Canon EOS R50
APS-C 24 MP @ 15 FPS, ISO 100~32,000 (51,200), 4K30
World's Second-Lightest Mirrorless Camera
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Accessories USA Version
R3 R5 R5C R6 II R6 R R8 RP R7 R10 R50 R100
Bodies Compared RF Lenses EF Lenses Flash
Canon EOS R50 (13.2 oz./375g with battery and SD card, $679) and RF 18-45mm IS STM. bigger. I got mine at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $500 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $625 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM, DM-E100 mic & HG-100TBR grip-release-pod: $999 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM and RF-S 55-210mm IS STM: $1,029 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
WHITE R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
WHITE R50 with white RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
Personally I prefer getting the R50 body-only and RF-s 18-150mm lens separately because the 18-150mm replaces both the RF-s 18-45mm IS STM and RF-s 55-210mm IS STM and eliminates the need to carry both and and swap between them; with the 18-150mm a flick of the wrist gets you whatever setting you need without missing photos while changing lenses.
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live — but I receive nothing for my efforts if you take the chance of getting it elsewhere. Canon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, dropped, incomplete, gray-market, store demo or used camera — and my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new R50. I've used many of these sources since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new R50 before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
January 2024 Better Pictures Canon Reviews Mirrorless RF Lenses EF Lenses Flash All Reviews
Sony vs. Nikon vs. Canon Full-Frame
Canon EOS R, RP, R5 & R6 compared
Multipin digital shoe. Use the AD-E1 Adapter with traditional flash. bigger.
Canon EOS R50. bigger.
Sample Images top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Accessories USA Version
(more at High ISOs)
These are just snapshots from an hour yesterday; my real work is in my Gallery.
These are all shot hand-held as NORMAL (▟ stairstep icon) JPGs; no tripods, FINE (quarter circle) JPGs or RAW CR3 files were used or needed.
I do;'t know about you, but especially considering that these are all just snapshots with the dinky RF 18-45mm IS STM, I find these exceptionally sharp:
BMW M850i Convertible 4.4l BiTurbo V8 Engine, 10:49 AM, Friday, 26 May 2023. Canon EOS R50, Canon RF 18-45mm IS STM at 18mm at f/7.1 at 1/25 hand-held at Auto ISO 100 (LV 10¼), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original 24 MP © JPG file (about 5 MB).
The camera-original 24 MP © JPG file is so loaded with detail in this quick shot I was immediately amazed! I was going to spot-out the dust specs out of habit, but realized that they show how insanely sharp is my R50 and RF 18-45mm IS STM combo. This sharpness was immediately apparent even though the finder on playback. A huge advantage of the R50's smaller APS-C sensor is that the shorter lenses we use to get the same angle of view compared to full-frame (18mm vs. 28mm here) means was also get much deeper depth of field, so this entire power system is in focus. Whoo hoo!
BMW M850i Convertible Interior in Cognac Merino Leather, 10:54 AM, Friday, 26 May 2023. Canon EOS R50, Canon RF 18-45mm IS STM at 18mm at f/8 at 1/25 hand held at Auto ISO 100 (LV 10.6), exactly as shot. bigger or camera-original 24 MP © JPG file (about 5 MB).
Likewise, detail and color all around.
Yellow Porsche H4 Headlight, 9:49 AM, Saturday, 27 May 2023. Canon EOS R50, Canon RF 18-45mm IS STM at 45mm at f/9 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.4), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original 24 MP © JPG file (about 5 MB).
BMW Z8 ALPINA Interior in Red and Black, 9:52 AM, Saturday, 27 May 2023. Canon EOS R50, Canon RF 18-45mm IS STM at 18mm at f/5 at 1/100 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 11¼), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original 24 MP © JPG file (about 5 MB).
Zebra Lightning cable? Really? Black or red would have been easy and not made me have to go back and edit it out of my photo.
Blue Ferrari, 10:03 AM, Saturday, 27 May 2023. Canon EOS R50, Canon RF 18-45mm IS STM at 45mm at f/8 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.0), Perfectly Clear. bigger.
Ceramic Ferrari Brakes in Red, Yellow and Black, 10:06 AM, Saturday, 27 May 2023. Canon EOS R50, Canon RF 18-45mm IS STM at 27mm at f/6.3 at 1/100 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 12.0), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original 24 MP © JPG file (about 5 MB).
It's so sharp that you clearly can see me and my camera and the folds of my jeans reflected in the lug nuts in the camera-original 24 MP © JPG file!
Yellow Porsche GT3, 10:40 AM, Saturday, 27 May 2023. Canon EOS R50, Canon RF 18-45mm IS STM at 45mm at f/9 at 1/80 at Auto ISO100 (LV 12¾), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original 24 MP © JPG file (about 5 MB).
Corvette Emblem, 10:47 AM, Saturday, 27 May 2023. Canon EOS R50, Canon RF 18-45mm IS STM at 45mm at f/8 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.0), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original 24 MP © JPG file (about 5 MB).
This is so sharp that it looks three-dimensional, which is how this emblem is made, with the logo on a plastic sheet above the dished background. See the camera-original 24 MP © JPG file for the most detail.
Introduction top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Accessories USA Version
I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below. |
Didn't you see my Sample Images? I snapped these in an hour at a local car show on an overcast morning, and they look AWESOME! This tiny camera feels like a toy, so small and light it almost feels silly on a neck strap, while its images amaze me with their color, sharpness and clarity — the same quality I get from my pro Canon cameras. What more is there to say?
The Canon EOS R50 is an ultra compact, ultralight, low cost, high-speed, high-performance APS-C mirrorless camera. It's even smaller and less expensive than the EOS R10 or R7, and makes the same-quality images. I'm really impressed with my R50; its images are first class like from my pro cameras, not anything I was expecting from such a tiny toy-like camera. In this case, toy-like means it's fun and easy to take everywhere, and it takes the same awesome pictures at half the price of the R7. Bravo!
The R50 is so tiny is lacks some controls of larger cameras, and lacks various convenience features like a sensor cleaner, a rear dial and C1 and C2 modes.
