The Best Traveling Canon
To put this review in context, I must first describe my purpose and expectations for the camera. Although the M50 is offered as an "entry level" camera, I am hardly a neophyte, having been an avid photography hobbyist since purchasing my first 35mm camera in 1963. My current system consists of an older Canon APSC DSLR (t2i) with multiple lenses, flash etc. I was searching for a more compact "travel" camera to augment that system, not replace it. For that purpose, the Eos M cameras seemed the logical choice since they can be adapted to EF/EFS lenses and accept Canon accessories, but only two of them, the M5 and M50, have viewfinders, which I consider essential (the M6 accepts an optional viewfinder that increases it's cost to that of the M5 and disables the hot shoe; no joy.) According to other reviewers, the M50 has a less robust "feel" and inferior operator interface to the M5, but also has the latest generation processor, enhanced Dual Pixel AF and fully articulated touch screen. The M50's 4K video has been widely criticized, but video is not my priority. Before purchasing the M50, my greatest reservations were the "dumbed-down" user interface (compared to the M5) and the relatively short battery life. When the M50 kit with 15-45mm lens was offered with lens adapter at a 32% discount, I couldn't resist.Out of the box, I like this camera. It is a nice size, shaped to provide a good grip and with a "rubberized" texture on the right hand grip surfaces. The 15-45mm lens is quite compact, making for an easily packable travel camera, as I had hoped. This is a really small lens for a 3:1 zoom on an APS-C camera and the retractable feature helps make it so. The small M50 with 15-45mm lens is a very useful and less obtrusive "walk-around" combination. Some have cited the retraction as an inconvenience and, if so, you can always leave it extended and it is still small for its function. At its longest (45mm), the M lens is physically shorter than the EFS 18-55 at its shortest position (32mm). I like the retractable capability. The 15-45mm also has internal focusing and a non-rotating front element allowing use of a polarizing filter. The lens has a plastic mount but I have been using three other canon lenses with plastic mounts for about 7 years without problems or visible wear so I'm not concerned. The small size is possible, in part, because of a relatively "slow" aperture (f3.5-6.3) that at the long end puts it in diffraction limited territory for a 24MP APS sensor, but that is physics' "fault", not Canon's and applies to all 24mp APS cameras at about f6 or higher. Arguably, 18-20mp is a more appropriate upper limit for APS-C and note that both Canon and Nikon have limited their top-of-the-line APS cameras to about 20-21mp. That said, I've been impressed by the detail available in the M50 images, even at 100% crop. The dual pixel AF is fast and accurate and the large coverage area is a benefit, particularly with the touch focus ability. I have, however, encountered a situation where the spot focus mode missed its mark, presumably due to the size of the spot. With the focus spot centered on the white neck of an egret that was thinner than the spot, the M50 focused on the grass behind, rather than the egret, and this occurred repeatedly usually preferring the higher contrast detail even though farther away. The viewfinder is bright and clear and there is minimal lag or smearing as the camera is panned, unlike my first digital camera (Fuji S602Z). The viewfinder "exposure simulation" brightness is helpful as are the histogram and level. I still prefer an optical finder, but it is nice to have a full array of settings as well as image post-view in the EVF. The fully articulated touch screen is very useful and can be reversed to protect it in the stored position, unlike the M5. No, the handling "feel" of the M50 is not the equal of a DSLR, but is an acceptable trade-off for portability, particularly for situations where photography may not be the primary purpose of the excursion.Regarding the simplified user interface, it is somewhat inconvenient, but not a show-stopper. Most functions are easily accessible, once you learn where to find them and/or have reconfigured the controls to your priorities, but there are exceptions. Auto exposure bracketing is only accessible via menu and cannot be assigned to a control, nor does exposure bias, which has a dedicated button by default, provide a path to AEB. The ability to reassign functions to buttons is a distinct advantage as are configurable user menus but there are simply not enough controls to assign all frequently used functions, so regular menu use is unavoidable, but certainly AEB should be assignable. There is a "Quick Control Screen" accessible by pressing the "Set" button but I don't find it as useful as the "Quickmenu" of my old Canon nor does it provide access to AEB. Fortunately, there is also a "INFO Quick control screen" that will appear on the view screen (not the EVF) as you cycle through display options with the "INFO" button. This is similar to the "Quickmenu" of my DSLR and does provide access to AEB. Alternatively, you can create a custom menu that includes AEB. For most functions, there are multiple solutions; it is a matter of figuring out what combinations best work for you while avoiding conflicts that the manual does not disclose.The greatest handicap to user familiarity is the user manual, which is poorly organized and inadequately indexed with many trivially redundant entries wasting valuable space (it appears formatted for pages that are half the height of the manual as printed). An example is the on-screen level display which is not found in the index or table of contents and if you manage to find it by brute force search through the camera menus, as I did, there is no mention of the fact that the level display is mutually exclusive to tracking AF, a seemingly unrelated function!? Since tracking was already enabled, there was no level display and I only learned of the conflict through