuitive to use.  The touchscreen is particularly impressive... easily as good as the latest iPhone touchscreens.  So it wasn't long before I found myself ignoring my other cameras simply because I'd grown used to the EOS-M touchscreen in such a short time.   The AF speed was only a problem with just one of the lenses I tested it on: The EF 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro USM lens.  With that lens the EOS-M hunted backwards and forwards to try and lock focus on the subject.  It was particularly frustrating when shooting critters or flowers close to the ground in an awkward position.  By the time the camera had decided of an AF lock, the critter (or the lens) had often  moved again.  But it was only that one lens that seemed slow and this problem was fixed most recently with a Firmware update.  The 100mm lens was never the fastest lens for AF, indeed even Canon recommended that it be used with Manual Focus like most other Macro lenses.  But it's much faster now and the AF is more accurate in my opinion.  When it came to other lenses, the EOS-M was much faster and quick to resolve an image.

I bought the EOS-M with the intention of using some of our existing Canon EF lenses and so I opted for the Body only which shipped with an EF lens mounting ring.  I found the EOS-M to be a very enjoyable camera to use.  It's a "fun" camera that many users find hard to put down.  And it has captured many keepers that only a DSLR would have been able to snap, given the circumstances.

I thought I'd use this camera with a couple of other lenses that I already owned.What I needed to do was get my hands on a lens that allowed me to shoot the sort of things I liked and in the style that most of my photographs reflected.  I already have the EF 50mm f/1.2L USM lens and I love the flattering background and amazing low-light performance it gives me.  But fast lenses like the 50mmL can be unforgiving in unfamiliar hands and it took me a short while to truly appreciate that lens when it arrived.  On a 1.6x crop camera, I was going to need something wider.  My basic requirements were:

• Low Light, Handheld and likely to be used Flash Free
• Wide (at least 22-28mm) but faster than my other lenses.
• Superb ability to separate subject from background (shallow DOF)
• Excellent image quality.   

The only "downside" (if you can call it that) with a fast lens like this is that Chromatic Aberration can occur, especially when shooting wide open in bright light.  This is usually characterized in areas of high contrast or on reflections by adding a blue, green or red tinge to the most contrasted are of an image.  Whist the effect is easily corrected in post-processing, it's important to realize that this is the result of physics and not a result of poor performance from the camera or lens.  This is the minor tradeoff for fast, wide glass that we usually accept in return for performance and capability. 


The general features of the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L USM lens are as follows

• 24mm (35mm Full Frame Format) Wide-angle Prime Lens + EW-83K Lens Hood.
• Lens Mount: Canon EF series
• 2 UD lens elements
• 2 high refraction glass elements.
• Aperture range:  f/1.4 to f/22 (no aperture ring)
• Diaphragm Blades : 8
• Weight: 650 grams (1.43 lbs)
• Construction: metal barrel with metal mount.
• Filter thread: 77mm
• Length: 87mm (3.42 inches)
• Elements: 13 (in 10 groups)
• Focus method: Internal (lens front element does not rotate)
• Auto Focus with full time Manual Control 

The Canon EOS-M with the EF 24mm  f/1.4L USM lens:

After considerable research online,  I also spoke with Canon Australia who recommended the expensive (but well regarded) Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM.  This is currently their widest, fastest lens.  And this lens was recommended to me because I was intent on pursuing subjects such as the Aurora Borealis in Canada plus the now-not-so-spectacular Comet ISON which is due to grace our skies before grazing the sun later towards the end of the year of 2013.  I recently sold one of my rather expensive Minelab GPX-5000 metal detectors to justify buying the EOS-M and some new L-series lenses and I had just enough cash left over to order the 24mm.  I wasn't disappointed.

The EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM is the most useful Prime lens I've used on the EOS-M camera.  It's relatively fast, it's not unpleasantly heavy and it produces exceptional results.  Especially handheld and in low light.  I've fitted a Manfrotto mini-tripod to the universal mounting socket that sits below the EF ring mount.  It affords me a reasonable grip on the camera when walking, even if the camera is hanging from the EOS shoulder strap.  Reports online would suggest that counterfeit EF mount rings exist online and that they are poorly made - so don't be tempted to source one.

The Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM Lens

The EF 24mm f/1.4L lens on the EOS-M (front)

The EF 24mm f/1.4L lens on the EOS-M (rear)

I use six different lenses with the EOS-M and none are native to the camera.  Canon have released three lenses so far with the native EF-M mount and the original two are incredible value for the prices currently being touted online and in stores.  There's talk of an EF-M 50mm Prime in the works if patents lodged by Canon are to be interpreted as such.

The new Firmware update is said to increase AF speeds by up to 2.3x - which is an enormous boost for a camera that wasn't really so bad to begin with.  The EF-M 22mm f/2.0 pancake lens is a smaller, lighter and equally respectable lens on the EOS-M.  I'd personally recommend it to those who neither want nor justify the purchase of the EF 24mm f/1.4L lens.  There's slight vignetting on the EF-M 22mm f/2.0 lens when shooting wide open with a large aperture and I don't have to deal with this when using the 24mmL.  Of course, if you mount this same lens onto a Full Frame DSLR, you get some slight falloff in the corners.

