YouTube at VidCon: New VR Format, Mobile App Update, YouTube TV Rollout Continues

YouTube made several announcements at the annual VidCon convention in California on Thursday, covering VR, YouTube TV, new original series, and a number of changes coming to the YouTube web and app interface.

First up, YouTube announced a brand new high resolution video format called VR180 that it said would make VR content easier to create. VR180 works on both mobile and desktop, and focuses on what is in front of the viewer, allowing them to turn 90 degrees either side of their field of vision.

The videos transition to a VR experience when viewed with Google Cardboard, Daydream, and PSVR, which enable users to view the images stereoscopically in 3-D, where near things look near, and far things appear far.

For creators, you’ll be able to set up and film your videos the way you normally would with any other camera. And, soon, you’ll be able to edit using familiar tools like Adobe Premiere Pro. From vlogs, to makeup tutorials to music videos – your videos will work great in VR.

But supporting the format is just the beginning. We want to make cameras that are easy to work with too. The Daydream team is working with several manufacturers to build cameras from the ground up for VR180. These cameras are not only great for creators looking to easily make VR content, but also anyone who wants to capture life’s highlights in VR. They will be as easy to use as point-and-shoot cameras, for around the same price. Videos and livestreams will be easy to upload to YouTube.

YouTube said that cameras were on the way from YI, Lenovo, and LG, with the first ones making their way onto the shelves this winter. The company is also opening up a VR180 certification program, with Z CAM announced as one of its first partners. Content creators can learn more and sign up for updates at vr.google.com/vr180.

Elsewhere, YouTube said it would be bringing an update to its mobile app in the coming weeks that would allow the interface to dynamically adapt to whatever video size is being watched, whether vertical, square, or horizontal, in order to make better use of screen space. It also said it would be making its mobile video sharing feature available in Latin America and across the U.S. over the next couple of weeks.

Moving on, YouTube said that in the next couple of weeks it would be expanding its YouTube TV service to ten more markets in the U.S., including Dallas-Fort Worth, Washington, D.C., Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne and Charlotte.

The streaming television service that was first announced in late February before rolling out to five cities in early April. The service costs $35 and is already available in in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago.

A new slate of YouTube Red originals were also announced on Thursday. The company shared details on 12 new projects coming to the ad-free, all-access $9.99 per month subscription model, bringing the number of original series and movies launched on YouTube Red to 37.

Finally, the Google-owned video hub took the opportunity to reveal that 1.5 billion users now log in to YouTube every single month – the equivalent of one in every five people around the world. It said that, on average, viewers spend over an hour a day watching YouTube on mobile devices alone.

Tags: YouTube, YouTube Red, YouTube TV
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Tesla Said to Be Looking into Launching its Own In-Car Music Streaming Service

Tesla is reportedly in talks with music labels to sound out the feasibility of launching its own streaming music service that would come bundled with car ownership.

Recode reports that music industry sources say the electric car maker has had talks with all of the major labels about licensing a proprietary service that would integrate with vehicle dashboards. The service could begin with a free streaming radio option similar to Pandora, said sources, with multiple tiers offered to customers.

“We believe it’s important to have an exceptional in-car experience so our customers can listen to the music they want from whatever source they choose,” a Tesla spokesperson said. “Our goal is to simply achieve maximum happiness for our customers.”

For most observers, a move into music streaming would come as an unexpected development for the car company. However TechCrunch notes that CEO Elon Musk hinted that Tesla was exploring music products at its most recent shareholder meeting in early June.

It’s not entirely clear how serious Tesla is about the idea, given that existing streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify would have a huge lead over its own offering. Indeed, Tesla already has a deal with Spotify to provide music for Tesla cars sold outside the U.S., so unless the company has concrete plans to provide something particularly unique to its drivers, these talks are probably best filed under “speculative” for the time being at least.

Tag: Tesla
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Russia Threatens to Ban Encrypted Messaging App Telegram

Russia has threatened to block access to the Telegram messaging platform unless the company that runs the app provides more information about itself (via Sky News).