I love this little R50. It's a toy camera around my neck, that brings back brilliant, sharp, colorful big-boy pictures with the same automatic lens corrections and image-processing magic of bigger cameras. Autofocus is always fast and sure, and 15 FPS is no slouch for sports and birds.
The R50 is a tiny, inexpensive, easy-to-use camera that makes awesome photos. You can pay more for more features and speed in the R7 and R10, but if 15 FPS is enough and you don't miss features like more buttons and dials, auto-leveling and the ability to set minimum shutter speeds in Auto ISO, the images from this camera are identical to those from cameras costing twice as much.
I got my R50 at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $500 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $625 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM, DM-E100 mic & HG-100TBR grip-release-pod: $999 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM and RF-S 55-210mm IS STM: $1,029 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
WHITE R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
WHITE R50 with white RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
Personally I prefer getting the R50 body-only and RF-s 18-150mm lens separately because the 18-150mm replaces both the RF-s 18-45mm IS STM and RF-s 55-210mm IS STM and eliminates the need to carry both and and swap between them; with the 18-150mm a flick of the wrist gets you whatever setting you need without missing photos while changing lenses.
New intro top
World's Lightest Mirrorless Camera at introduction (the newer EOS R100 of May 2023 is even lighter). By "Mirrorless" I mean a well-featured, mainstream digital camera with a finder. Finderless "bricks" like the Sony ZV-E10 may weigh a little less, but heck, Nikon's finderless Z30 weighs more, and this Canon R50 includes a built-in flash lacking in the others. Bravo!!!
Canon's least expensive EOS-R series mirrorless camera at introduction (the newer EOS R100 of May 2023 is even less expensive).
15 FPS, not too shabby!
1× ~ 10× digital zoom for 1,080 video.
21-pin digital shoe connection for mics and other goodies.
No more hot shoe. You now have to buy the AD-E1 "Multi-Function Shoe Adapter" to adapt normal 5-pin dedicated flash to the new 21-pin digital (only) shoe of the R50. Note the lack of conventional hot shoe contacts.
1/250 flash sync speed.
Video Lens Breathing correction.
Good intro top
Same picture quality as the twice-as-expensive EOS R7; this R50 is simply slower, smaller and has fewer controls while it retains the same quality sensor and image processing finesse as more expensive cameras. Bravo!
Built-in flash:
Built-in Flash! bigger.
1/250 flash sync speed.
15 FPS frame rate with full tracking for stills.
Great ergonomics: fun, fast and easy to use and shoot.
All buttons on the right side for one-handed shooting.
Just about weightless.
Very inexpensive.
Flicker reduction.
Square, 4:3 and 16:9 as-shot crops.
Color histograms while shooting.
Works flawlessly with every Canon EF, EF-s, RF and RF-s lens made since 1987 (EF and EF-S use an EF to RF adapter).
S - t - e - r - e - O microphone built in, but it's so tiny that its stereo separation is mostly imaginary.
Wi-Fi.
Bluetooth.
100% U.S.A.-based high-quality technical support at (800) OK-CANON.
Bad intro top
No more hot shoe. You now have to buy the AD-E1 "Multi-Function Shoe Adapter" to adapt normal 5-pin dedicated flash to the new 21-pin digital (only) shoe of the R50. Note the lack of conventional hot shoe contacts.
No Ultrasonic sensor cleaner.
Plenty of rolling-shutter distortion with the silent electronic shutter (none with first-curtain electronic).
Missing intro top
No more hot shoe. You now have to buy the AD-E1 "Multi-Function Shoe Adapter" to adapt normal 5-pin dedicated flash to the new 21-pin digital (only) shoe of the R50. Note the lack of conventional hot shoe contacts.
No Ultrasonic sensor cleaner.
Auto ISO lacks a setting for lowest shutter speed, meaning it always picks based on lens focal length with no way to override it. Hint: use Tv mode in Auto ISO to work around this.
Silent electronic shutter mode can't be used at the same time as Flicker Reduction or flash.
No C1, C2 or C3 preset modes on top dial.
No ability to save and recall camera settings to and from a card.
No timed manual exposures longer than 30 seconds. You have to use Bulb, a remote release and an external timer instead. Even the first Nikon F5 of 1996 gave manual exposures out to 30 minutes. No Bulb Timer or TIME modes, either.
No rear dial common to most larger Canon cameras.
No front control buttons common to most larger Canon cameras.
No fully mechanical shutter; fully electronic or electronic first-curtain shutters only. So?
No in-camera sensor-shift Stabilization for still images. (Works great with every IS optically stabilized lens.)
No headphone jack.
Not threaded to use a standard threaded cable release.
No jack for 2.5mm remote cords (use the app or BR-E1).
No automatic brightness control for rear LCD.
No battery percentage meter, just a 3-segment icon.
No battery percentage or charge state indication while charging.
Like most cameras, no illuminated buttons.
Like most cameras, advance mode icons are simply labeled as L, H and H+ instead of their actual frame rates (3 FPS, 10 FPS, etc.).
Like most cameras, simple ON/OFF menu entries still require selecting that item, clicking up or down to select the other OFF or ON option, and then hitting OK to register your selection. You can't simply toggle them directly at the menu listing as you can in the Z9 or an iPhone.
No GPS, try the app.
In-finder data displays do not rotate with the camera.
Menus don't rotate when held vertically.
No advance mode lever.
No shutter speed dial.
Playback images don't rotate as you turn the camera, as an iPhone does. It's not that smart (images are flagged to display properly elsewhere).
No ISO dial.
No pulled ISOs below ISO 100.
No Sony-like mode to create a new folder for each day of shooting.
Specifications top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Accessories USA Version
R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $500 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $625 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM, DM-E100 mic & HG-100TBR grip-release-pod: $999 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM and RF-S 55-210mm IS STM: $1,029 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
WHITE R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
WHITE R50 with white RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
Personally I prefer getting the R50 body-only and RF-s 18-150mm lens separately because the 18-150mm replaces both the RF-s 18-45mm IS STM and RF-s 55-210mm IS STM and eliminates the need to carry both and and swap between them; with the 18-150mm a flick of the wrist gets you whatever setting you need without missing photos while changing lenses.