Something else I did was to remove the standard Lens Hood which comes with the lens.  I replaced it with a tilted-vented lens hood resembling the Leica hoods.  It's made from machined, lightweight aluminium and screws directly onto the filters and this can actually be of assistance when working with Circular Polarizers and Graduated Neutral Density filters (which may require manual rotation).  The 24mm lens has internal focusing so there's no external element rotation with this lens. With this low profile hood in place, it protects my lens and expensive UV filter from damage quite effectively from several incidents that would have been expensive to resolve, had I not added this hood in place.  The Canon hood is more protective and would cushion a direct fall from this lens far more effectively.

 

Shooting with the EOS-M and EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM lens:

This lens is a lot of fun to work with.  In bright daylight you may want to consider using an ND filter of 2 or 4 to allow you to shoot with a wide aperture for that strong Bokeh.  But in P-Mode it seems to handle extremely bright light quite admirably.

The EOS-M is a very easy camera to use when you become accustomed to the inner menu and the new layout.  The touchscreen means you can quickly search through images on the camera, zoom in on the subject and even allows you to zoom right into the scene and then engage the Auto Focus to select the zone you want to get in focus... such as a reflection on a person's pupil whilst capturing a portrait.  The selectable focus reticule means you can slide the rectangular target box around the LCD with your thumb or your free hand.  This means you don't need to recompose shots like you would with other cameras.

Using the floating AF reticule to target the scene is easy.  And you can determine the subject area or the target within the scene (without recomposing) after attaining a focus lock.

Using a DSLR with the traditional method involves gripping the body with one hand and then manually operating the lens often requires two hands.  The EOS-M requires this method only when shooting with a larger or heavier lens.  If you are using the native EF-M lenses, the camera is so small and light that you can usually lift it easily with just one hand alone.  Whatever your method, the EOS-M can use almost any lens within the Canon family of lens products.  It also operates with any of the EOS Speedlite external flashes.  The 24mmL lens probably handles most scenes without the need of a flash yet it can certainly benefit from them when applied.  I've managed to achieve satisfactory results in crowds by using a diffuser on the flash or in small indoor environments by bouncing the flash off the ceiling.

EOS-M + EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM Lens -  for FOOD

 

As a foodies camera, the EOS-M must be an attractive package because with a native lens like the 22mm f/2.0, it draws little attention at the table.  The EF 24mmL is firmly on the middle ground because whilst the EOS-M is obviously not as large as a DSLR, the 24mmL lens adds considerably more bulk to the unit as

a whole.  I've seen a few people stop eating and then nudge each other when they saw me take some of these pictures.  So this combination is isn't nearly as stealthy as a small pocket camera.  But it's nowhere near as obvious as a DSLR so I could sneak quite a few pictures without drawing too much attention if I'm discreet.  Unfortunately, it doesn't sit so unobtrusively on the table like an iPhone does.  Especially with the 24mmL lens attached.  But the shallow DOF puts this camera right at the top spot for food.

Reflections on water - EOS-M via the 24mm f/1.4L lens - None of these pictures were taken with a filter.

EOS-M + EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM Lens -  for LANDSCAPES

The EOS-M handles landscapes like any APS-C sized sensor on any DSLR:  Lovely, rich colors are captured and a bright lens like the 24mmL can take in plenty of light.  This lens is said to produce pleasing colors and I can't help but agree. Stop the lens down slightly to around f/2.8 or f/5.6 and it's quite sharp.

EOS-M + EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM Lens -  for ARCHITECTURE

This lens is going to offer some mild aspherical distortion because it's such a wide angled lens.  Canon also make a highly regarded Til-Shift f/2.8L version of the 24mm lens which is more ideal for architectural shots as it counters the natural distortion that wide lenses can produce, especially when it comes to parallel lines that recede with perspective.  But I like the EOS-M's image quality and the 24mm lens (whilst cropped slightly on the APS-C sensor) does a great job with buildings.  Rich details are captured and the dynamic range from the EOS-M is decent.  This lens works well with both landscapes and architecture - yet another reason why it's a great all-purpose lens.

Captured with the EOS-M whilst setting up my wife's 60D

EOS-M + EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM Lens -  for ASTRO-PHOTOGRAPHY

I was extremely happy to be able to capture the Milky Way in the winter night sky last month.  The EOS-M has a more efficient noise-reduction algorithm than earlier model DSLRs like the 60D.  This resulted in smoother images although the 24mm lens was so sensivite to the night sky starlight that it was possible to stop it down slightly for the shot below.  The ideal aperture setting for me was between f/2.5 when taking these shots.  The trick was being able to find something to focus on in the dark.  Manual focus was achieved by using a bright flashlight to pinpoint the are of the sky that was brightest.  Then, using the Magnify Feature on the EOS-M, I zoomed in to the scene at 10x magnification and then manually focused the lens on a bright star.  Exposures over 15 seconds offered me star trails so I generally kept the exposures to around 10 seconds.  At ISO 1600, the sky was easy to capture.  But at ISO 800 the noise was even lower.

