CANON M50 MARK II
As it makes just a few upgrades on the M50, does the M50 Mark II warrant our attention? ANGELA NICHOLSON investigates
Small enough to think of as a compact with benefits, is the lack of ambition in this camera frustrating? Find out how the second iteration scores on performance, price and handling
The original Canon EOS M50, from February 2018, caught the attention of photographers looking for a small interchangeable lens camera with a good APS-C-size sensor, while vloggers were drawn by its light weight, rotating screen and enticing video specifications. Clearly adopting an ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach, Canon has changed very little for the M50 Mark II. We might’ve hoped for the 32.5Mp sensor of the M6 Mark II, for instance, but Canon opted instead to stick with the same 24.1Mp sensor as is in the M50 and it’s paired with the same Digic 8 processing engine rather than the
Digic X engine of the R5 and R6.
This means that much of the M50 Mark II’s specification is the same as the original. It has a native sensitivity range of ISO 100-25,600 for stills and can shoot at up to 10fps (frames per second) in single AF mode or 7.4fps in servo (continuous) AF mode. As the M50 II has the same Dual Pixel CMOS AF sensor design, the autofocus hardware is also the same as the M50’s, but Canon has tweaked the system to improve the eye detection and enable eye-tracking in stills and video mode.
Like the M50, the M50 Mark II can record 4K (3840 x 2160) video at 23.98 or 25fps and Full HD (1920 x 1080) video at up to 59.94/50fps or HD (1280 x 720) video at up to 119.9/100fps. Unfortunately the same limitations to 4K video recording that drew criticism for the M50 are also found on the M50 Mark II. The most significant is the 1.5x crop that is applied to 4K footage. This is in addition to the 1.6x focal length magnification factor arising from the sub full-frame sensor. It means that the 15-45mm kit lens, which is effectively a 22.5-72mm lens in stills and FullHD video mode, produces framing comparable to a 38.4-115.2mm lens in 4K video mode. Generally, a focal length equivalent to around 24mm in full-frame terms is recommended for arm’s-length vlogging, and an effective focal length of 38mm results in rather tight framing around the face. This means that if you want to video yourself while holding the camera at arm’s length, you either need to drop to FullHD resolution or invest in the EF-M 11-22mm f/4-55.6 IS STM lens (effectively 26.4-52.8mm in 4K mode) to get a wider angle of view.
Another issue is that the focusing system switches from phase detection when shooting stills or Full-HD video, to contrast detection in 4K video mode. To be fair, the M50 II’s contrast-detection focusing is pretty good, and the eye-tracking still works, but it’s not as dependable as the phase detection focusing. There were a few occasions during my testing, for example, when it lost the subject for a second or two before refocusing on the intended target again.
Build-wise the
M50 II has the same mini-DSLR design as the original M50. It’s very nicely shaped with a good grip that’s comfortable even after a couple of
The M50 II’s contrast-detection focusing is pretty good, and the eye-tracking still works, but it’s not as dependable as the phase detection focusing
hours walking with the camera in your hand. There’s no weatherproofing, but then it is a sub-£600/$600 camera body.
There’s a smattering of button and dial controls that dovetail well with the excellent touch-control so you can reach most features quickly. The only disappointment is that there’s just one control dial. This means you either have to press the dedicated exposure compensation button or use the screen to adjust the exposure. A second dial would be helpful when you’re looking in the viewfinder.
Neither the screen’s nor the viewfinder’s resolution are groundbreaking, but they’re perfectly adequate and you get a good preview of the scene with all the camera settings applied. It’s great to have a vari-angle screen, but as is often the case, its range of movement is restricted if there’s an external microphone plugged into the camera’s socket.
The M50 II produces high-quality images and video and the JPEGs normally look good straight from the camera, albeit it with slightly high local contrast. Noise is handled well up to around ISO 12,800 and Canon strikes a good balance between detail visibility and noise reduction. However, it’s not all plain sailing and it’s advisable to shoot RAW files rather than, or as well as, JPEGs – just in case. For instance, the lawn in front of a building in one ISO 320 shot looks natural and has visible detail in the RAW file, but it’s just a mush of uniform green in the JPEG captured at the same time.
Colours are usually handled well, although naturally the white balance and Picture Style settings play a role. The RAW files can look flat next to the simultaneously-captured JPEG files, but that’s soon taken care of post-capture.
Canon has tweaked the system to improve the eye detection and enable eye-tracking in stills and video mode