The head of communications regulator Roskomnadzor, Alexander Zharov, said repeated efforts to obtain the information had been ignored by the company and warned that “time is running out” for the app.

“There is one demand and it is simple: to fill in a form with information on the company that controls Telegram,” Zharov said in an open letter. “And to officially send it to Roskomnadzor to include this data in the registry of organizers of dissemination of information. In case of refusal… Telegram shall be blocked in Russia until we receive the needed information.”

Telegram’s non-response appears to be down to the repercussions of handing over the requested details: Doing so would effectively add it to the state regulators’ registry, which would require it to retain users’ chat histories and encryption keys and share them with authorities if asked, according to Russian news agency TASS.

The demand isn’t the first time the Russian founders of Telegram – Kremlin, Nikolai and Pavel Durov – have failed to comply with state requests. In 2014, the Durovs refused to turn over data on Ukranian users of Vkontakte, a social network they also set up together.

Telegram claims to split its encryption keys into separate data centers around the world to ensure “no single government or block of like-minded countries can intrude on people’s privacy and freedom of expression”.

According to the group’s policy, it can only be forced to hand over data if “an issue is grave and universal enough to pass the scrutiny of several different legal systems around the world”.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: security, Russia, privacy, Encryption, Telegram
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New Nissan Leaf will have ProPilot autonomous driving technology

Nissan has confirmed that the upcoming facelifted model of the Leaf electric vehicle will be available with its ProPilot autonomous driving technology.

• Driving with Nissan ProPilot: Removing the legwork
• Nissan Leaf 2016 first drive: Increased range, but not a huge change

ProPilot isn’t like Tesla’s Autopilot technology, so it can’t take full control of the vehicle. Instead, it works in a similar way to adaptive cruise control, by monitoring the car in front, and adjusting your car’s speed accordingly, and even braking if necessary. The technology can also follow road markings and turn corners for you, but the ProPilot mode can only be used in single lane traffic, so think A-roads rather than motorways.

ProPilot is part of Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility range of driver assistance technologies, which already include blind spot warning, moving object warning, which detects if people or other objects are moving around the car and rear cross traffic alert which lets you know if any cars are coming within range of the car when reversing. Nissan hasn’t made it completely clear, but we expect ProPilot will be available as another optional extra on the Leaf when you’re making an order.

Pocket-lint

We’ve experienced Nissan ProPilot before, and found it to be an effective system. It worked how it should have done, so slowed down it approached a car in front and brought the car back up to speed when there was enough room. There are a couple of niggles with it, but they’re safety features that we felt could be relaxed a little.The system can only be used up to a maximum speed of 62mph, acceleration up hills and inclines wasn’t amazing, and if the car is at a standstill for longer than three seconds, you need to reactivate the feature.

Needless to say, by making ProPilot available on the Leaf, Nissan has given its electric vehicle yet another reason to consider going green. The Leaf was not only the world’s first mass-market fully electric vehicle, but it has gone on to become the world’s best-selling too, with more than 270,000 sold worldwide.

Steam Summer Sale: Best games deals for PC and Mac and an extra £5 off

The Steam Summer Sale has started and there are some incredible deals for PC and Mac gamers right across the digital store.

Steam has dramatically discounted thousands of games across the digital store, at anywhere up to 90 per cent off. If you want to build your games library, now’s the time to start.

What’s more, PayPal users get an even bigger incentive to splurge some cash on the latest and greatest games. The digital payment company is offering £5 off when you spend £20 on Steam until 5 July (when the sale ends).

You need to save the offer to your PayPal account before you can redeem it. Instructions are available here.

Without further ado, here are some of the best offers we’ve found so far. We’ll also add more as the sale progresses.

