Canon M50 Mark II vs Sony ZV-E10 In-Depth Comparison

Hello there. This is an in-depth comparison of two of the Best Beginner Video Cameras on the market today; The Canon M50 Mark II vs the Sony ZV-E10.

We’ve pushed both these cameras to their video limits in different setting to see how they would perform.

At the end of this article, we’re going to reveal which one we would prefer and recommend as the best beginner Video Camera.

Throughout the article we’re only going to be looking at video quality and video specs, not photography. We’ll look at the Specs, the Pros and Cons of each Camera, and our honest thoughts about each camera.

Some of the categories covered are just weighed differently. I’m just trying to educate you, so you can decide which camera is best for you, and your needs.

Which is the Better Beginner Video Camera of 2023?

Canon M50 Mark II vs Sony ZV E10

Sony EZ-E10 Vs Canon M50 Mark II. In-depth comparison.

Price

First things first, it’s Price. As a beginner you don’t have a huge budget, so we wanted to keep this below $800. While that is still a bit expensive, we wouldn’t feel right recommending cameras much cheaper than this, for high quality content. The Canon M50 Mark II with the Lens comes in at $699, while the Sony ZV-E10 with the lens comes in at $798. That’s about $100 from each other. The Canon gets a point in this category as it is cheaper.

You’re probably asking yourself, does that $100 make a difference? Keep going and find out.

Sensor size and Processors.

The M50 Mark II is the predecessor of the M50. The M50 Mark II is the second edition of this line up with some slight improvements.

The Sony ZV-E10 features a 24.2MP APS-C EXMOR Sensor and a BIONX X Processor. On the other hand, the Mark II features a 24.2MP APS-C CMOS Sensor and a DIGIC 8 Processor. This is a great sensor for video, and Canon has been using it for years. It is tried and true.

Since both of these cameras have the same Sensor size, we’ll call this a draw.

Best 4K Image

Now let’s go ahead and talk about the best 4K image. Both cameras can shoot 4K. But which one does it better?

To test them, we setup both cameras side by side filming at 4K /24fps. After zooming in 400% we noticed the M50 Mark II had the softer image. This is probably because you’re dealing with a 1.5x crop to begin with. And that’s a 1.5x crop on top of the 1.6x crop built-in to all APS-C Sensors. This gives you a grand total of 2.4x crop in 4K.

The 4K image on the ZV-E10 is impressive. This is because when filming 4K on the Sony, you’re using an over sampled 6K sensor. That means the entire sensor is giving you a 6K readout and the camera is converting that into a 4K image. That feature alone produces the best and sharpest 4K image of the two cameras.

The Sony wins a point in this category.

Auto Focus

Both of these cameras have great auto focus systems, but only when you can use them. Canon still have their dual Pixel Auto Focus, but only when filming in 1080p. When filming in 4K, you only have access to contrast detection. If you’re contempt with 1080p, you can use dual-pixel auto-focus, which allows you to use eye tracking on your subject.

The Sony ZV-E10 incorporated a 425 point fast hypered auto focus system. This tech uses face detection and contrast detection to achieve focusing performance that is fast, accurate and natural.

This category goes to the Sony as it allows eye tracking in 4K and also allows for some extra gimmicks.

Frame Rates and Formats

This may not matter to some. However, if you’re a beginner hoping to get most out their camera, this part is for you.

In the Sony, 4K UHD video recording is possible up to 30fps. In full HD 1080p, frame rates include 24fps, 30fps, and 60fps. Moreover, it offers high speed shooting capabilities up to 1080p at 120fps. In addition to internal recording, you can also record to an external monitor via the HDMI on the side for a clean 4K recording with 4.2.2 sampling and no overheating. This will give you more information to work with in post and overall better image.

The canon does get away with slightly better bit rate, when filming at 4K, capturing 24fps at 120MBPS using the H.264 codes and IPB compression. This does not help in any way due to the APS-C sensor. As far as for full HD 1080p frame rates, you have the options for 24fps, 30fps, and 60fps. The M50 Mark II can also film 120fps but at only 720p.

To sum it all up, the Sony wins again.

Best Slow Motion

As I told you both of these cameras can shot at 120fps. But can they do it Properly?

The M50 Mark II takes second as it can only capture 120fps at 720 p resolution. We don’t find 720p fit for professional work and we’d never use it.

