Canon EOS R50: Your First Photos and Videos

Start using the Canon EOS R50 by taking a few photos in A+, then switch to Av for background blur or Tv for moving subjects. For video, turn the dial to the movie symbol so you can choose the recording mode and resolution directly.

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This tutorial covers the original EOS R50. Canon’s current online guide covers firmware 1.5.0 or later; older firmware can show different options. Use the setting names below rather than relying on numbered menu tabs. Canon EOS R50 manual

Take your first sharp photo

1. Charge and insert the battery. With the camera switched off, insert the battery and SD card. The card’s label faces the front of the camera.
2. Attach the lens. Align the red mounting marks and rotate the lens until it clicks. Remove the lens cap. If a retractable lens displays an instruction to extend it, rotate its zoom ring into the shooting range.
3. Switch on and set the date, time and time zone. These become part of your photographs’ file information.
4. Turn the mode dial to A+. This is Scene Intelligent Auto: the camera chooses the exposure and autofocus behavior.
5. Frame a subject in good daylight. Support the lens with your left hand and hold the grip with your right.
6. Press the shutter halfway, pause, then press fully. The halfway position starts focusing; the full press takes the photograph.
7. Press Playback and enlarge the picture. Check the subject’s eye or another important detail, rather than judging sharpness from the whole image squeezed onto the screen.

This follows Canon’s basic setup and automatic shooting procedure. Start with a stationary subject so you can learn the shutter button without also having to follow movement. Canon quick start, A+ shooting instructions

Before using a new or previously used card, open MENU → Set-up → Format card. Copy any files you need first: formatting deletes everything on the card, including protected photographs. Canon card formatting

For your first session, choose Large/Fine JPEG in Image quality and leave HDR PQ disabled. JPEG gives you finished pictures that are straightforward to share. RAW becomes useful when you want to process the files yourself; recording RAW alongside JPEG also creates more files to manage. Canon specifies 6000 × 4000 pixels for Large images at the native 3:2 aspect ratio. Canon recording specifications

Learn the Q/SET button next. It opens Quick Control, where you select a displayed setting and change its value. Use it for routine adjustments rather than searching every menu page. Canon Quick Control

Get softer backgrounds in portraits

Turn the mode dial to Av, press ISO and select AUTO, then turn the main dial to choose the lowest available f-number. You now control aperture while the camera selects shutter speed. A lower f-number produces a shallower zone of acceptable focus; a higher number brings more of the scene into focus. Canon Av instructions

For a person, set these options in the AF menu:

• AF operation: Servo AF
• AF area: Whole area AF
• Subject to detect: People
• Eye detection: Auto

Tap the intended person on the screen, then hold the shutter halfway as you prepare to shoot. Servo AF keeps adjusting focus while the button remains half-pressed, which helps when someone sways or changes position. A blue focus frame is normal in Servo AF; you do not need to wait for the green confirmation used by One-Shot AF. Canon subject and eye detection, Canon AF operation

With a zoom lens, try its longer end, step back enough to frame the person, and place them well away from the background. Those distances matter: a wall immediately behind someone will remain more recognizable than trees several metres behind them.

The lowest available aperture depends on your lens and sometimes its zoom position. If the camera will not select f/1.8, turning another dial cannot unlock it. You can still improve separation by changing your position and the background distance.

For a group arranged in multiple rows, try f/5.6 or f/8 as a starting point and inspect both the nearest and farthest faces. These are practice settings, not a guarantee that every arrangement will be sharp.

If a portrait is too dark in Av, press the up cross key to select exposure compensation, then turn the dial toward +. Try +2/3 stop, take another photograph, and compare. Turn toward − when the result is too bright, and return compensation to zero afterward. Canon R50 exposure compensation instructions

Freeze children, pets and other movement

Turn the dial to Tv, select Auto ISO, and turn the main dial to set shutter speed. In Tv, you choose how long the exposure lasts and the camera chooses aperture. Canon Tv instructions

Use these as starting points, then inspect your results:

• 1/250 second: a person walking or making small movements.
• 1/500 second: active children or a pet moving at moderate speed.
• 1/1000 second: running, jumping or faster outdoor action.

Keep Servo AF enabled. Choose People for children or Animals for dogs, cats and birds. Select a continuous drive mode when you want several frames from one press.

If the background looks sharp but the subject has smeared hands, feet or fur, try a faster shutter speed. Focus tracking cannot prevent blur caused by movement during the exposure. If the whole picture looks smeared, improve your grip and increase shutter speed before assuming the lens is faulty.

Indoors, these faster settings need more light. Auto ISO may rise, making the photograph grainier. Move closer to a window or another brighter area before forcing ISO lower: a lower ISO setting does not create the light needed to freeze movement.

Use short bursts on the R50. RTINGS measured a buffer of nine RAW photographs versus 32 JPEG photographs, with a four-second buffer empty time in its test. Those results explain why holding the shutter can produce an initial rush followed by slower shooting; your exact count will depend on settings and conditions. RTINGS Canon EOS R50 measurements

For practice, anticipate one moment, shoot a brief burst, release the button and prepare for the next. Choosing JPEG gives you more room for a sequence; buying a different card does not enlarge the camera’s internal buffer.

Record your first video without missing settings

1. Turn the mode dial to the movie symbol. Use this position while learning video settings.
2. Open MENU → Shooting → Shooting mode → Movie auto exposure.
3. Open Shooting → Movie rec. size. Start with Full HD, 29.97 fps, IPB (Standard), or 25.00 fps when using the PAL video system.
4. Check AF → Movie Servo AF → Enable so focus follows your subject during recording.
5. Frame the shot, focus, and press the movie shooting button. Confirm that REC appears. Press the button again to stop.

Canon documents movie exposure separately from still photography. Turning the photo dial to M is therefore not the same procedure as selecting Movie manual exp. inside movie mode. Canon movie recording instructions, Movie Servo AF

Choose Full HD first if you want smaller files and easier playback. Switch to 4K at 29.97 or 25.00 fps when you want more detail. The available frame rates follow Set-up → Video system; after changing that setting, check Movie rec. size again. Canon movie recording sizes

For a talking-head clip, face a window, keep the camera supported, and record a short sample. Play it back with sound before recording the whole presentation. Check whether your voice is clear, whether focus stays on your face and whether the background is distracting.

When you want more consistent motion rendering, select Movie manual exp. and try 1/60 second for 29.97 fps or 1/50 second for 25 fps, with Auto ISO. These are conventional starting points rather than compulsory settings; artificial lighting may require adjustments to avoid flicker.

If video suddenly looks more tightly framed, check Movie digital IS. Canon states that digital stabilization crops the image; the Enhanced setting tightens the framing further. Judge your composition after choosing stabilization. Ordinary movie recording also has a one-hour limit per clip, and heat can stop recording earlier. Canon stabilization options, Recording limits

Buy only what the setup needs

If you need a memory card, the SanDisk Extreme PRO 128GB SDXC UHS-I U3 V30 is a suitable starting choice. Its U3 rating meets Canon’s stated requirement for 4K IPB Standard recording. The drawback is that it cannot remove the R50’s short RAW burst limit. Keep an existing compatible card if it already records reliably; there is no product here that deserves a blanket skip warning. SanDisk card datasheet, Canon card requirements

Before buying another lens, repeat three exercises with the one you have: photograph the same person at two apertures, photograph movement at two shutter speeds, and record a short video with playback. Change one setting each time. Comparing those results will show whether the next improvement requires a different setting, better light or additional equipment.