Best Steam Summer Sale game deals

In alphabetical order:

• Bioshock Infinite (PC, Mac) – £4.99 – get the deal here
• Blood Bowl II (PC, Mac) – £8.15 – get the deal here
• Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (PC) – £19.99 – get the deal here
• Cities: Skylines (PC, Mac) – £5.99 – get the deal here
• Dark Souls III (PC) – £15.99 – get the deal here
• Dead Age (PC, Mac) – £3.29 – get the deal here
• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (PC) – £9.99 – get the deal here
• Dishonored 2 (PC) – £14.99 – get the deal here
• Doom (PC) – £9.99 – get the deal here
• Fallout 4 (PC) – £9.99 – get the deal here
• Firewatch (PC, Mac) – £6.74 – get the deal here
• Football Manager 2017 (PC, Mac) – £11.89 – get the deal here
• Mafia III (PC, Mac) – £12.94 – get the deal here
• Metro Redux Bundle (PC, Mac) – £6.24 – get the deal here
• Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (PC, Mac) – £3.19 – get the deal here
• Minecraft: Story Mode (PC, Mac) – £4.74 – get the deal here
• Motorsport Manager (PC, Mac) – £8.49 – get the deal here
• No Man’s Sky (PC) – £15.99 – get the deal here
• Planet Coaster (PC) – £20.09 – get the deal here
• Portal 2 (PC, Mac) – £1.49 – get the deal here
• Rocket League (PC, Mac) – £8.99 – get the deal here
• Sniper Elite 4 (PC) – £19.99 – get the deal here
• Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army (PC) – £3.29 – get the deal here
• South Park: The Stick of Truth (PC) – £6.24 – get the deal here
• Stardew Valley (PC, Mac) – £6.59 – get the deal here
• Torment: Tides of Numenera (PC, Mac) – £17.49 – get the deal here
• Total War: Warhammer (PC, Mac) – £13.59 – get the deal here
• XCOM 2 (PC, Mac) – £11.54 – get the deal here

Best Steam Summer Sale hardware deals

As well as a healthy list of games, Steam is also offering its own hardware with heavy discounts. The Steam Link is a small box you can use to stream games from your PC to a TV elsewhere in the house, and the Steam Controller is a standalone device designed for PC gaming.

• Steam Link – £11.99 – get the deal here
• Steam Controller – £27.99 – get the deal here

YouTube’s 2017 lineup of Red Originals includes six new shows

Other than its innovated VR180 format and YouTube TV expansion, Google’s video streaming site found time to mention its subscription package during Vidcon 2017. For 2017 the YouTube Red Originals lineup has a mix of new series on the way including an eSports comedy from Dan Harmon (Community) called Good Game starring Game Grumps personalities Dan Avidan and Arin “Egoraptor” Hanson, and its first reality series, Lace Up: The Ultimate Sneaker Challenge.

As far as renewals, we knew of a cancellation for PewDiePie’s show, but one of Red’s first shows, Foursome, will return for a third go-round, alongside four other returning series and one movie sequel. YouTube also finally dropped a number showing some of the activity on its service, saying its originals have notched “nearly” a quarter billion views. After the break, check out a quick teaser trailer for the new shows plus more details on all of them.

NEW TO YOUTUBE RED:

RYAN HANSEN SOLVES CRIMES ON TELEVISION*: ​This action-comedy is set in a world where the LAPD thinks it’s a good idea to form a task force partnering actors with homicide detectives so they can use their “actor skills” to help solve murders. Starring Ryan Hansen (“Veronica Mars,” “Party Down”) who plays himself and guest star Samira Wiley (“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Orange Is The New Black”) as his no-nonsense partner Detective Mathers, the series features a who’s who of broadcast and cable television stars playing bizarro versions of themselves including, but not limited to, Joel McHale Jon Cryer and Kristen Bell. Rawson Marshall Thurber (“Central Intelligence,” “We’re the Millers,” and “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story”) serves as the director, writer, creator and executive producer of this super meta half hour comedy procedural which is as much about Hollywood as it is an action-comedy cop show. The series is executive produced by Thurber, Scott Stuber, Beau Bauman, Krysia Plonka and Tracey Baird.

