CANON GEAR OF THE YEAR
It’s a tough job but someone has to do it. We’ve been ‘burdened’ by a dazzling array of Canon photo gear over the last year, arduously putting it through our stringent lab-testing regime, taking it out on the town and into the countryside, and generally revelling in photo opportunities aplenty.
With manufacturers needing to deliver something special to make a splash in a highly competitive marketplace, and with not as much kit as usual being launched due to obvious reasons and global parts shortages, all of the new Canon EOS cameras, lenses and accessories we’ve tested over the last year have been top notch. Our best-on-test gear has really stood out, impressing us with spectacular performance, often at bargain prices, so here are the products that we reviewed and rated, worthy winners one and all…
BEGINNER/BUDGET
WINNER MIRRORLESS CAMERA
Canon EOS M50 Mark II
£589/$599
Issue tested: 179
What we love
Sometimes size really does matter. A full-blown Canon camera kit with multiple lenses can weigh you down but we love the unfeasibly compact build of the M50 Mk II. Even with a trio of zooms like the similarly diminutive EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM, EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM and EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM, plus maybe the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM ‘pancake’ prime, you can shoehorn a comprehensive kit into a tiny bag and be ready for pretty much any photo opportunity. Extra bonuses include a great vari-angle touchscreen, eye/facedetection autofocus and 4K movie capture.
What’s missing?
Like many cameras, 4K movie capture is only available in crop mode, slightly limiting the wide-angle potential.
Why upgrade?
The perfect upgrade from a smartphone or fixed-lens compact camera, the versatility will unleash your creative potential.
WINNER STANDARD PRIME LENS
Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM
£219/$199
Issue tested: 176
What we love
Building on the heritage and reputation of the EF version of this lens, the all-new RF-mount edition is small in size but mighty in performance. We’re amazed at the sharpness and all-round image quality of the RF lens, especially considering it’s so small and lightweight, ideally suiting a slinky full-frame mirrorless body. We’re literally sold on the selling price too, which makes it unbeatable value for such a high-performance and smartly turned-out lens. It really puts the ‘nifty’ into ‘nifty fifty’.
What’s missing?
The lack of optical image stabilization can be a bit of an issue when shooting with a non-IBIS EOS R or RP camera.
Why upgrade?
A fast 50mm prime is a musthave lens for many of us and, at this price, it would be rude not to.
7Artisans 10mm f/2.8 Fisheye
£279/$256
Tested: digitalcameraworld.com
What we love
A fisheye lens gives you
