Canon's compact EF-M body with a built-in viewfinder, succeeded by the M50 Mark II in 2020. Launched at $779.99 in 2018 (body only). Still good in 2026: yes, for stills and travel with a small kit.
Canon U.S.A. announced the EOS M50 on February 25, 2018. It launched at $779.99 in 2018, body only, or $899.99 with the EF-M 15-45mm. It was the first EOS M camera to record 4K, and Canon pitched it at people stepping up from a smartphone. Inside are a 24.1MP APS-C sensor and DIGIC 8, with Dual Pixel CMOS AF across up to 143 points and Eye Detection AF for stills.
Why it exists. The M50 put a built-in 2.36M-dot OLED viewfinder and a fully articulating touchscreen into a body of about 387 g, which made it popular with vloggers and travelers. It shoots 10 fps with One-Shot AF, uses EF-M lenses natively and takes EF and EF-S lenses through the EF-EOS M adapter. Canon replaced it with the M50 Mark II in 2020 and has since wound down the EOS M line, so this is a Classic.
Our gallery comes from six photographers: an old oak in Warsaw's Picasso Park, a snail on a stem, a long exposure of the Torretta di Santa Tecla in Acireale, an autumn forest stream, a chamois in Gran Paradiso National Park and Oulu railway station. Still good in 2026? Yes, for stills and travel. Its limits: 4K is 24p only, cropped and on contrast AF, there's no in-body stabilization, and the LP-E12 battery is CIPA-rated for about 235 shots.
The story
Canon U.S.A. announced the EOS M50 on February 25, 2018, for April availability at $779.99 body-only, $899.99 with the EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM, $1,249 as a two-lens kit and $999.99 as a Video Creator Kit (Canon U.S.A.).
Canon described it as the first EOS M camera with 4K video, built around the new DIGIC 8 processor, and aimed it at people moving up from a smartphone.
Canon U.S.A. introduced the EOS M50 Mark II on October 14, 2020 as its successor (Canon U.S.A.). Canon has not released a new EOS M body since, so we tag the M50 as a Classic.
Specifications
Key specs for the Canon EOS M50, from Canon Europe's EOS M50 specifications, Canon U.S.A.'s specifications chart and its February 25, 2018 release. Source for each row in brackets.
4K UHD at 23.98/25p (contrast AF in 4K); Full HD up to 59.94p; HD at 119.9p [Canon Europe]
Card / ports
One SD (UHS-I); Micro USB [Canon Europe]
Battery
LP-E12; about 235 shots (CIPA), 370 in Eco mode [Canon U.S.A.]
Size / weight
116.3 × 88.1 × 58.7 mm; about 387 g with battery and card (black) [Canon Europe]
Announced / price
Feb 25, 2018; $779.99, body only (US) [Canon U.S.A.]
Sample photos
Six photos taken with the Canon EOS M50 by six photographers, shared on Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licenses or in the public domain. Each caption gives the settings the file records. Select a photo to enlarge it. More samples from Wikimedia Commons
f/5.6, ISO 400, 1/160 s, 18mm: an old oak in Warsaw's Picasso Park (EF-M15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM). Photo: Cybularny via Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (resized)f/3.5, ISO 160, 1/200 s, 28mm: a snail on a stem (EF-M28mm f/3.5 MACRO IS STM). Photo: Ivan Radic via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized)
f/11, ISO 100, 10 s, 24mm: a long exposure of the Torretta di Santa Tecla, Acireale, Sicily (EF-M15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM). Photo: Theoldhunter78 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)f/4, ISO 200, 1/160 s, 12mm: an autumn forest stream (EF-M11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM). Photo: Radiobelka via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)
f/9, ISO 100, 1/60 s, 600mm: a chamois in Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy (Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2, adapted). Photo: Alberto Norbiato via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)f/4.5, ISO 100, 1/125 s, 15mm: Oulu railway station, Finland (EF-M15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM). Photo: Gálaniitoluodda via Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (resized)
Canon: Launched at $779.99 in 2018 (US, body only).
Verdict
Who it's for: stills and travel shooters who want a small APS-C body with a built-in viewfinder, a vari-angle screen and Dual Pixel AF.
Look elsewhere if you film yourself or stream: the M50 Mark II adds Eye AF in Servo and video, vertical video and webcam use.
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