The future of Canon’s EOS M system has been a bit up in the air ever since Canon introduced the EOS R in 2018. Well, now, with today’s announcement of the Canon EOS R50, Canon has pretty much confirmed what we’ve all been suspecting for a while. The Canon EOS M APS-C mirrorless camera system is dead and this is essentially the replacement for the Canon EOS M50 Mark II.
It offers some very significant advantages over the EOS M50 Mark II, though. In fact, it pretty much contains the feature set that many were hoping to see in the EOS M50 Mark II when it was announced in 2020. The resolution hasn’t changed (it’s still 24MP), and there’s still no IBIS, but it will let you shoot 4K video using the full width of the sensor – It’s actually oversampled 6K.
It’s pretty clear to me that Canon designed the EOS R50 to not only be an upgrade to the EOS M50 Mark II but to be a big enough upgrade to actually convince EOS M shooters to start making the switch over to the EOS R system as a whole. It’s of a similar size and weight to the EOS M50 Mark II, with almost identical controls on the rear, but with a slightly bulkier and more ergonomic grip for a little different top button layout.
The image resolution of the Canon EOS R50 stays the same as the EOS M50 Mark II at 24 megapixels, but the EOS R50 contains a new sensor with a DIGIC X image processor. As an EOS M50 Mark II successor, it’s geared more towards video content creators rather than photographers, and it contains a feature set that reinforces that mindset. It finally offers full-width 4K video recording, using an oversampled 6K view, at up to 30 frames per second (sorry, no 4K60) and full HD up to 120fps.
It has a Dual Pixel CMOS AF II autofocus system with 651 zones, as well as “Movie for Close-Up Demos Mode” which makes the camera quickly switch focus when objects are presented towards the camera’s lens – ideal for unboxings, reviews, video demonstrations, etc. It also has Vertical Movie Mode, autodetecting the orientation in which you’re holding it but can also be altered after the fact, as well as aspect markers, letting you see different social media aspect ratios that you might want to use on different platforms to find the optimum composition for them all.
The EOS R50 features all of the same subject, face and eye tracking features of the new Canon EOS R8, also announced today, with up to one hour of continuous video recording. It also includes the focus breathing correction feature, letting you adjust your focus without it affecting your shot’s composition. Well, that’s the theory, anyway. It also supports movie-prerecording, too, allowing you to hit the record button after the action’s begun, and it’ll save the few seconds leading up to that at the start of your footage.
Naturally, it contains all of the usual wired and wireless connectivity we’ve come to expect these days. You’ve got WiFI and Bluetooth for smartphone control with remote live view and file transfer. You can also control it over USB using the Canon Camera Connect App or even use it as a USB webcam on your desktop. It features a USB-C port on the camera itself, as well as micro HDMI and 3.5mm microphone input ports.
It’s a very worthy successor to the Canon EOS M50 Mark II and should make content creators very happy. Even stills shooters who aren’t too terribly interested in video and are just starting out in the world of interchangeable lens cameras should also feel quite satisfied with the EOS R50. Although, if you already have some idea of what your needs might be, you may be better off saving up a little more and going for the Canon EOS R10 instead.
The Canon EOS R50 is available to pre-order now for $679 in either black or white and begins shipping at some point in Spring 2023.
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