Canon EOS M50

Looks like there are many happy snappers with this camera.... might have to invest.

What is the Eye AF like for those who own it already?

My observation, the face has to be relatively close to the camera for the eye AF to engage.
And the regular face detect seems to work at greater distances so maybe it only engages when the DOF is shallow (subject close), by design.

With the many features of this camera and the performance, why is it classified as the entry level camera and 2nd to that of the M5?

It has less control buttons thsn the M5

omer wrote in post #18627945
It has less control buttons thsn the M5

Not a concern then.

WA Tiger wrote in post #18629694
Not a concern then.

Not unless you want more dials.

Here’s a cool thing I found today (probably in the manual though). If shooting movies in P, TV, AV, M AF works as normal. Snappy and instant. If shooting in Movie mode the AF is slowed down and more glides in to focus. Pretty cool. I know some of the DSLR’s have a speed setting for AF, but its nice to have it in the M50 as well, even if its not quite the same thing.

Can anyone who owns this camera tell me two things that aren't apparent in the rather dumbed-down user manual please.

1) Can you configure the * button on the back to be used as "back-button focus" as per other Canon cameras ? It appears to be only an AE/FE lock button and there is no mention of using it to lock focus (i.e. be a back-button focus mechanism).

2) Can you set a minimum auto shutter speed for use when you're in Av mode as you can on the 80D ? It's in the ISO speed settings on the 80D, and I would love an equivalent on the M50 (or any M for that matter). Dave, you have the 80D so know what function I mean...

Thanks in advance
Rob

therobveiller wrote in post #18631532
Can anyone who owns this camera tell me two things that aren't apparent in the rather dumbed-down user manual please.

1) Can you configure the * button on the back to be used as "back-button focus" as per other Canon cameras ? It appears to be only an AE/FE lock button and there is no mention of using it to lock focus (i.e. be a back-button focus mechanism).

2) Can you set a minimum auto shutter speed for use when you're in Av mode as you can on the 80D ? It's in the ISO speed settings on the 80D, and I would love an equivalent on the M50 (or any M for that matter). Dave, you have the 80D so know what function I mean...

Thanks in advance
Rob

Just got this camera as a backup to my 5div. To answer your questions : no and no. By the way, not even 6d (original) allows you to assign minimum shutter speed for AutoISO, and surely not M50 or SL2.

therobveiller wrote in post #18631532
Can anyone who owns this camera tell me two things that aren't apparent in the rather dumbed-down user manual please.

1) Can you configure the * button on the back to be used as "back-button focus" as per other Canon cameras ? It appears to be only an AE/FE lock button and there is no mention of using it to lock focus (i.e. be a back-button focus mechanism).

2) Can you set a minimum auto shutter speed for use when you're in Av mode as you can on the 80D ? It's in the ISO speed settings on the 80D, and I would love an equivalent on the M50 (or any M for that matter). Dave, you have the 80D so know what function I mean...

Thanks in advance
Rob

1. Yes, but it also assigns Metering as well. A work around is to use AI Servo and set the * button to AF OFF. That works in reverse but might be useful.
2. No, and its a shame its not more like the 80D in this respect, although ive not personally found this to be a big deal yet.

I stumbled across this forum. I've had a G12 for about 8 years and banged it up a bit, plus wanted several new features such as video auto focus.

I bought the M50 2-lens (15-45 and 55-200) package a couple weeks ago and am pretty sure I will like it. Two common criticisms are significant compromises on 4K video, plus less (smaller) battery life than M5. The 4K video is not important for me. The battery life will probably be acceptable for me though I will carry a spare on trips, and am looking over how to limit battery use with various settings. I did note that it can be important (depending on various settings) to turn the camera off when in a camera bag as movement can activate the EVF and keep the camera alive and using battery.

Having covered that, you can read my longer review in the Best Buy M50 2-lens kit reviews. I like the feel of the camera, not large but large enough for a good grip ala the G12. The body feels pretty solid. Note it has one main dial (not two) so it takes some adjustment to figure out where things are accessible, such as Close Up mode, exposure adjustment, Auto Exposure Bracketing, etc. Not an issue for me. I am supplementing the manual (the pdf is easier to use than the hard copy) with some googling to figure out how to optimize / prefer settings. A for instance is the ECO mode ups number of shots per battery but there are many other settings that may better that; i.e., screen time out, turn off constant (vs. shutter button only) focusing, etc. And setting the Display to manual EVF default and M-Fn button to toggle the screen on. Those are extreme battery saving settings where I am experimenting, though I may back off somewhat and try simply ECO alone. I did try a simple battery test with an off-brand (Bonacell) battery yesterday, with the complex battery settings described before. I put it on a tripod and took 300+ shots and the battery indicator had not yet started diminishing, so I quit. I should re-try in default mode and in ECO mode to see if these also give adequate number off shots. I don't have the patience to do the Bonacell and Canon for all three modes, six tests, to battery exhaustion. I simply want to know whether the off-brand (I see that Wasabi's may be preferred) is ok and how conservative a setting mode suits me when on a trip with lots of shots in a day.