Lens Compatibility specifications top
Canon EOS R50. bigger.
The R50 works with Canon's RF lenses.
With an EF-RF adapter, it works flawlessly with every EF and EF-s lens made since 1987.
It won't work with any EOS-M lens.
The R50 is NOT compatible with the STEREOSCOPIC RF 5.2mm f/2.8L Dual 190º Fisheye. The dual fisheye only works with the R5 and R5C.
Image Sensor specifications top
Canon EOS R50. bigger.
Canon EOS R50. bigger.
24 MP.
14.9 × 22.3 mm CMOS.
3.7µm pixel pitch.
3:2 aspect ratio.
1.61 × crop factor.
No ultrasonic cleaner.
ISO specifications top
Stills
ISO 100 ~ 32,000 (expands to ISO 51,200 (H)).
No pulled ISOs below ISO 100.
Auto ISO.
Video
ISO 100 ~ 12,800 (expands to ISO 25,600 (H)).No pulled ISOs below ISO 100.
Auto ISO.
Image Sizes (Same as R6 II) specifications top
6,000 × 4,000 pixels native (Large 24 MP) in JPG, CR3 Raw and HEIF.
3,984 × 2,656 (M JPG, 10.6 MP).
2,976 × 1,984 (S1 JPG, 5.9 MP).
2,400 × 1,600 (S2 JPG, 3.8 MP).
Cropped Aspect Ratios
4:3, Square 1:1 and 16:9 cropped from the above sizes.
1.6x "APS-C" crop inside the above sizes.
Lens Corrections specifications top
Falloff (vignetting or peripheral illumination).
Distortion.
Lateral color.
Diffraction.
Digital Lens Optimizer.
Breathing (for video).
Still Formats specifications top
(JPG or HEIF) and/or CR3 raw.
sRGB and Adobe RGB.
Video specifications top
File Formats
.MP4
Frame Sizes and Rates
3,840 × 2,160 (4K)29.97, 25 and 23.976 FPS progressive.
1× ~ 10× digital zoom.
1,920 × 1,080
119.88, 100, 59.94, 50, 29.97, 25 and 23.976 FPS progressive.
Audio specifications top
Recorded only along with video.
AAC (no LPCM).
Not recorded at time-lapse and slo-mo frame rates.
S - t - e - r - e - O microphone built in.
Mic-in jack with plug-in power overrides built-in mic.
No headphone jack.
Autofocus specifications top
Points
4,503 phase-detection points (cropped to 3,713 for video).
Range
Stills: LV -4 to +20 with an f/1.2 lens. (same as LV -1.5 to +20 with an f/2.8 lens.)
HD Video: LV -3.5 to +20 with an f/1.2 lens. (same as LV -1 to +20 with an f/2.8 lens.)
4K Video: oddly not specified.
Light Meter specifications top
384 zones evaluative (24 × 16 areas).
Center-weighted, 6% central, 3% spot.
Face-weighted.
LV -2 to +20 (stills).
LV 0 to +20 (video).
Finder specifications top
0.39" OLED.
2,360,000 dots.
3:2 aspect ratio.
0.59× magnification with 50mm equivalent lens (31mm actual focal length on APS-C).
(0.95× with telephoto actual 50mm lens (80mm eq.).
28.0º apparent angle.
22mm eyepoint.
-3 to +1 diopters.
No auto brightness adjustment.
Shutters specifications top
No fully mechanical shutter; fully electronic or electronic first-curtain shutters only.
Electronic First-Curtain Shutter
1/4,000 ～ 30 seconds and Bulb.
1/250 flash sync speed.
Silent Electronic Shutter
1/8,000～ 30 seconds and Bulb.
Electronic shutter won't work with flash, HDR, multiple exposures, Multi Shot Noise Reduction, AE Bracketing, HDR PQ, anti-flicker, Dual Pixel RAW or with the Digital Lens Optimizer set to High.
The sensor has the usual slow readout, so the electronic shutter has the usual rolling shutter effects and you can't use flash with it. Things can bend while panning, and if used under flickering light like dimmed LEDs you may see banding, and on the red carpet at Cannes you might see random bright bands on your subject lit by other people's flashes.
Remote Releases specifications top
Use the free app to control the R50 over Bluetooth.
~ or ~
Use the Canon BR-E1 Wireless Bluetooth Remote Control.
Still Frame Rates specifications top
To 15 FPS, electronic shutter with tracking autofocus (but no flash).
To 12 FPS, first-curtain electronic shutter with tracking autofocus and flash.
To 5 FPS, Continuous Low, electronic shutter with tracking autofocus (but no flash).
3 FPS in Continuous Low, first-curtain electronic shutter with tracking autofocus and flash.
Buffer (Burst) Sizes specifications top
42 JPG or 41 HEIF at 12 FPS.
7 raw, with or without JPG or HEIF, at 12 FPS.
Flash specifications top
Built-in Flash!
Built-in Flash! bigger.
Guide Number (GN) 20'/6m at ISO 100.
5 seconds recycling.
The built-in flash cannot work as a commander, except in manual mode.
External Flash
21-pin digital shoe for flash or digital microphones and other modern accessories:
21-pin digital shoe: see the gold contacts? bigger.
But no more traditional hot shoe contacts:
No more traditional hot shoe contacts. bigger.
No more traditional hot shoe. You now have to buy the AD-E1 "Multi-Function Shoe Adapter" to adapt normal 5-pin dedicated flash to the new 21-pin digital (only) shoe of the R50.
E-TTL II.
1/250 sync speed.
Works with EL- and EX- series flash, as well as the Speedlight Transmitter ST-E10, Speedlight Transmitter ST-E3-RT (version 2), original ST-E3-RT/ST-E2 and Canon's Off-Camera Shoe Cord OC-E3 or other off-camera cords, so long as you have the right adapters if needed.
Since the built-in flash won't work for TTL remote control, the easiest method is to use the AD-E1 "Multi-Function Shoe Adapter" to adapt any normal 5-pin dedicated Canon flash, like the EL-100, which then can work as a remote transmitter. The special transmitters above like the ST-E10are radio controllers, which in turn require fancier radio-controlled flash.
