Canon EOS M vs Fujifilm X-M1 — Which Is Better?

The Canon EOS M and the Fujifilm X-M1 are both compact mirrorless cameras framed through the LCD alone, with neither offering a viewfinder. The X-M1 arrived four years later, in 2016 against 2012, the newer of these two designs.

The EOS M measures 109 x 66 x 32 mm and weighs 298 g, against 117 x 67 x 39 mm and 330 g for the X-M1, so Canon's body is the smaller and lighter carry.

The EOS M gives you more room to crop distant subjects and print larger, with 18 MP against 16 MP in the X-M1. Both use an APS-C CMOS sensor and neither has in-body stabilisation, so sharp handheld work in dim light depends on the lens either way. Standard sensitivity runs 100 to 12800 ISO on the EOS M and 200 to 6400 ISO on the X-M1, with both reaching 25600 ISO expanded.

For moving subjects the X-M1 is the stronger choice. Its 49 autofocus points give you more positions to place focus than the 31 on the EOS M, useful for tracking a wandering child at a party, and it shoots at 5.6 fps against 4.3 fps. Each uses its own native lens system, Canon EF-M and Fujifilm X, so lenses cannot be exchanged between them.

Family and travel clips are equally well served, because both cameras record Full HD video and both reach 30 fps at their maximum frame rate. Neither offers a built-in intervalometer for timelapses. The difference arrives at the editing stage: the EOS M writes MPEG-4 files, while the X-M1 produces MOV, which matters if your software prefers one format.

The X-M1 is the better-connected camera for sharing on the road. It has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for transferring photos to a phone without a card reader, plus a built-in flash for filling shadows at indoor gatherings. Its screen tilts, so you can frame waist-level shots or include yourself in group photos. The EOS M counters with a touchscreen for quick focus placement and a higher-resolution display, 1040000 dots against 920000.

A few controls match. Both offer a 3-inch LCD with live view and an external flash shoe for a speedlight, and neither has GPS tagging or weather sealing.

The X-M1's NP-W126 battery is rated for 350 shots against 230 for the EOS M's LP-E12, the higher rating favouring a full day of sightseeing. Both take a single SD, SDHC or SDXC card, with no second slot on either. The X-M1's slot is UHS-I compatible, so it accepts faster UHS-I cards. Neither battery charges over USB.