1- I took into account the updated firmware. Good light autofocus it is passable but still slow compared with majority of Mirrorless cameras, and only gets worse as the light goes.
Amusingly, the AF in low light tends to be more consistent than my 5Dmkii.
That said, the AF is a bit slow even when compared to other mirrorless cameras, but certainly not any worse than a dSLR with a kit lens in most cases. Manual focus is pretty damn easy as well, and the big appeal to mirrorless (for me at least) is using vintage lenses with cheap adapters because the flange distance is so short no optical element is required.
2- 22mm is nice on crop sensor, I love prime lenses. Maybe a little limiting for beginner, not that 18-55 is a huge range but gives a little more versatility.
If someone is going to learn photography, I tend to recommend getting a prime lens. Sure, it isn't as versatile but is certainly more rewarding with the fast apertures found on primes. The 22mm is a great lens and the 35mm equivalent focal length is fairly ideal as a walk around.
3- UI is fine, but I believe people will learn to use what they own, so is a little moot. The Sony UI has plenty of customization for shortcuts and making buttons do what you want. I'm not going to argue UI because it's a personal preference. I find the Sony UI easier to understand for beginners, but the Canon isn't difficult either, but it wouldn't surprise me to find the next person I walk past to have the opposite, or a different opinion on camera UI.
Every time I've dealt with Sony's UI, I've been baffed at how poorly it is done. Of course, Sony has never been good at UI's in anything (the PS3 was arguably rubbish, etc) and their cameras are no exception. Changing from video to stills, along with tweaking any settings on the fly is extremely straight forward on the EOS M, and is fairly consistent with all the other cameras in Canon's lineup.
5- Based on the initial camera peobryant linked, he wasn't looking for compact. Both the sony and canon mirrorlesss are more compact than the camera in the first post, but neither are pocket-able. One of my first camera's was a high end compact and took great photo's (for a high end compact) and it was entirely pocket-able, but after 6 months I stopped carrying it around because I was disappointed in the results. Since owning a mirrorless camera, I have to carry a larger bag, but I take it everywhere. Why? Because it takes phenomenal pictures and I don't want to miss a moment. It's worth the hassle of carrying another bag.
I've put my EOS M with 22mm in the back pocket of my jeans, and it certainly fit in a jacket pocket with no issue. Put a zoom on there, and it would be problematic but I don't care for zoom lenses much anyhow. If I need more range, I can toss my Takumar 55mm F/2 with adapter in the other jacket pocket. Typically, the M, Takumar, and an extra battery take up a small space in my messenger bag that my sketchbooks and laptop reside in.
I often recommend mirrorless cameras to beginners because they can more easily have the camera with them, along with using it more discretely.
6- Why should someone want to move 'up' to a DSLR? Mirrorless gives DSLR quality photo's. It's not moving up, it's moving sideways if anything. The weakest point of Mirrorless is autofocus tracking and autofocus in low light, but the latest generation of camera's are fixing that and are performing on par with most DSLR's in both tracking and low light autofocusing. I don't see DSLR camera's being around for the long term.
Battery life is a weak point on mirrorless as well, simply a by product of using a screen so much more. As for the AF speeds, I'm not sure what systems you've worked with but I haven't seen a single mirrorless system than can keep with up the speed of a modern dSLR and a pro-grade lens.
dSLR's will be around for some time, as professional needs are still better met by them than with mirrorless. While the quality of mirrorless is great, and I love mine, they just can't offer the same level of handling, speed, or endurance.
As far as growth, Sony has a full range of DSLR's available if someone wants to go down the 'buy an adaptor, buy lenses with the goal of getting a DSLR in the future' mentality. But Sony also are backing Mirrorless in a much bigger way than Canon, with full frame mirrorless available, one could buy full frame lenses with the goal to move up to the larger format later on. Or just update their APS-C body down the track, with lenses/flashes/viewfinders/whatever available for whichever direction one may wish to take.
Sony is indeed backing the mirrorless system more so than Canon, partly because Sony never experienced much success with the dSLR market when compared to Canon or Nikon. The EOS M certainly flopped in North America (likely the initial price) but the fact the EF adapter exists (3rd party is around $45) makes staying with Canon quite friendly, such as upgrading to a second hand 5DmkII or going with a newer body.
Perhaps more important to this discussion is that
@peobryant has a budget that is pretty much what the NEX-5T with lens costs, while the EOS M with 22mm is only $300 on Amazon, leaving quite a bit of room for the 18-55mm EF-M ($100 or less on ebay) and an M42 adapter with an old Takumar 50/55mm prime.[/QUOTE]
) but in my searching, I would think there is a lot more capable and cheaper alternatives, especially for you being in the US where kit is cheaper than Aus for example.
