*Warning*

It has come to our attention that (as of September 2018) there is a bug in the firmware of the Canon EOS M50 which means that triggering an external flash or studio strobe via the hotshoe can be unreliable. Our understanding is that, to workaround this, set the shutter speed (Tv) in your Photo settings to 1/100 sec. This has been reported to Canon. 


**This bug should have been resolved in M50 firmware 1.0.2 


Basic Setup

The Canon M50, when connected to PBU, will be associated with the DSLR camera option (not the "Slow Motion Camera," though it can be used a slow motion camera for videos). If the camera is NOT in HFR mode, but is instead using a standard 29.97 fps, then you can use it with all the features in PBU, like any compatible Canon.


Like any Canon, you will want to make sure that the mode dial is set to "M."


The screen on the back of the camera must also be flipped open. If the screen is closed, the live view may freeze intermittently.


If you want to record video (of any speed) with the M50, you will want to set the "Shooting Mode" option in the video menu of the M50 to "Manual." Not doing so can cause PBU to tell you that the camera isn't in manual mode, even if the physical dial is set to "M." To get to that setting in the camera menu, unplug the USB cable from the PC, and switch the camera dial to the video symbol. Press the Menu button on the back of the camera, and you'll find Shooting Mode as the top option on the very far left. Essentially the first available option in the left most menu tab. Select it and make sure it's set to Manual. Exit the menu, return the dial to M, and then reconnect the USB cable.


Special instructions for M50 mk2:

The only major difference between the M50 and M50 mk2 in regards to our software is the Add Video Rotate info setting. With the M50 mk2, recording videos while the camera is oriented vertically (portrait), additional meta data is added to video files that can affect rotation in processed videos. It can also add strange "ghosting" to live view in PBU. To fix these errors, the Add Video Rotate Info setting must be disabled.


To do so, disconnect the USB on the M50 and click the Menu button on the back of the camera. Then go to the first yellow wrench tab, and disable Add Video rotate info.



Using High Frame-Rate (HFR) Mode for Slow Motion

One of the great benefits of the M50 is its ability to record high quality slow motion video at 120fps. You can use this with the current version of PBU, but there is an extra step.


First, open the M50 video menu by disconnecting the USB, switching the camera dial to video, and pressing the Menu button. Find the Movie Record Quality setting which should be one of the first you see in the red section of the camera menu. In that section set High Frame Rate to Enabled.


If HFR mode is enabled in the M50, you MUST check the High Frame Rate video enabled box in PBU Settings > Camera > DSLR


Because the video sent to PBU from the M50 is already pre-processed as slow motion, the High Frame Rate video enabled check box will adjust the calculations done by PBU for slow motion video. Our general tutorial on creating Slow Motion video can be found HERE


A couple things to keep in mind when recording in HFR mode with PBU:

  • In camera settings > DSLR Settings, change your Video Tv to "1/125"
    ...and adjust your other DSLR settings values accordingly. This is because no matter what you have selected in Tv, the camera will record at 120 FPS with the other active settings. If Tv isn't set to "1/125" in the Video settings, then your preview will not match the recorded output. Because 1/120 isn't available the live preview and the recorded video may not be exactly the same, but they will be much closer than when standard Tv settings.

  • The M50 cannot get focus while recording video in HFR mode...
    ...so in order to make sure that your videos are in focus, there are a few things worth knowing. First, when PBU controls the M50 in Manual mode, it's going to use the settings for still photos (in the M50) up until the moment that the Video option is selected. Then PBU will use the M50's video mode settings. If you have autofocus enabled for still photos in the camera itself, then the live view will focus automatically. However, when you press the video button on the home screen, that focus will be locked for the duration of the recording, and will not automatically adjust until after the video is completed. This means that it's important for you to place your guests in frame at a fixed distance from the lens before pressing the Video button to begin the video activation.