Canon M50 vs Sony A6500

Introduction

The Canon EOS M50 is a “premium entry-level” camera as Canon loves to call is, was launched last year, but has quickly established itself as a perfect choice for novices and enthusiasts who are keen on investing in a versatile camera whose performance is so strong that makes this camera capable enough to compete with some of the cameras that belong to the midrange!

On the contrary, we have the well-known Sony A6500 which is Sony’s flagship APS-C mirrorless camera that packs some serious features that can instantly hook up the attention of the photographers, regardless if they are novices or professionals due to the fact that its components allow you shoot a variety of different photography types starting from portrait and all the way up to sports!

Here comes the question. Which one is better? To be honest it is too early to give an ultimate conclusion, so, instead, let’s dive straight into action and reveal all of their strong and weak sides, because only by doing that, our decision will be as reliable as possible!

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Head To Head Comparison

Canon M50

Speaking of the design, the EOS M50 looks pretty much like the EOS M5 with some changes, of course. This unit features a strong, black-finished polycarbonate construction that measures 4.6 x 3.5 x 2.3″, weighs approximately 13.7 ounces and has a relatively large grip that will provide you an excellent and secure hold, so that you will be able to have enjoyable long-shooting sessions exactly as you’d like!

The controls are positioned intuitively, and they aren’t numerous which is great for novice and even for professionals who want to have easy access in order to switch through menus and adjust the imagery according to their preferences.

On the top, you can notice a mode dial, hot shoe, single customizable function button along with a video record button and on/off switch, while on the rear, there are a few more buttons that are neatly positioned with the intention to let you have a clear sight over the viewfinder and the screen.

Since I’ve mentioned them, I would like to inform you that on the top, there is an electronic 2.36M-dot OLED viewfinder that will offer you a sharp and crystal-clear sight, while slightly below, in the center, you can find a 3″ 1.04M-dot fully-articulated touch LCD screen which will let you tilt downwards or upwards, position it inwards anytime you want to avoid scratches, and adjust it full forwards so that you can get selfies! The flexibility is insane here, and without a doubt, Canon deserves our applaud here!

Moreover, the connections consist of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE, and NFC, but you can also find physical connection ports including a micro-USB port, 3.5mm microphone input, memory slot compartment that supports SD media at up to UHS-I speed, so the only thing it lacks is a headphone jack.

Performance-wise, the Canon EOS M50 packs a 24.1MP APS-C CMOS sensor, DIGIC 8 image processor that boosts the color accuracy and look to the highest levels, Dual Pixel CMOS AF along with an Eye Detection AF, 143 focus-points, continuous shooting rate of 10 fps, and a native ISO range that stretches from 100-25,600 which is expandable up to 51,200!

First of all, I have to mention that the Canon EOS M50 is a speedy performer because it takes only 1.3 seconds to turn on, focus and capture an image which is awesome, and when we add its continuous shooting rate of 10 fps, you can shoot sports photography in a breeze!

Considering the vast ISO range, this model performs really good most of the time throughout the ISO range, allowing you to have a freedom in terms of capturing photos.

Namely, Raw files are pretty well-defined even at ISO 6400 because the presence of noise is minimal, but, keep in mind that if you push to ISO 12,800 the image noise becomes more pronounces, hence, it decreases the quality of the photo. The ISO 51,200 is the wost, and I won’t recommend you go that far.

JPGs on the other side, at ISO 400 look fantastic with minimal loss of the quality, while at ISO 1600 the image looks gorgeous with some decrease of details on which you should really have to put an effort in order to notice them.

In the end, the EOS M50 isn’t only good for photographers, but for vloggers as well, thanks to its versatility because it allows you to record 4K videos, Full HD videos and HD videos. However, the 4K quality is smooth but it isn’t special, because the Dual Pixel AF system is disabled and that’s why I would suggest you record at 1080p because the footage looks unbelievably good. 

If you decided to go with this camera, then i recommend you get a lens for the EOS M50 depending on whether you need it for outdoors, indoors, macro photography etc.

Canon M50 Sample Images:

 

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Sony A6500

To begin with, the Sony A6500 boasts a handsome-looking, magnesium-alloy body that is protected against dust and moisture which adds a lot in terms of rigidity since the photographer would be able to shoot under a variety of different conditions without any problem!

In addition, this model measures 2.6 x 4.7 x 2.1 “, weighs approximately a pound if you don’t have a lens attached on it, and in comparison to the Canon EOS M50 it is more compact, and its construction is tougher, so clearly, I give more points to the A6500 at this time.

