Canon EOS 50D

Review Date
October 19, 2009

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
2.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by
betaemages , Expert

Price Paid
$58500.00 at CANON INDIA

Photography Experience
6-10 years , People

Summary
I purchased this Canon 50d 4 months ago, looking around the previews and other, finally i purchased. mostly previews i seen the problem of image quality the mentioned. i'm using 18-55 one kit lens also canon's brand new 24-70 2.8L usm. result is different, i agree but that any body can simply say. we're paying 12-13 times more money than to a 24-70 instead of an 18-55. then there must be difference in all ways.and i like the micreo adjustment in the 50d, its perfect, sometimes u will get it also razor sharp images even in your 18-55, if your adjusting the micro adjustment in the 50d/5dMK2.

Strengths
good image quality, robust construction, better menu, good grip, good battery life, auto turn off

Weaknesses
on/off button is not in proper place, live view is not so good, more pixels(actually no need this much 15 mega, if some body working for really professional works, they will not use this semi pro dslr, absolutely they will go for some higher catogery canon or some medium formats), autofocus assist only works with external flash on

Similar Products Used
Nikon d200

Customer Service
good

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Review Date
April 13, 2009

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
3.78 of 5, 9 votes

Reviewed by
The Digital Mage , Expert

Price Paid
$1119.00 at Circuit City

Photography Experience
21+ years , Other

Summary
I read dpreview's disparaging summation of this camera. I thought, hey, this is CANON we're talking about! A dud? Sorry, bud. Don't believe it.

I had a 40D. I loved the 40D. I had not a single issue, or problem with it. I saw a 50D on at Circuit City, during their going out of business sale. I bought the cam and another 28-135 IS lens for the price you see, above. I did not need a camera. I could have waited a bit then sold it on Ebay, and made a little money. I just had to know.

Buying a camera in Feb. when you live in the Midwest is not a good idea. It just sits there, bugging you to use it. I did a few shots indoors - mostly at a local museum called Hulman and Company. That's Tony Hulman - mafia dawn, and father of the 500 mile race. His old business, which supplied stock to hundreds of mom and pop grocery stores, still has many of the items that were used in the early 20th century.

When I got home I learned the meaning of the term "resolution." The detail jumped off the image and hit me, right between the steely grays! Since then I have had the chance to use the cam a little more, but not nearly as much as I would like. In every pic it has taken that amazing detail is better then I ever got, with film!

I had a 20, 30 and 40D. I STILL may not know what I have in the 50D but I found out a lot more when I went to Louisville last month and shot the city at night, from across the river. I had done that shot several times before. The 50D made the rest look sick - REALLY sick!

My name is not Agnes. I don't use the cam to shoot the grandkids (sic). My web site is http://www.MageProductions.com. I know what I'm talking about.

This cam has more IN YOUR FACE resolution than any other you can buy, today. Yes, the noise is a little higher at ridiculous ISO settings. But not that much. Anybody that uses those settings should expect noise. The noise I see it still a lot less than it would be with film. That kind of film aint cheap, and you don't buy it at Wal Mart!

I have an image I shot with a 70-300 IS, 300 feet away from a log cabin. I can see spider webs, in the corners of the windows! The detail in the leaf litter is unbelievable and the purple fringing where the sky is behind the branches is GONE - completely gone! I have done about 15-20 minutes worth of post processing, using several filters, in order to get what comes right out of this cam!

Ah, but the bottom line is, will YOU like this cam? Maybe. Do you like resolution? Do you like to see detail in your pics? If you're a portrait photographer, you are going to have to do some blurring. But you have to do that even with a 5D. The rest of it, well, it's progressing too, and at a rate you would expect. The color rendition, the auto-focus, the metering - all marginally better on this cam, as is the burst rate, etc. And there's enough gizmoz so you'll need to grow another brain...

Bottom line - if you're into image quality, this is the one (as of 04-2009).

Maybe dpreview got a poor copy ... ???

Strengths
resolution, Resolution, RESOLUTION!

