Canon EOS M200 Review

Camera Reviews / Canon Cameras / Canon EOS i Hands-On Preview
Basic Specifications
Full model name: Canon EOS M200
Resolution: 24.10 Megapixels
Sensor size: APS-C
(22.3mm x 14.9mm)
Kit Lens: 3.00x zoom
15-45mm
(24-72mm eq.)
Viewfinder: No / LCD
Native ISO: 100 - 25,600
Extended ISO: 100 - 25,600
Shutter: 1/4000 - 30 sec
Max Aperture: 3.5 (kit lens)
Dimensions: 4.3 x 2.6 x 1.4 in.
(108 x 67 x 35 mm)
Weight: 15.1 oz (429 g)
includes batteries, kit lens
Availability: 10/2019
Manufacturer: Canon
Full specs: Canon EOS M200 specifications

Your purchases support this site

Kit with 15-45mm Lens (Black)
  • Kit with 15-45mm Lens (Black)
  • Kit with 15-45mm Lens (White)
EOS M200 Deals
24.10
Megapixels
Canon EF-M APS-C
size sensor
image of Canon EOS M200
Front side of Canon EOS M200 digital camera Front side of Canon EOS M200 digital camera Front side of Canon EOS M200 digital camera Front side of Canon EOS M200 digital camera Front side of Canon EOS M200 digital camera

Canon M200 Review -- First Impressions

by Mike Tomkins
Preview posted 09/25/2019

A couple of years ago, Canon launched a new entry-level model for its EOS M mirrorless camera series, adding a zero to the M10 to create the EOS M100. Now, that design is further extended with the debut of a followup model, the Canon EOS M200.

A very familiar body with a few tweaks here and there

On the outside, the two cameras look very similar indeed. They're both exactly the same size, and within a few grams of the same weight as each other, as well. (The M200 is the lighter of the pair, but by an unnoticeable margin of just 3-4 grams.)

Comparing the two cameras side by side, the most immediately obvious change between the two is that the M200 ditches the Wi-Fi button from its predecessor's rear panel, and then relocates the movie record button from the top deck to the newly-freed up position on the rear, instead. It's by no means the only external change, though.

For one thing, Canon has switched to a faux-leather texture for front deck and rear thumb grip trim, rather than the more man-made texture of the previous model. The company has also switched to a diamond-knurled texture on the front dial that surrounded the shutter button, and removed the large, silver trim piece which used to cover the right side of the camera body.

And most control labels are now in white, where previously a few labels were either green (Auto+) or blue (playback and delete). There is only one exception to this all-white labeling scheme, though. Curiously, the switch used to deploy the manually-raised, top-deck flash strobe had white labeling previously, but that's now switched to a harder-to-see body-colored label instead.

An updated imaging pipeline offers a significant performance boost

While it's a pretty modest update on the outside, there are a good few more changes under the skin, some of them pretty significant. The change in effective pixel count for the image sensor -- previously 24.2 megapixels, and now 24.1 -- suggests a new sensor, but with essentially the same resolution as before. (Total pixel count is unchanged at 25.8 megapixels.) But the new sensor is paired with a next-generation DIGIC 8 image processor in place of the previous DIGIC 7 chip, and this allows the greater performance necessary for 4K video capture. (We'll come back to that in a minute.)

More advanced AF, and better metering / white balance too!

As well as allowing for new video capabilities, the new sensor and processor pairing also provide for a more point-dense Dual Pixel CMOS AF-branded autofocus system. Where the M100 had a total of 49 phase-detection AF points to choose from, the EOS M200 now has a much more generous 143 AF points, and eye detection AF is now supported. According to Canon, the M200's AF can also now work all the way down to -4EV (Center AF point, ISO 100, f/1.4), where the M100 had a low-light limit rating of -1EV (but Canon rated the M100's AF with a one-stop slower f/2 lens).

The Canon M200's metering system is also said to work better in low light, whether for stills or video. Previously, the lower limit was 1EV for metering of stills, and a minimum of 2EV for video capture. The M200, though, can now meter to -1EV for stills and 0EV for video. And the white balance system has received an update as well, receiving a choice of ambient-priority or white-priority for the auto white balance mode.

The latest raw formats and more lens corrections

Also new to the roster for still imaging are Canon's latest .CR3 and C-Raw raw file formats, in place of the M100's .CR2 raws. (If you're not familiar with C-Raw, it's a lossily-compressed raw format that helps save file size and improve buffer depths, and is visually near-indistinguishable from standard raw files.) And Canon has also added both its Digital Lens Optimizer and distortion correction technologies to the array of lens aberration corrections already on offer in the M100.

The rear-deck, flip-up style LCD monitor, which can be tilted upwards a full 180 degrees for selfie shooting, now has a seven-step brightness control instead of the five-step control of the previous model. And the Canon M200 also adds Art Bold, HDR Art Standard, HDR Art Vivid, HDR Art Bold and HDR Art Embossed creative filters. Oh, and there's one additional grid display option, too, allowing you to overlay both a 3x3 grid and diagonals on the LCD monitor during framing.