The new Canon EL-5 Flash is the most basic flash that works directly with the 21-pin shoe.
No Prontor-Compur (PC) terminal; use the built-in flash to trigger your studio strobe slaves.
LCD Monitor specifications top
Flippy LCD Screen, Canon EOS R50. bigger.
Actual LCD Area, Canon EOS R50. bigger.
3" (76 mm) diagonal.
1,620,000 dots.
3:2 aspect ratio.
No automatic brightness control.
Connectors specifications top
Canon EOS R50. bigger.
USB-C.
HDMI Micro-D (no CEC).
Canon EOS R50. bigger.
3.5mm stereo mic input.
Wi-Fi specifications top
802.11b/g/n.
No 5 GHz.
Bluetooth specifications top
4.2 low energy, like some people I know.
GPS specifications top
None; use the app or just guess when you look at your pictures later.
Storage specifications top
One slot.
SD (up to 2GB), SDHC (up to 32GB) and SDXC (up to 2TB) cards.
UHS-I, UHS speed class, SD speed class compatible
Power & Battery specifications top
Battery
The included LP-E17 rechargeable Li-Ion battery is rated for 320 shots with the viewfinder (440 shots with the rear LCD).
or
60 minutes of 4K video
or
about 2 hours of HD video.
It's the same battery as in the R8, R10 and some of the Rebel DSLRs.
7.2V, 1,040 mAh.
1.30 x 0.55 x 1.94."
33 x 14 x 49.4mm.
1.59 oz. (45g).
Battery Meter
3-segment icon.
3-dot battery health check.
Charging
Via USB-C or included Battery Charger LC-E17:
|
|
LC-E17 folding plug 100-240V 50-60 cps charger included in U. S. A.
In other areas you may get the LC-E17E charger with a detachable cord.
2.65 x 1.09 x 3.63."
67.3 x 27.7 x 92.2 mm.
3 oz. (85g).
Rated 2 hour charge time.
See my measured power levels.
AC Adapter
Optional AC Adapter AC-E6N and DC Coupler DR-E18.
Size specifications top
3.37 × 4.58 × 2.71 inches HWD.
85.5 × 116.3 × 68.8 millimeters HWD.
Weight specifications top
13.2 oz. (375 g) with battery and card.
12.9 oz. (328 g) stripped.
White models 1 gram heavier.
Quality specifications top
Canon EOS R50. bigger.
Made in Taiwan.
Environment specifications top
Operating
0º ～ 40º C (32º ～ 104º F).
0 to 85% RH.
Canon's Model Numbers specifications top
Also comes in white:
R50 Body
Black
5811C002 (5811C001 in Japan).
JAN: 4549292-205008.
White
5812C002 (5812C001 in Japan).
JAN: 4549292-205091.
Kit with R50 & RF-S 18-45mm IS STM
Black
5811C012 (5811C011 in Japan).
JAN: 4549292-205039.
White
5812C012 (5812C011 in Japan).
JAN: 4549292-205251.
Kit with R50, RF-S 18-45mm IS STM & RF-S 55-210mm IS STM
Black
5811C022 (5811C021 in Japan).
JAN: 4549292-205053.
White R50, white 18-45mm & black 55-210mm
5812C021 (Japan only).
JAN: 4549292-205336 (Japan only).
Included specifications top
(Maybe the RF-S 18-45mm IS STM and maybe the RF-S 55-210mm IS STM as part of a kit.)
R50 body.
RF-5 body cap.
LP-E17 Rechargeable Li-Ion battery.
EM-200DB strap (p/n9929B001).Hot shoe cover:
Canon EOS R50 with included shoe cover (see it uncovered). bigger.
Announced specifications top
08 February 2023.
Promised for specifications top
16 March 2023.
Price, U. S. A. specifications top
15 January 2024
R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $500 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $625 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM, DM-E100 mic & HG-100TBR grip-release-pod: $999 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM and RF-S 55-210mm IS STM: $1,029 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
WHITE R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
WHITE R50 with white RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
30 December 2023
R50 Body: $629 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $500 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $749 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $625 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM, DM-E100 mic & HG-100TBR grip-release-pod: $849 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM and RF-S 55-210mm IS STM: $899 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
WHITE R50 Body: $629 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
WHITE R50 with white RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $749 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
24 November (Black Friday) ~ 19 December 2023
R50 Body: $599 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $500 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $699 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $625 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM, DM-E100 mic & HG-100TBR grip-release-pod: $799 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM and RF-S 55-210mm IS STM: $899 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
WHITE R50 Body: $599 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
WHITE R50 with white RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $749 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
01 August 2023
R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $575 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $749 at B&H or $799 at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $625 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM, DM-E100 mic & HG-100TBR grip-release-pod: $799 at Amazon or $899 at B&H, at Adorama, and at Crutchfield.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM and RF-S 55-210mm IS STM: $1,029 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
WHITE R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
WHITE R50 with white RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $749 at B&H or $799 at Adorama and at Amazon.
25 May ~ 20 June 2023
R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $625 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM and RF-S 55-210mm IS STM: $1,029 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
WHITE R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
WHITE R50 with white RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
March ~ May 2023
R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM and RF-S 55-210mm IS STM: $1,029 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
WHITE R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
WHITE R50 with white RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
February 2023
R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM and RF-S 55-210mm IS STM: $1,029 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
WHITE R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
WHITE R50 with white RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
Box, Canon EOS R50. bigger.
Optional Accessories top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Accessories USA Version
R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $500 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $625 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM, DM-E100 mic & HG-100TBR grip-release-pod: $999 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM and RF-S 55-210mm IS STM: $1,029 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
WHITE R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
WHITE R50 with white RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
Personally I prefer getting the R50 body-only and RF-s 18-150mm lens separately because the 18-150mm replaces both the RF-s 18-45mm IS STM and RF-s 55-210mm IS STM and eliminates the need to carry both and and swap between them; with the 18-150mm a flick of the wrist gets you whatever setting you need without missing photos while changing lenses.