DO YOU WANT TO SEE A DEAD BODY?: ​This comedy series follows comedian Rob Huebel (“Childrens Hospital,” “Transparent”) and his celebrity friends who begrudgingly join him on adventures that see them frolicking at the beach, getting tacos, …oh…and seeing a dead body. Celebrity guest stars include Adam Scott, Judy Greer, Terry Crews, Craig Robinson, and John Cho along with many more. Huebel, Owen Burke, Nick Jasenovec, and Jonathan Stern serve as executive producers. ​The series is being produced by Abominable Pictures and Funny or Die. GOOD GAME: ​The worlds of eSports and comedy collide in GOOD GAME, a new scripted series from Starburns Industries, Dan Harmon’s Emmy Award-winning production company. The series follows a newly formed team of eSports players trying to make it to the top in the cutthroat world of competitive gaming, and stars the Game Grumps’ Dan Avidan and Arin Hanson along with Michele Morrow. GOOD GAME debuts on YouTube Red on August 30, 2017.

LACE UP: THE ULTIMATE SNEAKER CHALLENGE:​ LACE UP: THE ULTIMATE SNEAKER CHALLENGE, hosted by YouTube star Swoozie, is an innovative new series from legendary television producer Ken Mok and famed sneaker designer D’Wayne Edwards. In the first-ever unscripted competition series, aspiring footwear creators from around the world battle it out to determine who can design, develop and produce the next great sneaker. LIFELINE:​ Set in the not-too-distant future, a little known life insurance company sends its agents forward 33 days in time to prevent the accidental deaths of its clients. The company’s best agent, Conner Hooks (Zach Gilford), has never missed a save – until he takes on the most personal case of his life. When sixteen-year-old Norah (Sydney Park) is orphaned on his watch, Conner pledges to protect her, even if that means putting his career at Lifeline – or his own life – in jeopardy. The series is being produced by Seven Bucks Productions, co-founded by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, and Studio71, the digital entertainment company and multichannel network of ProSiebenSat.1.

FURZE WORLD WONDERS: ​In FURZE WORLD WONDERS, extreme inventor and YouTube superstar Colin Furze takes his signature mad genius builds to brand new places. Known for his incredible backyard inventions, Furze puts his unique talents to use for other people, in this new YouTube Red show. Whether helping a brother and sister achieve A GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the largest water rocket or creating an epic battle barge for a family looking to even the score in an annual water fight, every episode is filled with epic and outrageous creations from YouTube’s most extreme inventor. Records will be set and minds will be blown! Produced by 9 Story Media Group, FURZE WORLD WONDERS is family viewing at its best.

RENEWALS/SEQUELS:

ESCAPE THE NIGHT: SEASON 2: ​The popular murder mystery series starring Joey Graceffa, transports YouTube creators into a whodunit murder mystery where they’ll form alliances, solve clues, and brace themselves for terrifying new surprises in every episode. This season, nine new dinner guests find themselves transported into a Victorian-era masquerade ball where they must solve a mystery to survive. The 12-episode second season is produced by Brian Graden Media and Graceffa and debuted on YouTube Red today. FOURSOME: SEASON 3​: After season two premiered to over 12 million views, FOURSOME has been renewed for a third season. In the new season, the gang scores tickets to a winter break vacation, but the Foursome’s problems aren’t so easily left behind. Starring Jenn McAllister, season three will premiere later this year on YouTube Red.

RHETT & LINK’S BUDDY SYSTEM: SEASON 2:​ Rhett & Link return for the second season of their hit comedy series RHETT & LINK’S BUDDY SYSTEM. The series features Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal playing fictionalized versions of themselves. In the first season, the duo embarked on a Mythical adventure and confronted a cast of bizarre characters to save their wildly popular YouTube channel, Good Mythical Morning, from the clutches of their evil co-ex-girlfriend. The second season will see the two traveling to even greater comedic heights and encountering more outrageous characters along the way. The second season is produced by Mythical Entertainment and will premiere on YouTube Red later this year.

