Canon EOS M5 review: 'Mirrorless 80D' fails to faze its compact system competition

It's fair to say we've been highly critical of Canon 's compact system camera EOS M line. For a simple reason, though: the Japanese company's mirrorless cameras simply haven't been able to stand up to the competition.

Small size; big step forward for EOS M series; fast autofocus setup (finally); decent viewfinder and touchscreen combination; access to lots of lenses (via adapter

Battery depletion issues; autofocus setup can't compete with the best mirrorless cameras out there; high ISO sensitivity shows off image noise; no 4K video; expensive compared to competition

CANON EOS M5 Compact System Camera with 15-45 mm f/3.5-6.3 Zoom Lens & Smart Lens Adapter - Black

Size and weight; Ability to use ef and ef-s lenses using the supplied adapter

Slow update on viewfinder; No tripod attachment supplied with ef lens adapter

Canon turned up late to the mirrorless party. Very late. In fact, by the time it finally arrived in mid-2012, four years after Panasonic's ground-breaking G1, every other major manufacturer was already in the game.

FIRST LOOK: Canon EOS M5

The EOS M5 is a very welcome addition to Canon's product line-up and arrives at a time when many photo enthusiasts were starting to doubt whether Canon would ever produce a mirrorless camera that caters for their needs.