Canon EOS R50 V in-depth review

What is the Canon EOS R50 V and who is it for?

Long-term success for any camera brand depends on a conveyor belt of new customers committing to their ecosystem because, once hooked, most people stay loyal due to the expense of switching systems. That’s why the Canon has launched the EOS R50 V, APS-C format camera clearly aimed at content creators and vloggers.

These days, t’s so important to catch emerging photographers. Today, that means the expanding content creator and vlogger market – and particularly those progressing from smartphones. They tend to be younger and less committed, making them an important target market for camera brands. That’s why we’re seeing a flurry of vlogging-orientated products from the likes of Fujifilm, Nikon, Panasonic and Sony. 

You can guess the EOS R50 V’s target audience from the big clue in its name – V for video. This might seem strange, because of course every Canon EOS R can shoot video, but the R50 V is different.

While it’s based on the EOS R50 – a stills camera that can shoot video – the EOS R50 V is very much a video-centric camera that can also take decent stills. Its long list of video attributes includes 4K/60p recording, Canon Log 3, 6K oversampling and Full HD at 120p.

Canon EOS R50 V design and ergonomics

The EOS R50 V’s impressive array of features, especially considering its budget-friendly price, makes it an appealing choice for content creators.

Notable video-focused design points include a tripod mount for upright shooting, separate sockets for microphone and headphone. The EOS R50 V also includes a front-placed record button, a tally lamp and an advanced accessory shoe that’s compatible with Canon video accessories, but not legacy Speedlites. Oh, it’s also monitor only, a clear sign that it’s video-centric; the R50, on the other hand, has an EVF.

The EOS R50 V’s small body obviously means there are some compromises in terms of space for buttons and controls. However, the right-hand grip is comfortable, with a ridge for the thumb to push against. Above this ridge is the on/off switch and, while I’m in favour of right-sided on/off switches for speed of use, the R50 V’s is not designed to be fast.

Canon EOS R50 V controls and modes

The biggest top-panel control is the mode dial. Of the eight settings, seven are video-specific. Three are custom video modes (C1, C2, C3) and one is called S&F, which stands for slow and fast. No audio is recorded in this setting, and it’s designed for slow- or fast-motion recording.

The single photography setting means that switching between the usual PASM exposure modes, or set B, has to be done via the menu, touchscreen or quick menu.

There are subject-orientated settings too: scene, intelligent auto, self-portrait, portrait, smooth skin, panoramic, food and handheld night scene settings.

The final top-plate control is an unmarked main dial that can be dedicated to adjusting aperture or shutter speed in manual mode.

On the back of the camera, Canon has found room for three buttons and a quick control dial to adjust ISO, drive mode, focus mode and white-balance, with the central button to confirm settings – this doubles as the Q or quick menu button. All the controls can be customised, and these set-up options are available for stills and video shooting.

Handily, there’s another record button on the left front side of the camera, and a tally lamp too.

Pushing the info button takes you through the various monitor appearances: quick menu, image-only and three others, including one that shows all the camera data together with the electronic level and histogram. After entering the quick menu using the set button, you can then adjust key settings by touch or navigate to the desired virtual button using the four-way control.

Canon EOS R50 V battery

The R50 V takes the LP-E17, a compact, rechargeable battery cell found in other Canon cameras. Unusually, a separate charger is supplied and the camera can also be charged via the USB-C port and a power bank.

Quoted CIPA capacity is 480 shots and, on the day I took the camera out, starting with a full charge, I captured 289 stills, 22GB of video and spent quite a while digging around the menu before it expired.

Canon EOS R50 V monitor-only handling

I enjoyed using the R50 V, though it took a short while to get used to only having a monitor. I instinctively raised the camera up to my eye on several occasions. In bright light, seeing exactly what was going on wasn’t that easy; Canon could have installed a monitor with a far higher nit rating, which would make composing shots, navigating the menu and previewing images much easier. 

A final grumble on the monitor-only design; typical R50 V buyers probably wouldn’t use an RF 100-500mm lens, but I did, and holding this combo out to use the monitor wasn’t particularly comfortable.

Canon EOS R50 V performance

In terms of performance, the R50 V turned in impressive stills and video. I shot Raws, which were processed through Canon DPP software, and large JPEGs for stills and 4K video, and I was very happy with the results. Colour rendition was pleasing, noise levels were low up until the higher ISO settings and images showed impressive clarity.

Of course, the good images were thanks to reliable autofocus, autoexposure and white-balance systems. AF and focus detection in video mode was accurate and steady, rather than rapid, especially with the RF 100-500mm lens.

Canon EOS R50 V continuous shooting

For a budget camera, the R50 V has useful continuous shooting skills. With a 300MB SD card, I got 83 JPEGs at 12fps, and the buffer cleared in just five seconds. In Raw, I got 20 full stills at 12fps – much more than the seven Raws claimed to be available
in the camera’s specifications.

Conclusion

All in all, the R50 V is a well-specified, capable camera that’s temptingly priced for a range of creators looking to move up from their smartphones or find a budget route into multimedia. While the R50 V is very much aimed at video shooters, it’s a decent stills machine too, so is a good hybrid.