MIND FIELD: SEASON 2: ​Michael Stevens takes us on a journey deep into the mysterious depths of the human psyche as he investigates the strange and surprising terrain of the MIND FIELD. This season, Michael dives deep into the amazingly intertwined worlds of psychology and neuroscience as no one has ever before. Working with the world’s top scientists and research labs, Michael will conduct groundbreaking demonstrations that are even bigger, deeper, and more astonishing than before and offers us a revealing look inside our own minds that we will never forget. The series is Executive Produced by Michael Stevens and by Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman for The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC). David Wechter serves as showrunner and Executive Producer. FIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: SEASON 2:​ Alpine Labs’ and Revolver Picture Company’s FIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD returns for another intense season of zombie mayhem in FIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: PARADISE CALLS. When a group of YouTube’s most notable stars find themselves trapped in a fresh scenario battling all-new flesh eating humanoids, all bets are off as they must decide between forming an alliance with a rebel organization or following the potentially nefarious directives of underground government organization CONOP. The rules of the game remain the same…

DON’T. GET. BIT. LAZER TEAM 2​: The Lazer Team returns in this sci-fi action comedy and second feature film from Rooster Teeth, co-directed by Daniel Fabelo and Matt Hullum. After Woody (Gavin Free) goes missing while working on secret, alien research, scientist Maggie Wittington (Nichole Bloom) must recruit the former members of Lazer Team (Burnie Burns, Colton Dunn, Michael Jones) to join her in rescuing their lost friend. It’s up to Maggie to bring the Lazer Team back together and rescue Woody. YouTube Red is a paid membership that gives you access to YouTube Red Original Movies and Series. In addition, you get a premium music service and an uninterrupted experience across YouTube, YouTube Gaming and YouTube Kids. YouTube Red is currently available in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Korea.

Source: YouTube Blog

Are Intel’s powerful server-class Xeon processors coming to the new iMac Pros?

Why it matters to you

That iMac Pro you’re saving up for might be even more powerful than you expected if it’s powered by Intels’ srver-class Xeon peocessors.

Apple recently introduced new iMac Pro all-in-one PCs that will be taking their place near the top of the company’s MacOS lineup. The new iMac Pro machines will be some of Apple’s best-performing machines when they’re released at the end of the year, and they’ll serve as a stopgap until the company rolls out the next generation of the high-end Mac Pro.

While Apple has provided some generation specifications for the iMac Pro, it didn’t go into that much detail on precisely which components the new machines would utilize. While we know that Intel’s Xeon processors will be on tap, rumor has it that, in fact, the iMac Pro will use the upcoming server-class Skylake-EX and Skylake-EP processors code-named Purley, as 9to5Mac reports.

The information comes via Pike’s Universum, which looked into the firmware files embedded in the latest MacOS High Sierra beta. According to that data, the iMac Pro will run Intel’s next-generation server CPUs on the LGA3647 socket rather than the more pedestrian, desktop-level LGA 2066 socket.

In addition, the new iMac Pro might be equipped with a specialized co-processor aimed at powering a new Apple Secure Boot feature. The Security Enclave Processor is the same one that’s used for the MacBook Pro’s TouchID feature, but there’s no information yet on whether the iMac Pro will also support Apple’s fingerprint-scanning login feature.

Signs point to iMac Pro being the first desktop Mac with a Touch Bar-style ARM coprocessor https://t.co/i8oxM8ln8m

— Steve T-S (@stroughtonsmith) June 22, 2017

As a reminder, Apple will be starting the iMac Pro at $4,999, with a fairly powerful set of minimum specifications:

• Retina 5K display
• 8-core Intel Xeon processor
• Radeon Vega graphics
• 32GB ECC RAM
• 1TB SSD
• Thunderbolt 3
• 10Gb Ethernet

The high end is even more extreme, with up to an 18-core Xeon CPU, up to 128GB of ECC RAM, up to 4TB SSD storage, and a Radeon Vega GPU with up to 22 Teraflops of half-precision performance. All of the machines will sport four Thunderbolt 3 that can drive up to 44 million pixels of external display and two external drive enclosures.

Clearly, Apple intends to increase its competitiveness in the high-end workstation market after losing some ground with the long delays in updating its desktop MacOS machines. While the company still anticipates releasing a new line of Mac Pro machines at some point, the new iMac Pro will ably fill the gap in the meantime.

Satellite footage shows Apple’s ‘spaceship’ campus go up in just 18 seconds.

