As the last major camera manufacturer to take a stab at designing a compact interchangeable lens camera , Canon had plenty of time to see what others had done right and wrong and to avoid pitfalls in design.

Sharp images; Good high ISO performance; Compact body; Responsive touch screen; 1080p video recording

Very slow to start; Lethargic autofocus; No flash; No EVF option; Limited native lens library

If you really want a compact shooter that will work with your existing Canon lenses, the EOS M delivers with caveats. For everyone else, wait if you can.

Solid construction; The use of Canon's full line of lenses (via optional adapter; DSLR sensor; Great image and video quality

Slow autofocusing system; Time-consuming settings adjustments; No viewfinder

The EOS M is Canon's long-awaited entry into the mirror-less compact system camera market. Announced in July 2012 it employs an 18 Megapixel APS-C sensor and a new EF-M lens mount with a 1.6x field-reduction factor.

Small lightweight simple body; 3 inch 1040k bright 3:2 touch-screen; 18 Megapixel APS-C sensor; Compatible with EF & EFS lenses using adapter; 1080p movies at 24; 25 or 30p; External microphone socket

Only 2 native EF-M lenses at launch; Sluggish AF performance; No electronic viewfinder option; Record button dead in non-movie modes; No built-in stabilisation

Many a fan of Canon have eagerly waited for the company to release the EOS M camera. It has been four years since the mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera (MILC) revolution and most major DSLR makers have released their own MILC model.

Accepts Canon EF and EF-S lenses via adaptor; compatible with Canon external flashes and accessories; touchscreen interface works well

Slow autofocus speed; rubber grip not big enough

Late to the mirrorless camera game, the Canon EOS M wasn't a big hit at launch -- primarily due to reports of its glacial autofocus speeds. (Something we discovered here at IR immediately.

Solid; compact build and attractive; sleek design that borrows from Canon's PowerShot compacts; 18-megapixel; APS-C sensor delivers great; DSLR-like image quality (similar to the Rebel T4i; T5i and SL1; 3-inch LCD touchscreen monitor is bright and high-resolution; Robust video capabilities,

Autofocus speed; though now in the acceptable range thanks to a recent firmware update; is still slower than most other mirrorless cameras; Navigation and changing settings can be confusing as it's not always intuitive whether to use physical or touchscreen controls; Limited creative filters and

Canon's first CSC has arrived in the shape of the EOS M. Has the wait been worth it? We find out in the What Digital Camera Canon EOS M review

Touchscreen interface; image quality; top-end finish

AF and burst shooting could be faster; no Wi-Fi; limited lens support at this time

Canon's first mirrorless camera offers top-notch image quality, but it fails to meet our expectations in terms of focusing and usability.

Excellent image quality; Attractive; sturdy build; EF and EF-S lens compatibility

Sluggish focusing performance; No mode dial and sub-par UI; Below-average battery life

Canon has finally made the leap into ILC (interchangeable lens cameras) market with the long awaited EOS M. Along with the new camera comes a new line of EF-M lenses, designed specifically for this new mount.

Auto shooting mode is accurate and easy in all situations; Camera is ready to capture still images in video recording mode; Overall image quality is outstanding; Video quality is excellent; Continuous AF keeps your videos in focus; 3.0-inch Touch LCD is easy ot use and very high resolution; Burst...

No built-in flash unit; Only two lenses available for the EF-M mount; AF is very slow; Dedicated video recording button doesn't work in still shooting modes; Lacks features of other ILC cameras; IS is only available on lenses; not built into camera; Very few controls; makes using the manual features...

The Canon EOS M delivers arguably the best image quality per cubic inch (mm) - or per ounce (gram) of any Canon digital camera produced as of review time. When small and light are important specifications, and when image quality cannot be sacrificed, the Canon EOS M (the refreshingly shortest EOS...

Finally - after a slew of leaks and rumors - Canon's first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera has arrived with the Canon EOS-M . It's hard to believe 4 years have already passed since the introduction of the first mirrorless cameras, but Canon has joined to the party, more than fashionably late,...