Canon
EOS M50 II 2020
Best for Beginners & vlogging
£449
list price · used from £329 at Wex Photo Video
Decision tools · Compare
EOS M50 II vs A1
Quick take: The A1 has the highest resolution at 50MP; the EOS M50 II is the most affordable; only the A1 is weather sealed.
16 specs side by side·15 genres scored·UK prices from Wex Photo Video and Clifton Cameras
How to read this page. Highlighted cells win that row on the spec alone. Genre scores are the engine's base scores (enthusiast, photo and video); Camera Match re-weights them for your level and priorities. Price buttons are affiliate links; the price you pay is the same.
Sony
A1 2021
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
£4199
new today at Wex Photo Video
Price buttons are affiliate links — GearFrame may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects a score. Learn more
Verdictwhich should you buy?
EOS M50 II — Beginners & Vlogging: Canon's most approachable mirrorless — Dual Pixel AF and beautiful colour science in a beginner-friendly body.
A1 — Professional Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting: 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
Who should buy what
EOS M50 II (2020)
is the right camera for you if…
- Beginners and students wanting an affordable entry into Canon's ecosystem
- Vloggers who need a flip screen and clean HDMI output on a budget
- Content creators who want reliable eye-tracking AF at a low price
- Canon users upgrading from a smartphone or compact camera
A1 (2021)
is the right camera for you if…
- Professional photographers who need resolution and speed without compromise
- Sports and wildlife photographers demanding the absolute fastest Sony
- Studio and fashion photographers who also shoot sport or events
- A9 III or A7R V owners who want a single body that does everything
Full specificationsthe better value in each row is highlighted
| Specification | EOS M50 IICanon · 2020 | A1Sony · 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £449Best | £4,199 |
| Sensor | 24.1MP APS-C CMOS | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | 24.1MP | 50.1MPBest |
| Video | 4K/25p (cropped), 1080p/60p | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | Dual Pixel CMOS AF, 143 AF points, eye detection | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points |
| Stabilisation | No stabilisation | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 10fps | 30fps electronic with full AF/AEBest |
| Battery Life | ~305 shots (CIPA) | ~430 shots (CIPA)Best |
| Weight | 387g (body only)Best | 737g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 116.3 × 88.1 × 58.7mm | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm |
| Weather Sealed | Not weather sealed | YesBest |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.39× | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps |
| Screen | 3.0" vari-angle touchscreen | 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Canon EF-M mount | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-I slot | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB Micro-B, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, micro HDMI | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI |
Wins the row — price, resolution, burst, battery, weight and sealing are compared; text specs aren't ranked.
How they score by genreengine base scores out of 10
Genre
EOS M50 II
A1
Portrait
6.1/10
8.2/10
Street
6.6/10
6.1/10
Travel
5.8/10
5.9/10
Wedding & Events
4.8/10
7.9/10
Vlogging & Video
6.1/10
—
Filmmaking
4.7/10
7.8/10
Documentary
4.9/10
7.6/10
Sports & Action
5.5/10
8.8/10
Landscape
4.9/10
7.6/10
Wildlife
5.4/10
8.7/10
Casual
7.1/10
4.8/10
Food
6.4/10
7.4/10
Macro
4.8/10
7.3/10
Architecture
5.1/10
7.9/10
Astrophotography
4.4/10
6.8/10
Scores come from the same engine as Camera Match: verified specifications weighted by what each genre needs, with documented adjustments. The product page and this table show the enthusiast base score. See how scores are calculated →
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