Alright, so here’s a funny story. Last month, my neighbor Sarah asked me what camera she should buy. She’d been stalking my Instagram (her words, not mine) and wanted to upgrade from her iPhone 12. When I suggested the Canon EOS M50, she literally laughed at me. “Mike, that thing’s ancient! Didn’t it come out like… forever ago?”
And honestly? She wasn’t wrong. This little guy first hit the shelves back when people were still arguing whether TikTok would replace Instagram. Yet here I am in 2025, still recommending it to friends, family, and random strangers on Reddit who ask for camera advice.
Why? Because after hauling this Canon EOS M50 around for the better part of a year – through my cousin’s wedding in Arizona, a disastrous camping trip in Oregon (more on that later), and about fifty coffee shop “meetings” where I pretended to be a serious photographer – I’ve learned something important. Sometimes the best camera isn’t the newest one. Sometimes it’s just the one that doesn’t piss you off.
But let me back up. This Canon EOS M50 review isn’t going to be one of those sterile, spec-heavy things you find everywhere else. I’m gonna tell you what it’s actually like to live with this camera. The weird quirks that drive you nuts, the moments when it surprises you, and whether you should spend your hard-earned cash on it in 2025.
Spoiler alert: the answer is complicated.
Why People Won’t Shut Up About This Camera
So what made the M50 such a big deal when it dropped? Picture this: Canon had been getting absolutely roasted online for being “behind” in the mirrorless game. Sony was running victory laps, Fujifilm was gaining ground, and Canon looked like that friend who still uses a flip phone.
Then boom – the M50 arrives with some genuinely impressive tricks up its sleeve.
They stuffed a 24.1-megapixel sensor in there (same size as their entry-level DSLRs, for context), paired it with their DIGIC 8 processor, and here’s the kicker – included their Dual Pixel autofocus system. You know, the same tech they use in cameras that cost three times as much.
Oh, and it shot 4K video. In 2018, that was still kind of a big deal for cameras under $600.
Here’s what you’re actually getting:
- That 24.1MP sensor I mentioned (it’s APS-C, so bigger than your phone but smaller than “full frame”)
- 143 autofocus points (most of them actually work, which is nice)
- ISO range from 100 to 25,600 (though you’ll hate yourself if you go much past 3200)
- 4K at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps (with some catches we’ll get to)
- A flip-out screen that actually flips all the way around
- Weighs about 387 grams (that’s like… a can of soup?)
The timing was perfect. Everyone and their mom wanted to start a YouTube channel, Instagram was pushing video hard, and people needed cameras that could do both photos and videos without requiring an engineering degree.
Canon Official M50 Specifications – Detailed specs directly from Canon.
What It’s Actually Like Using This Thing Every Day
Size Check: It’s Actually Portable
Look, I’m not a small guy. I’m 6’2″, I wear large gloves, and most “compact” cameras feel like toys in my hands. But the M50? It hits this sweet spot where it’s genuinely small enough to throw in a bag without thinking about it, but substantial enough that I’m not worried about crushing it.
I spent a weekend in San Francisco walking around Chinatown and the Mission District. Carried the M50 in a small sling bag the entire time, never once thought “man, this thing is heavy.” Compare that to the weekend I lugged around my buddy’s Canon 90D – by hour three, I was ready to throw it in the bay.
The grip surprised me too. Yeah, it’s small, but it’s shaped well. My pinky doesn’t have anywhere to go (common problem with compact cameras), but I never felt like I was going to drop it. Even when my hands got sweaty during that hiking disaster in Oregon (we’ll get there, don’t worry).
Build Quality: Plastic Fantastic?
Okay, let’s address this head-on because everyone asks: yes, it’s made of plastic. Not the cheap, bendy plastic you find on kids’ toys, but it’s definitely not the metal construction you get on fancier cameras.
Here’s the thing though – after a year of regular use, it’s held up way better than I expected. I’m not exactly gentle with my gear. This camera has been shoved in backpacks, tossed on car seats, knocked around in overhead bins (pre-TSA freakout, obviously), and it’s still solid.