Why it matters to you

The satellite-shot aerial footage gives you an idea of the amount of work that went into building Apple’s ambitious new campus.

Apple’s so-called “spaceship campus,” officially known as Apple Park, is close to completion, though some workers have already started to move in.

With so much interest in the project, a number of drone enthusiasts have been flying their remotely controlled birds over the sprawling Cupertino complex to capture its development ever since construction work started in 2013.

For something a little bit different, we’re posting a new video (above) shot from way up higher. The high-res imagery comes courtesy of a Planet Labs satellite, which began snapping photos of the campus site in September, 2015 (here’s a drone video of the location taken at around the same time). The video condenses the last two years of work at the site into a mere 18 seconds.

Several viewings are needed to take in the myriad of changes that have transformed the 175-acre plot of land over the last 20 months or so, with the donut-shaped main building taking center stage.

Also look out for the development of the subterranean, 1,000-seat Steve Jobs Theater at the bottom of the screen, marked about by its ground-level entrance featuring a circular, metallic carbon-fiber roof.

You can just see one of the solar-panel-topped parking garages at the bottom of the picture, too.

With most of the exterior construction work completed, the end of the video reveals the beginnings of the landscaping efforts, but with as many as 7,000 trees expected to be planted throughout the location, it’s clear that there’s still much to be done in that area.

Apple Park, which aims to run entirely on renewable energy, is also home to several fitness centers, dining facilities, a visitor center, and a shiny new R&D facility where Jony Ive and co. can dream up new kit.

Over the coming months, Apple’s $5-billion campus will become home to 12,000 of the company’s employees. The site is the work of acclaimed U.K. architect Norman Foster, although the project was the long-time ambition of Steve Jobs, who championed the plan up until his untimely death in 2011.

San Francisco-based Planet Labs launched at the end of 2010 and offers high-res imagery to a range of clients. It recently purchased the Terra Bella satellite network from Google as part of expansion plans to become a leading provider of Earth imagery shot from way up high.

HTC U11 in solar red now available in the UK

Dual-SIM red U11 launches via HTC’s online store, priced £649.

Just a few days after its launch in the U.S., HTC has announced that the vibrant “solar red” version of its U11 flagship is now available to pre-order in the UK.

It’s available exclusively from HTC’s online storefront at HTC.com, where it sells for £649. Unlike the other U11 colors, the red variant is only available as a dual-SIM model — however, the dual-SIM version can be used just like its single-SIM counterpart, with a SIM + microSD card.

The solar red U11 is the most striking color for HTC’s latest smartphone, shifting between a deep red and bright, lustrous gold depending on the angle at which it’s held. Beyond the change in color and the addition of a second SIM slot, you’re getting the same excellent Android flagship we reviewed back in May: A speedy device with a unique glass-backed design, and one of the best cameras out there.

See at HTC

HTC U11

• HTC U11 review
• HTC U11 specs
• Manufacturing the U11: Behind the scenes
• Join our U11 forums
• HTC U11 vs Galaxy S8
• HTC U11 vs LG G6

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Canon EOS M6 review: Canon’s best mirrorless yet, but is that good enough?

The Canon take on the mirrorless camera market has been interesting: having lackadaisically introduced the M-series system in a bid to avoid undercutting its own DSLR business, it had taken Canon years to establish a more viable M-series camera. That happened in 2016 with the EOS M5.

Move into 2017 and the Japanese maker is now concentrating its moves in mirrorless, with the step-up EOS M6 further enhancing the line-up with a more comprehensive control system, while ditching the built-in viewfinder (an accessory one can be added). It’s altogether less DSLR-styled and, finally, begins to put Canon in a position where its mirrorless product is genuinely capable.

The problem the M6 faces, however, is that it’s not particularly competitive. With the likes of the Panasonic Lumix GX80 and even viewfinder-toting Fujifilm X-T20 offering more for the same asking price, is the M6 relying on its Canon brand name beyond its capability?

Canon EOS M6 review: What’s new versus M5?