an extensive internet search where I found it mentioned in a comment to a review; and this after using the camera for a week. Older Canon manuals were much more descriptive and complete. The pull-up flash is a bit of an anachronism for a camera that emphasizes fully automatic operation, however, that is of no concern since it is as easy to flip up the flash as it is to push a button. What is curious is that raising the flash does not turn it on unless it has been enabled via menu or button (one is dedicated by default). This is not a problem once you know to enable the flash, however, I do not know whether leaving it enabled (either "AUTO" or "ON") affects battery life when the flash is down, therefore, I disable flash when not in use, and it seems a poor use of precious control real estate to need to have it assigned to a button as is the default, unless it is necessary to conserve battery (see below). The flash must also be enabled to use external flash.Silent mode is a potentially useful feature of the M50 that has been rendered virtually useless by its implementation as a "scene" selection, which limits it to fully automatic operation that I am not likely to use. Silent operation would be useful for wildlife photography or for tripod use to eliminate any mechanical vibration (shutter), but why must you forfeit control in order to use it?. Worse, AEB is not available even as a menu option in scene mode and I often need bracketed sequences to process for HDR (in- camera HDR is a scene mode also and is incompatible with raw capture). Speaking of tripod use, another feature that I miss is a remote control jack. Yes, I know that the M50 has WiFi and Bluetooth to allow it to be operated remotely by smartphone and this is a valuable feature allowing remote live-view; but establishing a WiFi connection is a bit fiddly and time consuming and the connection is lost when either device powers down. Once connected, WiFi works well and remote live view with touch focus is a treat. The bluetooth trigger function is easier to connect but provides only a shutter release without focus confirmation, and most curious, it will not function unless WiFi is enabled, even though there are separate menu entries for each. It would often be more convenient to use my existing wireless triggers and I sometimes photograph when traveling where there is no cell service and would have no other reason to carry my phone and keep it charged. This is not hypothetical, as my first use of the M50 was during a trip to West Virginia in areas without cell service and I was also carrying my DSLR (which does not have WiFi) and I needed my triggers anyway.The M50's limited battery capacity has been noted in other reviews and I can confirm that it discharges much faster than my DSLR. It was not a problem when I was away from a charger for only a few hours at a time, but on a trip to Tangier Island, the fully charged battery expired after only 129 shots in 8 hours of intermittent use in ECO mode! Fortunately, no opportunities were missed because I was about to head back to the B&B anyway. I can only speculate that the use of an EFS 55-250mm lens for 89 of the shots is the culprit, which presumably imposes a larger load for its focus motor than does the 15-45mm. Also note that the default focus setting is "continuous", which constantly refocuses even without pressing the shutter button. I didn't know this until I first mounted an EFS lens and saw the front element turning erratically. I will definitely buy more batteries, a total of 3 may suffice, but whereas I also carry 3 batteries for my DSLR, I seldom bring a charger on trips of a few days. With the M50 I will always travel with a charger. The physically smaller battery of the M50 helps facilitate the camera's diminutive size and is an understandable trade-off, but it can be inconvenient.The EFM-EF/EFS lens adapter is sturdy with metal body and lens/camera mounts and nicely finished. The small tripod foot is removable with a captive, knurled knob and the foot is keyed to the adapter so that it fits squarely and securely. I was, however, surprised by the adapter's heft until I realized that much of the mass is the foot, which seems cast of a dense metal, not a light alloy as is (I presume) the adapter body; to hazard a guess, I'd say brass, which is more than 3 times the mass of aluminum. Both the adapter body and the foot have steel 1/4x20 threaded inserts. The entire assembly weighs approx. 5.5oz, of which 2.0oz is the foot alone. The good news is that it works well with all EF/EFS lenses that I have tried, including my Tamron 150-600mm G2 (yes, the M50 does look silly mounted to such a huge lens and you must be cautious to support the lens independent of the camera.). It's worth noting that the adapter is not merely a mechanical adaptation, it involves electronic translation as well since the EFS system has only 8 contacts while EFM uses 9. In addition, EFS lenses have auto/manual and IS on/off switches while EFM have none and are switched in-camera. I'll also note that the M50 manual instructs to turn off the camera before mounting or dismounting a lens while my older Canon does not.My final gripe does not regard the camera, per se, rather Canon's software support of it, specifically the ability to easily transfer files to computer. Previously, Canon provided their "Zoom browser memory card utility" that would automatically organize files into dated folders at the location of your choice on PC. Unfortunately that utility has not been updated to recognize .CR3 files and the new "Image Transfer Utility" only operates via WiFi connection. While this may have some use, it is far less convenient than simply plugging an SD card into a computer, particularly when one must use different methods and software for different cameras of the same make. This is all the more frustrating since most other software options (including Windows) do not yet recognize .CR3 files. This is a particularly bad choice on Canon's part considering the limited battery capacity of the M50 