topic Re: Should I upgrade to the Canon r50 in Gear Guide

Should I upgrade to the EOS R50

Alleycat — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 15:30:26 GMT

My husband recently retired and we plan to do more traveling. I’m interested in getting back into digital photography. I have an older Nikon D5100 camera, but I wonder if I would be better served with the mirrorless r50. I’m a beginner photographer and not into making videos. Canon is coming out with the new r50v, so I’m figuring I will be able to get a good price on the r50 model. Is it worth it to purchase the r50 or should I save my money and continue to use the d5100?

Re: Should I upgrade to the Canon r50

shadowsports — Sat, 19 Apr 2025 22:06:05 GMT

Greetings,

Its pretty difficult to make any real comparison to cameras with a 12 yr age difference between them. You aren't going to be able to use any of your lenses with a new Canon body. Honestly, due to age this is not a true basis for making a decision like this anyway.

Your Nikon is a 16MP camera. The R50 is 24. Are you happy with the resolution of the Nikon? +8MP would be pretty dramatic of an increase, not to mention the R50's ISO capability over the 5100. Video aside, you are looking at 4k (R50) vs 2k (5100). Then there is AF performance 11 vs 651 (points), and the ala mode Animal, Vehicle, Eye tracking of the R50. Do I think an upgrade after 12 yrs is a good idea, absolutely.

Here's a side by side. R50 vs D5100

The R50v is a pretty cool camera, if your needs were video centric. Before you embark on this next step, please tell us more about the photography you do most. Landscapes, architecture, family, portraits??? Also do you have a budget? Keep in mind you will also need 1-2 additional batteries and a couple of SD cards (UHS-II standard), and 1-2 lenses. Just setting some expectations.

I did post (in another thread) about a possible price increase 7-8% which may come as early as Monday. Its the beginning of a new year for Canon. Don't rush out and make a panic buy. Just be aware a small increase across the board is likely in the works.

The R50 is a fine camera 👍. What is most attractive about it to you?

Re: Should I upgrade to the Canon r50

Alleycat — Sat, 19 Apr 2025 22:57:25 GMT

Thanks for your reply. I’m looking at doing mostly sightseeing photography I.e. people and buildings. My budget is about $750. What interests me most in the Canon r50 is the improvement in autofocus. I like the grip of the r10 more than the r50, but not the higher price tag.

Re: Should I upgrade to the Canon r50

shadowsports — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 16:38:57 GMT

Greetings,

I understand about the grip preference. The R10's grip depth is 13mm deeper than the R8. Thats about .5 in which adds a bit more area to grip and hang on to. With your budget, you will be limited on lens options. The kit lens will get you started, but you will need to stretch it a little to make the transition. Extra battery, memory card, etc. From a performance and user experience standpoint this upgrade will be huge.

Re: Should I upgrade to the Canon r50

jrhoffman75 — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 17:17:39 GMT

@Alleycat wrote:

Thanks for your reply. I’m looking at doing mostly sightseeing photography I.e. people and buildings. My budget is about $750. What interests me most in the Canon r50 is the improvement in autofocus. I like the grip of the r10 more than the r50, but not the higher price tag.

"sightseeing photography I.e. people and buildings"

These subjects (assuming people are fellow travelers or street crowds) are generally not very challenging for AF systems. You could work with your current camera locally now and see if you are limited.

Switching Nikon to Canon is a whole new set of muscle memory since this work opposite.

Re: Should I upgrade to the Canon r50

March411 — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 12:43:07 GMT

John does have a valid point on making the switch from Nikon to Canon. If you believe that you can make the transition easily you will be very pleased with the results you get from the R50. Focus points and tracking will result in an improved keeper rate and overall sharper images. Matched with the RF-S18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM or RF-S55-210mm F5-7.1 IS STM you would have a very nice traveling combination to cover many different shooting scenario's.

Rumor has it that next moth the Sigma 16-300mm F3.5-6.7 DC OS C will be released. On my current R50 I run the older EF mount 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro HSM C with a Canon adapter and grab some beautiful images. If finances allow down the road the Sigma 16-300mm F3.5-6.7 DC OS C would be a great lens for travel. Light weight, great range and some real nice IQ.

