Big test
THEMARK II’S AF IS SUPERIOR TOTHE OLDMODEL’S, HOWEVER THERE ISN’T AMASSIVEDIFFERENCE AT ALL
Full HD, while spot AF and single point AF have been added. There is now also the option of eye detect AF during servo AF. On test, side-by-side AF comparisons of each model’s autofocused stills and video images reveal the Mark II to be superior. However, there isn’t a massive difference. When the subject appeared smaller in the frame, the eye detect AF system’s responsiveness wasn’t great
– it only improved when the subject filled more of the shot. For general stills shooting, the EOS M50 Mark II focused accurately, proving reliable across a wide range of scenarios, though its face/tracking mode encountered difficulties, especially capturing busy scenes. Nonetheless, having the option of zone and single AF modes allows you to take back a certain degree of control.
IMAGES Out of camera, JPEGs look good, even when the light is flat, as depicted in this Cambridge scene. The EOS M50 Mark II has picture modes, enabling out-of-camera output to be fine-tuned
The AF system combines well with the touch monitor. Folding out and adapting for high- or low-level shooting, the monitor also rotates forwards for vlogging and selfies. Through the monitor, you can touch release or use touch AF to quickly select different parts of the scene. There’s also touch and drag AF, enabling you to move the AF point around with your finger or thumb, while your eye is up to the viewfinder eyepiece. Digging into the menu, it’s possible to choose the section of the monitor you want active for touch and drag AF. As a left-eyed shooter, I found it most comfortable using my left thumb to move the AF point around the screen. That meant my
right hand did not have to adjust grip to focus and shoot. Most importantly, the camera accommodates you, whichever eye you use. The EOS M50 Mark II is unmistakably Canon in its control layout. Whether you are a current Canon user or a newbie, finding your way around is simple. The key controls are grouped on the body’s right, while nine function controls can be customised in all manner of ways to suit a photographer’s needs – even those with DSLR experience. For example, six of the buttons offer 26 different function options. Pushing the Q button (either the physical or digital one) brings up 11 virtual buttons on the monitor,
IMAGES The EOS M50 Mark II, with the 15-45mm, 55-200mm and 28mm macro lenses, makes for a very neat and capable system – and it all fits in a small bag. All you need to add is a spare battery or two, as well as a few lens protection filters
PERFORMANCE: ISO For this twilight scene, the Canon EOS M50 Mark II – with carbon-fibre tripod. The exposure for the ISO 100 shot was 0.4sec at f/8. The Raws were processed in Lightroom with default settings. ISO performance was generally very good. The Mark II produces clean, detailed images at the most frequently used speeds, up to ISO 800 and I600. If you look critically at shots taken at those speeds – perhaps, zooming in to 200% and comparing the images with ISO 100 and 200 versions – there’s visible digital noise EF-M15-45mm lens – was fixed to a Leofoto LS-324C
gain, but it’s not too bad at all. Moreover, this can be minimised with noise reduction in editing. Taking another step up to ISO 3200, the noise has a greater impact and is much more obvious. Its effect on detail rendition also becomes clear. Depending on your expectations, the subject and what you’re hoping to achieve with your images, ISO 3200 is probably the fastest you’d want to go, if you were shooting for critical results. Nonetheless, that is still a very useful speed, and going any further dictates a progressively greater impact on picture quality.
100
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IMAGES ISO performance has improved beyond all recognition over recent years, despite cramming more pixels on to the sensor. Using more recent cameras, it’s possible to shoot at ISO 1600 and higher with little digital noise, while there’s also minimal grain and detail break-up. The EOS M50 Mark II is typical of the performance levels we expect from a modern camera
51,200
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30 Photography News | Issue 88
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