without facility to power from an external source.Regarding software, Canon has revised their Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software for the .CR3 format and the M50 has provision to turn on lens corrections in-camera so that when opened in DPP, they are already applied, saving some processing time. This includes the application of DLO (digital lens optimizer) at what is, I assume, a predetermined optimum value for the lens settings used, but this can be adjusted in post. The 24mp files of the M50 do take significantly longer to process than the 18mp files of my DSLR and, while editing, changes may take some time before they display (I'm using an i7 processor and16GB ram). Regarding noise reduction, the default settings seem more aggressive than my DSLR for some ISO settings, but "High ISO noise reduction" can be adjusted to some degree (3 steps) in-camera and, of course, more finely in DPP during post. Incidentally, DPP v4 ability to play nice with Windows 10 has been substantially improved since its initial release, although I still encounter the occasional issue. For those not using DPP as their raw processor or who may have been turned off by DPP v3, version 4 is greatly improved and, in my view, the lens corrections of DLO are indispensable. DLO virtually banishes all lens aberrations and sharpens the image such that you may think that you have new lenses, particularly if you are using some kit lenses such as the 18-55mm IS II (unfortunately, DLO is for Canon lenses only). DLO v4 does not double the raw file size as did v3. I'm puzzled that DLO does not receive more notice in the photographic press. A note to Lightroom users: according to the Adobe site, they do not intend to add .CR3 support to Lightroom 6, so for now, DPP may be the only viable option for the M50 (and future Canon cameras??).In summary, I think that the M50 is an excellent camera for it's target market but needs better documentation to avoid frustrating buyers, particularly those new to photography to which the M50 seems directed. It is a camera that can be used with no fuss as a "point and shoot" yet incorporates a plethora of features that advanced users will value, albeit with some frustration. For my purposes, I believe the M50 is a valuable, if imperfect, addition to my system that will allow me to carry a camera more often and to more places than I might have otherwise, while using my existing lenses and flash if I choose to carry them, all while producing images that are the equal of Canon's latest APS-C DSLRs. The Ideal travel camera might be a next generation M5, melding the positive features of the M50 with the superior control interface of the M5, but of course the M5 costs significantly more. Until then, The M50 may be the best traveling Canon. If only Canon would update their memory card utility and rewrite the manual. And please, Canon, if you're determined to make cameras that are dependent on wireless connection, improve your connection software and provide enough battery to carry the load.EDIT 9/20/18: After processing and critically viewing more images, I feel that the EFM 15-45mm lens needs more comment with regard to resolution toward image extremes, particularly at the 15mm end. Image corners at wide angle can be rather soft, even while the center (actually, most of the image) is strikingly sharp. As one might expect, this is most noticeable in images shot indoors at ISO 1600 (the highest that I have used) with much detail throughout the frame and the softness is exacerbated by the increased noise in the corners due to correction for vignetting (peripheral illumination correction in Canon speak), which is substantial.Regarding Dual Pixel AF, yes it is fast and accurate - except when it isn't. I alluded to some focus misses above and suggested that the spot focus misses were related to the size of the spot, but after more use I realize that the same issue exists among the smaller focus points in the zone and tracking AF modes. I find it often misses more and is less predictable than my old 9 focus point DSLR. It is also slower to acquire focus, at least when first waking up . Part of the issue is inherent in the horizontal split of the dual-pixel array, which cannot focus on features that are much more than 45 degrees from vertical (I have confirmed this by using a lined legal pad as a target). Whereas modern DSLRs have multiple "cross-type" focus points that are sensitive to any orientation (and my old DSLR has but one), the M50 has none. It is far better than contrast AF, but not up to DSLR standards. Note that the Canon DSLRs that have dual pixel AF still use the more complex pentaprism phase detection system when possible. The touch focus ability of the M50 provides a workaround so that you can better direct the focal point, but using the view screen in this way while looking through the viewfinder will require some retraining on my part.I can confirm that battery life is related to the lenses used; in a recent outing where I used the EFS 55-250mm for 99 exposures, the battery was exhausted after only 118 shots in less than 1.5 hours of use. I may need to rethink the adequacy of carrying only 3 batteries.I mentioned that the noise reduction seems more aggressive than with my older Canon, however I neglected to mention that it is also more effective at reducing both chroma and luminance noise while preserving detail.None of this significantly alters my initial assessment of the M50. It is not a DSLR but is smaller and lighter making it better suited to incidental travel photography while providing versatility and image quality far beyond the best that smart phones or small sensor cameras can offer. I may eventually buy other EFM lenses to further reduce my travel bulk. As I've become more familiar with the M50, I find that it is usually my first choice when heading out and that I am carrying a camera more often. The T2i has mostly remained attached to my largest and heaviest lens (Tamron 150-600mm G2) and my 18-55mm EFS lens has not seen the light of day.
