Canon M50 limitations

[MikeBradley]

I bought a Canon M50 to replace a 60Da to eliminate mirror vibrations on my BH2+NFK 1.67. The M50 promised to allow me to continue using use EOS Utility and the image quality is very good, but it doesn’t seem to be possible to live stream to EOS Utility and to use a remote control to trigger the shots.
There is no longer an IR remote option or a simple 2.5mm jack plug/switch on the M50, only Bluetooth or WiFi. Using their Camera Connect app allows a cell phone to control the camera and take images but the BT and WiFi features don’t work when the camera is connected to the computer via USB, images are stored on the card and can be downloaded later. This work flow is awkward but do-able. Alternatively images can be transmitted and observed directly on EOS Utility by Wifi but now the BT Remote controller has been disabled, meaning that the camera has to be triggered by touching the screen or the shutter button, with the likelihood of inducing the very vibrations I was trying to eliminate!

I have the option of returning the camera and I am seriously considering just that. I’d be interested in other peoples experiences with the M50 and if whether they have found any workarounds?
Thanks
Michael

[Hobbyst46]

This is extremely weird !!

When Canon started the EOM-M mirrorless line of cameras, one feature of DSLRs they dropped was direct tethering, via cable to a computer. Many people were unaware of it and were surprised to discover it later. So, the EOS-M, M3, M6, M10 (like mine) and M100 can be remote controlled via Camera Connect, not the EOS utility. Tethering is a feature that Canon (and probably other brands) ignore in their brochures, or refer to but vaguely. The Camera Connect utility is limited in functions, and depends on WiFi.

The M50 is a more recent mirrorless and was supposed to have the tethering feature back. The LMscope site, for example, specifically mentions that the Canon EOS Utility can control the M50, not just import images from it. That is why they rank the M50 much higher than the other models of the EOS-M series. They claim it is much more adapted to microscopy, exactly because of this feature.
I would directly contact the seller and inquire. And return it if it comes out that the tethering feature is false. There is another model, Canon EOS-R, full frame and much more expensive, that is claimed to enable tethering.
Thanks for posting this info - I was contemplating getting an M50 myself...

[MicroBob]

Hi Mike,
you should use the mirror lock up anyway. Otherwise the image quality would be really limited. The question is whether the shutter closes and reopens from live view befor exposure. Some Canons are clean here, some don't. This would be my most important feature.

Bob

[geo_man]

Hi, I'm not sure if I understand the issue you are concerned about but I connect my M50 to my laptop via USB and control the exposure and shutter with the buttons on the Utility 3 Live View panel. Images go to the hard drive directly. Good luck.

[mrsonchus]

Hi, I'm not sure if I understand the issue you are concerned about but I connect my M50 to my laptop via USB and control the exposure and shutter with the buttons on the Utility 3 Live View panel. Images go to the hard drive directly. Good luck.

Hi, how do you find the combination? I currently use a 200D and Utility v3 but have often wondered about mirrorless camera use for 'scope images. How does the M50 perform with Utility v3 and 'scope. Do you have a fe images through 'scope that you can show - I'd be interested to see them.

[geo_man]

Hi john. Take a look at my posts. I’ve included a number of pics from both stereo and compound scopes. I’m not particularly advanced but I find the m50 great for my needs. Good luck.

[Chris Dee]

I ordered an M50 2 days ago and awaiting arrival. I did my research and understood the camera can be triggered via EOS Utility 3 and USB tethering (as geo_man has working). My ageing 550D works flawlessly this way. The loss of a second trigger method isn't a concern, but I will be annoyed if Canon's own PC software won't trigger it remotely. Hopefully this isn't the case.

[MikeBradley]

Chris, don't worry, EOS Utility does control the camera by USB tethering. My problem is that the computer is too far away from the microscope to be able to use it when trying to focus and capture moving protozoa. For that a remote control at the microscope is essential but neither the phone version of Canon Connect nor the BT-E1 remote will do it. All wireless functions are disabled when using usb.
Michael

[MikeBradley]

Bob, thanks very much for reminding me about the "silent mode" feature. It took some digging but I did find the feature on the M50 but it is only available when shooting in the so called "SCN" mode, in this mode the camera is set to "Auto" and there doesn't seem to be any way to regain control. The camera is looking less attractive for my purposes all the time!
Michael

[Hobbyst46]

Does anyone know if the Canon EOS Utilities, when in full control of a tethered camera, enables:
1. the Magnification frame (X5, X10)
2. the self-timer delay time
on the M50 (or other Canon that has these features)
Thanks in advance.

