The entry-level EOS R50 and the EOS R10 cameras were released within 6 months of each other as Canon seeks to dominate the mirrorless market, but which one should you choose?

We're bringing you this in-depth head-to-head comparison between the new Canon EOS R50 and its slightly more expensive sibling, the EOS R10, to find out what the key differences are between them.

You can also read our detailed Canon EOS R50 review and Canon EOS R10 review to find out exactly what we think of both cameras.

Sensor

Both cameras use exactly the same 24.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor which is partnered with the very latest Digic X processor.

They therefore offer exactly the same image quality for both stills and video.

ISO Speed

The ISO range for stills runs from 100-32,000, which can be further expanded up to ISO 51,200, exactly the same as the EOS R10.

For video it goes up to ISO 12,800 on both models, expandable to ISO 25,600.

Video

Both cameras can record up to 4K UHD / 30p / 10-bit footage internally with dual-pixel auto-focus and auto-exposure.

The R50 It doesn't support the 4K/60p mode offered by the R10, although that suffers from a 64% crop which gives a frame similar to Super 35mm.

Recording time is also more limited on the R50, up to 1 hour, which is less than the 2 hour time limit offered by the EOS R10.

Full 1080 slow-motion recording at up to 120p with autofocus is also available (but no sound) on both models, plus live streaming on YouTube and vertical video capture.

Unique to the R50 is a new video shooting mode called "Movie for close-up demos", which automatically focuses on anything that you hold up to the camera during recording, and then focuses back on the subject when the object is removed from the frame or moved backwards.

Also new on the R50 is Movie Digital Image Stabilisation (IS), an extra Digital IS mode called Enhanced which helps to keep handheld footage sharp.

The EOS R50 can be used as a webcam simply by connecting it to a computer with a USB cable, whereas with the R10 you have to additionally install the EOS Webcam Utility software in order for it to be recognised.

Autofocus

Both the R50 and R10 have the the same deep-learning artificial intelligence based automatic face, eye, animal and vehicle AF tracking modes as the much more expensive full-frame R3, R5 and R6 models.

This AF system has 651 automatic focus points and 4,503 manually selectable AF points, 100% frame coverage in Auto selection mode and 90% vertical and 100% horizontal in manual selection.

The R50 and R10 can recognise and track eyes, and it works even if the person is wearing a mask, helmet or sunglasses. Subject tracking works for humans and also dogs, cats and birds, the latter even in flight.

They also has the ability to track vehicles, including cars and motorbikes. What's more, if the driver is wearing a helmet, the AF system will lock on to that, ensuring that the most important subject is in focus.

Both cameras can focus in light levels as low as -4EV (when used with an F1.2 lens) or with maximum apertures as small as f/22, which enables autofocus even when using ultra telephoto lenses with teleconverters.

Burst Shooting

The EOS R50 a pretty fast camera, with 12fps burst shooting available when using the R50's first-curtain electronic shutter and 15fps when using the silent electronic shutter, both with continuous auto-focus and auto-exposure.

Note that this camera does not have a mechanical shutter, unlike the EOS R10 step-up model, which can shoot at 15fps when using the R10's mechanical shutter and 23fps when using the electronic shutter.

Crucially the buffer is much, much smaller on the R50 than on the R10, only allowing bursts of up to 42 JPEG or 7 RAW images when using the first-curtain shutter at 12fps and 28 JPEG or 7 RAW images when using the silent electronic shutter at 15fps.

This compares badly to the Canon R10, which allows bursts of up to 460 JPEG or 29 RAW images when using the mechanical shutter at 15fps and 70 JPEG or 21 RAW images when using the electronic shutter at 23fps.

If you shoot a lot of sports, action or nature photography, the R10 would be a better choice because of its faster burst rates and much larger buffer.

Body and Design

The design of these two cameras is quite different. Despite having the same sensor, the EOS R50 is actually smaller and lighter than the R10. It's actually the lightest and most compact full-frame camera that Canon currently offer

The R50 measures 116.3 x 85.5 x 68.8mmmm, making it quite a lot smaller than the Canon R10 and it's significantly lighter too, weighing in at 328g body-only or 375g with both a battery and memory card fitted.

The EOS R10 measures 122.5 x 87.8 x 83.4mm and weighs in at 382g body-only or 429 with both a battery and memory card fitted.

Due to rather its diminutive stature, the Canon R50 does suffer from having a shallow handgrip that only just accommodates three fingers. If you have large hands, the R10 would be a better choice thanks to its much deeper grip.

The main downside of making the R50 smaller is a marked reduction in the number of external controls. There's only one command dial and no M-Fn, Lock or AF On buttons or an AF joystick as on the R10, although the addition of an ISO button on the top-plate is welcome.

Instead, the R50 places an even greater emphasis on using the touchscreen interface to control the extensive range of auto shooting modes.

IBIS

Neither camera has an in-body stabilizer, only providing digital IS for movies in-camera.

Instead you have to rely on a mix of lens stabilisation (if the lens offers it) and/or in-camera digital stabilisation.

So if IBIS is a must-have feature for you, you'll need to look further up the Canon range.

Viewfinder

Both cameras have exactly the same integrated OLED electronic viewfinder with 2.36M dot resolution, magnification of 1.15x and 120fps refresh rate.

LCD Screen

The Canon R50 has a 3-inch, 1.62 million dot, vari-angle LCD screen which tilts out to the side and faces forwards for more convenient vlogging and selfies with a touch-screen interface.

Rather strangely, the more expensive R10 model has a lower-resolution 1.04 million dot screen.

Memory Cards

The EOS R10 supports SD memory cards via its single UHS-II SD memory card slot.

The R50 also supports a single SD card, but only the slower UHS-I format.

Battery Life

Both cameras use exactly the same LP-E17 unit used by lots of previous Canon DSLR and mirrorless models like the 850D and 250D.

The R50's battery life is 440 shots with the LCD and 310 with the EVF, versus 430 and 260 shots respectively for the R10.

Connectivity

Both cameras feature built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and can be easily connected to a smartphone and networks allowing high-speed file sharing and FTP/FTPS transfer.

Note that the R10 supports both the both 2.4Ghz and faster 5Ghz wi-fi speeds, whereas the R10 only supports the slower protocol.

Both can be remotely controlled and even updated using Canon's Camera Connect and EOS Utility apps and tethered to to an Apple iPhone via its Lightning port or a PC or Mac via Wi-Fi or USB-C 2.0. Live streaming to YouTube is also supported via wi-fi and Canon's image.canon service.

Price

The Canon EOS R50 is priced at £789.99 / €829.99 / $679.99 body only in the UK, Europe and USA respectively and is available in black or white. It is made in Taiwan.

The Canon EOS R10 is priced at £899.99 / €1079.99 / $979.99 body only in the UK, Europe and USA respectively. It is made in Japan.

Conclusion

The new Canon EOS R50 is the smallest, lightest and cheapest model in the now extensive range of R-series cameras, with an even more pronounced focus on beginners and smartphone users than 2022's EOS R10.

With both offering the same image quality, video quality and autofocus performance, choosing between them comes down to size, simplicity and price, with the R50 smaller than the R10 in all three.

So what do you think? Would you choose the Canon EOS R50 or the EOS R10? Leave a comment below!

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