Lenses for Canon M50

[lojanoska]

Hi! I’m looking to get a more professional lens (for portrait photography) for my Canon EOS M50. I currently have a 45mm lens for my camera and I’m looking at getting something like an 85mm lens. I am just looking for something easy to use - I do social media marketing and am looking for something more professional for my camera! Any recommendations? 

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

Since you already have the 15-45mm, the 55-200mm would provide the desired focal length you are seeking for portraits.  Note however this is a variable aperture lens f4.5~6.3.  Its MFD (minimum focus distance) is 3.3ft.  This lens is capable of providing some level of background blur (bokeh) softness behind your subject but it will not be as dramatic as a lens that has a higher maximum aperture. 

Another option would be to buy an adapter EF-M to EF/EF-S.  With this option, you could buy another lens with a higher maximum aperture.  Something like an EF 85mm f1.8.

For portraiture, this would give you a FOV (field of view) equivalent of 135mm and f1.8.  Note the 85mm is a prime (fixed focal length), not a zoom.  This combination would give you a perfect portrait capable lens with a buttery soft background behind your subjects.  Note this configuration requires an adapter between the body and lens.  This is not a bad thing, but something you need to be aware of.

Could the 55~200 work for you.  It might.  It would depend on lighting, shooting conditions and the distance of the objects behind your subject.  I'd probably use a tripod for portraits in either case. 

[Waddizzle]

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@lojanoska wrote:

Hi! I’m looking to get a more professional lens (for portrait photography) for my Canon EOS M50. I currently have a 45mm lens for my camera and I’m looking at getting something like an 85mm lens. I am just looking for something easy to use - I do social media marketing and am looking for something more professional for my camera! Any recommendations? 

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Upgrade the camera to an R series body.  

The M-Series of bodies are excellent camera bodies, capable of capturing tack sharp images.  But they are not the best choice for professional shooting.  They are great cameras for backyard family cookouts, but not so great for Fashion Week.  

The Canon EF-M lens selection is somewhat limited, but adequate for the casual, occasional photographer.  While the EF lenses can be adapted for use, their larger size and power drain tend to drain the camera battery very quickly.  You will want to carry spares for a professional shoot.

[shadowsports]

Indeed.  I had forgotten about the limited capacity of the M series battery.  I suspect battery performance might be half of what you'd normally get using an adapted lens.  I'd be curious to know how it does.  I've not heard or seen posts from anyone who shoots with the adapter on the M series.      

[Waddizzle]

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@shadowsports wrote:

Indeed.  I had forgotten about the limited capacity of the M series battery.  I suspect battery performance might be half of what you'd normally get using an adapted lens.  I'd be curious to know how it does.  I've not heard or seen posts from anyone who shoots with the adapter on the M series.      

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Adapted lenses work very well.  You’re just not going to get as many shots as you would with an EF/EF-S mount camera body.  The EF-M lenses are a good match for the bodies.

Depending on the camera model, you can expect 150-300 photos with the 15-45mm kit lens.  My M3 is older, so it is at the lower end of that scale.  I was getting about 50-100 photos with the EF-S 10-20mm before the battery dropped well below 50%, which is when AF slows down.  I started shooting with a Rokinon 14mm T3.1 and I could shoot all day, well over 300 stills.

Out of curiosity, I tried it with the Sigma 150-500mm.  The model number is not a typo.  I was only able to get around 50 shots before the battery was well under 50%.

I bought the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM, which is my one and only EF-M lens.  It’s makes the M3 the perfect pocket camera with a 35mm equivalent FL.  I can capture high quality images without looking like Joe “The Pro” Photographer in urban environments.

[krahe]

I get 100-180 shots per charge with my M50 Mark II, but a few of those are video and I use EF and EF-S lenses quite a bit, too. Also, I shoot in JPEG + C-RAW and I upload all my still photos directly from the camera to image.canon via WiFi, so that eats up some battery, too. If I were strictly shooting stills with EF-M lenses, I would expect to get well over 200 shots per charge.