Canon EOS M50 Mark II lenses: 6 optics you should get for your camera

Canon EOS M50 Mark II lenses
(Image credit: Canon)

Looking for Canon EOS M50 Mark II lenses? You may be surprised to learn that you have almost Canon's entire lens lineup at your disposal!

You see, while it uses a specific mount, Canon EOS M50 Mark II lenses aren't limited to the best Canon EF-M lenses. Thanks to an inexpensive adapter, not only can you choose from the range of APS-C mirrorless lenses specifically designed for the camera, you can also mount all the best Canon lenses for DSLRs, whether they're EF (full frame) or EF-S (APS-C). 

Yes, that means if you already own a Canon DSLR, you can use your existing glass on the M50 Mark II – no need to replace them! The Canon Mount Adaptor EF-EOS M  also opens up a world of lens options that aren't available on the camera's native EF-M mount, such as fisheye lenses, tilt-shift lenses, art lenses and more. 

The only current Canon lenses you can't mount for your M50 Mark II are the RF and RF-S optics, as they will not physically fit the smaller camera's mouth. 

So, these are the six Canon EOS M50 Mark II lenses you should add to your kit bag…

Canon EOS M50 Mark II lenses

(Image credit: Canon)

1. Canon EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM

Best wide-angle zoom so you can go ultra-wide with confidence

Specifications

Mount: Canon EOS M
Elements/groups: Pulse (stepping motor)
Stabilizer: 3-stop
Min focus distance: 0.15m
Max magnification: 0.3x
Filter thread: 55mm
Dimensions (WxL): 61x58mm
Weight: 220g

Reasons to buy

+
Refreshingly compact and lightweight
+
Solid build quality

Reasons to avoid

-
Lens hood sold separately
-
A little more pricey

Carrying on from the more mass-market standard and telephoto EF-M zoom lenses, this is the obvious choice for anybody wanting an ultra-wide viewing angle. Wide-angle zooms can be notoriously big and heavy, but this one has the same kind of retractable design as the EF-M 15-45mm lens, shoehorning seriously wide viewing into physical dimensions of just 61x58mm. The long-zoom aperture of f/5.6 is slightly wider than in the standard and telephoto zooms, and this lens also goes one better in terms of build quality, with a metal rather than plastic mounting plate. 

Again, you need to pay extra for the lens hood, which is sold as an ‘optional extra’ but is definitely worth having for reducing ghosting and flare, as well as giving physical protection to the front element. Unlike many ultra-wide zooms, this one has an attachment thread (55mm) for the easy fitment of filters. Image quality is very pleasing, on a par with that of the EF-M 15-45mm and 55-200mm lenses, although the image stabilizer is slightly less effective, rated at 3-stops.

Read more: The Canon EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens review

(Image credit: Canon)
Best prime for street photography with an EOS M camera

Specifications

Mount: Canon EOS M
Autofocus: Pulse (stepping motor)
Stabilizer: None
Min focus distance: 0.15m
Max magnification: 0.21x
Filter thread: 43mm
Dimensions (WxL): 61x24mm
Weight: 105mm

Reasons to buy

+
Ultra-slim ‘pancake’ design
+
Ideal 35mm ‘effective’ focal length

Reasons to avoid

-
No image stabilizer
-
Hood sold separately

A small prime lens with a 35mm focal length is generally regarded as being perfect for street photography, at least on a full-frame camera. This EF-M 22mm brings the same benefits to APS-C format shooting on an EOS M camera. Its ‘pancake’ design enables it to be incredibly small, so you can be as inconspicuous as possible when shooting. Candid photography also benefits from the virtually silent stepping motor autofocus system. 

Read more: Top street photography tips

Furthermore, the lens has an almost identical 35.2mm ‘effective’ focal length, taking the 1.6x crop factor of EOS M cameras into account. There’s no image stabilization but the relatively ‘fast’ f/2 aperture rating makes camera-shake less of a problem. As usual, the lens hood is sold separately, adding a little to the overall purchase price.

(Image credit: Canon)

3. Canon EF-M 32mm f/1.4 STM

Best standard prime that's not in the least bit ‘standard’...

Specifications

Mount: Canon EOS M
Autofocus: Stepping motor
Stabilizer: None
Min focus distance: 0.23m
Max magnification: 0.25x
Filter thread: 43mm
Dimensions (WxL): 61x57mm
Weight: 235g

Reasons to buy

+
Classic ‘standard’ perspective
+
Fast f/1.4 aperture rating

Reasons to avoid

-
Pricey for a Canon EF-M lens
-
As usual, no hood supplied

With an ‘effective’ focal length of 51.2mm, this lens equates to a ‘nifty fifty’ in full-frame terms, when used on an EOS M APS-C format camera. Despite weighing just 235g and having diminutive physical proportions, it combines a classic ‘standard’ viewing perspective with a fast f/1.4 aperture rating. As such, it gives you the potential to isolate subjects within a scene, thanks to a tight depth of field. This is especially true at shorter focus distances and, indeed, the lens has a very short minimum focus distance for a 50mm lens, at just 0.23m, which gives a generous 0.25x maximum magnification ratio. 