Lenses
Canon RF Lenses
Canon EF and EF-s Lenses
Canon EF to RF Adapters
Flash
Canon Flash
Speedlight Transmitter ST-E3-RT (version 2)
AD-E1 Multi-Function Shoe Adapter for regular five-pin flash and cords
Canon OC-E3 Flash Shoe Extension Cord
Canon OC-E4A Off-Camera Multipin Digital Flash Shoe Extension Cord
Canon BR-E1 Wireless Bluetooth Remote Control.
Canon DM-E1D Programmable Microphone
Digital-direct hot shoe mounted.
90º or 120º stereo or mono settings.
Furry windscreen included.
Canon DM-E1 Programmable Microphone
Corded shoe-mount microphone. Less expensive, but needs a cord.
90º or 120º stereo or mono settings.
Windscreen included.
Canon DM-E100 Stereo Microphone
Corded shoe-mount microphone. Much less expensive, but needs a cord.
One fixed stereo pattern.
Windscreen included.
Getting a Legal U. S. A. Version top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Accessories USA Version
R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $500 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $625 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM, DM-E100 mic & HG-100TBR grip-release-pod: $999 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM and RF-S 55-210mm IS STM: $1,029 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
WHITE R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
WHITE R50 with white RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
Personally I prefer getting the R50 body-only and RF-s 18-150mm lens separately because the 18-150mm replaces both the RF-s 18-45mm IS STM and RF-s 55-210mm IS STM and eliminates the need to carry both and and swap between them; with the 18-150mm a flick of the wrist gets you whatever setting you need without missing photos while changing lenses.
This section applies in the U. S. A. only.
Canon EOS R50 USA Warranty Card. bigger.
Your R50 must include a U. S. A. warranty card like the one shown above from Canon U.S.A., Inc. It should be on top inside your box as you open it. The serial number on the card must match the serial number on the bottom of your R50.
If you have no card or the serial number doesn't match, you got ripped off with a gray market version from another country. This is why I never buy anyplace other than from my personally approved sources. You just can't take the chance of buying elsewhere, especially at any retail store where strangers have probably opened your completely unsealed box and played with your camera, because non-U. S. A. versions have no warranty in the U. S. A., and you probably won't be able to get firmware or service for it — even if you're willing to pay out-of-pocket for it when you need it!
Shifty dealers may include color copies of a card from a legitimate U. S. A. product in a gray-market box, hoping you won't check serial numbers and catch their fraud. A card with the wrong serial number means nothing other than that you have no warranty coverage.
The serial number on the box doesn't have to match, but it should. It will be hidden someplace on the sticker with all the bar codes. If not, it means a shady dealer took things out of boxes and was too sloppy to put them back correctly — and it means you got a used camera if anyone other than you took it out of the box.
If a gray market version saves you $200 the risk might be worth it, but for $150 or less I wouldn't risk having no warranty or support.
Always be sure to check yours while you can still return it, or just don't buy from unapproved sources and never at retail so you'll be able to have your camera serviced and get free updated firmware as needed. Get yours from the same places I do and you won't have a problem.
Performance top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Accessories USA Version
Overall Audio Autofocus Manual Focus Auto ISO
Auto White Balance Color Rendition Ergonomics
Exposure Finder Flash High ISOs Lens Corrections
Mechanics Weather Sealing Rear LCD
Playback Power & Battery Clock Accuracy
R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $500 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $625 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM, DM-E100 mic & HG-100TBR grip-release-pod: $999 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM and RF-S 55-210mm IS STM: $1,029 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
WHITE R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
WHITE R50 with white RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
Personally I prefer getting the R50 body-only and RF-s 18-150mm lens separately because the 18-150mm replaces both the RF-s 18-45mm IS STM and RF-s 55-210mm IS STM and eliminates the need to carry both and and swap between them; with the 18-150mm a flick of the wrist gets you whatever setting you need without missing photos while changing lenses.
Overall performance top
The R50 is an awesome little camera: super-light like a toy, while it makes big-boy pictures with the same quality as the state-of-the-art EOS R7 — for half the price! The differences are that this R50 has fewer controls on its tiny body and lacks some of the higher frame rates and the one-of-a-kind Automatic Leveling mode of the R7, while the pictures are exactly the same.
The finder on this little gem is smaller and can't get as bright in daylight as on fancier cameras, while it's always sharp, full-featured and color-accurate.
The resolution difference between this R50 and the R7 is negligible. While on paper 30MP vs 24 MP sounds like a big deal, in fact it's completely invisible. Especially with pixel dumping, difference in image size is only 6,960 pixels horizontal in the R7 versus 6,000 pixels horizontal resolution in this R50.
The R50 is fast for sports, with great autofocus and running at a healthy 15 FPS. For twice the price the R7 runs at twice the rate (30 FPS), take your pick if higher frame rates are your thing. The mid-priced R10 runs at 23 FPS while the least expensive R100 is slow, at only 3.5 FPS with full tracking. I can't yet vouch for the R100, while I have tested the R7, R10 ad R50 and they are all superb image makers.
Audio performance top
There's a S - t - e - r - e - O microphone built in (the two holes on the top directly in front of the flash shoe), but it's so tiny and these are so close that its stereo separation is mostly imaginary.
Autofocus performance top
Autofocus is fast and always accurate.
Bravo! Few cameras at any price work this well; if you use all -area AF as I always do it's worlds better than anything from Nikon including the $5,500 Z9, and certainly better than the $2,000 OM SYSTEM OM-1, neither of which work well in their all-area AF modes.
Auto ISO performance top
Auto ISO lacks a setting for lowest shutter speed, meaning it always picks based on lens focal length. It does what it wants; we can't change it.
There are probably only three guys in the world who know how to set the slowest shutter speed; the people who buy an R50 probably have no idea what it is, but if you do, stick with the R10 instead.
Hint: use Tv mode in Auto ISO to work around this.
Auto White Balance performance top
Auto White Balance is great, even with KEEP WHITE or PRESERVE WARM AMBIANCE options.
Color & Tonal Rendition performance top
It's got the same great color rendition we expect from Canon. No news here is good news.