When it comes to the control layout, there are numerous physical buttons on the camera, and each of them is set with the main intention to provide you an easy access, and although this may sound a bit scary for the novices, I’d tell you that it would take a bit of a practice in order to conquer them all. On the top, you can notice that the surface does not employ many things, except a hot shoe, pop-up flash, control dial along with two programmable C1 and C2 buttons.

On the rare, positioned on the top and right, there are multiple buttons as well, while on the top-left corner, you will find an OLED, electronic viewfinder with 2.36-million dots that will drastically enhance your shooting experience, because it tracks fast-moving objects pretty well, and when we add its continuous shooting rate of 8 fps that is supported with AF/AE tracking, you simply can’t be disappointed!

In the center, you can notice the presence of a 3” OLED, 921k-dot flip touchscreen that pulls away smoothly from the back of the camera, however, the touch sensitivity is kind of loss because the only thing you could do would be to change your focusing points when you wish to take photos and videos. Aside from this, the screen is outputs bright and sharp sight for the photographer and for this part, you will be satisfied!

Moreover, the connections include a Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth support same as the Canon EOS M50, but if we take this aside, you can also find a micro USB charging port, micro HDMI port, 3.5mm microphone output, memory card slot that tops out that supports only UHS-I instead of the latest SDXC cards, and yet again, same as the Canon EOS M50, you won’t find a headphone jack. Honestly, by now, both cameras are pretty similar to each other.

Speaking of the performance, the Sony A6500 combines a 24.2MP APS-C EXMOR sensor, 425 phase-detect AF points + 169 contrast-detect AF points, 5-axis in-body image stabilization, continuous shooting rate of up to 11 fps, and an impressively large ISO range that stretches from 100-25,600 up to 51,200 and BIONZ X image processing engine that will distribute an incredibly good detail reproduction for your ultimate user experience!

In practice, the results of your images will nearly excellent, and the reason is pretty simple. The A6500 controls the noise in an exceptionally good manner especially if you shoot JPEGs. For instance, if you shoot pictures through up to ISO 12,800, the noise will be none or at least set to the minimum levels, but of course, if you reach the highest levels, blur will appear more pronounced, hence, I’d recommend you avoid it unless you would really have to.

Either way, the best ISO results can be achieved if you shoot at ISO 1600 or ISO 100, because at ISO 3200 – 6400, although the quality of the imagery is excellent, there may be some slight blur that would distract those photographers who are perfectionists.

On the other side, if you prefer shooting in RAW format, keep in mind that the details are fantastic at ISO 6400, while between ISO 12,800 and 25,600 the details are really well preserved, although you will notice some blur.

When it comes to the video, the A6500 is a beast, no doubt! Namely, you can shoot 4K video at resolution of 3840 x 2160p at 30/24 fps with a maximum bit rate of 100Mbps, and Full HD videos at 120 fps! The results are breath-taking, the footage looks lifelike and you can even do exposure adjustments as well, so, feel free to act as a videographer from time to time, because you really can!

Sony A6500 Sample Images:

 

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Canon M50 vs Sony A6500 Feature Comparison

	Canon M50	Sony A6500
Camera Type	Mirrorless	Mirrorless
Megapixels	24.0	24.2
ISO Range	100-25,600 up to 51,200	100-25,600 up to 51,200
Flip-Out Screen	Yes	No
AF Points	143 AF points	425 AF points
Viewfinder	Yes	Yes
Touchscreen	Yes	Yes
Video Recording	Yes	Yes
Sensor Size	APS-C	APS-C

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Conclusion

To be honest, the battle was exceptionally intense because both cameras are fantastic for their purposes, and although they share many similarities including the fact that both of them are mirrorless, they are still unique in their own way and have their own pros and cons.

If you’re still thinking regarding which camera is better, I would like to reveal you some specific details to ease your decision.

The Canon EOS M50’s screen offers up to 12% higher resolution screen than the A6500, offers a bit better viewfinder resolution, and the LCD screen offers more flexibility, so at this part, the Canon EOS M50 proves as a better opponent.

On the contrary, the Sony A6500 includes a built-in image stabilization (something that the M50 lacks), offers a way more focal points, has a better continuous shooting rate, it is protected by dust and moisture, and performs a lot better when it comes to 4K recording.

Also, the A6500 performs a bit better for sports photography, but beats the M50 at street photography and portrait photography.

Where both of them are somehow poor, is regarding the landscape photography, and perform in a similar manner in daily photography, so, since you have all the arguments now, feel free to choose the one that suits your preferences the most!

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