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Thursday, 13 June 2024

Canon EOS R50 reviewed as a compact camera 13 June 2024

 

 

This photo is designed to be a stress test for the kit zoom lens. The sun is shining directly onto the front element. There is fine foliage against a hot sky, loads of fine detail and a high subject brightness range. As we can see the lens and sensor manage all this just fine.


Canon announced the EOS R50 APSC crop sensor model in February 2023.

The R50 is a close match in dimensions and main specifications to the M50 model introduced in 2018. With the demise of the EF-M mount system it is clear that the R50 is intended to be a successor to the M50 which was quite  popular with buyers on a budget and vloggers wishing to travel light.

Notwithstanding a superficial similarity, we soon discover that the R50 improves on the M50 in many ways providing an improved user experience, slightly better image quality and slightly better performance.

It also has the advantage of bearing the Canon RF mount, making it compatible with an extensive range of RF and EF lenses for both full frame and crop sensor.

Lenses designed for  the RF mount with a flange-back distance of 20 mm could never be adapted to the EF-M  mount with its closely similar 18mm flange-back. So the EF-M mount became an evolutionary dead-end, no longer supported by Canon.

It appears that the Powershot G1X.3 model is no longer in the catalogue, which leaves Canon without a compact model with an EVF. I have no idea whether Canon will introduce some kind of retro, classic style compact to compete with the Fujifilm X100.6 but Canon Rumors has posted no indication of such a model.

All of which leads me to the view that for the present, we can regard the R50 as a successor to both the M50 and the G1X.3.

I think that the buyer wanting a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC)  to capture sports and action with telephoto lenses would be better served by the R10. This model is 30% more expensive than the R50 but offers better ergonomics and performance and is only a few millimeters larger all round.

EOS R50 Small enough to fit in an adult hand yet large enough to provude a decent user experience


I think the R50 works well for three use cases.

1. A basic entry level MILC for a first time camera user moving up from a smartphone.

The R50 offers many helpful features to ease a novice user into the world of camera photography. These include a range of modes such as Scene intelligent auto, Hybrid auto, Special scene, Creative filters and Movie. Each of these comes with a little on-screen explanation with pictures. These are enabled in the Setup Menu with  Mode guide and Feature guide.

In the green [A+] Mode the camera functions as a point-and-shoot device with the camera making exposure and focus decisions just like a smartphone. The user has only to turn the zoom ring on the lens and press the shutter button. Thanks to Canon’s excellent dual pixel auto focus with automatic subject detection and excellent exposure control the camera routinely makes very good pictures when used this way.

By the way I rate the R50 as better for this use than the R100 which has a fixed, not touch sensitive screen.

2. An on-the-go video and vlogging camera.

The R50 has quite advanced video capability with good picture quality, autofocus and run time.

3. A compact camera for a more experienced enthusiast photographer for use when travelling light. This user will want to take control of primary and secondary exposure and focus parameters, use Raw capture and post process with image editing software.

This review concerns use of the R50 as a compact camera, with the RF-S 18-45mm kit lens mounted.

This lens gets little respect from lens test afficionados and user forum contributors who often prefer to wax lyrical about the latest super mega f2 zoom which few consumers actually buy or use.  In fact my tests show the RF-S 18-45mm f4.5-6.3 IS STM has excellent sharpness and contrast in the frame center at all focal lengths and apertures up to about f11 when diffraction effects can become evident and a mild degree of softness at the periphery which cleans up by about f8. As is the case with several of Canon’s RF-S lenses the 18-45mm gives a more convincing account of itself in the real world than on a test chart. The 18-45mm is also decently resistant to flares which is nice because I use it without a protect filter or hood.


R50, M50 and G1X.3 side by side.


The main limitations of this lens are:

* The focal length range which covers a full frame equivalent of 29-72mm which is a bit lacking at the wide end and

* The f4.5-6.3 aperture range which is equivalent to f7.2-10.1 on a full frame sensor. This is quite limiting especially if a wide aperture is desired for low light or to render a background smoothly. 

We can work within those limitations however. In the case of indoor/low light work the camera is decently usable in practice as we are usually operating at the wide end of the zoom which gives us an aperture of  f4.5. With judicious control of shutter speed we can generally keep ISO to manageable levels.

So much for the kit zoom lens.