Color rendition is how pictures look in the real world. Real-world color rendition has nothing to do with color accuracy measured in a lab. Color rendition is dependant on how a maker programs all the color matrices, curves, and look-up tables to generate color from the data read from the sensor, and varies widely between makers once you set a camera away from its defaults. I never shoot at defaults.
If you shoot raw then your colors and tones aren't created until you process the raw data later in software, and your choice of software will have as much effect on your images as the camera itself.
It's like pianos: anyone can talk forever about how pianos are made, but to most ordinary players the subtle variations between different samples of a Steinway Model D are eclipsed by their own limitations in playing, but when you're a virtuoso even subtle differences become obvious to the seasoned master. That's why when you buy, or choose a Steinway for your tour as a Steinway Artist, you go to Steinway's Astoria factory and pick from among several samples of the same model which suits your style best. To a master, the subtle details are everything, just like subtle differences in color rendition between different brands of camera. Art is not the duplication of reality; art is the expression of imagination.
I'm a working artist, not some online tweaker, YouTuber or tech blogger. Color is my life. I'm pickier about color than almost anyone; I see things most people don't.
This is just me; your preferences and results will vary.
Ergonomics performance top
Ergonomics are standard Canon, which are an excellent and mature user interface, however the R50 is so tiny that it has no room for a few buttons and a rear control dial that we take for granted on larger cameras, so for instance one has to tap the rear controller and then use the top dial to set exposure compensation.
The touch screen works great for menus and entering text like copyright information, way better than any Sony I can recall.
Oddly I've noticed that the button labels which are usually colored blue for what they do during playback are in the same white as everything else, which doesn't help. [▶] PLAY, trash, magnify and reduce are supposed to be in blue. Canon saved a second pass through the blue printer on this one:
Where are the blue labels for playback functions? bigger.
Ergonomics are excellent overall, with a well thought out interface and menus, but some other minor things I noticed are that:
Strap slots are narrower than normal, making it a little bit tougher to thread some straps through them (I use my own American-made straps, not the free ones that come with my cameras).
The SD card faces away from you as you poke it into the slot on the bottom next to the battery.
There's no spring loading on the latch of the card and battery door, meaning you have to make a point of manually sliding the lock home. You can't just press the door closed to lock it.
There's no second (rear) control dial and no front function buttons for things like depth of field preview; there simply isn't enough room.
Playback images don't rotate as you turn the camera, as an iPhone does. It's not that smart , while of course images are flagged to display properly elsewhere.
Exposure performance top
Exposure is superb, which is great because it's more clumsy than on other cameras to get to Exposure Compensation if I need it. Thank goodness it's rarely needed.
Finder performance top
The finder is smaller than fancier cameras, but it's colorful, accurate, functional and very sharp.
It can't get as bright in daylight as some other top-end cameras; in daylight the finder can be dimmer than with fancier cameras.
The adjustable finder optics are good, but not perfect. There is a little bit of optical barrel distortion, otherwise it's a great little finder.
Superb is that I can get a live color RGB histogram in the finder as I'm shooting (MENU > CAMERA page 8 > Shooting info. disp. > Histogram disp > RGB; and I prefer Size: small) with no need to play back to see the RGB histogram. Bravo!
Flash performance top
No mysteries here.
The built-in flash is always handy to have for fill.
The 1/250 sync speed is excellent.
See my EOS R50 User's Guide for how to use various flash units; the R50 lacks the usual hot shoe.
High ISO Performance performance top
High ISO performance is great; just as good as the twice-as expensive EOR R7!
I painted the wall of this test set as of January 2023, so avoid comparing color to earlier tests.
Complete Images details dark detail performance top
As seen at normal image sizes below, the R50 pretty much makes the same images from ISO 100 to ISO 25,600.
ISO 32,000 gets a little softer, blotchier and noisier, and ISO 51,200 (H) gets softer, blotchier and grainier still, but still quite usable if I need it for normal-sized images.
This is magnificent performance; cameras never used to be able to do anything like this.
One gotcha is that I do see some random variation in exposure as I swap the ISOs, not all cameras vary like this. Oddly when I reshot these series a few times out of curiosity they varied differently.
There's no mystery to comparing cameras; I shoot this same test at all the ISOs of every other camera I review so you can compare for yourself. Caveat: I repainted these walls white from their previous tan as of January 2023. The background wall won't match in older reviews.
Click any for the camera-original © LARGE FINE (quarter-circle) 24 MP JPG files, about 13 MB each:
Click any for the camera-original © 24 MP FINE JPG files (about 13 MB each).
Fine Details: 600 × 450 Pixel Crops (10× magnification) High ISOs details dark detail performance top
Here are crops from the same images as above, showing the clock on the right.
What we see at the high magnifications below is that fine details go away as the ISO increases. This happens with all cameras (and our own eyes) and is an artifact of the noise reduction working harder as the ISO increases.
In the R50, the most detail is at ISO 100, and becomes softer at every higher ISO. This is normal and how noise reduction works in every camera.
By ISO 1,600 most of the detailed scrollwork between the clock numbers is gone.
By ISO 10,000 the minute marks are mostly gone.
By ISO 25,6000 all the detail is gone from the clock face, leaving only the numbers.
It's normal for details to go away at higher ISOs in all digital cameras.
If these are about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 20 × 30" (50 × 75 cm) at this same high magnification.
If these are about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 40 × 60" (1 × 1.5 meters) at this same extreme magnification.
If these are about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 80 × 120" (2 × 3 meters) at this same insanely high magnification.
Click any for the camera-original © LARGE FINE (quarter-circle) 24 MP JPG files, about 13 MB each:
Click any for the camera-original © 24 MP FINE JPG files (about 13 MB each).
Dark-Area 600 × 450 Pixel Crops (10× magnification) High ISOs details dark detail performance top
Here are different crops from the same images as above, now showing the dark grillwork of the fireplace.
Higher ISOs greatly reduce the details in the shadows, as we expect.
Note how the most detail in the fine screen is at ISO 100, and looks almost as good up to ISO 400, which is remarkable and better than the EOS R7!
The screen is still half there at ISO 1,600 and gone by ISO 6,400.
Even at ISO 51,200 (H) you can still see the iron bars, which is exceptional!
