Announced on 14 October 2020, Canon’s latest mirrorless camera for advanced beginners, the EOS M50 Mark II, updates the popular EOS M50 with its improved autofocus, ample video shooting capabilities that include live streaming to social media, and easier operability. Handy and reliable, it promises to make shooting beautiful images and video a breeze.
Known for providing excellent image quality, great autofocusing (AF), and ease of use in a handy, attractively priced package, the EOS M50 was one of the most popular cameras in Canon’s EOS M lineup of compact and portable APS-C sensor mirrorless cameras.
As its successor, the EOS M50 Mark II promises even better autofocusing performance, video capabilities and functionality:
1. Better Eye Detection AF
2. Convenient video features
3. Social media-friendly video
4. Tap AF—a new way to shoot
5. Cloud compatibility with image.canon
It is also equipped with a 24.1-megapixel APS-C size CMOS image sensor, and DIGIC 8 image processor, as well as the 2.36 million dot built-in electronic viewfinder (EVF) and comfortable ergonomic grip that distinguished its predecessor.
#1: Nail focus on people’s eyes from further away
Eye Detection AF, improved
When it comes to photographing people, getting the eyes sharp is crucial. Out of focus eyes can make facial expressions look very different, or even make a shot unusable.
Just like the EOS M50, the EOS M50 Mark II uses the Dual Pixel CMOS AF system, allowing swift and precise subject detection and focusing anywhere within an impressive 88% × 100% (horizontally × vertically) of the image frame. Its upgraded Eye Detection AF capabilities offer faster, more precise detection of a person’s pupils even when they are further away. This means a higher chance of snapping that successful OOTD shot or holiday portrait, right down to the twinkle in your subject’s eyes.
EOS M50
On the EOS M50, you needed to be quite close to human subjects—enough to fill the frame from the chest up—for their eyes to be detected.
EOS M50 Mark II
On the EOS M50 Mark II, the eyes are detected even when the subject’s entire body is in the frame. The faster detection speed means that focus stays locked on their eyes even as they walk towards you.
Action portraits? No problem!
If you are photographing people in motion, taking continuous shots in Servo AF mode gives you the highest chance of success. On the EOS M50 Mark II, Eye Detection AF is supported in Servo AF mode. This means you can continuously shoot up to 7.4 frames per second (fps) with the eyes in sharp focus, enough to get decent images of energetic children or even athletes in action.
Other new features to note:
- For even more precise focusing with subject tracking, Spot AF, which offers a smaller AF frame than 1-point AF, is now available in Servo AF mode.
- The faster AF frame display provides better visualisation of subject tracking.
- The Scene Intelligent Auto mode offers the AI Focus mode, which automatically switches between the One Shot and Servo AF modes.
#2: Take nice, creative videos with no sweat
Ample modes and convenient features to help you express your vision
Like the EOS M50, the EOS M50 Mark II offers a variety of video shooting modes that allow greater freedom of expression: high definition 4K, time-lapse movies, High Frame Rate HD movies that can be used for slow motion footage, and so on. It also keeps convenient features like Movie Digital IS, which performs five-axis image stabilisation, and the Auto Level, which keeps the video straight as you record it. Using a lens with a built-in image stabilizer (optical IS) enhances the image stabilisation effect, ensuring that even footage shot handheld remains stable.
Let the camera keep focus for you
The EOS M50 Mark II adds support for Eye Detection AF to 4K video shooting, ensuring that the focus sticks onto the eyes of your subject, just like it would for still photography.
*Image is for visualisation purposes.
Easier close ups
For those times where close ups tell the story better, use the new Movie Digital Zoom function. Available when shooting in Full HD mode, the function digitally magnifies the area in the centre of the screen by three to ten times, bringing you even closer than what your lens allows.
One-touch tap recording
For even more convenience, the EOS M50 Mark II includes the new Touch REC function, where one tap on an onscreen icon is all you need to start or stop recording. The movie self-timer ensures that the camera doesn’t capture your finger after you have tapped the screen.
Key video recording modes (all in MP4 format)
4K UHD (cropped) (3840×2160): 23.98 / 25.00 fps (Contrast AF)
FHD (no crop) (1920×1080): 59.94 / 29.97 / 23.98 / 50.00 / 25.00 fps (Dual Pixel CMOS AF)
HD (no crop) (1280×720): 59.94 / 50.00 fps (Dual Pixel CMOS AF)
High Frame Rate HD movies: 119.88 / 100.00 fps
4K UHD time-lapse movies: 23.98 / 25.00 fps, FHD 23.98 / 25.00 fps
Check out some cool ways to make your videos more interesting here and here!
