Canon EOS M50

At first glance, the Canon EOS M50 could pass for a smaller, less expensive version of the company's EOS M5. Despite the surface similarities, the real changes are inside. The M50 is the first Canon camera to use the Digic 8 processor and the only...

Canon's latest mirrorless camera is a curious beast, on the one hand offering several headline-grabbing features that promise to out-perform the company's own flagship model, whilst on the other falling short of its full potential.

Comfortable ergonomics and solid build; Versatile EVF and tilt-swivel, touch-screen LCD; Good image quality; Great performance for its class; New C-RAW format saves on raw file size; 4K video is an M-series first.

Somewhat limited dynamic range; JPEGs a little soft at base ISO, and more so at higher ISOs; Warm white balance under incandescent light; Poor battery life; Raw buffer is still shallow (but C-RAW helps).

If you're shopping for an affordable mirrorless camera with a solid build, good ergonomics and (via an optional adapter) first-party EF-mount lens support, the Canon M50 has a lot to offer. Sporting a next-gen DIGIC 8 processor, the M50 is both swift...

Fast Dual Pixel CMOS AF ; Built-in electronic viewfinder ; Excellent vari-angle touchscreen

Unexpected 4K limitations ; Manual lens retracting mechanism ; Simplified exterior controls

The Canon EOS M50 packs a lot of tech into its compact body, and the fact it has a viewfinder – when so many similarly priced mirrorless cameras don’t – is a big selling point. The retracting 15-45mm kit lens, however, is a little awkward to use, and...

Very good photo quality, even in low light ; Excellent electronic viewfinder ; Easy-to-use swiveling touch screen ; Lots of shooting modes ; Includes hot-shoe for external flashes

Expensive ; Relatively smaller lens selection ; Video footage had some jitter ; Less battery life than competition

Consider it. The Canon EOS M50 offers novices and enthusiasts a lot to like, but it's pricey and will need more Canon lenses to make it a truly full-fledged mirrorless system.

Compact size and light weight make it easy to carry everywhere ; Excellent image quality, with reliable metering and auto white balance ; Quick and accurate autofocus, even with adapted EF-mount DSLR lenses ; Easy-to-use interface that still gives...

Single-dial control slower to use than twin-dial competitors ; Overly contrasty viewfinder blocks up shadow details ; Poorly implemented manual focus magnification ; Very small range of native EF-M lenses ; 4K video is subject to considerable restrictions

In many ways the EOS M50 is the best entry-level EOS Canon has yet made. It’s a great option both for beginners and for Canon DSLR owners tempted by the advantages of mirrorless.