I got my hands on a very interesting piece of tech from a subsidiary of Xiaomi, the XiaoYi M1, often shortened to just the Yi M1.
The M1 is a mirrorless camera with incredible specs (on paper) and a rock bottom price to match. It uses the same sensor as the much more expensive Panasonic GX8 and is capable of shooting 4K video at 30fps, all for the low low price of $330.
Surprisingly, Yi’s marketing team did not point this in the direction of DSLRs and more expensive mirrorless cameras, but instead at point and shoots. Their spiel was something along these lines: “There is a huge market of people looking for more power than a traditional point and shoot or smartphones, but are not ready for DSLRs just yet”.
Enter the Yi M1, touted as the perfect replacement. Let’s get on with the unboxing.
Sensor | Sony IMX269 20MP Sensor |
Display | 3” 2 million dot TFT |
Kit Lens | 12 – 40mm F3.5 – 5.6 lens |
Optional Lens | 42.5mm F1.8 lens |
Platform | Mirrorless Micro 4/3 Mount |
Connectivity | Bluetooth, WiFi |
Battery | 900mAh |
Physical Dimensions | 0.28kg, 11.35 x 3.36 x 6.43 cm |
Big thanks to Gearbest for providing this review unit.
The Yi M1 comes in a very classy black cardboard box that wouldn’t look bad at all on a shelf as decoration.
Open it up and you find the camera body and two lenses sitting in foam (the kit with one lens is cheaper). Take them all out and underneath is the battery, charger, and manual. Nice box, it will definitely look nice on my shelf. I just have to find a bag for this camera now…
I also tried fitting my Panasonic G Vario kit lens and my Sigma 40mm Prime lens and both worked.
The software on the camera itself runs quite smoothly, not as smoothly as a brand new out-of-the-box Google Pixel or iPhone 7, but close. I know that’s not completely apples to apples, but speaking strictly about fluidity and speed, that should be enough information.
Even though the specifications on the M1 are technically as good or better than my Panasonic G7, I do not expect it to take better photos. I took a few quick shots with the kit lens, check out the sample images below.
What Xiaoyi has done here is pack in DSLR (or mirrorless in this case) level specifications inside a point and shoot body. The unboxing experience and first impressions of the camera itself have mostly been positive. I’m not one to roam the city looking for cool things to photograph, but that’s exactly what I’ll be doing. My full review will be coming soon.
You can buy the Yi M1 here.
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