Apr 6, 2023
As we’ve covered on the Soundstripe blog quite a bit, we’re truly living in the golden age of YouTube. (Just don’t get us started on how to legally use copyrighted music on YouTube — we could talk endlessly about the importance of that topic.)
We have written quite in-depth in the past about how to start a YouTube channel though, and in particular how to find the best camera for launching your YouTube channel and brand. Well, while there are still plenty of great starter cameras out there, we might have just found the new, perfect camera for those looking to dive into YouTube content creation for the very first time
Introducing the new Canon R50 camera, the heir apparent to the Canon M50, this just released Canon camera might be the best bang for your buck camera out there.
So, let’s take a look at this new Canon camera and its irresistible sub-$1,000 price point to see if it might be the new best starter YouTube camera on the market.
Introducing the Canon R50
As you can see in our video review above from our Soundstripe YouTube channel, this Canon R50 is a small, compact, and “cheap” camera that is actually a force to be reckoned with. Unlike a lot of camera reviews which you’ll find online, we really wanted to take this R50 through the paces and outfitted it to serve as the A-camera for a full-blown commercial shoot.
As our hosts point out, a lot of what makes this possible is the right lenses, lighting, and expertise of course, but you can easily make the argument that the R50 — despite being several thousand dollars cheaper than what you might expect for this type of work — has all of the basic elements you need for a shoot like this.
In particular, the Canon R50 picks up where the highly affordable and popular Canon M50 leaves off and offers the quality 4K video which has become necessary for most levels of video production these days. Add in some 10-bit recording capability and you’d be hard pressed to get better specs out of a $3,000 camera from most competitors.
With Canon color science fast at work behind the lens, and the ever-improving phase-detect auto-focus at your disposal, you can see that the guys loved taking this camera through the paces on set and had no issues with its capabilities.
What to look for in a YouTube starter camera
As mentioned above, when looking to purchase (or rent or borrow) a camera to start your own YouTube channel or brand, there are a lot of options. Like, so many options out there. Most camera store clerks or online buy-guides will recommend a flagship camera from the likes of Canon, Sony, Panasonic, Fujifilm or Blackmagic which usually retail for around $2,500 to $5,000.
However, if you’re truly starting a YouTube channel for the first time and aren’t looking to invest everything you might have into your camera off the bat, a sub-$1,000 option like the Canon R50 might be your best bet.
At the end of the day, you’re looking for basic specs like these:
- 4K video
- High frame rate recording
- Flippable or vari-angle touchscreen
- Strong auto-focus
- Functional reliability
The Canon R50 easily fits the bill for all five of these features and very much shines in each. You can always shop around (the Sony ZVE10 is quite similar and great as well), but if you want to follow our advice this is certainly the proto-type for a great YouTube starter camera.
The Canon R50 full specs and price
Marketed as a highly versatile mirrorless camera designed for sophisticated photo and video work, by its own admission the Canon R50 is really targeted towards online content creators and vloggers looking to launch their channels and brands.
With a 24.2MP sensor and Canon’s DIGIC X Image Processor powering this tight and compact camera, the Canon R50 includes UHD 4K video recording at up to 30fps along with some really neat extra functions like vertical movie mode, movie previews for close-up demos and all the usual Wi-Fi and Bluetooth bells and whistles of the modern Canon camera.
Here are the full specs and price for the Canon R50:
- 24.2MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
- DIGIC X Image Processor
- UHD 4K 30p Video Recording
- Dual Pixel CMOS AF II with 651 Zones
- 2.36m-Dot Electronic Viewfinder
- 3.0" 1.62m-Dot Vari-Angle Touchscreen
- 15 fps Electronic Shutter
- Movie for Close-Up Demos Mode
- Vertical Movie Mode
- Multi-Function Shoe, Wi-Fi & Bluetooth
Price: $679.00
And, as always, be sure to follow us on YouTube to check out our latest camera reviews and tutorials.