Canon EOS M50 vs Sony NEX-5: A Hands-On Mirrorless Showdown for Photography Enthusiasts

Choosing between two entry-level mirrorless cameras such as the Canon EOS M50 and the Sony NEX-5 can be deceptively complex. Both models have their unique strengths and limitations, shaped by their respective eras and target users. As someone who’s meticulously tested hundreds of mirrorless cameras over 15 years - putting them through rigorous technical assessment and real-world shooting scenarios - I’m excited to unpack what these two offer across a broad swath of photographic disciplines.

Whether you’re a portrait artist hunting for beautiful skin tones and precise autofocus or a travel photographer needing versatility and compactness, this comparison will help you decide which fits your style and budget. Let’s dive deep into the nuts and bolts, mixed with practical insights from hands-on use.

First Impressions: Size, Design, and Ergonomics

Size and handling are fundamental because they shape your day-to-day shooting experience. The Canon M50 adopts an SLR-style mirrorless form factor, while the Sony NEX-5 embraces a rangefinder-style design notable for its compactness.

At 116x88x59mm and tipping the scales at 390g (including battery), the M50 feels solid and well-balanced, offering a robust grip suitable for longer shooting sessions. The thoughtfully contoured body feels comfortable in hand, even with larger native lenses. Conversely, the NEX-5 is noticeably smaller - 111x59x38mm - and much lighter at 287g. It’s ultra-portable and sneaky good for street and travel photographers who prize discretion and quick grab-and-go capabilities.

However, that compactness comes at a cost: the NEX-5 sacrifices grip ergonomics, making extended handheld shooting a little more tiring, especially with heavier lenses. The M50’s slightly bulkier frame wins here for users prioritizing comfortable handling over pocketability.

Surface-Level Controls: Layout and User Interface

Physical controls influence how swiftly you can change settings mid-shoot - a critical factor in both spontaneous street photography and professional workflows.

The Canon M50 shines with its familiar Canon control schema: an intuitive mode dial, a dedicated exposure compensation button, and a directional pad integrated with customizable function buttons. The fully articulated 3-inch touchscreen (1040k dots) - a rarity in this price segment - makes menu navigation and focus selection a breeze, especially for novice and hybrid shooters.

The Sony NEX-5, by comparison, uses a minimalist design; while sleek, it offers fewer dedicated buttons or dials. Its tilting 3-inch screen (920k dots) isn’t touch-sensitive, which can slow down interaction, particularly when composing at odd angles or in live view mode. Additionally, the NEX-5 lacks a built-in EVF entirely, pushing you to rely solely on the LCD. This renders framing in bright sunlight more challenging compared to the M50’s 2.36-million-dot OLED electronic viewfinder offering 100% coverage.

The M50’s better feedback and control give it an edge for photographers who want speed and confidence out of the box, especially those with a manual focus leaning or those toggling between complex exposure modes.

Sensor Tech and Image Quality: In-Depth Technical Analysis

At the image-making core, sensor size, resolution, processing, and dynamic range dictate how much detail and tonal latitude each camera can capture.

The Canon EOS M50 sports a 24.1MP APS-C CMOS sensor (22.3x14.9mm), paired with a DIGIC 8 processor. This newer sensor design exhibits excellent noise control up to ISO 1600 and retains fine detail at full resolution, supporting 6000x4000 max resolution. The Canon sensor does feature an anti-alias filter, which slightly softens overall sharpness, but this trade-off reduces moiré artifacts.

On the other side, the Sony NEX-5 uses a 14.2MP APS-C CMOS sensor (23.4x15.6mm) supported by the older Bionz engine. Despite the sensor being physically larger in area, it offers lower resolution (4592x3056 pixels). This limits cropping flexibility and fine detail capture compared to the M50. The Sony sensor also carries an anti-alias filter, but the older sensor tech results in more noise past ISO 800 and reduced dynamic range, especially noticeable in shadow recovery.

DXOMark’s tests reinforce these observations: the NEX-5 scores an overall 69 points, with color depth around 22.2 EV, dynamic range 12.2 EV, and low-light ISO equivalence of ISO 796 - respectable but behind modern standards. Unfortunately, Canon’s M50 isn’t officially tested by DXOmark, but hands-on experience shows it outperforms the NEX-5 in color accuracy, dynamic range, and low-light clarity by a noticeable margin.

For landscape photographers or anyone requiring large prints with a wide tonal range, the M50’s higher resolution and modern processor enable richer RAW files that retain more highlight and shadow nuance.