• No viewfinder, includes hotshoe (for optional EVF-DC2)
• Adds stacked control dial layout
• Latest 24.2MP sensor and 45-point autofocus

The main difference between EOS M5 and M6 is their physical design – the M6 cutting out the viewfinder compared to the M5’s built-in solution. But just because it’s done away with the finder, that doesn’t mean it removes the possibility of having one: as the hotshoe up top shows.

The M6 also adds a stacked control dial, which is a feature we’ve seldom seen from Canon (think of the G7X compact and the like). It makes using the camera simple without being overcomplicated, avoiding those deep-dive menu digs that older M-series cameras demanded.

Interestingly, Canon has avoided the “Guided UI” in the M6 – which is designed to assist relative newcomers to understand what each shooting mode does, represented in a visual form – unlike in the EOS 800D DSLR. We think that newcomers and established photographers will grasp the M6 without issue though.

• Canon EOS 800D preview: Mid-range made accessible

The overall look of the M6 is rather high-end, dressed in a shiny silver-colour finish for the review sample we’ve been loaned – it’s altogether less plasticky in look and feel than the larger M5. The M6’s body is relatively small, too, but as Canon uses a larger sensor than, say, the Panasonic G-series cameras, it’s small rather than pocket-sized in scale.

Canon EOS M6 review: How does it perform?

• 45-point Dual Pixel AF autofocus
• 1-point, zone and tracking AF modes
• Canon EOS M lens mount

The M6’s autofocus system is the same 45-point Dual Pixel AF setup as you’ll find in the earlier M5 (plus EOS 80D, 77D and 800D (ignoring their through-the-viewfinder setups)), which delivers on-sensor phase detection autofocus, paired with contrast-detect autofocus, for speedy results.

And it genuinely works well – just as we said of the M5. It’s quick and doesn’t need to hunt excessively to find focus, although the included 18-55mm kit lens with this model has a maximum aperture limit of f/5.6 at its full extension which isn’t particularly effective in low-light conditions. There are other more capable lenses available, however, should you want to splash out some extra cash.

But there’s a caveat to that focus system: the three focus options – 1-point, zone and tracking – lack the complexity of the competition, such as the Panasonic Lumix GX80. The Panasonic offers a Pinpoint focus mode, for example, which offers a more refined method for, as the name suggests, pinpoint focus acquisition. We feel the Panasonic is faster and the better established system of the two.

Given the EOS M6 is £840 with its kit lens and isn’t compatible with Canon’s (EF/EF-S) DSLR lenses without an adapter, therefore there’s a good argument to lean towards a different mirrorless system if you’re looking for more advanced focus options.

Canon EOS M6 review: Screen and optional finder

• 3-inch, 1,040k-dot, tilt-angle LCD touchscreen

Another slight difference in the M6 compared to the M5 is the way its screen is mounted on the variable bracket: it can’t flip around to face forward for selfies, but we don’t think that’s any major loss.

It does tilt upward, however, which is a must-have feature for us these days. It’s easy to manipulate the screen to position it for waist-level work, or less conspicuous shooting.

What’s best of all about the screen, however, is its touch-sensitivity. It’s responsive, with sensitivity options within the menu allowing for responsiveness adjustment to your preference, which is something other manufacturers ought to take into consideration. Either a tap on the screen or a press-and-drag will move the autofocus area with ease, making the M6 system about as easy to use as a smartphone.

If you’re really keen for a viewfinder then, well, it’d be cheaper to consider buying the M5 instead (even if it’s not as nice looking a camera). The EVF-DC2 accessory finder for the M6 – which offers a 2.36m-dot resolution over its 0.39-inch panel – is only likely to make sense if you have other compatible Canon compact cameras. But it’s a feature that we’d rather have than not, so no harm done there.

Canon EOS M6 review: Image quality

• 24.2MP sensor
• Digic 7 processor
• 7fps in continuous autofocus

We’ve found the EOS M6 to perform ok, then, but what really sets it apart from much of the competition is the resulting image quality from the 24.2-megapixel sensor at its heart. This is Canon’s speciality and, ultimately, the reason to buy an M-series over most competitors (although we think Fuji gives it a run for its money).