The flip screen is still tight and smooth, which honestly shocked me. I’ve seen $2000 cameras where that hinge gets wobbly after six months.
But here’s my biggest gripe: zero weather sealing. None. I learned this the expensive way during that Oregon camping trip I mentioned. We got caught in what the locals generously called “a light shower” but what felt like standing under a fire hose. The M50 survived, but I spent the rest of the trip babying it and checking for condensation every five minutes.
CIPA Battery Life Standards – Industry-standard battery testing protocols.
Picture Quality: The Good, Bad, and Ugly
Colors That Don’t Suck
You know how some cameras make everything look like a bad Instagram filter from 2012? The M50 isn’t one of them. Canon’s got this reputation for “good color science,” which sounds like marketing bullshit until you actually see it.
I shot my nephew Jake’s high school graduation party last spring. Mix of indoor and outdoor shots, challenging lighting, the works. Even the photos I took in full auto mode looked natural. Skin tones looked like skin tones, not like everyone had jaundice. My sister kept asking what editing app I used. Answer: none. The camera just got it right.
Compare that to my friend’s older Sony (won’t name the model to avoid starting a flame war), where everyone looked like they’d been dipped in orange paint. The M50 just makes people look like… people.
Sharpness: Pretty Solid
The 24-megapixel sensor captures plenty of detail for normal human being purposes. I’ve printed shots up to 16×20 inches, and they look sharp. You can crop pretty aggressively if you need to – helpful when you can’t get close to your subject or when you realize later that you cut off someone’s head in a group shot (we’ve all been there).
Where it gets interesting is comparing it to newer cameras. My photographer friend Lisa has one of those fancy new mirrorless cameras that costs more than my car payment. Are her photos sharper? Yeah, probably. Do I care when I’m looking at prints on my wall? Not really.
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Low Light: Houston, We Have a Problem
This is where the M50 shows its age, and I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. Once you push the ISO above 3200, things get grainy fast. Not “artistically grainy” – more like “did someone throw sand at my lens” grainy.
I tried shooting an indoor concert at a local venue. Big mistake. The photos were technically usable, but they looked like they’d been run through a cheese grater. Compare that to what people are getting with newer cameras, and yeah, the M50 struggles.
But here’s the reality check: most of us aren’t shooting concerts in dark clubs. For normal situations – outdoor events, well-lit restaurants, golden hour portraits – the image quality is totally fine. More than fine, actually.
Video Stuff: The Reason Half of You Are Here
4K Video: Yes, But Also No
The M50 shoots 4K video, which sounds awesome in theory. In practice? Well, there’s a catch. Actually, there’s a big catch. The camera crops the sensor significantly in 4K mode, which means your wide-angle lens suddenly isn’t very wide anymore.
I tried using it for some YouTube videos about travel photography. The 15-45mm kit lens, which gives you a nice wide view in photo mode, suddenly felt like I was shooting through a telescope in 4K. Everything looked cramped and zoomed in. Not great when you’re trying to show scenic landscapes or fit yourself in the frame for talking-head shots.
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1080p Video: Now We’re Talking
Switch to 1080p, and suddenly everything clicks. The image is sharp, detailed, and you get the full field of view from your lenses. For most content creators, this is probably where you’ll live anyway – the file sizes are manageable, and honestly, most people watching on phones can’t tell the difference.
Autofocus Magic
This is where the M50 absolutely destroys cameras that cost twice as much. Canon’s Dual Pixel autofocus is smooth, fast, and scary accurate. I’ve used it to track my hyperactive golden retriever running around the backyard, and it rarely loses focus.
The touch-to-focus feature is brilliant for video work. You can tap the screen to shift focus between subjects, and it transitions smoothly without that jarring hunting motion you see on cheaper cameras. My wife borrowed the M50 for some Instagram Reels, and she kept commenting on how the focus “just worked.” Coming from someone whose technical expertise peaks at connecting to WiFi, that’s high praise.
