The Canon EOS M50 Mark II was a firm favorite among vloggers, creators, casual and travel photographers. However, after half a decade of service (including the original M50), it and the entire EOS M system was discontinued in 2023.
Not only was it Old Yellered, but the Canon EOS M50 Mark II was replaced wholesale by its EOS R system equivalent, the Canon EOS R50 – a more advanced camera using more advanced Canon RF lenses.
All of which means that the Canon EOS M50 Mark II is dead and buried, right? Actually, I disagree with the 'buried' part. In fact, I disagree with the 'dead' part, too. This camera may have been discontinued, but I think there's plenty of life left in it.
Obviously there's no doubt that the EOS M system is finished, but only as far as Canon is concerned. While the manufacturer hasn't made any lenses for it in years, you still see third-party companies releasing the occasional new optic for the EF-M mount.
But I don't think the mount even needs any new lenses. There are plenty of fantastic EF-M lenses already on the market, and the mount can easily adapt EF and EF-S glass from DSLRs – so there are literally hundreds of other optics you can use on the Canon EOS M50 Mark II.
On top of that, I'll absolutely grant that the best Canon RF lenses are generally superior to the best Canon EF-M lenses, with one crucial exception: size.
The RF mount is physically much bigger than the EF-M mount, which means that even the most compact EOS R glass is never going to be as small and light as the EOS M lenses can be.
This is a massive win for the Canon EOS M50 Mark II, whose primary selling point is its tiny size. Yes, the R50 is technically a better camera – newer sensor, more advanced AF, uncropped 4K – but it's not a better camera if you want the smallest and lightest setup possible.
For those of us who want a small body and lenses to throw in a sling bag or handbag while going out on a walk, or to keep in the glove compartment on a road trip, or want the lightest possible load around their neck on vacation, the M50 Mark II is a more suitable solution that its RF sibling.
As you can see from the above shots, this is a perfect carry-everywhere camera for spontaneous shooting with fantastic image quality. It's such a good companion for those outings where you wouldn't want to lug around your full-frame kit, but you always want to be able to take a great picture.
And an upside of it being discontinued is that you can get the Canon EOS M50 Mark II super cheap from the likes of MPB and KEH. It's a camera that I still happily take out for shoots precisely because of its smaller footprint, but it still delivers photo quality that's indistinguishable from the R50.
So, it's not a fashionable take, but yes – the Canon EOS M50 Mark II still has plenty going for it. Don't mistake "discontinued" for "dead" or "no new lenses" for "no more use". After all, people still buy old film cameras – and they haven't made new lenses for those in decades!
You might be interested in our Canon EOS R50 vs M50 Mark II head to head, as well as our round-up of the best travel cameras and best cameras for beginners.