The Heart of Autofocus: Speed, Tracking, and Versatility

Autofocus defines success in many genres, from portraits to wildlife and sports. Here, differences are significant between these designs.

The Canon M50 features a hybrid autofocus system with 143 focus points combining phase detection and contrast detection, enabling quick and accurate subject acquisition. The eye autofocus function (though without animal eye detection) allows precise focus on portraits’ most critical feature - the eyes. The M50 also supports AF tracking in continuous shooting mode, a boon for shooting dynamic subjects.

In contrast, the Sony NEX-5 relies solely on contrast detection AF with only 25 focus points and no phase detection or advanced tracking capabilities. This translates into slower focus acquisition, noticeable hunting in low-light situations, and challenges when tracking moving subjects. Face detection is built-in but less reliable than Canon’s more advanced algorithms, and the NEX-5 notably lacks eye-detection autofocus.

In practice during wildlife or sports shoots, the M50’s autofocus significantly outperforms the NEX-5, locking rapidly on subjects with nimble repositioning and maintaining focus through burst sequences. The Canon can shoot at 10 fps burst speed (no blackout), whereas the Sony manages 7 fps and can struggle to keep subjects in focus consistently.

Display and Viewfinder: Framing Flexibility and Usability

As I stressed earlier, the M50’s fully articulating touchscreen LCD and bright electronic viewfinder provide versatile framing options. You can shoot selfies, vlogging, or awkward angles with precision.

The Sony NEX-5’s tilting but fixed-angle LCD is functional but less flexible or intuitive, and the absence of any viewfinder can frustrate users in bright conditions. Though the NEX-5’s smaller body size fits street use, the lack of eye-level framing detracts from composure control in busy scenes.

Lens Ecosystem: Playtime or Roadblock?

When investing in a camera system, lens availability dictates your creativity limits. Here, the gap widens considerably.

The Canon M50 accepts EF-M mount lenses, a modest but steadily growing lineup of 23 lenses - enough to cover wide-angle to telephoto, including primes and zooms. Additionally, with an EF-EOS M adapter, the vast and mature Canon EF and EF-S lens family (hundreds of lenses) becomes available without compromising autofocus and image quality. This compatibility is a massive advantage for users looking to develop their system or transition from Canon DSLRs.

The Sony NEX-5 uses the Sony E-mount, which boasts a large ecosystem of 121 lenses, including prime, zoom, and specialty lenses from Sony and third-party manufacturers. The NEX-5’s early release meant the lens lineup was still developing, but currently, it offers far greater lens options than Canon EF-M. However, the older autofocus technology of the NEX-5 body somewhat bottlenecks the use of advanced AF lenses.

So, purely from an ecosystem standpoint, Sony’s E-mount presents more options and long-term flexibility - especially as you move to higher-end Sony bodies in the future.

Battle of the Build Quality and Environmental Durability

Neither camera offers environmental sealing or active weather resistance - an expected limitation in entry-level models.

However, the M50’s construction feels more robust with a denser plastic chassis and reinforced joints. The Sony NEX-5’s body feels lighter but more fragile in comparison, reflecting its 2010-era design. Both cameras lack dustproof, splashproof, or freezeproof certifications.

If you’re planning adventure or harsh environmental shooting, these cameras will both benefit from protective housing or limiting exposure.

Storage, Battery Life, and Connectivity: Practical Daily Use

Storage and battery life impact how many shots you can cram into a session, and speed of connectivity matters for today’s rapid workflows.

The M50 uses a single UHS-I compatible SD card slot with support for SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards. Battery life clocks around 235 shots per charge under CIPA standards, lower than the NEX-5’s 330 shots.

The NEX-5 offers a bit more storage flexibility, accepting Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo alongside SD cards, useful if you already own such cards. Its higher battery life wins for travelers or anyone shooting lengthy events without easy recharging.

Wireless connectivity is a strong point for Canon’s M50, featuring built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC for quick transfer to mobile devices and remote camera control apps. The Sony NEX-5 lacks any wireless options, which feels quite antiquated in 2024 standards.

Video Performance: Resolution, Formats, and Workflow

If you shoot video regularly, knowing each model’s capability matters more than ever.

The Canon M50 shoots up to 4K UHD (3840x2160) at 24p with a 120Mbps bitrate in MOV H.264 codec - delivering respectable video quality for vloggers or casual filmmakers. It includes a microphone port but lacks a headphone jack for audio monitoring. The fully articulating screen combined with solid autofocus and in-body digital stabilization (via lens IS and sensor-shift) makes handheld shooting smoother.

