Shooting 14-bit Raw & 5K Anamorphic Video on the $200 Canon EOS M?

Don’t throw away that old Canon EOS M yet, with some clever mods you can unlock features you wouldn’t imagine. Seriously, you can actually shoot in 14-bit raw and record 5K anamorphic video with an EOS M – those are cinema camera specs right there.

This is also an impressively tiny mirrorless camera and can be found for practically nothing these days. If you are looking to learn about how you can revive your old EOS M or want to pick up a cheap camera for a bit of fun then this video from FoxTailWhipz will show you how to get it done.

What is the EOS M? It was Canon’s first real mirrorless offering back in 2012. It was very much an entry-level APS-C offering but came with some surprisingly good tech for the time.

It is really tiny. I actually had one and found it fun, but not able to replace my DSLR at the time.

Image Credit: Canon

Around that time there was a group called Magic Lantern that figured out how to hack Canon cameras and add some incredible features, including the 14-bit raw 1080p video we mentioned already. There’s also a 5K anamorphic mode and a bunch of other stuff to play with. It goes above and beyond the original capabilities of the camera.

Being such a tiny camera if you don’t plan on going for a pocketable, handheld setup you will want to kit it out a bit. He uses the SmallRig 1584 VersaFrame Cage, which is just a universal cage with a bunch of mounting points.

You’ll also want to find some good glass for it. Fortunately, being a Canon camera, there is an adapter for using actual EF glass with full control. You can also just adapt whatever you want or just use any manual EF-mount glass.

Keep in mind, this is still only going to be Full HD. You will see the benefits of raw in terms of dynamic range and color rendering. You just have to accept it might not be as sharp as some modern 4K+ resolution cameras. For around $200 used you really can’t complain about this quality though.

Check out the sample footage and let us know what you think!

[source: FoxTailWhipz]

Order Links:

  • Canon EOS M Mirrorless Camera (Amazon)
  • SmallRig 1584 VersaFrame Cage (B&H, Amazon)

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate partner and participant in B&H and Adorama Affiliate programmes, we earn a small comission from each purchase made through the affiliate links listed above at no additional cost to you.

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