Canon R50 Low Light Settings: ISO, Shutter Speed and Lenses

For low light on the Canon EOS R50, open your lens to its widest aperture, keep ISO inside the native 100 to 32,000 range, and hold your shutter speed fast enough to beat hand shake, because the camera has no in-body stabilization. The biggest single improvement is a brighter lens, which lets more light reach the sensor so you can use a lower, cleaner ISO.

What the R50 sensor can handle

The R50 uses a 24.2MP APS-C sensor and the DIGIC X processor, the same imaging pipeline as the Canon EOS R10. Its native ISO range runs from 100 to 32,000, with expanded settings down to ISO 50 and up to ISO 51,200.

Digital Camera World's review says you still won't want to push the ISO to extremes, though files feel cleaner than those from the older EOS M50. In its lab comparison, the R50 captured around 1EV more dynamic range than the M50 Mark II at ISO 6400 and beyond, which the site attributes to the newer Digic X processor. The same test put both Canons behind the Nikon Z30, whose lower megapixel count gives it larger photosites.

Imaging Resource's reviewer shot at higher ISOs quite a bit, because of slower-aperture lenses and overcast weather, and called the high ISO images quite impressive for an APS-C camera of this class. That reviewer also found the default noise reduction a bit strong for their taste when zoomed in, while noting it still preserved some sharp detail.

Pay attention to why that reviewer ended up at high ISO: slow lenses in dull light. The lens you put on the R50 decides how hard the sensor has to work.

Find your own ISO ceiling

The-Digital-Picture's reviewer describes base ISO 100 as the preferred setting for very clean, low-noise results, while noting that noise rises with ISO and not every situation allows ISO 100. Your job is to find the highest ISO you are happy with.

Set the camera on a table in a dim room and shoot the same scene at ISO 1600, 3200, 6400 and 12800. Compare the files at 100% on a computer, not on the camera screen. The highest setting whose noise you can live with is your ceiling. Treat the expanded ISO 51,200 setting as a last resort.

Auto ISO pairs well with Manual mode: you choose the aperture and shutter speed, and the camera handles brightness. The-Digital-Picture's reviewer, who still uses manual mode 95% of the time, wrote in the R50 V review about relying on the camera's metering via Auto ISO an increasing percentage of the time. When you use it in low light, keep an eye on the ISO readout and step in when it climbs past your ceiling.

RAW, JPEG and noise reduction

The R50 can shoot RAW like most Canon EOS cameras. Canon's EOS bodies also let you adjust noise reduction, sharpness and other image quality settings in-camera, which matters most if you need JPEGs straight out of the camera.

If you agree with Imaging Resource that the default noise reduction is heavy, lower it for your JPEGs, or shoot RAW and decide how much smoothing you want during editing.

Shutter speed without in-body stabilization

The R50 has no IBIS, so handheld video needs electronic stabilization unless you use a gimbal. For stills, stabilization has to come from the lens. A large percentage of RF lenses feature image stabilization, including the RF-S 55-210mm F5-7.1 IS STM. The RF 16mm F2.8 STM is not stabilized, and the up to 5.5 stops of correction The-Digital-Picture mentions depend on a body with IBIS, which the R50 lacks.

The R50's shutter speeds run from 30 seconds to 1/4000 sec with the first-curtain electronic shutter, and from 30 seconds to 1/8000 sec with the full electronic shutter, plus Bulb.

Handheld stills

There are two kinds of blur to manage. Camera shake comes from your hands, and a stabilized lens helps with it. Subject motion comes from people or things moving, and only a faster shutter speed fixes it. Wide aperture lenses are what make faster speeds possible in dim light, letting you freeze action and handhold in lower light.

Find your handheld limit the same way you found your ISO ceiling. Pick a shutter speed, take a few frames, zoom to 100% on the screen, and slow down one step at a time until blur creeps in. Brace your elbows against your body or lean on a wall to buy another step.

Bursts help too. The R50 shoots up to 15 fps with the electronic shutter while keeping full autofocus and autoexposure, and 12 fps with the first-curtain electronic shutter. In dim light, fire a short burst and keep the sharpest frame.

Digital Camera World's sample gallery shows what a bright prime does here: R50 frames at 1/40 sec, f/1.8, ISO 100 with the RF 50mm f/1.8 and the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro.

On a tripod

The R50 offers exposures up to 30 seconds, plus a Bulb mode for longer ones, which Photography Blog calls excellent news for night photography. With the camera locked down, you can drop back to ISO 100 and let the shutter collect the light.

The camera can be controlled remotely through Canon's Camera Connect app, which lets you fire long exposures without touching the body. The R50 V works with the Canon BR-E1 Bluetooth remote, which can trigger the shutter and start and stop video.

The R50 also has an HDR mode with AUTO, ±1 EV, ±2 EV and ±3 EV settings that takes three shots at different shutter speeds and combines them in-camera. Because each frame uses a different shutter speed, use it on a tripod for night scenes with bright lights.

The R50 runs on the small LP-E17 battery, and The-Digital-Picture calls its battery life rating underwhelming. Pack a spare for long night sessions.

