Canon Entry-Level Mirrorless Upgraded

2019.09.26

Today, Canon unveiled an upgraded version of their entry-level mirrorless. The new Canon EOS M200 replaces the M100 before it by upgrading its processor from DIGIC 7 to DIGIC 8. This processor change gives it more power to process the sensor output, improving two core functions:

143-Point AF: The Canon M200 now reads Phase-Detect information at 143 areas spread around most of the sensor area, with 100% vertical and 88% horizontal coverage. The sensor itself has not changed and still has Phase-Detect AF at every pixel but that is a huge amount of data which is impossible to process sufficiently quickly to be useful, so the previous M100 only offers 49 AF-points.

4K Video: Ultra HD, as it is also known, requires 4X the bandwidth of Full HD (1080p). The new DIGIC 8 processor is capable of reading 4K off the sensor at 24 FPS. Once the camera can capture 4K, Canon also added the ability to create 4K Time-Lapse. Since those are captured at a slower rate than they are played back, it can mark the resulting video for 30 FPS playback.

The result is the first Canon APS-C mirrorless to have 4K capability. This is a rather compact digital camera built around a 24 megapixels Dual-Pixel CMOS sensor with ISO 100-25600 sensitivity range. It features a mechanical shutter with standard 1/4000-30s range, plus the possibility of Bulb exposure. The M200 can shoot continuously at 6.1 FPS for 71 JPEG images or 13 RAW files, although it slows down to 4 FPS with Continuous AF & AE.

As an entry-level mirrorless, the Canon EOS M200 has a basic feature set and single control-dial interface. There is no viewfinder on the camera nor provision to add one. Framing is done via a 3" tilting LCD which is touch-sensitive. There is a small built-in flash. Like the M100, this one does not have a hot-shoe for external lighting.

Canon expects to ship their latest mirrorless next month for $550 USD or $700 CAD. B&H Photo and Adorama are already accepting pre-orders.

• Digital Camera