• Manual Setting (M-Mode) used.
• ISO 400 - 1600 was ideal
• Exposure time - 10-15 seconds
• Single exposure shots were fine.  Stacking not required.
• Tripod used.
• 2 second self timer used to prevent camera shake.
• Noise reduction automatically kicks in for exposures over 1 second.
• Small flashlight required to see in the dark.
• Choose a moonless night out in the country if you can.

The 24mm f/1.4L lens produces an effect called "coma" when shooting stars with the lens wide open.  This effect causes the pinpoints of light at the outermost part of the lens to form triangular ellipses instead of perfectly round dots.  Fortunately, the region of the lens where this is most apparent is on the extreme edges which are cropped when the 24mmL is placed on an APS-C sensor camera such as the EOS-M.  On a full frame camera, coma would be much more obvious at the edges.  Photographers usually accept coma with this lens although other lens alternatives can be sought from other manufacturers.  The benefits this lens offers is usually an acceptable tradeoff and coma can be reduced by bringing the aperture towards f/5.  Even at f/2.8, coma is significantly reduced.  It certainly wasn't a problem in producing the three-image panorama below.

Galactic Center of the Milky Way as seen with the EOS-M via the 24mm f/1.4L lens

Intense Bokeh - Unaided Closeup of a 6 inch tall Ivory statue - EOS-M via the 24mm f/1.4L lens

EOS-M + EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM Lens -  for CLOSEUPS

One of the most pleasurable experiences about the 24mmL lens is that it's actually more than capable of taking excellent closeup photographs at relatively close distances.  The minimum focus distance from this lens to the subject is just under 10 inches.  That's pretty darned good for my personal interests.

EOS-M + EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM Lens -  for PORTRAITS

On a Full-Frame DSLR, this lens will distort up close.  But not so much on the EOS-M.... because on a crop sensor like the EOS-M uses, there's less issue with the pincushion effect of a wide lens due to the crop factor. It's a very desirable lens for shooting in low light environments and the results so far have been flattering for the subjects.

Another benefit of this lens is the ability to throw the background out of focus and create attractive and decorative bokeh in certain conditions - if the background permits.  A lens this fast doesn't need a flash though it certainly performs well if you choose to use one.  The bounce flash from a swivel-head on a good flash will provide an abundance of light in a small room if desired.

Excellent neon color and luminosity rendering by the EOS-M via the 24mm f/1.4L lens

Car headlights in a park after dark - EOS-M via the 24mm f/1.4L lens

EOS-M + EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM Lens -  for Creative Shots

One thing that surprised me about the EOS-M is how quicky it inspires creativity.  Many photographers who have adopted this camera are starting to experiment more with lighting and composition - something they otherwise never considered. Long exposures with this camera are a breeze and the 24mm lens is bright enough that you might need to wait for the sun to truly set before taking long exposures more than half a second.  Unless of course you happen to have a strong Neutral Density Filter with you to cut down a little on the light.

Some people might suggest that you can stop the aperture down and reduce the amount of light entering the lens ... but when you start playing with smaller apertures you may start to see a noticeable softness in the details. Also, you may end up with a slight magenta cast on highlights when stopping this lens down near maximum - both of these due to diffraction.  Again, this is a limitation in the physics involved and is not a defect.  It is easily overcome and should not be a problem.  I've only encountered it once, whilst photographing the image (above left) with the trees reflecting over the water although I could have used an ND filter or a different lens.

As a creative camera, the EOS-M is right at home with the EF 24mmL.  Whilst there's no such thing as the "perfect lens" that can do everything, this one gives a lot more than many other lenses are capable of.  Those who shoot the main bulk of their work with Prime lenses will appreciate this lens on a variety of different cameras.  Some who bought and later sold this lens claimed they did so because they already owned the excellent EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS USM lens - and that makes sense if you don't need to shoot in extremely low light ...or if you won't miss the effects that an extremely shallow DOF tends to offer on a lens like this.

As I said before, the EF-M 22mm f/2.0 native EOS-M lens is going to be a more practical choice if size, weight and price are a deciding factor.  And the image quality from that lens is incredible.  But for those who might want to use an EF lens on another body of camera (like a DSLR), the 24mmL is a fantastic alternative.  I carry the 24mmL on the EOS-M as my standard walkabout lens and it provides me with a high rate of success for the type of subjects and environments I like to shoot... all of them fairly difficult in low light with other types of lenses with different values.  I haven't seen anyone else using the 24mmL online with the EOS-M... but if you were looking to see what this camera can do with this particular lens, then I hope my observations an ramblings have been of use.