Canon EOS 50D 15.1 MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
by Canon
Our Price: $1,749.99
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $599.00 (click here)
Category: Digital Camera
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Digital product summary information
Manufacturer: CanonModel: 50D Body
Product features:
- 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor with improved noise reduction
- Body only; lenses sold separately
- Enhanced Live View shooting includes Face Detection Live mode
- New Lens Peripheral Illumination Correction setting; HDMI output
- Capture images to Compact Flash Type I or II memory cards (not included)
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- Tamron AF 60mm f/2.0 SP DI II LD IF 1:1 Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras
- Joby GP2-D1EN Gorillapod Flexible Tripod for Digital SLR Cameras with Bubble Level
- Serif PhotoPlus X3
- Aperture 3
Digital camera reviews of Canon EOS 50D 15.1 MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
Digital camera Review: $50 per megapixel, what else is new Canon?
Summary: 2 Stars
For a long time Canon user, this camera turned out to be an extreme disappointment. Over the years I trained myself (and suspect many other folks did) to not sallivate over Nikon bodies, instead concentrating on what matters - the sensor, quality lens lineup, and affordability that Canon has always offered in its semi-pro DSLRs. With 50D, all that is gone.
1. The sensor: has higher noise and lower dynamic range compared to predecessor (40D), competition (D90) and cheaper models (Rebel XSi) - I ran my own tests, but don't take my word for it and check other photography sites. I would like to remind to all those who say that the image quality is still decent that one of the main reasons one buys a DSLR is to use it for available light photography. So what if the sensor now has 15 megapixels and "gapless microlenses", if a shot of a sleeping child in a dimly lit room turns out worse than with a camera costing $400-$600 less? What exactly are you paying for? Of course, you can downsample all you want, but the end result is a 7.5 megapixel image (or even less) - what kind of progress is that?
2. Gigantic RAW files. If you shoot JPEGs, don't bother. I shoot RAW almost exclusively and with 50D the RAW files are on average 20-30MB. They will fill up an average size hard drive in no time. A typical photo shoot, say a soccer game, will require 2-3 standard capacity DVDs to archive. Of course, now there is sRAW support, but even though picture size is halved, the files themselves are not much smaller. And then again, you paid for 15MP camera, right? If Canon intended to use full 15MP for, umm, "landscape photography", then you will probably be better off by carrying one of those 14MP point-and-shoots for such occasions. And don't think that upgrading your hard drive and buying a drum of DVDs will set you up... RAW files now take 2-3 times longer to process (at least in Canon's DPP), so a whole new computer might be in order. It woudn't be an issue, if the image quality were superior, but it is in fact worse.
3. Little to no improvement in auto-focus performance. Again, if you mostly shoot buildings and trees and posing brides amd grooms, never mind. Even birds are palatable. For action/sports photography, wiggly children, difficult scenes with complex foreground-background mix, the results will be no better than with any prior Canon, which is to say you'll be lucky if your keeper rate is above 50% (or if you don't mind an occasional blur, after all, with 15MP one can downsample that much more :))
4. No improvement in metering system and still no proper implementation of Auto ISO selection. It's 2008, but you are still getting the same (read: unreliable) functionality as back in 2000. Enough said.
To conclude: I wouldn't be harping too much - after all, as I mentioned there is no perfect DSLR bodies, and eventually one learns to live with their limitations - but the turn Canon took with 50D is just deplorable. There is simply no use case for 15MP cropped sensor DSLR. I could already print near poster size prints from XSi files. For web publishing, you really need 6-8MP tops. The areas that needed improvement remain the same as they were years ago. In the meantime the competition keeps marching forward. All you get with 50D is a nicer LCD and more megapixels that you will ever need or be able to handle. Put the megapixel count aside, and quite simply, 50D is lagging behind much of the competition. If you do not have a large investment in Canon lenses, you will really be better off looking elsewhere.
Summary of Canon EOS 50D 15.1 MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
Canon?s new EOS 50D bridges the gap between the novice and the seasoned pro with a perfect combination of high-speed and quality. It features an APS-C sized 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor for tremendous images, new DIGIC 4 Image Processor for fine detail and superior color reproduction, and improved ISO capabilities up to 12800 for uncompromised shooting even in the dimmest situations. It features a refined 3.0-inch Clear View LCD (920,000 dots) monitor, supercharged Live View Function with Face Detection Live mode, plus a number of new automatic Image Correction settings and HDMI output for viewing images on an HDTV. Pick up the EOS 50D and you?ll experience true digital inspiration.Digital SLRs
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