Well designed product

Ordered the M50 two months ago. Checking the physical controls I never thought it would be usable with ease - so I expected mediocre ergonomics.

But my expectations were wrong - while having only a small set of direct access buttons for functions (1) the touch screen interface is very logical (at least for long term Canon system users and (2) you have the freedom to create user menus and at least (3) the camera does a lot very well automatically.

The EVF in combination with the very fast, precise and accurate DPAF and the touch screen to set YOUR focus point/region gives the sharpest (in terms of focusing) photos I ever had. I like to use the max. aperture (bokeh of lenses and the main subject is not always in the center or better: almost never in the center region. Used lenses are medium expensive EF(S) lenses like the 60mm macro or the f/4 70-200 IS zoom lens.
The fully articulated display is another feature that helps me to get the photo I MYSELF want without laying on the ground or taking a ladder with me.

Using the ECO mode I had 350 images (raw + jpeg), 15 minutes of video and a lot of fiddling around with the menus and image review. And this ECO mode does NOT go into the way - the camera operation was fluid and fast. The (lousy) battery indicator showed about 30% capacity remaining. The battery life was much better then expected and I think it is possible to make 1000 shots if you just concentrate on photographing and powering down the camera while not in use.

The IQ of the sensor + CPU is very good in Canon land - comparable to 80D or 200D.

Putting the Technicolor style file on the camera I have a preview in the EVF/on the display which shows where the image contains information. The flat curve of this style helps me to check exposure and tonal gradations BEFORE I take the photo and that is a great feature (common to all mirrorless cameras with EVF).

Only drawback: The optical view finder is under some circumstances much brighter and I needed to shade the viewfinder eye with the left hand but the world is full of compromises: In dark environments the EVF and the programming behind is very helpful and in contralight scenarios I do not damage my eyes.

The five star rating is based on the fact that this camera has a very moderate price, has very good IQ, a well balanced set of features and is focused on helping a photographer to take the photos he/she wants without going to much into the way.

Nice review!

Can you explain:

>>> Putting the Technicolor style file on the camera
Thanks!

Hello Michael, thank you for this informative review! You are mentioning the 60mm macro and the 70-200 F4. What is you experience with both lenses in regards to AF speed and accuracy? On my "old" M the AF of the macro was very slow and not always accurate.
Thanks!

Jens H.

All my existing EF and EF-S lenses AF as well as they do on my 80D and 5D4. AF accuracy is just as good, in fact my one of my lenses that needs MFA on my 5D4 works fine on the M50, no doubt to the more accurate on sensor focusing that has to be used.

The AF system on the M50 is light years ahead of the original M camera.

I agree 100% with the review, its a fantastic little camera. Ive not used my 5D4 since May when i got my M50.

The only point ii would disagree with is getting 1000 shots out of one battery, but i know that was just speculation and not a statement of fact.

The more user reviews I read, or view, the more confident I am that this is the right camera for me.

Of course I'm always grateful for the early adopters. +1

Jens H wrote:

Hello Michael, thank you for this informative review! You are mentioning the 60mm macro and the 70-200 F4. What is you experience with both lenses in regards to AF speed and accuracy? On my "old" M the AF of the macro was very slow and not always accurate.
Thanks!

Jens H.

Hi Jens,

it works fast and nearly without hunting - same experience like e.g. 200D. Accuracy / precision is stellar because (1) you set the AF region/spot WHERE YOU NEED IT (no focus and recompose with its inherent problems) and (2) there is no "guessing" like inside DSLRs that PDAF sensor and image sensor are aligned (the reason for AF microadjustment in some DSLR models).

Two observations:

(1) If focus is really off (from 40 cm to infinity) you might help the camera because the microlenses on the dual pixels cannot see these differences between needed focus and current focusing state. But this happened with PDAF on SLRs too but not that often.
On e.g. 40D I observed that the camera run the lens' focus forth and back over the full range to set it.

(2) Bird in flight photos had much better AF hit rate with 200D compared to M50 BUT: this was after using the M50 for just 10 days. In that case it might be very critical to learn the AF system and train yourself to get the most out of it. Maybe I had the wrong settings for that purpose.

Best - Michael

keeponkeepingon wrote:

Nice review!

Can you explain:

>>> Putting the Technicolor style file on the camera
Thanks!

Thanks for your comment!

I shoot RAW for photos but I like to have the Cinestyle from Technicolor for exposure evaluation. I set the style to portrait, neutral or whatsoever during postprocessing (with Canons DPP).

The Cinestyle is a Canon compatible style file which manages the conversion of sensor brightness and color information into the final image.

Video means that you have no RAW file with such simple cameras like the M50 so you have to store most possible information in the compressed format. Therefore the Cinestyle makes the image flat to show detail in shadow and bright areas - if you set the contrast later these areas might loose information but you have it there if you need it.

Another reason is to have tone curves which are compatible with real cinema cameras.

Search for Technicolor canon style or use the following URL:

https://www.technicolor.com/cinestyle

Best - Michael