Canon Launches Pair of Cameras and Lenses

2025.03.26

Canon stocked up on releases to announce 4 new digital imaging products today. The news includes a pair of cameras and also a pair of lenses. While, one of the cameras, the Canon Powershot V1 was already launched in Japan, all three other products are new.

The most curious new offering is the completely new Canon EOS R50 V. This Mirrorless Digital Camera is built around a 24 megapixels APS-C Dual-Pixel AF CMOS sensor mounted inside a body with an entirely new design that is optimized for video capture. This camera uses the Canon RF-mount and therefore accepts the same RF and RF-S lenses as all other APS-C cameras using the same lens mount.

This model follows a recent trend of producing highly compact cameras aimed at videographers. This one is among the smallest and lightest Canon offerings in the RF-series. With the exception of the EOS R7, no other Canon APS-C mirrorless includes Image-Stabilization, allowing them to be mode smaller at the expense of a major feature. Even more critical is the fact that the Canon EOS R50 V does not offer any type of viewfinder, nor a means to add one. This essentially makes it a video-only camera and even videographers will find themselves restricted when recording in bright light by this significant omission.

Those unfazed by the lack of EVF and IBIS, will find a highly compact mirrorless digital camera with dual control-dials, a movie-centric mode dial and front Record button. There are still the standard PASM Exposure-Modes for photography, only accessible via the menu system. Even though this camera is rather slim, Canon decided to include a hybrid shutter-mechanism inside the body. Without motors to move the sensor though, this is one of the few modern cameras to not include sensor cleaning either.

Video capabilities include 4K Ultra-HD capture at 60 FPS and 1080p HD at 120 FPS. A new XF-HEVC S 10-bit 4:2:2 video format debuts on this camera and promises high-quality encoding. The R50 V can output clean 4K video over HDMI and supports USB Live-Video Streaming. Builtin microphones capture stereo audio while extra contacts in the hot-shoe allow the camera to record 4-Channel 24-bit 48KHz audio.

The new Canon EOS R50 V is expected by May for $850 USD, including a compact power-zoom kit lens which was also launched today. Speaking of which, here it is:

The Canon RF-S 14-30mm F/4-6.3 IS STM PZ is a highly compact variable aperture power-zoom lens which covers an APS-C imaging area. It has dim maximum aperture range, like the vast majority of kit lenses. At least, Canon included a capable 5-stop optical image-stabilization system to compensate. It is important to note that, for videography specifically, stabilization is not a critical feature with relatively wide lenses since the shutter must always operate at least as fast as the video frame-rate. This means that video is never captured at less than 1/30s which is enough to shoot hand-held using a 30mm lens.

Back to the realm of photography, the new Canon RF 20mm F/1.4L VCM is an ultra-bright prime Full-Frame lens for Canon RF-mount. It is currently the widest prime lens native to the mount, capturing an expansive 94° field-of-view, surpassing the Canon RF 24mm F/1.4L VCM by 10°. With its extremely wide angle and a bright aperture, this lens is ideally suited for astrophotography, night architecture and vast interiors. As an L-series Canon lens, this is a premium offering designed for optical excellence.

The Canon RF 20mm F/1.4L VCM has a minimum focus-distance of 20cm that gives it a 0.19X magnification. It accepts standard 67mm screw-on filters and gel filters at the back. Its internal focus motor provides fast and quite autofocus which makes it suitable for video capture. This lens has a dedicated aperture-ring, focus-ring plus a customizable control-ring. The VCM motor allows for Quick-Shift AF even with the focus-switch set to AF.

This lens is surprisingly compact and light for its focal-length and maximum aperture combination, measuring 10cm long and weighing 519g. As with other L-series models, the RF 20mm F/1.4L is weatherproof. Canon also expects to have this lens shipped by May. It comes at a $1700 USD price which is inline with expectations. Both Adorama and B&H Photo are already accepting preorders.

• Digital Camera
• Lens