When shooting in great lighting conditions the sharp results at ISO 100 look colourful, bright and crisp. The higher ISO sensitivities aren’t shy of displaying a touch of image noise, though, as we said of the EOS M5 – but that helps to keep extra perceptible sharpness in those lower-light shots and a greater sense of realism to the images. Because Canon uses a larger sensor than most of its mirrorless competition, it has that advantage of more room to play with.

The biggest caveat to image quality, as with any interchangeable lens camera, is the lens on the front. And that 18-55mm isn’t all that; it’s a bit soft towards the edges, which doesn’t give the best universal soft background effect, while sharpness isn’t as biting as we found with the 50mm f/1.8 we used with the EOS M5 camera.

Interestingly there are heaps of Canon EF lenses that can be used with the EOS M series. Well, if you buy an adapter. Problem is that adapter adds mass and the lenses protrude further from the body, which is unavoidable given their design, but it then makes us wonder why not just buy, say, the 800D DSLR instead? That’s an ongoing battle in Canon’s mirrorless versus DSLR line-up.

Anyway, back to EOS M6’s capabilities. It’s the second interchangeable Canon camera to implement Digic 7 processing, which means it’s super-fast, able to shoot at 7fps in continuous autofocus mode. With the right SD card on board the buffer is significant too, avoiding clogging-up after taking a batch of images. It’s no Fuji X-T2 beater, but it won’t exactly limit you.

Canon EOS M6 review: Video and connectivity

• 1080p at 60/50/30/25/24fps (no 4K)
• 3.5mm mic jack (no headphones)
• Wi-Fi & Bluetooth LE app control

It’s a 4K world these days, with the likes of Panasonic, Fujifilm and, well, just about any maker pushing 4K movie capture. Not so with the Canon EOS M6: it’s limited to Full HD (1080p) instead. The frame rates are all-encompassing, though, with 60/50fps for smooth capture, or 24fps for a more cinematic look if you wish. We shot some alligators in Louisiana and everything looked silky smooth in motion.

There’s also a 3.5mm microphone socket, but no headphones jack. So if you’re looking for a miniature interchangeable lens camera for high-end video work, ultimately the M6 isn’t the one. It’s all about casual shooting, with touchscreen autofocus adjustment making that just fine and dandy.

The M6 also supports Bluetooth LE (low energy) and Wi-Fi, which bubble away in the background for remote control of the camera via the associated smart app on a phone or tablet. This is a pretty smart move, as the constant connection and re-connection of cameras when it comes to smart apps is overly fussy. If you find much use for remote controlling the camera in the first instance, that is.

Verdict

The Canon EOS M6 is as much a success as it is a conundrum: it’s well built, easy to control and works well thanks to that tilt-angle touchscreen and combination of physical dials. In that regard this is Canon aligning its mirrorless camera into its best position to date.

What acts against the EOS M6, however, is that it ultimately isn’t better than the competition. The Panasonic Lumix GX80 has better autofocus and offers 4K video smarts for the much less money. The Fujifilm X-T20 embodies the shiny, retro style with similar performance – and, pound for pound, throws in the viewfinder for free. The Canon is fine, but fine doesn’t always quite cut it.

What will sell the M6 are two things: the brand name and the resulting image quality. Sure, it lacks a bevy of EF-M lens availability, while its competitors have more native glass options, but the quality that comes straight out of this camera is great.

Buy the M6 without trying any other cameras out there and you’ll be more than happy – that’s the crux of it. But if you play with the competition then you’ll see the M6 can’t be considered king in many regards. Wait for the price to drop, however, and Canon is – finally – getting its finger onto the mirrorless camera pulse.

The alternatives to consider…

Panasonic Lumix GX80

Similar in style, but more affordable, more capable with autofocus, and full of more features too. It might not look as silver and shiny, but Panasonic betters the EOS in almost every regard.

Read the full article: Panasonic GX80 review

Fujifilm X-T20

It’s a fair bit bigger on account of a built-in viewfinder – which, by the way, is excellent – but the Fuji can easily take on the Canon in terms of image quality, plus has heaps of features to boot.

Read the full article: Fuji X-T20 review