Again, it's normal in all digital cameras for details to go away at higher ISOs.
If these are about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 20 × 30" (50 × 75 cm) at this same high magnification.
If these are about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 40 × 60" (1 × 1.5 meters) at this same extreme magnification.
If these are about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 80 × 120" (2 × 3 meters) at this same insanely high magnification.
Click any for the camera-original © LARGE FINE (quarter-circle) 24 MP JPG files, about 13 MB each:
Click any for the camera-original © 24 MP FINE JPG files (about 13 MB each).
Lens Corrections performance top
The R50 has options to correct for falloff (Peripheral Illumination Correction), Distortion and a Digital Lens Optimizer which correct for a suite of other aberrations.
If you turn off the Digital Lens Optimizer, you are then offered à la carte ON/OFF options for Chromatic Aberration Correction and Diffraction Correction.
Mechanical Quality performance top
It's all plastic, with metal contacts and metal lens mount:
Metal
Strap lugs, flash shoe, lens mount, bottom door hinge pivot, tripod socket.
Glass
Rear LCD cover seems like plain glass.
I can't tell about the finder optics.
Plastic
Everything else.
Rubberized
Eyecup, grips, left and right cover flaps.
Serial Number
Printed on a sticker glued into recess on the bottom.
Date Code
None found.
Noises When Shaken
None; there's no flopping sensor as with internally stabilized cameras.
Made in
Made in Taiwan.
Weather Sealing performance top
I can't recall any claim of weather sealing, but so what, neither does any LEICA M lens, nor did anything other than dedicated underwater cameras claim this up until a few years ago. "Weather sealing" is mostly a marketing feature to get you to pay more for more expensive cameras.
People worry way too much about this ever since camera companies started FUD campaigns to make us think that our gear will melt unless it has weather sealing. How do you think we shot in the rain for the first 190 years of photography? Use an umbrella and don't leave this out in the pouring rain and you'll be fine.
Rear LCD Monitor performance top
It's the usual little flippy thing.
It feels like a glass cover, albeit completely uncoated.
Touch control works great.
Playback performance top
It's the usual from Canon.
Unlike some fancier Canons, it's not smart enough to rotate anything as you turn the camera.
Touch control works great for playback.
Power & Battery performance top
There's no percentage indicator, just a three-segment battery icon.
There is a three-green-dot battery health indicator.
My battery arrived stone-cold dead. Charging it via USB-C I saw this power draw:
5 W at 0:00.
6.2 W at 0:40.
6.25 W at 0:51.
6.5 W at 1:04.
When it was done after a couple of hours, it continued to draw 13.4 mW for a total of 9.447 Watt-hours of energy to have charged the 7.5 Wh battery, which is about right.
On my first charge I made 247 shots over a few days with lots of fiddling in the menus until I got a partly-dead indication on the battery icon. My experience has shown that when these three-segment indicators come off the top indication it's time to recharge soon.
See also How to Charge the EOS R50.
It draws about 2 W if powered over USB-C (9V at 0.2A) with power on, and about 6 W (5 V at 1.2 A) for charging with the power off.
Clock Accuracy performance top
Every sample is different, but mine is poor, losing about 30 seconds per month.
This matters when you shoot multiple cameras (or this camera and an iPhone) and then sort all the images based on capture time to compare the similar views of each scene. The more accurate a camera's internal clock, the less often you need to reset it.
I probably can set it to update automatically from GPS over the app; I haven't tried.
User's Guide top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Accessories USA Version
R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $500 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $625 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM, DM-E100 mic & HG-100TBR grip-release-pod: $999 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM and RF-S 55-210mm IS STM: $1,029 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
WHITE R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
WHITE R50 with white RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
Personally I prefer getting the R50 body-only and RF-s 18-150mm lens separately because the 18-150mm replaces both the RF-s 18-45mm IS STM and RF-s 55-210mm IS STM and eliminates the need to carry both and and swap between them; with the 18-150mm a flick of the wrist gets you whatever setting you need without missing photos while changing lenses.
See also my own very detailed R6 II, R100 and R8 User's Guides as well as Canon's own EOS R50 User's Guide. My other Users Guides are much more detialed and most of them apply to the R50, even if many things may appear in different places.
Charging
Use the included external charger, or plug the R50 into any USB-C source.
It charges or operates via USB-C PD power, but won't charge or power if you use a USB-A to USB-C cord; you have to have USB-C on the other end of the cord.
The rear green LED is lit while charging, and off when done.
It won't charge while powered over USB-C; turn off the camera to charge.
See my power drain measurements at performance.
Annoying Continuous Focussing
There is a setting which makes the camera continue to autofocus anytime the camera is awake, even if it's just sitting on a strap around your neck! When this is on, anytime the camera is awake it’s trying to focus. The feature tries to have the camera already in focus when you hold it to your eye, but it drives me absolutely nuts.
I turn it off at MENU > AF (page 2) > Preview AF > Disable.
You're welcome.
Color Histograms user's guide top
Color histograms are required in Live View if shooting in color, but most cameras don't have them until you play back. The usual monochrome histograms of Nikon and Sony are useless if you have any color saturation.
Enable these at:
MENU > CAMERA page 8 > Shooting info. display > Histogram disp. > RGB.
While here, I prefer the SMALL option.
Level
The level is well hidden.
To activate the level in the finder, go to:
MENU > CAMERA page 8 > Shooting info. display > VF info/toggle settings > select one of the program able finder mode options (1 ~ 3), press the rear INFO button to edit that screen, go to the bottom and select the LEVEL icon (looks like a see-saw) and click OK to activate it (you'll see a checkmark).
To activate the level on the rear LCD, go to:
MENU > CAMERA page 8 > Shooting info. display > Screen info. settings > Select one of the programmable screen options (1 ~ 5), press the rear INFO button to edit that screen, go to the bottom choice and select the LEVEL icon (looks like a see-saw) and click OK to activate it (you'll see a checkmark).
Picture Styles
I usually use Standard Picture Style (MENU > CAMERA page 4 > Picture Style) with +4 Saturation and 6,1,1 sharpening.
