dparker708

Hello to all,

Can anyone tell me the difference between these two cameras? I am looking for a lightweight camera for street photography. My choice is either one of these because I have several lenses from other Canons. I'm not interested in any other camera other than the M5 or M50. Would appreciate any info you can give me. Thank you in advance.

Diane

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Try this link for a comparison: https://mirrorlesscomparison.com/preview/canon-eos-m5-vs-m50/

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Or this one: https://cameradecision.com/compare/Canon-EOS-M50-vs-Canon-EOS-M5

Andy

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

I have the M50; looked at the M5 but decided for the money the M50 was a better deal. The M5 may have more external controls but the M50 gives you more camera. The M50 gives you 4K, dual pixel AF and the new digic 8 processor and it's really easy to use.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Also you’ll need to budget ~$200 for the Canon EF lens to M body adapter to use your existing lenses. Once you add the weight of the adapter (210g) + the weight and size of EF (or EF-S) lenses. You may find that M series lenses (which are not expensive) may be a better choice if light weight and small size are your goals.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

There are good aftermarket adapters that work as well as the Canon adapter and cost around $70 less, that's what I got. As for EF-M lenses, I have lots of really good EF and EF-S lenses so I haven't purchased any EF-M lenses. I personally have no problem what so ever with the EF/EF-S on adapter route. I usually use an L series lens on my M50.

dparker708

Thank you everyone for your replies. I was under the impression that my 7D lenses would fit the M series cameras, which is why I was interested in purchasing one of them.

JeffT Loc: Central NY

I have owned and used the M5 for about 1.5 year. It is a very capable camera. I have not used the M50, but when I looked at the specs I felt that I would be still be happier with the M5 (which I already owned). The M50 seems a bit of an underachiever to me. I used the exposure compensation dial on the M5 constantly when shooting travel and family pictures. This dial alone may be worth the additional cost of the M5 for me. Absolutely great when you are shooting backlit subjects since the view finder will show the picture with the current compensation level applied. I think the M5 is a more capable camera, but it is more expensive. I do not do video with the M5. The M50 seems to have better video capabilities.

I use a EOS-M to EF adapter when at home, but primarily a Tamron 18-200 M mount when traveling. I find the lens & camera to be a very nice combination. I sometimes take my Tamron 90mm Macro with adapter when I travel. When I gave my old EOS-M to my daughter I bought a $25-30 adapter for her that works as well as the Canon adapter that I have.

EdU239 Loc: The Northeast

They both have the same sensor used in the current crop of Canon DSLRs and the mirrorless M6, but the M50 has the latest generation Digic 8 processor and 4K video. I haven’t yet tried the M50, but I have used a rented M5. If possible, I’d suggest handling both of the cameras with an adaptor and one or more of your lenses before you buy. In my view, most EF/EF-S lenses are too big for use on a mirrorless camera and wipe out the advantages of the small, unobtrusive and lightweight camera body. Of course a lot of people are happy using these lenses with a adaptor and you might not find it a problem.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

The M5 has a more direct access to various controls... Look at photos of the top and back of both cameras and you'll see (the respective reviews of each model on dpreview.com have some good illustrations). With the M5 some key functions can be done "by feel" while keeping your eye to the viewfinder (such as Exposure Compensation or changing aperture/shutter speed, depending upon mode). With the M50 you'll need to take the camera away from your eye to use the LCD screen and go into the menu for more adjustments.

The M5 uses a slightly larger battery and gets a few more shots per charge.

BOTH cameras use similar Dual Pixel autofocus. However the newer M50's has been expanded with additional AF points that cover more of the image area (up to 121 points & 88% coverage versus 49 points/80% in the M5). The newer M50's AF is also rated to be able to focus in slightly lower light conditions (-2EV... versus -1EV in M5).

Both cameras use a Canon 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor.... image quality should be pretty similar. However since the autofocus pixel pairs are embedded in the image sensor (and the M50 has 2.5X more of those), their sensors must be different in some respects.