Autofocus is quick and typically near-silent for a stepping motor system but, to speed things up even more in practice, there’s an autofocus range limiter switch, which you use to lock out focus distances shorter than 0.5m. Sigma offers a competing 30mm f/1.4 Contemporary lens in EF-M mount at a cheaper price, but the Canon wins out with superior control of axial chromatic aberration or ‘bokeh fringing’, at or near its widest available aperture.

(Image credit: Matthew Richards/Digital Camera World)
This is the best EF-M mount lens for portraiture

Specifications

Mount: Canon EOS M
Autofocus: Stepping motor
Stabilizer: None
Min focus distance: 0.5m
Max magnification: 0.14x
Filter thread: 55mm
Dimensions (WxL): 67x60mm
Weight: 280g

Reasons to buy

+
Super-sharp image quality
+
Beautiful bokeh

Reasons to avoid

-
Not weather-sealed
-
No image stabilization

Sigma currently makes three Contemporary lenses in EF-M mount, the other two being 16mm and 30mm primes. The longest of the three, this 56mm lens has an ‘effective’ focal length of 90mm, coupled with a fast f/1.4 aperture rating, making it perfect for portraiture. 

It’s impressively compact and lightweight for an f/1.4 lens of this focal length, but is nevertheless smartly turned out with TSC (Thermally Stable Composite) components and a metal mounting plate. 

• Read more: The in-depth Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN | C review

The stepping motor autofocus system operates in virtual silence, while enabling extreme accuracy with excellent consistency, driven by Canon’s sensor-based Dual Pixel AF. As well as being pin-sharp, the lens delivers smooth and creamy bokeh (the quality of defocused areas) which can be every bit as important in portraiture.

(Image credit: Canon)
The best macro lens that will help to shine a light on your close-ups

Specifications

Mount: Canon EOS M
Autofocus: Stepping motor
Stabilizer: 3.5-stop
Min focus distance: 0.09m
Max magnification: 1.2x
Filter thread: 43mm (via hood)
Dimensions (WxL): 61x46mm
Weight: 130g

Reasons to buy

+
Astonishing 1.2x maximum magnification
+
Built-in LED Macro Lite

Reasons to avoid

-
Very close macro working distance
-
Stabilization less effective at close range

Canon’s EF-M macro lens has an unusually short 28mm focal length, which gives a working distance of just 13mm between the front of the lens and the subject in full macro mode. This can block out ambient lighting but, thankfully, the lens has a built-in LED Macro Lite for illuminating close-ups. The relatively short focal length also helps to enable a very compact and featherweight build of just 130g.

It also features a ‘hybrid’ image stabilizer, which can correct for x-y shift as well as the more usual angular vibration or wobble. This makes it more effective for close-up shooting although, in full macro mode, it’s no real substitute for a tripod. While most macro lenses top out at 1.0x for their maximum magnification factor at the shortest focus distance, this lens boosts magnification to 1.2x, thanks to a switchable ‘Super Macro’ mode.

(Image credit: Tamron)
Best all-in-one lens – this superzoom goes the extra millimeters!

Specifications

Mount: Canon EOS M
Autofocus: Pulse (stepping motor)
Stabilizer: Yes
Min focus distance: 0.5m
Max magnification: 0.27x
Filter thread: 62mm
Dimensions (WxL): 68x97mm
Weight: 460g

Reasons to buy

+
Class-leading zoom range
+
Effective optical stabilizer

Reasons to avoid

-
A bit on the chunky side
-
Might need a firmware update

There’s a lot to be said for ‘superzoom’ lenses' for travel and walkabout photography. The main advantage is that the epic zoom range, stretching all the way from wide-angle to telephoto focal lengths, enables you to react to pretty much any shooting scenario with just a twist of the zoom ring, rather than having to carry multiple lenses and swap between them. 

Read more: The best superzoom lenses for Canon cameras

You could naturally stick with Canon’s own-brand EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM, which measures 61x87mm and weighs in at 300g. The Tamron 18-200mm is only a little larger, despite delivering a more generous zoom range and greater telephoto reach.

It’s about 50 per cent heavier than the Canon, but feels better built and has a metal rather than plastic mounting plate. It also comes complete with a hood, which you have to buy separately for the Canon lens. One thing to be aware of is that early examples of the lens may need to be sent away for a firmware update, ensuring full compatibility with the latest EOS M cameras. See our full Tamron 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III VC review.

Read more: 

Canon EOS M50 Mark II review
Canon EOS M50 review
Best Canon cameras
Best mirrorless cameras

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James Artaius
Editor

The editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014 (as an assistant to Damian McGillicuddy, who succeeded David Bailey as Principal Photographer for Olympus). In this time he shot for clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal, in addition to shooting campaigns and product testing for Olympus, and providing training for professionals. This has led him to being a go-to expert for camera and lens reviews, photo and lighting tutorials, as well as industry news, rumors and analysis for publications like Digital Camera MagazinePhotoPlus: The Canon MagazineN-Photo: The Nikon MagazineDigital Photographer and Professional Imagemaker, as well as hosting workshops and talks at The Photography Show. He also serves as a judge for the Red Bull Illume Photo Contest. An Olympus and Canon shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and a fondness for vintage lenses and instant cameras.