Canon M50 vs M50 Mark II: Is It Worth The Upgrade?

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The Canon M50 and M50 Mark II are two well-liked entry-level mirrorless cameras that are frequently reviewed and discussed among photographers.

The Canon M50 is an entry-level mirrorless camera that was released in 2018 and is intended for vloggers and amateur photographers who want to improve their skills.

The M50 Mark II, on the other hand, is an updated model of the M50 that was released in 2020 and has better features, functionality, and performance.

To help readers choose between canon m50 vs m50 mark ii based on their photography demands, this article will examine the significant differences between the two models in detail.

Canon M50 vs M50 Mark II: Quick Comparison Chart

A Comprehensive Comparison Between Canon M50 vs M50 Mark II

The Canon M50 is the predecessor to the later-released M50 Mark II. They both feature similar characteristics and the M50 Mark II is only an improvement upon the already well-liked and widely used Canon M50.

Comparison of the two cameras will be one of its kind since the cameras only have some feature distinctions. The image quality produced by the two cameras is on par with each other.

Let’s look at some of the differences and the new features that the Canon M50 mark II has to offer.

Price

Right off the bat, the price difference between the two cameras is almost $200. The Canon M50 was released back in 2018 and was priced at around $649. Since then the price has significantly reduced to only $500 in the market.

The Canon M50 Mark II on the other hand costs $699 for the body and a kit lens. The question comes to mind is that whether it is worth the $200 premium.

The Canon M50 at that price point is a no-brainer. The M50 Mark II falls short to keep its features up to par with the price disparity. The Canon M50 takes the price competition. Be sure to check up on prices as they fluctuate a lot.

Design & Build Quality

The Canon M50 and Canon M50 Mark II feature identical design aesthetics, but the M50 Mark II has a slightly larger grip for a more comfortable hold.

Additionally, the body of the M50 Mark II is weather-sealed. This offers additional protection against extreme weather conditions.

The M50, on the other hand, lacks a weather-sealed body, making it more vulnerable to weather-related damage.

So added protection is one of the benefits of the newer M50 Mark II which gives it a lead in design considerations.

Performance & Image Quality

Both the Canon M50 and the Canon M50 Mark II come equipped with a 24.1-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, which delivers superb image quality in both still photography and video recording.

The M50 Mark II, in contrast to the first version, comes equipped with the more advanced DIGIC 8 image processor, which offers better image quality along with improved autofocus and eye detection.

The M50 Mark II can also handle low light conditions better because it has a maximum ISO range of 51,200 as opposed to the M50’s 25,600.

Both cameras produce detailed, clear shots, although the M50 Mark II has a modest advantage in this area thanks to its sophisticated image processor.

Additionally, the M50 Mark II has better autofocus capabilities, which are crucial for fast-moving targets. The M50 Mark II’s improved eye detection autofocus makes it simpler to focus on the faces of people.

As both cameras are equipped with similar technology, the results come out nearly identical. Although insignificant, the Canon M50 Mark II does have somewhat of an advantage in this regard.

Video Performance

The Canon M50 Mark II outperforms the Canon M50 in terms of video quality in several ways. While the M50 can only record Full HD 1080p videos, the M50 Mark II can shoot 4K video at 24 frames per second.

The M50 Mark II offers better image stabilization. This enables smoother and more stable recordings. Additionally, compared to the M50, which lacks an external microphone input, the M50 Mark II has a 3.5mm microphone input, allowing better audio recording.

The fact remains that the Canon M50 Mark II is still not good enough to record 4k videos as it has its limitations with 24p recording.

Nevertheless, the Canon M50 II outperforms its predecessor and takes another lead.

The Canon M50 Mark II costs $200 more but whether it provides the premium’s worth is a topic of argument among seasoned photographers.

So, let’s take a look at some of the new features that Canon introduced to the M50 Mark II that the M50 lacked:

AutoFocus

The first change is the more flexible Auto Focus system on the M50 Mark II. Both cameras have eye-detection autofocus but with the M50, the eye-detection only works with still photography whereas it works on both stills and videos on the M50 mark II.

Clean HDMI Signal and Live Streaming

There are two ways to connect the cameras to a PC and live stream or record videos for vlogs. As a vlog camera, the Canon M50 only supports USB connectivity with the help of the Canon EOS webcam utility which is the first method.

For Mac users, this is very problematic as Canon has always been very lazy with their development of the MacOS EOS webcam utility.

The other way to connect a camera to PC is to use an HDMI cable. The Canon M50 does have an HDMI output, but it does not have a clean signal. All the indicators like aperture and shutter speed on the video feed.

Some of these indicators can be removed but one thing that is not removable is the Focus Box. Use of Manual Focus is the only remedy.

Canon went ahead and solved this problem with the M50 Mark II and it has a clean HDMI feature. Another feature is the ability to live stream from the camera directly to Youtube over a wifi connection.

Touch Screen and Recording

The Canon M50 only has a touch display while the newer Canon M50 Mark II offers a fully articulate touch display which is very handy for vloggers.

Canon has also integrated the recording button onto the display, which is very neat. Users can now just tap on that record button to start recording.

In the M50, users had to slide a hand onto the opposite side of the camera to press the capture button to start recording. This is a really good consideration for people who mostly do vlogs while holding the camera in one hand.

Verdict

Both the Canon M50 and the Canon M50 Mark II come with their pros and cons. Generations apart, the two cameras deliver excellent image quality with improvements on the Canon M50 Mark II.

The added features do come with a higher price tag. Whether that extra price will be worthwhile depends on the photographers’ needs and budget of course.

Improvements on the M50 Mark II are mostly ease-of-use improvements that do not translate to the overall performance of a camera much.

The Canon M50 is a more affordable choice, whereas the Canon M50 Mark II provides a lot of convenience features with very slight performance improvements.

So, in terms of price-to-performance ratio, the Canon M50 is the clear victor. However, as a vlog camera, the ease of life features can come in handy some of the time so it’s important to consider all the features before making a decision.

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