I Bought a Canon EOS R50 V, Which Might Also Work as a VR Camera
I bought a Canon EOS R50 V as my new video camera. This time I am writing about how I got there and my first impressions.
Along with the PowerShot V1, the Canon EOS R50 V is one of Canon's recent cameras focused on video. The PowerShot V1 has an internal fan to prevent thermal shutdown. When I think of cameras with fans, high-end models like the Sony FX30 and SIGMA fp come to mind, but this kind of mechanism has not really been adopted in entry-level products until now.
For my main use case, which is recording and streaming seminar videos for long periods, it is common for a camera to stop because of overheating or its overheat protection mechanism. I have run into this problem several times myself, so I had been waiting for an entry-level camera with a fan.
Unlike the PowerShot V1, the R50 V does not have a built-in fan, but it has its own heat dissipation structure. I knew from the release information that it could shoot for long periods, so I was already thinking of buying one of the two.
By the way, my current ZV-1 was purchased in 2020. It does not connect via USB Type-C, and I have used it quite a lot, so it feels about time to retire it. After that I got a Fujifilm X-E4 as a display clearance item. Its image quality is excellent, but it was not suited to video. I tried things like attaching an external fan, but they did not work very well.
I traded in that X-E4 and got the Canon EOS R50 V in something close to an even exchange. The X-E4 is a popular model that goes for nearly 200,000 yen on the used market.
Expectations as a Compact VR Camera
I bought the R50 V as a video camera, but at first I thought the PowerShot V1 might be better. The ZV-1 also had an integrated lens, and I did not think I would change lenses that often for my use case.
Then I remembered trying a VR lens at Canon's booth at VisionDevCamp Tokyo 2025. This VR lens can be attached to Canon interchangeable-lens cameras, and when you shoot with it and convert the footage to the specified format, you can watch immersive video on devices such as Vision Pro.
Once I learned on the website that this lens can also be attached to the EOS R50 V, my desire to buy the R50 V rose sharply. I had already been considering buying it even without using it as a VR camera, so seeing that support status made up my mind.
There are two types of VR lenses that can be attached to the EOS R50 V. The RF-S3.9mm F3.5 STM DUAL FISHEYE is the one I am thinking of buying this time. It costs nearly 170,000 yen, so it is more expensive than the camera body. Still, there are things I will not understand unless I actually get it and use it myself. That is the investment.
I am not trying to become a VR camera operator. I simply want to try making content using immersive video myself, then study the surrounding application development and experience design so I can use that knowledge in my work.