This means the ZV-E10 is the clear winner in this category.

Stabilization

It is important to know that in both of this cameras, mechanical stabilization is only offered by the lens. If you have a lens that says IS or OSS on it, you’re good to go.

Both of these cameras have electronic stabilization, but they impose a crop on the image. On the M50, that additional crop is on top of that 2.4x crop. Let’s go ahead and breakdown these crop factors.

When filming 4K on the Canon, the crop is as follows; When IS OFF, you have a 1.55x crop, IS STANDARD, you have a 1.73x crop, and IS HIGH you have a 2.2x crop.

In 4K on the ZV-E10; IS OFF you get a 1.08x crop, IS STADARD you get a 1.08x crop, and IS HIGH you get a 1.19x crop.

Our vote here goes to the Sony. Overall, it felt less robotic compared to the Sony.

Lens Options

Let’s start with the Canon.

This is Canon’s ML on this camera. The problem with this is that there really isn’t a ton of lens options. Moreover, the M50 lenses are very limited in what they can do. Here at Lituptech Digital, we believe in investing in yourself and your equipment. The M50 might not be a good camera purely for it lens options. Why do I say that? The lens will usually outlive the body. Your M50 lenses will be stuck with this camera only.

Sony knows this so they put the EML on their camera so you can use their whole collection of lenses with their ZV-E10. That way if you upgrade the camera body, you can still use your lenses.

Record Limits

Sony gets an easy point here as it has no record limits. This is really nice for longer interviews, weddings, and talking head stuff. The caveat though is that it does overheat, and that’s something to be aware of.

The Canon is limited to 30 minutes’ record time like almost all other Canons. This happens because the M50 is trying to find a happy middle ground between shooting photos and filming videos.

Color Science

One of the main reasons why we still with Canon cameras is their color science. This is because we feel like their colors look less artificial and more true-to-life.

Dynamic Range and Picture Profiles

We did a variety to tests to check out the picture profiles.

One thing the Sony ZV-E10 has over the M50 Mark II and most other cameras in this price point, is Sony’s Cinema Picture Profiles. And there are 10 different options. These profiles are for the ability to shoot low contrast looks for more grading in post. The camera also offers S-LOG 2 and S-LOG 3, as well as HLG capture. However, this is not a bit color depth camera.

The Canon doesn’t have a LOG Profile; you might be forced to create your own picture profile.

Low light

We tested both cameras filming at 4K 24fps, 150 shutter speed, and a variety of different ISO levels to find the cleanest image. I would recommend not surpassing ISO 3200 on the M50 Mark II and ISO 6400 on the Sony ZV-E10.

LCD Screen

Both of these cameras feature a fully articulating, which is just awesome. The Sony screen is nice and bright and is partly touch screen. This is one of the most frustrating parts about this camera and Sonys in my opinion. Why not just make the whole screen touch screen?

The M50 has the same screen, but this one, is all touch; Settings, Shooting resolution aperture etc. The advantage with this is that you can quickly change your settings depending on what you’re shooting.

Battery Life

When doing the battery tests, we set the cameras indoors shooting the same subject. The Sony will last around 80 minutes, continuously recording at 4K 24fps provided it doesn’t overheat.

The Canon M50 will last about 130 minutes, continuously recording at 4K 24fps. However, USB charging is not supported, so don’t lose the charger that comes with the camera.

Audio and Accessories

Sony

Thanks to its internal directional 3 capsule mic, enables the audio capture to be very clear. It also helps capture the speaker’s voice and the provided wind screen to greatly reduce wind noise. For extended audio options, it includes a digital audio interface via the MI shoe on the top. You can use this to connect an external directional microphone, which is a great option for talking heads and vlogs. In addition, they also included a headphone jack which allows the camera operator to accurately monitor sound recordings. The Sony can also be connected directly to a computer and used as a webcam for streaming.

Canon

The internal Mic on the M50 is not that good. However, you have the option to buy it with a creator kit. The creator kit includes a Tripod, tether cable and a microphone. Unfortunately, the external mics audio is not that different from the internal mic’s audio, and I would not recommend it.

On the body of the M50 you can also wirelessly live stream to YouTube given that your Wi-Fi connection is strong enough. I think that’s pretty cool.