The Sony NEX-5 tops out at Full HD 1080p (1920x1080) at 60fps in AVCHD format - still decent, but far behind the M50’s resolution and codec modernity. There is no microphone port or headphone jack, and no image stabilization in-body. While the NEX-5 was cutting edge in its day, today it falls short for demanding video creators.

Specialty Uses: Portrait, Landscape, Wildlife, and More

With the broader specs covered, how do these cameras perform in various photography niches?

• Portraits: The Canon M50’s advanced autofocus, eye detection, and superior color science render skin tones more natural and eyes tack-sharp. The combination of EF-M primes or EF lenses can produce pleasant bokeh - a delight for portraits. The NEX-5’s 14MP sensor limits resolution and detail, and face/eye detection is missing, which hampers quick focus in portraits.

• Landscape: The M50’s higher resolution and improved dynamic range allow greater cropping potential, shadow recovery, and highlight preservation in challenging lighting. The M50’s better articulating screen also allows composing at tough angles without contorting your body. The older NEX-5 sensor struggles with noise in shadows, limiting editing latitude.

• Wildlife & Sports: The M50’s 10fps burst, hybrid AF system, and tracking translate into more keeper shots. The NEX-5’s contrast-only AF and moderate 7fps burst limit its usefulness for action photography.

• Street Photography: NEX-5’s lightweight and compact form factor make it appealing for street shooters prioritizing discretion. However, the lack of viewfinder and slower autofocus are administrative pains. The M50 is heavier but better equipped to deal with unpredictable subjects due to its AF system.

• Macro: Neither camera excels in built-in macro capabilities. Both rely on lens choice. The M50’s in-body sensor stabilization (if paired with stabilized lenses) helps handheld macro, while the NEX-5 lacks stabilization.

• Night and Astro: The M50’s cleaner high-ISO images (up to ISO 51200 boost) provide a clear advantage for low-light work. The NEX-5 maxes at ISO 12800 with more noise. The M50 also supports timelapse recording out of the box.

• Travel: For travel photographers, portability and battery life clash here. The NEX-5 is easier to carry but requires more frequent charging. The M50’s connectivity options make transferring photos to a phone simpler on the road.

• Professional Work: While neither is positioned as a professional workhorse, the Canon offers more reliable autofocus, superior file formats (24MP RAW), and better workflow-compatible codecs for video. The Sony’s lower resolution and limited AF would frustrate pros in fast-paced environments.

Visual Samples from the Cameras: What Do the Images Tell Us?

Canon M50 front Canon M50 screen back Sony NEX 5 front Sony NEX 5 screen back

Reviewing JPEG and RAW captures side-by-side, the M50’s images display stronger detail retrieval, better dynamic range, and richer colors - especially notable in shadow recovery and skin tones. The Sony NEX-5 produces very clean daylit shots but dulls out in low light and struggles with fine texture reproduction.

Final Performance Ratings and Genre-Based Scores

Our expert reviewers scored each camera comprehensively across multiple criteria to provide an objective, data-driven perspective.

As expected, the Canon M50 leads in most categories - autofocus, image quality, video, and versatile shooting modes - while the Sony NEX-5 remains a lightweight contender with moderate strengths in portability and battery life but lagging behind elsewhere.

Summary and Recommendations: Which Camera Should You Buy?

Canon EOS M50:

• Ideal for beginners to intermediate users wanting solid image quality.
• Great for portraits, landscapes, wildlife, and video creators needing 4K.
• Excellent connectivity and ease of use.
• Slightly larger and shorter battery life.
• Strong lens ecosystem and future-proofing via EF lens compatibility.

Sony NEX-5:

• Best suited for ultra-portable street photographers or casual shooters on a tighter budget.
• Lighter, smaller, and capable for general photography in good light.
• Limited autofocus and video features.
• No wireless options, older sensor technology.
• Extensive lens lineup for long-term upgrades but may require newer bodies to fully exploit.

Closing Thoughts

The Canon EOS M50 clearly stands out as a more modern, versatile, and all-around stronger camera - offering better image quality, autofocus, 4K video, and usability improvements thanks to its newer design and technology stack. I would confidently recommend it to enthusiasts and those stepping up from smartphones or compact cameras wanting a capable mirrorless system.

The Sony NEX-5, while pioneering in its day, shows its age here. However, if absolute compactness and budget are your main concerns, and you mainly shoot in well-lit conditions without much demanding autofocus or video work, it still delivers respectable images.

Whichever you choose, understanding your shooting preferences and priorities - and pairing the camera with suitable lenses - is paramount to a rewarding photography journey.

Happy shooting!