Canon EOS M50 Mark II rumors point to 32.5MP sensor and a surprising omission

Canon EOS M50
(Image credit: Canon)

If you've been looking for a small, hybrid mirrorless camera, then some potentially leaked specs for the rumored Canon EOS M50 should have you pretty excited – apart from one possible omission.

The ever-reliable Canon Rumors has published a list of possible EOS M50 Mark II specs, which are classed as "good information from a known source", and they suggest it'll be a big step up from the two-and-a-half year old Canon EOS M50.

According to the rumors, the EOS M50 Mark II will have a 32.5MP APS-C CMOS sensor (likely the same as the one in the Canon EOS M6 Mark II), the latest Digic X processor (probably a tailored version for this camera), and the Dual Pixel Autofocus II system that recently graced the Canon EOS R5 and Canon EOS R6.

The latter is a particularly exciting possibility, as it's one of the best autofocus systems we've ever seen and opens up the possibility of advanced features like Animal Eye AF. 

Impressively, the rumored specs also suggest the EOS M50 Mark II could have a similar electronic viewfinder (EVF) resolution as the Canon EOS R6. This would put the resolution in the ballpark of 3.69-million dots, which would give you a very clear view of your scene, assuming the refresh rate is also similar to Canon's full-frame camera.

It sounds like the EOS M50 Mark II could make a fine little video camera too, with speculation suggesting it will be able to shoot 4K/60p movies with no crop. That would be quite the leap over its predecessor, which can only shoot 4K with a big 1.6x crop, which means it's very much a 1080p camera.

So what is the rumored omission from Canon's new APS-C all-rounder? Contrary to earlier whispers, Canon Rumors' source reckons the camera will lack in-body image stabilization (IBIS). That's slightly less good news for its video credentials, but would be far from a deal-breaker.

Canon EOS M50

(Image credit: Canon)

Steady as she goes

We did have our suspicions that it might be a little too soon for Canon to bring IBIS to its smaller EF-M cameras, given it only recently introduced in-body stabilization for the first time on its flagship Canon EOS R5 and EOS R6.

It's not technically impossible to fit IBIS systems into smaller cameras – the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III manages it, partly because it has a smaller Four Thirds sensor. But the EOS M50 Mark II would have needed to adapt Canon's new stabilization system for a smaller body, and it's possible that this would simply add too much to its size and cost.

Also, while IBIS is an increasingly common feature that can be useful for both stills and videos, it's not necessarily essential for a small hybrid camera. Vloggers could easily add a small gimbal to a camera like the Canon EOS M50 Mark II for superior stabilization (DJI is expected to be announcing a new gimbal soon called the RSC 2), and it's possible Canon will include digital stabilization options for smoothing out jitter and vibrations.

Otherwise, the EOS M50 Mark II is shaping up to be a very exciting little travel camera. With the rumored specs also suggesting it will be able to shoot bursts at up to 14fps, it could be a great successor to one of the best beginner cameras we've ever seen.

Mark Wilson
Senior news editor

Mark is TechRadar's Senior news editor. Having worked in tech journalism for a ludicrous 17 years, Mark is now attempting to break the world record for the number of camera bags hoarded by one person. He was previously Cameras Editor at both TechRadar and Trusted Reviews, Acting editor on Stuff.tv, as well as Features editor and Reviews editor on Stuff magazine. As a freelancer, he's contributed to titles including The Sunday Times, FourFourTwo and Arena. And in a former life, he also won The Daily Telegraph's Young Sportswriter of the Year. But that was before he discovered the strange joys of getting up at 4am for a photo shoot in London's Square Mile.