The M50 has 4K video and up to 12800 ISO in video mode (expandable to 25600). The M5 is HD video capable, with up to 6400 ISO.

The M50 uses a new CR3 RAW file type (be sure any post-processing software you might want to use can handle it). The M5 uses the original CR2 type RAW file.

The M50 is one of the first models to use the new Digic 8 processor. The M5 uses the Digic 7. The newer sensor is probably the reason the M50 has slightly faster continuous shooting rate (10 fps versus 9 fps.... or with continuous focus 7.4 fps versus 7 fps). It also likely contributes to the higher ISO in video. The newer processor in the M50 appears to be complemented with a slightly larger buffer, too... rated for 33 JPEGs versus about 26 JPEG in M5.

The M5 has a slightly larger rear LCD, but it can only be tilted upward or flipped downward. The M50's screen can also flip off to the side ("selfie" style).

The M50 was intro'd in Feb. this year. The M5 is now getting close to two years old and there are some rumors that a "Mark II" will soon be intro'd. That's just a rumor though.

Yes, the Canon EF/EF-S to EF-M adapter is rather pricey at $200. The third party lens adapters are a good deal less... more than suggested above. Vello's sells for $60 and Fotodiox' for $40 (so actually $140 and $160 less, respectively). https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?sts=ma&ci=3420&fct=fct_camera-fitting-male_1595%7ccanon-eos-m%2bfct_lens-fitting-female_1596%7ccanon-eos&cp=15293%2b8470%2b3420&Ntt=canon%20EF-M%20adapter%20EF%20ef-s&

Both cameras are currently being offered with $150 instant rebate, body only. Interestingly, the M50 with EF-M 15-45mm lens is being offered at $200 discount, but the M5 is not. It's being discounted the same $150 whether with lens or not. So with M50 you can effectively get that lens for $70... while with M5 it costs $120 more than body alone. Go figure! A more expensive M5 kit bundles it with the EF-M 18-150mm lens. While there's a two lens kit alternative offering M50 with the 15-45mm and EF-M 55-200mm instead.

Overall... IMO, video capabilities aside, M50 looks like a good value with incremental improvements in a few respects, but somewhat less immediate control access. If video is an important consideration, the M50 has a more obvious edge.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Hi Diane,
The M5 is a bit newer with a few more features. I had the M50 for a few weeks, but returned it. You will need the adapter to use other Canon EF lenses. ($199)
https://bhphotovideo.com/c/search?InitialSearch=yes&N=0&Ntt=Canon+Adapter&c3api=4680%2C194105498057%2Ccanon+adapter%2Ce&gclid=CjwKCAjwhLHaBRAGEiwAHCgG3qRoOvIlJb1zllwRWKbdY_dpMCfcpED9qGwzB8uhtjzJIQXy1LOsVhoCBLMQAvD_BwE
Mark

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Right now the M50 outperforms the M5 The M5 though is due for an upgrade.

SuperFly6

I own the EOS M5 and love it. The reason I purchased the M5 over the M50 is due to the construction/durability of the body. I don't need 4K video as I only shoot pics. Yes, I did purchase the Canon adapter because when purchasing the body, I received a discount on the adapter and it only cost me $49.99. Yes, the M50 has the digic 8 chip but again, for the types of photos I shoot and where I shoot, I like having a durable body. I do a lot of hiking and mountain biking. This is your decision and you will need to decide if it's worth having a durable body or will you be shooting video in 4K.

dparker708

Thank you for your responses. I'm expecting the m50 to arrive on Thursday. The main reason for purchasing it was due to the numerous Canon lenses I have. We'll see if the purchase was worth it!

Alyn Wolf Loc: Colorado Springs

I did a lot of study on these two cameras and decided on the M5. I recently ordered a like new M5 from MPB for a ridiculously low price.
Even though it is older, I feel the M5 is an equal to the M50. My reason for staying with the M series of Canon cameras is for their more compact size of camera and lenses.