I leave the other Picture Style settings alone, especially Clarity.
I want to try Art Bold for wild colors.
Try for yourself to see what you love; we're all different which is why the camera has all these settings.
Flash
Use the built-in flash for fill, or use it in manual mode to trigger multiple studio strobes.
I never use multiple wireless battery-powered flashes which never seem to work and are too complex to set up. Instead I prefer wired studio strobes.
You now have to buy the AD-E1 "Multi-Function Shoe Adapter" to adapt normal 5-pin dedicated flash to the new 21-pin digital (only) shoe of the R50, otherwise the new Canon EL-5 Flash is the most basic flash that works directly with the 21-pin shoe.
Since the built-in flash won't work for TTL remote control, the easiest method is to use the AD-E1 "Multi-Function Shoe Adapter" to adapt any normal 5-pin dedicated Canon flash, like the EL-100, which then can work as a remote transmitter. The special transmitters above like the ST-E10are radio controllers, which in turn require fancier radio-controlled flash.
It works with EL- and EX- series flash, as well as the Speedlight Transmitter ST-E10, Speedlight Transmitter ST-E3-RT (version 2), original ST-E3-RT/ST-E2 and Canon's Off-Camera Shoe Cord OC-E3 or other off-camera cords, so long as you have the right adapters if needed.
There's no Prontor-Compur (PC) terminal; use the built-in flash to trigger your studio strobe slaves.
Flippy Screen and the Finder
By default the camera won't swap to the electronic finder with the screen flipped-forward because it assumes anything behind the finder eyepiece is probably your arm making selfies
If you want to be able to see what you just shot played-back in the finder with the screen flipped forward, set MENU > WRENCH page 3 > Screen/viewfinder display > AUTO2, otherwise leave it at the default of AUTO1.
Recommendations top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Accessories USA Version
R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $500 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $625 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM, DM-E100 mic & HG-100TBR grip-release-pod: $999 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM and RF-S 55-210mm IS STM: $1,029 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
WHITE R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
WHITE R50 with white RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
Personally I prefer getting the R50 body-only and RF-s 18-150mm lens separately because the 18-150mm replaces both the RF-s 18-45mm IS STM and RF-s 55-210mm IS STM and eliminates the need to carry both and and swap between them; with the 18-150mm a flick of the wrist gets you whatever setting you need without missing photos while changing lenses.
You're still reading? You've seen my Sample Snaps; what more is there to say? The R50 is a tiny, inexpensive, easy-to-use camera that makes awesome photos. You can pay more for more features and speed in the R7 and R10, but if 15 FPS is enough and you don't miss features like more buttons and dials, auto-leveling and the ability to set minimum shutter speeds in Auto ISO, the images from this camera are identical to those from cameras costing twice as much.
Lens Suggestions recommendations top
The tiny RF-S 18-45mm IS STM lens makes a great little combo with the R50, and also comes as part of a kit at a discount.
The RF-S 18-45mm IS STM is a swell "starter" lens, but "starter" means you'll probably want a longer lens soon afterwards. If you think you will, get the kit that also includes the RF-S 55-210mm IS STM telephoto:
Personally I'd get the R50 body-only and the superb RF-S 18-150mm IS STM separately (they're not offered as a kit). The RF-S 18-150mm IS STM does everything the combination of the RF-S 18-45mm IS STM and RF-S 55-210mm IS STM do, without ever needing to stop and change lenses— and miss pictures.
I'd much rather crop a little to make up for the 150mm to 210mm range than to lose pictures changing lenses from shot to shot — and avoid sensor dust from lens changing. The two-lens combo also lacks the 45-55mm range, but that's not important. What is important is having all focal lengths in one lens so you don't have to change lenses from shot-to-shot. It's well worth the little extra to get the R50 body-only and RF-S 18-150mm IS STM separately than to get the two-lens combo. The RF-S 18-150mm IS STM is also a bit faster (has more light gathering power) than the other lenses.
The 18-150mm weighs less (10.9 oz./310g) than the 18-45mm and 55-210mm combination (4.4 oz./125g + 9.5 oz./270 g = 13.9 oz./395g).
Very few people know How to Use Ultrawide Lenses. If you do need one, sadly there are still no APS-C mirrorless ultrawides from Canon as of this writing; use the excellent EF-s 10-18mm IS STM on an EF to RF adapter and you're all good. Of course feel free to get big lenses if you're serious (I love my EF 100-400mm L IS USM II on my EF to RF adapter), but don't forget about the lightweight lenses I just mentioned which perform spectacularly well and retain the whole point of this tiny little camera.
I got my R50 at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 Body: $599 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $500 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $699 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $625 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM, DM-E100 mic & HG-100TBR grip-release-pod: $799 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM and RF-S 55-210mm IS STM: $899 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
WHITE R50 Body: $599 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
WHITE R50 with white RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $749 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
Personally I prefer getting the R50 body-only and RF-s 18-150mm lens separately because the 18-150mm replaces both the RF-s 18-45mm IS STM and RF-s 55-210mm IS STM and eliminates the need to carry both and and swap between them; with the 18-150mm a flick of the wrist gets you whatever setting you need without missing photos while changing lenses.
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Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Accessories USA Version
R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $500 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield, or about $625 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM, DM-E100 mic & HG-100TBR grip-release-pod: $999 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
R50 with RF-S 18-45mm IS STM and RF-S 55-210mm IS STM: $1,029 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
WHITE R50 Body: $679 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
WHITE R50 with white RF-S 18-45mm IS STM: $799 at B&H, at Adorama and at Amazon.
Personally I prefer getting the R50 body-only and RF-s 18-150mm lens separately because the 18-150mm replaces both the RF-s 18-45mm IS STM and RF-s 55-210mm IS STM and eliminates the need to carry both and and swap between them; with the 18-150mm a flick of the wrist gets you whatever setting you need without missing photos while changing lenses.
Canon's Complete EOS R50 User's Guide.
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live — but I receive nothing for my efforts if you take the chance of getting it elsewhere. Canon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, dropped, incomplete, gray-market, store demo or used camera — and my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new R50. I've used many of these sources since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new R50 before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
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