New to videography? We have some articles to get you started in:
Videography: Tips & Tutorials
#3: Take your video to social media
Because good things are meant to be shared
Hassle-free vertical video
With so many cool features at your disposal, the high quality videos you create with the EOS M50 Mark II might just become a hit on social media. Why not take it even further by shooting in the smartphone-friendly vertical orientation? The camera can tag rotate information into the video file, ensuring that it automatically plays back vertically on smart devices and compatible social media.
Live-stream to YouTube
If you qualify for YouTube live streaming, the EOS M50 Mark II can be your new live streaming camera*, with no additional streaming unit needed. All you need to do is make sure you have a Wi-Fi connection, preset the live stream event and destination URL on your computer or smart device, and register the destination URL to your camera. Press record when you are ready to go live.
* The live streaming service of this product supports scheduled live streaming on YouTube only. To use the live streaming service, registration on image.canon is needed in. In accordance with YouTube's “Restrictions on live streaming", users must have a minimum of 1,000 channel subscribers in order to live stream from a mobile device. This restriction also applies to the YouTube live-streaming service available via the EOS M50 Mark II. For up-to-date information on restrictions, please visit https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2853834?hl=en
Live streaming on YouTube may change, stop, or terminate without notice. Please note in advance that Canon does not assume any responsibilities for services provided by third parties, including live streaming on YouTube.
**Streamed footage will not be recorded in-camera.
#4: Use the new Tap AF
A faster way to change the eye or face in focus!
Got a scene with multiple people in the frame, and multiple faces and eyes detected? Alongside Touch & Drag AF, you can now use the new Tap AF to change the AF point without taking your eyes off the EVF. Simply tap onscreen to switch the focus from person to person. There are eight possible Tap AF areas that you can configure.
#5: Automatically back your images up to the cloud
Access your images and videos from any device, anywhere
Just like on all Wi-Fi-capable EOS cameras, the EOS M50 Mark II features in-camera support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, allowing you to pair your camera with a smart device and use the convenient remote shooting and image transfer functions on the Camera Connect app.
Additionally, as the first EOS M series camera with full support for the new image.canon cloud platform, it also enables automatic backup of your image and video files, including RAW files, to the cloud*.
Launched in April 2020, image.canon was created based on the concept of the “connected camera”. Files uploaded to the cloud can be viewed or downloaded from any device, or shared to social media without the need to download them first. The original files will be stored for 30 days. Up to 10GB can be designated for free long-term storage.
*The EOS M50 and other Wi-Fi capable EOS cameras released before July 2020 support only manual file transfer to image.canon.
EOS M50 Mark II: Key specifications
| Image sensor | approx. 24.1 effective megapixels; APS-C format CMOS sensor |
| Image processor | DIGIC 8 |
| Native ISO speed (still shooting) | 100 - 25,600 (expandable to 51,200) |
| Native ISO speed (movie shooting) | 100 - 12,800 (expandable to 25,600) |
| Native ISO speed (4K movie shooting) | 100 - 6,400 |
| AF (Live View) | Dual Pixel CMOS AF |
| LCD monitor | 3.0-inch, approx. 1.04-million dot Vari-angle touch panel |
| Continuous shooting (max.) | 10 fps (One-Shot AF) 7.4 fps (Servo AF) |
| Max. shutter speed | 1/4,000 sec |
| Size (approx.) | 116.3 × 88.1 × 58.7mm |
| Weight (approx.) | Black: 387g / White: 388g (with battery, memory card) |
Sample images
EOS M50 Mark II/ EF-M11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM/ FL: 21mm/ Manual exposure (f/8, 1/500 sec)/ ISO 400/ WB: Cloudy
EOS M50 Mark II/ EF-M18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM/ FL: 100mm/ Manual exposure (f/6.3, 1/1000 sec)/ ISO 320/ WB: Auto
EOS M50 Mark II/ EF-M55-200mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM/ FL: 70mm/ Manual exposure (f/6.3, 1/80 sec)/ ISO 3200/ WB: Daylight
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