Absolutely love the R50 for travel and wildlife hikes.

Re: Should I upgrade to the Canon r50

shadowsports — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 13:39:49 GMT

Hi Mark ,

The EFS 18-150 was going to be my recommendation as well, but the price point was a concern. After battery and some spare cards, that lens would put her well above her price point.

@Alleycat, your price point puts you right on the cusp. We're just trying to be mindful of your budget.

Re: Should I upgrade to the Canon r50

March411 — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 14:22:05 GMT

Hello Rick, I understood the budget. I was just offering some additional information that could be helpful beyond the camera. The RF-S18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM lens that is supplied with the kit (one currently in Canon refurb for $640) is so, so for travel and lacks reach. Just figured I would toss out an option in case the was a budget revision.

Also, it's Marc with a C 😉

Re: Should I upgrade to the Canon r50

Alleycat — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 21:22:35 GMT

I appreciate your input. The only thing that I'm concerned about with the R50 is the shallower grip. Do you find any difficulty with the shallower grip when taking pictures? What about with the weight of your 18mm-300mm lens?

Allyson

Re: Should I upgrade to the Canon r50

March411 — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 21:47:02 GMT

Allyson, I would say I have medium size hands and the shallow grip has not presented any challenges. I owned the M50 prior and I might just be used to the form factor of the body. Both bodies are very similar.

I use a wrist strap so I literally carry the setup entire time I am photographing. When gripping my pinky rests under the body and personally it works well for me, it actually gives me decent body support. The 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro weighs 1.29 lb/585 g, no problem as an all day carry and the new 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary comes in at 22 oz/625g which is the reason I will trade my 18-300mm, there is a decent drop in weight because I will also drop the EF to RF adapter on the setup. The con, I lose my macro.

All that said, if you are in overall decent shape the setup is easily an all day carry. It just comes down to what lens you will mount since you will have to pick up a lens moving from Nikon to Canon unless you pick up the kit.

I hope this helped!

Re: Should I upgrade to the Canon r50

Alleycat — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 22:14:12 GMT

Yes it did help! I hope that since the R50v is coming out next week that I can get a good deal on the R50.

Re: Should I upgrade to the Canon r50

March411 — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 22:56:48 GMT

Don't hesitate to use the Canon direct refurbished website for good deals. I have picked up a couple pieces of gear from refurb and they have all been "Like New" The links below show inventory now but it goes fast most of the time.

Refurbished EOS R50 Body - $544

Refurbished EOS R50 RF-S18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM Lens Kit - $640

Re: Should I upgrade to the Canon r50

boreynolds — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 22:30:36 GMT

I'm not as technical as shadowsports but, I've owned the R50 for 3 years and I LOVE that camera.

Re: Should I upgrade to the Canon r50

ebiggs1 — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 14:25:18 GMT

" I’m a beginner photographer and not into making videos" "Should I upgrade to the Canon r50"

In a word, no. Use what you have until it no longer serves you.

Re: Should I upgrade to the Canon r50

SignifDigits — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 18:09:32 GMT

Why are we resurrecting a thread from almost a year ago? I actually owned and loved a D5100 a long time ago - made the switch to Sony mirrorless and then Canon mirrorless. The D5100 was a great camera for the money at the time. I had a red one - open box at Best Buy. I think my daughter has it now. I definitely traveled with it and was very happy with the size, weight and photos that I got with it. The 95% viewfinder was annoying, and I don't recall it having features like stacking, high-speed shutter, etc. But I have a lot of photos from England I'm very happy with and found it a good traveling size. I took a bit of a bath changing lenses, but I didn't have as much high-end glass as I do now, so it was manageable.

I agree with ebiggs1 on this one as I don't see why it would be worth it to the OP. That said, I don't see they gave any feedback to suggest rationale that would drive a change. The AF on newer cameras is better but for pedestrian (literal and figurative) photography on travel I don't see a huge reason for a change. Especially if they were competent and comfortable with the D5100.