A mirrorless camera, as the name suggests, does not have a reflex mirror to reflect the image into a viewfinder (which it also lacks), unlike DSLRs. Although there’s no viewfinder to see the image live, a digital preview is reflected on the rear screen. Because of this they are thinner, lighter, more compact and portable, and are faster and better for video recordings.
A great midrange mirrorless camera is the Canon EOS M50, which was launched earlier in 2018. It’s capable of 4K video recording, takes excellent photographs even in low light, has an easy-to-use swiveling touch screen, and features several shooting modes. You can purchase this camera together with a lot of accessories, including an EF-M 15-45mm kit lens, a backpack, and a tripod, for the amazing discounted price of $669 instead of $1,400. That’s an incredible $731 worth of savings.
The Canon EOS M50 has a simple exterior and a single control dial, alongside an electronic viewfinder and a swiveling touch screen LCD. Its relatively simple setup belies the fact that this is a powerful photographic tool. It measures 4.6 x 3.5 x 2.3 inches and weighs 13.7 ounces, which makes it a little larger and heavier than most entry-level mirrorless cameras. The menu is also simpler than usual, and novices wouldn’t have any difficulties navigating it.
Inside there’s a 24.1-megapixel sensor that boasts Canon’s Dual Pixel AF system, which is an improvement over the DPAF system in its predecessor, the EOS M5. When we tested the camera to shoot both pictures and videos, we were quite happy with the result. Images had sharp details and vibrant colors even when raw. This camera also manages to keep noise to a minimum even in low-light conditions. Videos can be shot at a maximum resolution of 1080p which is excellent, although the camera’s image stabilization left us a bit cold. Action footages appeared slightly jittery.
For added versatility, the EOS M50’s EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM kit lens offers 3x optical zoom, which honestly isn’t much. The maximum aperture setting is of f/3.5-6.3 which can be potentially problematic in low light or when trying to capture a shallow depth of field. By the way, Canon offers only seven natively compatible lenses with the EOS M50, which isn’t a lot compared to other cameras.
You can connect this camera to the Canon Camera Connect mobile app (available for both Android and iOS) so you can remotely control it using your smartphone. With the app, it’s easier to compose an image and change settings like the ISO and drive mode/self-timer mode.
This camera comes with an impressive assortment of accessories. Aside from the kit lens, you’ll also get a battery charger, a neck strap, a 32GB SanDisk memory card, two replacement lithium-ion batteries, a shotgun mic, a camera gear sling backpack, and a tripod.
The Canon EOS M50 is a terrific mirrorless camera with lots of nifty features, slightly tarnished by lackluster image stabilization and fewer compatible lenses. Overall, this will meet the demands of both up-and-coming and professional photographers.
For more options, click here for our best mirrorless cameras. And for more awesome deals, visit our curated deals page.
Digital Trends may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.
Editors' Recommendations
- The best DSLR cameras for 2021
- The best vlogging cameras for 2021
- Best cheap camera deals for March 2021
- The best mirrorless cameras for 2021
- The best full-frame cameras for 2021