M50 vs M50 Mark II: The Sequel Nobody Asked For
Everyone asks about this, so let me save you some Googling: unless you find the Mark II on sale for basically the same price, don’t bother upgrading.
Canon added eye detection autofocus (neat but not life-changing), slightly improved video autofocus (marginal improvement), and live streaming capability (useful for approximately 3% of users). They also jacked up the price by $200-300.
I’ve used both cameras back-to-back, and during normal shooting, I honestly couldn’t tell you which was which without checking the model number on the bottom. The improvements are real but subtle – certainly not worth the price premium for most people.
Who Should Actually Buy This Thing?
Camera Newbies
If you’re coming from smartphone photography and want something “better” without jumping into the deep end of camera complexity, the M50 is perfect. The auto modes actually work (shocking, I know), the touchscreen feels familiar, and the menu system won’t make you want to throw it against a wall.
My neighbor Sarah, the one who laughed at my recommendation? She ended up buying one after borrowing mine for a weekend. Six months later, she’s taking photos that make me jealous. The camera gets out of your way and lets you focus on, you know, actually taking pictures.
Broke Content Creators
YouTubers, Instagram people, TikTok… creators (still feels weird saying that) – if you need something better than your phone but can’t justify dropping $1500+ on a camera, the M50 hits a sweet spot.
The flip screen is essential for self-recording, the autofocus keeps you sharp even when you’re moving around like a caffeinated squirrel, and it’s small enough to travel with. Just remember that 4K crop limitation if wide shots are crucial for your content.
Travel Junkies
This is honestly where the M50 shines brightest. It’s light enough that you won’t hate carrying it around all day, small enough to fit in a reasonable bag, and capable enough that you’ll actually want to look at your photos years later.
I hauled it through Thailand for two weeks. Never once felt like a burden, never worried about it getting stolen (as much as I would with a $3000 camera), and came back with photos that still make me smile when they pop up in my photo memories.
Things That Make Me Want to Throw It Out a Window
Because no camera is perfect, and the M50 has some genuinely annoying limitations:
Battery life is trash. You’ll get maybe 200-250 shots per charge in real-world use. I always carry three spare batteries now, which is annoying but manageable. Pro tip: buy generic batteries on Amazon – they’re like $15 for a two-pack instead of $60 for Canon’s official ones.
Lens selection is limited. Canon’s EF-M mount has way fewer options than Sony’s E-mount or Fujifilm’s X-mount. You can use an adapter for Canon’s DSLR lenses, but that defeats the point of buying a compact camera in the first place.
Weather sealing doesn’t exist. I mentioned the Oregon incident earlier. Be very, very careful around water, dust, or basically any weather that isn’t “perfect sunny day.”
The viewfinder is just okay. It gets the job done, but it’s not particularly bright or detailed compared to what you’ll find on pricier cameras. I mostly use the back screen anyway.
Canon EOS M50 Review Wind Up
After living with this camera for over a year, here’s my brutally honest take: the Canon EOS M50 is still worth buying in 2025, but only if you know what you’re getting into.
Buy it if: You want a camera that’s easy to use, you’re on a budget, you need something compact for travel, you’re starting a content creation journey, or you just want better photos than your phone without the complexity of “serious” cameras.
Run away if: You need the absolute best image quality, you shoot lots of low-light stuff, you want professional video features, you plan to build a huge lens collection, or you need weather sealing.
The M50 isn’t trying to be the best camera ever made. It’s trying to be a good camera that normal people can actually use and enjoy. And you know what? It succeeds at that.
Here’s the thing that keeps surprising me: I own fancier cameras. I have access to even fancier cameras through photographer friends. But when I’m heading out for a casual day of shooting, when I want to take photos without thinking too hard about settings, when I just want to capture moments without making photography feel like work – I grab the M50.
Is it perfect? Absolutely not. But perfect is the enemy of good, and the M50 is genuinely good at what it does. Sometimes that’s exactly what you need.
The best camera is the one you’ll actually use. The M50 makes photography fun and accessible, and in a world of increasingly complex and expensive gear, that’s worth something. Maybe worth everything.
