Canon R50 or M50 Mark II

Agree with trungtran in principal. Another option is buying into a MFT camera/system for less money and more useful technology than an R50 IMHO (compact, ibis, ergonomics, weather resistant, etc.).

R50 is for someone who (for who knows why) doesn't want to use their smartphone, has no aspiration to grow into photography, and has (and wants) to spend considerable money on lenses and more camera bodies. I can see parents buying the R50 for the child's first camera. It saddens me to think that it might be possible the days of a child learning to use an inexpensive plastic stills camera is gone.

IMHO, the specifications/hardware of the R50 places it a little above a Canon M200 and below a Canon M50. The absence of a multitude of useful technology cripples the R50, such as no mechanical shutter (the much faster read out is advantageous in some situations), no sensor cleaning, no hot shoe with no backwards compatibility, etc. The M50 also appears to be more compact, which is something to consider for cameras at this size range.

IMHO, the R50 serves Canon more than it does consumers. It is there just in case someone wants to buy it, and saves Canon from publicly stating that the EF-M cameras are dead. I expect R50 sales will be smaller compared to the other RF camera bodies. I will gladly accept if I am wrong.

It seems to me that Canon is flooding the market with R camera bodies. The R canon bodies with features that I care about (e.g., ibis, weather sealing, high dynamic range, and fantastic colors) are costly compared to the competition.

I will stay with the EF-M cameras I own because these cameras and the available lenses capture fantastic photos. When my camera bodies bite the dust, which may be many many years from now, I will consider replacing them with either a Nikon, Olympus, or maybe even Pentax (if still around, yikes!). Of course, this is assuming that dedicated cameras are still a thing (hehe), and Canon still has not released a camera that fits my photography, and I am still capable of using a dedicated camera.

As for the R50, consumers are better off with a more capable Canon (or other manufacturer) camera that they can grow into, which is what the DPReview Chris recommended (at least that is my interpretation).

Good luck with your purchasing decision.