Weaknesses
a little more noise than the 40D, but not much.

Similar Products Used
20D, 30D, 40D

Customer Service
never used

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Review Date
January 12, 2009

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
4.11 of 5, 9 votes

Reviewed by
Doug Vann , Expert

Price Paid
$1349.00 at Future Shop

Photography Experience
21+ years

Summary
The price I paid included the 17-85 IS lens. I have 2 Canon L lenses so was not really looking for another lens however the price was so good that I could not turn it down. I am glad I also got the lens. The focal range is excellent and after comparing several shots using this lens and my 17-40 L lens.....I can't see any difference. That is after enlarging several times on my iMac screen. I am now wondering if I should sell my 17-40 lens and keep the 17-85???
As far as the camera goes I am very happy with it. Before selling my XTi I did some comparison shots between the 2 cameras using the tripod and exact same settings and lens. The differences showed up the more you enlarge the pictures. The XTi did take pretty good shots with the L lenses but the 50D is even better. Also the lower light ability of the 50D is nice. It definitely takes better low light shots than the XTi. Also for some reason I am getting way better flash shots with the 50D then I got with the XTi. This is when using my older Canon 550EX flash unit. I was ready to sell the flash when I had the XTi - now no way.
The screen on the back of the camera is way better then any other I have seen which is a big plus. The live view feature is an addition but I don't seem to use that a lot and it also seems to run the battery down a little faster when using it. There are several other features about the camera that just make it a nice unit to use. Overall I would have to say that the digital SLR's have got so good over the past year or 2 that it is getting hard to tell differences. I think where you are going to find differences is in the quality of your lens that is attached to the camera. A great lens may be what makes most of the difference. A cheaper lens on a great camera is going to give you questionable results. A great lens on an entry level camera such as the XTi gives excellent pictures.

Strengths
Great low light performance, IQ, build quality & quality feel, works great with Canon flash units.

Weaknesses
Can't think of any...

Similar Products Used
Canon rebel XTi 10MP, Canon rebel 6MP, Canon Elan 7

Customer Service
Not needed

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Review Date
January 10, 2009

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
3.57 of 5, 7 votes

Reviewed by
RAC23 , Professional

Price Paid
$1100.00 at On line

Photography Experience
21+ years , Fine Art

Summary
Anyone who would give this camera a rating below a 4 of 5, really can't be trusted. This is a fine little camera. It is a much better camera than the 40D, with improved resolution, rear LCD, and a terrific micro focusing feature for over 20 lenses.

The other two reviews here are totally unreliable. They are either written by the totally inept or by blatant liars. And since one claims to be a professional, I suspect him of being both.

Read more reviews before dismissing this piece of equipment.

Strengths
High resolution. Excellent features. Moderate price.

Weaknesses
Could be smaller in the hand. Some controls could be better placed. Would be improved by weather proofing.

Similar Products Used
Canon 1DS MKII, MkIII, and Canon 40D.

Customer Service
No experience thus far.

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Review Date
January 3, 2009

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
1.13 of 5, 16 votes

Reviewed by
Baddog4306 , Intermediate

Price Paid
$0.00

Photography Experience
2-5 years , Outdoor

Summary
I agree with the previous review. I upgraded from the Rebel XT to the 50D but returned it within a week after shooting about 500 pictures outdoors. I like to crop tightly and thought the extra MPs would help, but I was wrong. Every picture was soft and noisy and I could get none of the detail I expected - even in full sun. I was using EF-S lenses but I think that with so many pixels jammed onto an APS-C sensor any issues in lens quality will show up. If you look at the specs, the pixel size is very small which would probably account for the increased noise. I would recommend only using L-series lenses with this camera, unless of course you like the softer look. I returned the camera and now have a 40D - older technology but tried and true.

Strengths
Great features, much better LCD on the back with improved resolution.

Weaknesses
Lots of noise, low detail.

Similar Products Used
Canon Rebel XT

Customer Service
N/A

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