Still performance and sensitivity are unchanged from the past generation

In other respects, the Canon EOS M200 is much the same as its predecessor from a still imaging perspective, offering 6.1 frames per second burst capture without autofocus, or 4.0 fps with AF between frames. And the ISO sensitivity range of 100 to 25,600 equivalents for stills is also unchanged. Preliminary information suggests that you may now be able to use the whole of this range for video capture, too, with the highest ISO 25,600-equivalent position being an extended sensitivity for videos, but not for stills.

Support for 4K and vertical videos, as well as high frame rate HD

The remainder of the changes are all on the video front. As mentioned previously, 4K UHD video capture is now offered, but with a fixed 24 frames per second capture rate unless you're shooting a time-lapse, in which case there's a fixed 30 fps rate. (We believe realtime 4K video is cropped, but have not confirmed that yet.)

At the same time, Canon has also added support for vertical video capture, but removed the 24 fps capture rate for Full HD videos -- here you have a choice of either 30p or 60p rates. HD resolution video at 60p and now 120p is also supported, but the M200 has dropped the standard-def VGA video mode altogether. Clip durations are limited to 29 minutes and 59 seconds for Full HD and HD (7:29 for High Frame Rate HD), and 9:59 for 4K. Our spec sheet also suggests that where the previous model used evaluative metering for videos at all times, the EOS M200 will instead switch to center-weighted metering unless a face is detected within the scene.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth once again, but USB gets a (slightly curious) update

On the connectivity front, both in-camera Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios allow for both remote control of the camera from a smartphone or dedicated Bluetooth remote, and for transfer of your creations wirelessly for sharing online. The M100's NFC support has however been dropped. There's also a high-definition Type-D Micro HDMI connector as in the previous camera, but the Mini-B USB connector of the last generation is gone, curiously replaced not by a reversible USB Type-C connector, but rather a Micro-B connector which can only be inserted in one orientation.

Modest battery gains since the previous model, too

Power still comes courtesy of an LP-E12 lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack, just as in the M100. The Canon M200 will get you more shots on a charge, though, with a CIPA rating of 315 shots, up about 7% from the 295-frame rating of the M100. In-camera charging via USB is now supported, even though a dedicated battery charger is included in the bundle.

Canon M200 price and availability

The Canon EOS M200 will go on sale in the US market from October 2019 in black or white color schemes. List pricing for a kit including an optically-stabilized EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM lens is expected to be around US$550, which is about $50 less than the M100 when it was introduced.

 

Buy the Canon EOS M200

Similar to the EOS M200 but smaller lighter larger sensor cheaper But ...
loading
No cameras match your search criteria(s)
   

$449.00 (11% less)

24.2 MP

Also lacks viewfinder

Similar size

EOS M200 vs EOS M100

$499.00

24.2 MP

Also lacks viewfinder

20% larger

EOS M200 vs X-A5

$849.99 (41% more)

24.2 MP

Also lacks viewfinder

23% larger

EOS M200 vs X-A7

$849.00 (41% more)

26.1 MP (8% more)

Has viewfinder

12% larger

EOS M200 vs X-E4

$698.00 (29% more)

24.2 MP

Also lacks viewfinder

23% larger

EOS M200 vs ZV-E10

$449.00 (11% less)

24.2 MP

Also lacks viewfinder

25% larger

EOS M200 vs EOS M6

$549.00 (9% more)

24.2 MP

Also lacks viewfinder

19% larger

EOS M200 vs X-A3

$699.00 (29% more)

24.3 MP

Has viewfinder

33% larger

EOS M200 vs X-E3

$849.00 (41% more)

32.5 MP (26% more)

Also lacks viewfinder

38% larger

EOS M200 vs EOS M6 Mark II

$849.00 (41% more)

26.1 MP (8% more)

Has viewfinder

44% larger

EOS M200 vs X-T30

$0.00

26.1 MP (8% more)

Has viewfinder

44% larger

EOS M200 vs X-T30 II

$348.00 (43% less)

24.3 MP

Also lacks viewfinder

Similar size

EOS M200 vs A5100

$648.00 (23% more)

24.2 MP

Has viewfinder

47% larger

EOS M200 vs A6100

$549.00 (9% more)

16.1 MP (50% less)

Also lacks viewfinder

18% larger

EOS M200 vs E-PL10

$848.00 (41% more)

24.2 MP

Has viewfinder

35% larger

EOS M200 vs A6300

$798.00 (37% more)

24.2 MP

Has viewfinder

47% larger

EOS M200 vs A6400

$699.99 (29% more)

16.1 MP (50% less)

Also lacks viewfinder

18% larger

EOS M200 vs E-PL9

$599.00 (17% more)

24.2 MP

Has viewfinder

46% larger

EOS M200 vs X-T100

$1303.12 (62% more)

24.2 MP

Has viewfinder

40% larger

EOS M200 vs A6500

$599.00 (17% more)

16.1 MP (50% less)

Also lacks viewfinder

17% larger

EOS M200 vs E-PL8

Suggestion for improvement? Head over here.


Editor's Picks