Kuala Lumpur (6 August 2013) – Canon, a world leader in digital imaging first announced the arrival of Canon’s first digital single lens non-reflex camera, the EOS M July last year. Despite its smaller form, the EOS M has all the capabilities associated with its EOS heritage, and this includes a powerful DIGIC 5 image processor and a large 18-megapixel APS-C sized CMOS sensor to capture richly detailed images.
“As a sign of our continuous commitment towards our consumers, Canon’s research teams are constantly working around the clock to ensure that our consumers get the best. So do get the firmware update to boost the One-Shot Auto-Focus (AF) performance in your EOS M and check out the new ultra wide-angle lens for a smoother, class-leading performance,” said Donny Ling, Director of the Imaging Communication Products division of Canon Marketing (Malaysia).
Firmware Upgrade
In response to popular market demand, Canon released a firmware update to boost the focusing speed of the One-Shot AF. This is especially noticeable when Live Multi-Point AF is being used, showing an improved AF speed* of maximum 2.3x increase when compared to previous speed. The firmware update for EOS M will be available as a complimentary download at the Canon website.
The New Ultra Wide-Angle Lens
The EOS M is compatible with Canon’s repertoire of more than 60 EF and EF-S lenses via Mount Adapter EF-EOS M, providing the same level of photographic brilliance of a DSLR. Now Canon adds another lens to that line-up.
Introducing the new EF-M11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM, a compact and convenient lens that is useful in many situations. Test it out in scenic landscapes to quick group snapshots of friends. It will deliver class-leading optical performance while still retaining the convenience of a compact body by using a lens-retraction mechanism.
Class-leading optical performance
The EOS M promises to deliver full DSLR-quality photos in a compact size, and the EF-M11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lives up to this design concept. It achieves superb optical performance through the effective use of two aspheric lenses and an Ultra-Low Dispersion (UD) lens, and also maintains consistent high visual quality from the center to the peripheral edges of the frame. This optimized lens arrangement and a special coating also minimizes flare and ghosting, in addition to achieving superior color balance.
To further improve the image quality of this lens, an Image Stabilizer has been incorporated, giving the equivalent effect of a shutter speed 3 stops faster. This marks the first time an Image Stabilizer was built into a wide-angle EF lens. For smoother soft-toned backgrounds, a 7-blade Electromagnetic Diaphragm (EMD) with a circular aperture is used.
*When shot at One-Shot AF, Live Multi-Point AF, using EF-M18 – 55 mm f3.5 – 5.6 IS STM, at focal length of 55 mm.
In keeping with the compact size of the EOS M, a lens-retraction mechanism shortens the size of the lens to 60.9 x 58.2mm while being carried; this compactness is on par with the EF-M18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM. A smaller overall size allows users to comfortably keep the EF-M11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM attached to the EOS M to make full use of its wide-angle capabilities without any added bulkiness.
Fast and silent focusing
EOS M cameras are also capable of taking beautiful videos as well as still photos, so the EF-M11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM has been designed with video in mind. By using a lightweight focusing lens and a Stepping Motor mechanism (STM), it is capable of extremely quiet and smooth movie servo auto-focusing, for sharp videos without any audio interference. When shooting video, the EF-M11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM’s drive noise is only 30dB or lower – comparable to a laptop’s internal fan. Dynamic IS is also incorporated into the lens to compensate for camera shake which occurs when the user is moving during handheld movie shooting, therefore achieving movie footages which are steady and comfortable to view.
To take fast photos, a lens needs to be able to focus rapidly and the EF-M11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM enables this with rapid focus search – focusing takes 0.35 seconds or less from infinity to 0.15m, throughout the zoom range. It also has the shortest focusing distance in its class, and can focus on subjects a mere 0.15m from it.
With the rapid focusing and short focusing distance, users can feel empowered to point and shoot the camera with the confidence that it will result in photos with visual details perfectly in focus. Further control over the focus is granted via the full-time manual focus function, allowing users to manually fine-tune the focus after the auto-focus is completed.
Stylish appearance
As the EF-M11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM is made to be compact and convenient to be left attached to an EOS M camera, Canon has ensured that it was designed to be extremely stylish. By focusing on basic lens design, the EF-M11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM achieves a classic look with a streamlined molded body made with a quality anodized aluminum metal exterior. The focusing and zoom rings also use a high-traction diamond knurl surface that feels and operates well and looks good. The graphic silver color of the lens helps it match any camera color.
*Focal length of 18-35mm on an APS-C sized sensor due to 1.6x crop factor.
Availability
The firmware update for EOS M will be available as a complimentary download at the Canon website at http://support-my.canon-asia.com/contents/MY/EN/0400087002.html.
The EF-M11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens is already available in the market at all Canon Authorized Dealers retailing at a recommended price of RM1,399.