The price with 2 lenses was $1249 which gave me pause. I had settled on this versus alternatives such as the M5 with 2 lenses and/or Sony A6000 or A6300. Many well rated (partly on 4K capability) packages get quite pricey, so I was targeting about $1000 max. Well, as I ruminated, the price dropped, so the 2-lens kit is $929, which I consider quite reasonable.

There are many good reviews via a google search, though Steve's Digicams does not have a full review as of 5/24/18. The other reviews, other than the 4K compromise and less than great battery life, tend to indicate good picture quality, etc. I will be surprised if my extended experience is disappointing. Give it a good look.

I received this camera yesterday with 11-22mm lens and had an evening to spend with it. 22mm pancake and backordered Canon EF adapter (only $50 when bundled) are on the way. Build quality is surprisingly solid, made in Japan! (even camera cap) and a significant step up from lower grade plasticky SL2. DPAF is quite an improvement over 5div. I don’t miss custom mode C1/C2 because M50 remembers last setting for each mode. E.g., I only use M mode for video so my settings are stored. Same goes for video mode on the dial which is the only way to shoot 4k - settings are stored.
While M50 doesn’t have minimum shutter AutoISO, the shutter speed behavior is improved and it tends to be faster than on 6d which favored lower ISO at the expense of shutter speed. M50 tries to default to 1/60 even with UWA lens and only drops when max ISO (I set to 6400) is reached. Willbe observing this behavior more with other lenses.

4k is definitely usable for static scenes with pre-focus or for slow moving scenes with excellent focus peaking. 11-22mm lens is plenty wide even with 2.5 total crop, still get 28mm perspective and 50mm perspective with 22mm lens. I am used to it with 5div which has a crop of 1.74x in 4k so it behaves similarly. It’s not for low light situations, I have yet to test the quality of 1080p and 4k footage. One thing I noticed right away is high quality built-in microphones, huge step up from 5div and SL2, very low noise preamps and clear sound. No need for external microphone for short distances.
One negative is timelapse video: it is limited to max. 1/30s exposure. I am hoping to write an extensive review after I spend more time with the camera over the weekend. So far I like it quite a bit, great ergonomics.

dave_bass5 wrote in post #18631672
1. Yes, but it also assigns Metering as well. A work around is to use AI Servo and set the * button to AF OFF. That works in reverse but might be useful.
2. No, and its a shame its not more like the 80D in this respect, although ive not personally found this to be a big deal yet.

Thanks for that Dave. I agree #2 isn't a deal breaker, but I have found it very useful at times on my 80D when I don't want to shift to shutter priority mode. As for #1, I think I'll use my current M "classic" workaround of keeping the shutter half pressed after it has focused where I want it to, and then recompose.

therobveiller wrote in post #18631727
Thanks for that Dave. I agree #2 isn't a deal breaker, but I have found it very useful at times on my 80D when I don't want to shift to shutter priority mode. As for #1, I think I'll use my current M "classic" workaround of keeping the shutter half pressed after it has focused where I want it to, and then recompose.

Yeah, we need to use workaround's with this camera but considering its called an entry level camera im really impressed with. Have you tried using the LCD as a touch pad for the AF point when using the EVF? I find it works well, in fact easier than changing AF points on my 5D4. Im much more likely to use focus and recompose on my DSLR.

Also love the fact that you can re assign a button to switch between the EVF and LCD. So much faster than my old Sony A6000.

dave_bass5 wrote in post #18631731
Yeah, we need to use workaround's with this camera but considering its called an entry level camera im really impressed with. Have you tried using the LCD as a touch pad for the AF point when using the EVF? I find it works well, in fact easier than changing AF points on my 5D4. Im much more likely to use focus and recompose on my DSLR.

Also love the fact that you can re assign a button to switch between the EVF and LCD. So much faster than my old Sony A6000.

M50’s AF via EVF is much better than 5div which covers mostly central area and it is much slower to change focus point via joystic vs touch and drag throughout most of the screen. In comparison to a6500, M50 is much more fun to use with way better LCD, touchscreen and overall ergonomics/buttons and video AF usability. Eye AF is actually clever, only works at close distances where it actually matters reverting to face detect when eyeAF makes no sense. M50 really showcases how obsolete 5div technology is. I can’t wait for Canon to release a full frame mirrorless camera with EF mount, I see no more future for dslrs with extremely limited focus points and information available via OVF, inferior exposure compared to liveview.