Canon makes great DSLR cameras, there's no doubt about that. But in 2012 when the company dipped into the mirrorless market with the EOS M, it was unusually behind the curve. The EOS M2 appeared in Asia to try and fill a gap, some firmware update appeared to try and better the poor autofocus, and...

Not perfect, but superb controls and outstanding image quality make the Canon EOS M3 a serious contender

Canon overhauls its compact system camera with a much faster AF system - the EOS M3 is super quick

Canon's new EOS M3 is the third model in the company's CSC (compact system camera) line but only the second to be released in Australia. Following the lead of its predecessor, the new model uses the latest 24-megapixel sensor and DIGIC 6 processor, which are common to Canon's mid-range EOS DSLR...

At a glance: Of all the major camera manufacturers, Canon has been by far the most reluctant player when it comes to compact system cameras. Not only was Canon one of the last to make a mirrorless camera at all, with the EOS M in mid-2012, but it has also shown little commitment to the system,...

Compact; portable design; Excellent controls and user interface; Impressive image quality

Relatively slow continuous shooting and focusing; No built-in viewfinder; Limited native lens range

Canon EOS M3 Review - The EOS M3 represents Canon's first real step in to the enthusiast CSC market, and looks set to shake it up. See how it gets on in our full Canon EOS M3 Review.

Excellent design and user interface; Pleasing image quality; Huge improvement on predecessor

Focusing speed and continuous shooting still behind competition; Lacking built-in viewfinder; Poor kits lens

The EOS M3 is Canon's third mirrorless camera, following the M2 and the original M. Announced in February 2015 (13 months after the M2 and two and a half years after the original M) it joins the 750D / T6i and 760D / T6s DSLRs to become the first Canon cameras to employ a 24 Megapixel APSC sensor.

Good quality images and low noise; Tilting touchscreen; Wifi with NFC for sharing and remote control; Mic input and confident focusing for movies

No built-in viewfinder, Servo AF slows burst shooting down, Poor battery life; Little warning before expiry, Very limited selection of native EF-M lenses, No panorama or timelapse facility built-in

The Canon EOS M3 is the third stab at a CSC from what is still probably the biggest name in cameras. It follows the 2012 Canon EOS M , a camera that did so badly Canon didn't even bother to release the follow-up M2 in the UK, Europe or US.

Good handling and control; Well implemented touchscreen; Decent images

Relatively slow all-round performance; Disappointing dynamic range; Chunky kit lens; Limited lens selection

Canon's first compact system or mirrorless system camera, the EOS M, seemed very good on paper, but at launch it was expensive and let down by a lacklustre autofocus system that was slow and prone to hunting.

24Mp APS-C format sensor; Excellent interface; Plenty of control

Limited EF-M mount lens range; Frustrating autofocus system; No viewfinder built-in

Canon's first compact system or mirrorless system camera, the EOS M, seemed very good on paper, but at launch it was expensive and let down by a lacklustre autofocus system that was slow and prone to hunting.