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Almost every blogger I know uses, or once used, the Olympus PEN camera.
I treated myself to the Olympus PEN E-PL7 in 2015 before our travels to Dubai, Australia and Bali, and it was the best first camera I could have hoped for. I then splashed out on a second lens which made it even better.
But as time has gone on I’ve been wanting something not only newer, but also a little more in the direction of a DSLR, whilst still being a compact mirrorless camera. Which is when I discovered the Canon EOS M50.
I’m no tech expert, but here’s a simple review to help fellow bloggers, vloggers and travel photographers learn more about my new favourite camera!
Related: Olympus Pen E-PL7 Camera Review
Why the Canon EOS M50?
I was browsing a huge range of cameras when I started looking at upgrading, but Darryl came home one day and said they’d got a new camera in at work; the Canon EOS M50.
I went into John Lewis to have a play around and loved it, but I’m not an impulsive buyer, so I spent a good couple of hours in there testing it against every other camera in my budget and chatting to the sales team, before endless more hours reading reviews online.
Overall the Canon EOS M50 came out on top, so I placed my order right before we headed to New York City.
The camera that I bought included the 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM Kit Lens – read my review on this lens! – but I’d also heard that the Canon EF-M 22 mm f/2 STM Lens was great for travel photography, so I got that too.
Canon EOS M50 specification
- 11.6 x 8.8 x 5.9 cm (body only)
- 387g (body only)
- 3” vari-angle Touchscreen LCD (TFT)
- 3:2 aspect ratio (approx. 1,040K dots)
- 24.1 megapixels
- 10 frames per second
- 4K video
- DIGIC 8 processing
- Image stabilisation
- Self-timer
- Multiple shooting modes
- 30 – 1/4000 sec shutter speed
- 100 – 25600 ISO
- Zoom x3
- Viewfinder
- Flash
- WiFi
- Bluetooth
- Rechargeable battery (approx. 235 shots)
Accessories included: Camera Cover R-F-4, Strap EM-200DB, Battery Charger LC-E12, Battery Pack LP-E12, Power Cable.
Images from www.johnlewis.com
Pros of the Canon EOS M50
Photo quality and colour: for what’s still considered a fairly budget camera in the photography world, the quality is incredible. It’s the only camera I tried in John Lewis that didn’t have a yellowy tinge to the photo (which is what I didn’t love about the Olympus).
Exposure settings: you’ll find really simple exposure settings on the touchscreen display which is incredible for shooting in different lights. If you’re indoors, drag it up, and if you’re outdoors, drag it down. Simple.
Touchscreen: the touchscreen design is so handy for snapping shots on the go, especially when selecting your focus point and adjusting your manual and exposure settings (which is something that the Olympus couldn’t do).
Viewfinder sensor: as soon as you put your eye to the viewfinder, the screen switches off to avoid you pressing the settings with your face. I found this flexible set up to be really useful when shooting in different lights. It’s just great having a viewfinder in general.
Hidden screen: because of the screen’s vari-angle design, you can fold the glass part of the screen inwards when travelling or using the viewfinder which prevents damage. Genius!
The simple menu: there are still plenty of menu options, but it’s nothing as complex as the Olympus, which the John Lewis camera team agreed with. I found it way easier to navigate from the get go.
Cons of the Canon EOS M50
Lens options: the Canon EOS M50 only fits the Canon EF-M lenses, of which there aren’t many options (apart from my trusty 22mm!). You can use EF and EF-S lenses, but only by purchasing the compatible Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS M. Check out my thoughts on the EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 kits lens.
4K video: the 4K video is great, but the crop goes from 1.6 to 2.56 when you switch over to 4K, which obviously makes your video super zoomed in. Kind of annoying!
Camera size: this isn’t really a con for me, but the Canon EOS M50 is slightly bigger than your other classic blogging/vlogging cameras (especially with the 15-45mm lens), which makes it harder to slot into a small bag. That said it’s still nice and light, and you can make it smaller by using the 22mm lens.
What do I think of the Canon EOS M50?
I absolutely love it. It was worth every penny and I’m so glad I didn’t hold off buying it until after our trip to New York City.
This trip really gave me a chance to test it out, and it’s the first holiday ever where I’ve successfully been able to use the manual settings for every shot. Auto mode wasn’t used once.
Useful links
See my photos of New York City using the Canon EOS M50 and 22mm lens.
See what I think of the EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 kits lens.
Watch my New York City travel vlog using the Canon EOS M50 and 22mm lens.
Shop the post
Purchase the Canon EOS M50 Camera, and the 22mm lens.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!
What camera do you use? Would you consider buying this one?
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