Canon EOS M50 review: On of the cheapest mirrorless cameras at Rs 61,995

Canon EOS M50
Price: Rs 61,995
Rating: ****

Specifications: 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor, DIGIC 8 processor, dual pixel CMOS autofocus, ISO 100 – 51,200, 143 focus points, 10 fps continuous shooting speed, 4k video recording at 24p, 3-inch articulating touchscreen, OLED viewfinder, built-in flash, stereo microphones, single speaker, micro HDMI output, SD card slot, WiFi, Bluetooth, 875mAh battery, 390g


Pros: Compact design, sturdy build quality, fantastic still and video results, 4k video recording, articulating touchscreen, high resolution OLED viewfinder

Cons: Battery life suffers with small battery, dual pixel AF won’t work with 4k videos, heavy crop factor in 4k recording, no USB charging support

Canon has been lagging behind the competition when it comes to still cameras that are capable of 4K video recording. Apart from the Pro range, Canon has not offered 4K video recording on any of its cameras. Better late than never, because this changes with the EOS M50 — it’s the first M series camera with 4K recording.

The M series is the company’s mirrorless camera range and this typically means a compact camera loaded with features. The EOS M50 continues this legacy and offers a number of features that were previously only available in high-end cameras. You get the latest DIGIC 8 processor, dual pixel CMOS autofocus, 5-axis image stabilisation (in-camera electronic stabilisation + lens-based optical stabilisation) and 4K video recording. Right off the bat, we think this is Canon’s best mirrorless camera.

Despite offering so many features, the camera is easy to carry because it’s small and weighs just 390 grams. The 15-45mm kit lens locks into a compact size when not in use — this further enhances portability. There’s a 3-inch articulating touchscreen on the back and an OLED viewfinder for when it’s bright outside. Its button layout is ergonomic and you can access almost every function using the touchscreen too — depends on your choice of control. Overall, we are impressed by the M50’s build quality and love the compact size.

Thanks to the large APS-C sensor combined with dual pixel autofocus and DIGIC 8 processor, the camera is capable of shooting photos with crisp details and natural colours. In low light, we got some impressive results with minimal noise even at ISO 1600. At ISO 3200, there was noise in the photos, but the photos are still very usable. Dual pixel autofocus manages to deliver one of the best subject tracking we have seen on mirrorless camera. The M50 can shoot at 10 fps in a continuous burst and even with a moving subject, the M50 will keep the subject in focus for 90% of the shots — very impressive indeed.

Special mention goes to the new RAW file format called CR3. You can enable it from image quality settings by selecting C-RAW option. This format compresses RAW images by up to 50% compared to earlier. This means more RAW images per card, in case that’s important to you. As mentioned earlier, this is the first Canon mirrorless camera capable of recording 4K video.

While the quality of video is great, there are a few compromises. First, the dual pixel autofocus does not work in 4K recording — you can use it up to 1080p video only. Second, there is a 1.7x crop factor — this means you get a smaller frame area compared to still photos or 1080p video. Power users will surely appreciate the manual controls for video recording. Overall, the availability of 4K video recording is a welcome feature and Canon needs to get this feature down to the entire consumer range.

Battery life is another area where cutbacks have been made. The battery runs out roughly after about 250 shots. You can blame the tiny 875mAh battery for this but the problem is exacerbated by lack of USB charging support. With USB charging, you can just use a powerbank to charge it up. As the situation currently stands, Canon will have you buy extra batteries if you are plan to shoot outdoors a lot.

Overall, the Canon M50 is capable and easy to handle for both beginners and enthusiasts. At an asking price of Rs 62k, this is one of the cheapest mirrorless cameras with 4K video recording. There are a few features that impress (dual pixel autofocus, low light performance, portability) but it also has its share of cons. We think the M50 is a good indication of the direction Canon is taking with enthusiast and mirrorless offerings. A close competitor is the Panasonic G7 which comes with a dual kit lens (14-42 mm and 45-150mm) for Rs 58,990. The G7 offers 4K video recording at 30p and a similar feature set but lacks dual pixel autofocus and has 49 autofocus points compared to 143 on the M50.