The entry level vlogging/content creator market is looking very, very crowded right now. Camera companies aren’t just competing with each other, but with cameras in their own line-ups. And the Canon EOS R50 V seems a prime example, taking some things away from an existing model, adding some new things and creating an even more confusing set of choices than ever. It might be a great camera, of course, so let’s run through the specs to try to see what’s going on.
Canon
Canon is one of the biggest names in photography, making compact PowerShots for the consumer market, EOS DSLRs for learners, enthusiasts and pros, and an EOS M line of mirrorless cameras for new users. It also makes a more powerful range of EOS R mirrorless cameras which are steadily replacing its DSLR line-up.
The Canon RF 20mm F1.4L VCM is the latest addition to Canon’s hybrid lens range
But just what is different about these hybrid Canon lenses compared to the regular ones we’re already using quite happily for video? A few things, as it turns out, including manual iris rings, electronic parfocal focusing, focus breathing suppression and optional Power Zoom Adapter PZ-E2 and PZ-E2B add-ons.
Canon PowerShot V1 launched, with predictable design but impressive specs
The Canon PowerShot V1 is a video/vlogging compact camera with a vari-angle screen and no EVF and a fixed 3x zoom lens. How many MORE of these box-shaped ‘creator’ cameras can the industry churn out? A lot more, probably, so the PowerShot V1 does need to do things a little differently to stand out from all those that have gone before.
I got this grip extender for my Canon EOS R8, but why didn’t they make it like this from the start?
Practically every camera I get I ends up either getting a grip extender just to make it nicer to handle. I did this with my Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III, my Fujifilm X-T5 and my Sony A7R II (actually, I got a full battery grip for this). So why?
Mirrorless cameras give lens makers an easy ride because they bring digital corrections into the mix
The fact remains that mirrorless cameras do give lens makers an easy ride. Why? Because a digital viewfinder always gives a digitally corrected image, where a DSLR’s optical viewfinder shows what the lens actually sees.
Are used digital cameras any good for photography today?
I don’t just shoot with older cameras. I also use a Fujifilm X-T5 for travel and a Canon EOS R8 for video and product photography. I also review many of the latest cameras, so I have plenty of context for comparing the performance of older used models. For regular everyday stills photography, I think so little has changed or advanced over the past ten years that most beginners and enthusiasts, even many professionals, will be perfectly happy with most of the mid-high-end cameras from the past decade.
My top 10 best used cameras to buy today: and I’ve owned all of them
This is not an exhaustive list! There are still lots of older cameras I will try to get hold of when good ones become available and funds permit. This list is of cameras I own right now or have owned, and which I think are particularly interesting buys. I happen to think that some of the best cameras have already been made, and that the new cameras now being released are not necessarily better than the ones we already had and which have now passed into history.
Canon EOS 50D review in 2024: excellent design, exceptional value
Verdict: 4.1 stars The Canon EOS 50D was launched way back in 2008, so its sensor specifications are some way behind a modern camera’s, and yet its 15.1MP resolution is still perfectly usable today for any kind of online imagery and even mid-large size wall prints. This is a camera for stills photography not video, as you would expect from this era, but perhaps the biggest surprise is this camera’s design, build quality and finish, which you just don’t see in the enthusiast sector today.
The long goodbye of the Canon EOS M system
It’s been predicted since the launch of the Canon EOS R system and its APS-C models, but now Digital Camera World reports that the EOS M system is officially discontinued by Canon Japan. It’s still listed on some regional Canon websites, but it’s surely only a question of time before stocks finally dry up.
I can’t get close to Canon’s claimed stabilization figures
It’s not just Canon. I’ve been testing cameras and lenses for years, and testing lens IS as well as camera IBIS. I do it with informal real-world testing because there are no reproducible tests for stabilizers unless you are a testing body like CIPA.