One of the advantages of using an interchangeable lens camera (ILC) as a compact is the ability to fit small prime lenses. In the RF mount system these could include

* RF16 mm f2.8, full frame equivalent focal length 25.6mm, no stabiliser.

* RF 28mm f2.8, full frame equivalent focal length 45mm, no stabiliser.

* RF 50mm f1.8, full frame equivalent focal length 80mm, no stabiliser.

Stabilised solutions include the RF24mm f1.8 (FF equ 38.4mm) and RF 35mm (FF equ 56mm). These lenses work just fine on the R50 but are a bit large for the compact genre.

The R50 camera body is a good example of thoughtful ergonomic and functional design. Although the RF mount is much larger than the old EF-M mount the R50 is no larger or heavier than the M50.

The R50 uses the same sensor and processor as the R10 so it delivers the same image quality.

Auto focus is very fast and accurate in almost any situation even very low light levels and with subjects which might in the past have flummoxed the AF system.

Autofocus subject detection has a new Auto setting which I find works reliably to identify what subject type is before the camera and to focus on it. I suspect this capability will become standard on future EOS models, making it un-necessary to select the subject type in most situations.

The R50 offers a slower maximum frame rate and a smaller buffer than the R10 and also supports only UHS-1 SD cards, but for use as a compact these limitations are of little significance.

Overall the R50 is a pleasant camera to use. It is comfortable to hold, has a good user interface and delivers very good image quality and performance when used as a compact.

The main differences between the R50 and larger, more expensive models in the catalogue is in the domain of ergonomics and the user experience.

The handle is a different shape, designed to incorporate a traditional Canon style front dial behind the shutter button. This brings top/front dial  operation into line with other models in the RF mount catalogue.

A comparison between the R10 and R50 handles is interesting from an ergonomic perspective. They are both 60mm high to the front of the overhang. The R10 handle protrudes 28mm forward from the front of the body, which is 11mm more than the R50. This apparently small difference has a big effect on the position of the fingers when holding the device.

I have average size adult male hands. With the R10 I use a “four and a half” finger grip when using the camera. This means the little finger of my right hand wraps partly around the handle and partly under the front of the body.

With the R50 my hand is most comfortable in a quite different orientation to the camera, rotated to the left with both the fourth and fifth fingers wrapping beneath the front of the camera body and only the third finger fully engaged with the handle..

The handle on the R50 is half way between the full projecting type of a DSLR/Enthusiast MILC with the shutter button well forward and a classic compact with the shutter button back on top of the camera body. It is decently comfortable and secure with a small, light lens mounted but I would not select this camera for use with one of the large RF mount lenses.

The EVF is decently well specified. The eyepiece optics and large eyecup provide a comfortable viewing experience with little ingress of stray light. In my experience this type of EVF located over the optical axis is much more user friendly than the typical compact camera setup with a very small eyepiece and eyecup located top left on the back of the body.

The monitor screen is fully articulated and touch sensitive, providing a very nice user interface. Moving the AF Area position while looking through the viewfinder is best accomplished by dragging the right thumb on the right side of the screen.

There are fewer controls than we find on more expensive models. This allows the camera to be smaller and less intimidating for novices than a model further up the size/price scale. I imagine the designers anticipate that buyers of the R50 would probably want to use it in one of the fully automatic modes, and that works well.

However it can also provide a decent experience for  a more experienced user who wants to use the Tv, Av and M Modes. Lacking a second control dial the R50 relies on the Up button on the cross keys to toggle the function of the control dial. In M Mode pressing the Up button moves a little orange picture of the control dial from shutter speed to aperture to exposure compensation. This is how the camera gets several functions out of one dial. This requires more actions, each more complex than a twin-dial model but it does get the job done, albeit a bit slowly. We must pay close attention to the position of the little orange dial pictogram though to be sure the dial is performing the desired function.

There are no Custom Modes so we cannot change groups of settings quickly with one twist of the Mode Dial.

The R50 does have handlebar type strap lugs which I find preferable to the protruding eyelet type seen on some other cameras. It has a built-in flash  and it can make serviceable auto panoramas.

Summary

I think the R50 works very well as a compact camera, providing a more user friendly holding, viewing and operating experience than some fixed lens compacts. It will not fit into the pocket of any garment which I might wear but is still commendably small and light, able to be carried in a small bag.

Buyers wanting a “do everything” style of MILC capable of managing wildlife, sport/action and long lens photography will find more capable options further up the size/price scale in the Canon MILC catalogue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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