[mrsonchus]

Does anyone know if the Canon EOS Utilities, when in full control of a tethered camera, enables:
1. the Magnification frame (X5, X10)
2. the self-timer delay time
on the M50 (or other Canon that has these features)
Thanks in advance.

Hi, the answer to both 1 & 2 is yes - I use Canon Utilities v3 with my 200D and occasionally to use v2 with my 1200D - both set-ups are a 'yes' to 1 & 2.

[Hobbyst46]

Does anyone know if the Canon EOS Utilities, when in full control of a tethered camera, enables:
1. the Magnification frame (X5, X10)
2. the self-timer delay time
on the M50 (or other Canon that has these features)
Thanks in advance.

Hi, the answer to both 1 & 2 is yes - I use Canon Utilities v3 with my 200D and occasionally to use v2 with my 1200D - both set-ups are a 'yes' to 1 & 2.

Thanks John B.

[MicroBob]

Bob, thanks very much for reminding me about the "silent mode" feature. It took some digging but I did find the feature on the M50 but it is only available when shooting in the so called "SCN" mode, in this mode the camera is set to "Auto" and there doesn't seem to be any way to regain control. The camera is looking less attractive for my purposes all the time!
Michael

The Canon DSLR were much loved for their properties when used as a micro camera. Early on Canon seemed to cripple the mirrorless cameras somewhat, perhaps to slow down the transition into the mirrorless future. But now they should clearly see mirrorless as the future and include all features that are available inteo th package. But the camera market was no big fun for the manufacturers for many years now.

I don't know Canon cameras well, on Sony cameras you can activate or deactivate "Electronic first shutter curtain" function. I also have an now old Sony NEX 5, a nice camera but with an substantial shutter shock. It wasn't possible to get really sharp photos with it on a typical camera mount tube.

Bob

[MikeBradley]

After a frustrating 3 days I returned the M50 to the store today, thanks to everyone on the site for their inputs. The store refund policy gave a full reimbursement, even including the used memory card. So now I’m back at square one, what camera to get?
I’m going to re-browse the site, but any ideas people may have for a camera to replace my Canon 60Da/Olympus BH2/NFK 1.67 would be welcome too. I mostly study protists with APS-C camera tethered to computer a metre and a half away by USB, shutter triggered by remote control. I use the camera mainly for still images with some video. My budget is up to US750 or so. The 60Da has been a good camera but suffers from not having the mirror lock/silent shutter modes of other Canons and this is a problem for some of my uses.
Thanks
Michael

[Scarodactyl]

You could always take the unexciting option of just spending 200ish bucks on a rebel t6.

[MikeBradley]

Thanks for the suggestion Scarodactyl, unfortunately the fixed LCD screen on the Rebel T6 would make its' use in my current setup rather tricky. The other features and the price do looks good though.
Michael

[Scarodactyl]

What would you use the screen for during shooting?

[MikeBradley]

Scarodactyl, I don't use it always but it is useful sometimes for positioning a moving object (eyepiece is widefield, image is cropped), checking focus when adjusting a 40x collar, that sort of thing. I like to be able to glance up from the eyepiece and see what the camera is seeing.
Michael

[Chris Dee]

Scarodactyl, I don't use it always but it is useful sometimes for positioning a moving object (eyepiece is widefield, image is cropped), checking focus when adjusting a 40x collar, that sort of thing. I like to be able to glance up from the eyepiece and see what the camera is seeing.
Michael

I suggest you make sure whatever camera you buy does not disable the rear screen when tethered.

[MikeBradley]

Thanks for that tip Chris
Michael

[Scarodactyl]

If you have the camera connected to your phone via wifi you can get live view on your phone screen. This of course won't work if you need it to be tethered to the computer at the same time though

[MikeBradley]

Scarodactyl, The M50 did connect to the computer, using live view, with either a cable or wifi, but when it's so connected the Bluetooth is disabled - by design it seems. This means that either I have to trigger the shutter from the computer, a metre and a half away or by touching the camera and inevitably vibrating it. The solution would have been to save images on the camera card directly, in this mode the BT and the Canon Connect work as expected, and to download later, not ideal but doable. But then Microbob raised the silent shutter alert and I discovered that while the M50 has the feature, it is buried in a shooting mode that isn't useful for my microscopy uses. Too many negatives, it went back!
Michael