Video shutter speed and stabilization

The R50 records 4K at up to 30fps using the full width of the sensor, oversampled from 6K. For video, a shutter speed of 1/60 second, twice the frame rate, is typically all you need unless you are shooting slow motion. That means you cannot slow the shutter to brighten dim footage without changing how motion looks, so aperture and ISO carry the load.

The R50's crop factor of 1.6x already makes lenses look more zoomed in, and electronic stabilization crops further into the frame. The R50 V's digital IS comes in Normal and Enhanced modes, with Enhanced adding a more severe crop. In a dim room, set your zoom wider than you think you need, and use the lighter stabilization setting when you can.

Autofocus in the dark

The R50 uses Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, the same focusing system as Canon's R3 and R5. Photography Blog reports it can focus in light as low as -4EV when used with an F1.2 lens. For the R50 V, The-Digital-Picture lists autofocus down to EV -5 for stills and EV -2.5 for movies, plus an LED assist lamp that a lens hood can partially block.

Lens choice matters here too: more light reaching the sensor improves low-light autofocus. Notice that the -4EV figure is quoted with an F1.2 lens, so a slow kit zoom will not reach the same level.

Lenses that help in low light

The R50 is sold body only, with the RF-S 18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM, or in a two-lens kit that adds the RF-S 55-210mm F5-7.1 IS STM. Both are stabilized zooms with modest apertures, and for low light a brighter lens is the upgrade that matters. Because the R50 uses the RF mount, it can take Canon's full RF lens line, though EF-M lenses from the EOS M system will not fit.

Lens	Maximum aperture	Stabilization	Source
RF-S 18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM (kit)	f/4.5 to 6.3	Yes (IS)
RF-S 55-210mm F5-7.1 IS STM	f/5 to 7.1	Yes
RF-S 14-30mm F4-6.3 IS STM PZ (R50 V kit)	f/4 to 6.3	Yes (IS)
RF 50mm f/1.8 STM	f/1.8	Not stated in these sources
Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro	f/1.8	Not stated in these sources
RF 16mm F2.8 STM	f/2.8	No

f/1.8 primes

A Digital Camera World writer describes the R50 with a couple of f/1.8 primes as a featherweight package with a heavyweight punch. The site's R50 samples were shot with the RF 50mm f/1.8 and the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro. Check whether a prime is stabilized before you buy it. If it is not, your shutter speed is your only defense against shake on the R50.

Wide angle: RF 16mm F2.8 STM

The-Digital-Picture calls the RF 16mm F2.8 STM ultra-light, ultra-small and ultra-affordable, and notes that f/2.8 is relatively wide for a 16mm focal length. Photography Blog describes it as a lens for Canon's full-frame EOS R cameras, but it mounts on the R50 because both use the RF mount. On the R50's 1.6x crop sensor, it frames tighter than it would on full frame. Its control ring can be set to adjust Tv, Av, ISO and exposure settings, which is handy for quick ISO changes in the dark.

It has no stabilization, so on the R50 keep the shutter speed up or use a tripod.

Making the kit zooms work

If the kit lens is all you have, zoom to the wide end, where the aperture is brightest at f/4.5. Use the lens stabilization to hold slower shutter speeds on still subjects, and accept a higher ISO for anything that moves. Imaging Resource's experience with slower-aperture lenses on an overcast day shows how quickly slow glass pushes ISO up.

R50 or R50 V for low light

The R50 V uses the same 24.2MP APS-C sensor as the R50 and R10, and The-Digital-Picture states it has the same image quality. Low-light stills will look the same on either body. The differences are on the video side.

Feature	Canon EOS R50	Canon EOS R50 V
Sensor	24.2MP APS-C, DIGIC X	Same 24.2MP APS-C sensor
Native ISO	100 to 32,000 (expands to 50 to 51,200)	Same image quality as R50
In-body stabilization	None	None, digital IS Normal or Enhanced
Low-light AF spec	-4EV with an F1.2 lens	EV -5 stills, EV -2.5 movies
4K video	Up to 30fps, full width	Up to 60p, adds Canon Log 3
Launch price, body only	$679.99	$649.99

A Digital Camera World writer calls the R50 V objectively better, citing slightly better autofocus and better video and audio. The same writer still advised a friend to buy the R50 because it was the camera he actually wanted.

For more on choosing between the two, see Canon EOS R50: Best Beginner Camera in the Canon RF System? and Canon APS-C vs Full Frame Cameras. If you are weighing a Sony body, compare with Sony ZV-E10 Low Light Settings.

A starting recipe for low light on the R50

• Mount your brightest lens and open it fully.
• Use Manual mode with Auto ISO, and step in when ISO passes the ceiling you found in your test.
• For handheld stills, start fast and slow the shutter one step at a time, checking at 100%.
• Use short bursts with the electronic shutter for still subjects in dim light.
• For 30p video, set 1/60 second and adjust aperture and ISO for brightness.
• Use the lighter electronic stabilization setting and frame a little wider to allow for the crop.
• For night scenes, use a tripod, ISO 100, and exposures up to 30 seconds or Bulb.
• Shoot RAW when light is poor so you control noise reduction later.