40D - 50D Comparison

Mark

Mark

On reflection, I'll be brief
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After losing my mojo and enthusiasm I sold most of my camera equipment at the beginning of last year, but now having regained my enthusiasm (not sure about the mojo yet) I am in the market for a camera.

And now to the question I think I want a Canon and it was probably the 50D but have been reading that the 40D is still superior in IQ at both high and low ISO than the 50D due to it's increased 15 MP

So I am looking at anyone that has owned / used both to maybe let me know the pros and cons of both

Thanks
:thumbs:
 
I own a 40D and it is an excellent camera, I've had it about a year and it hasn't let me down so far! The 50D does have a higher resolution screen and micro adjustment, but I would rather save the money instead of getting a 50D and put it towards a nice lens. (I have only tried a 50D briefly when a friend purchased one.)

10mp should be plenty unless you are doing large prints, and I quite often shoot in higher ISOs (gigs) and after processing the RAWs, I get great results.
 
Apart from the extra pixels and the screen resolution on the lcd its pretty much the same camera. Theres a few bits better as well, like live view has its own button now. ISO is worse than the 40D, and fps are slower.
 
Per pixel the 50d is noisier. However in my opinion it is considerably less noisy at high iso's if you take a uncropped shot. Not to mention that its expanded iso will reach 6400 when the 40d will only reach 3200. So if you need high iso they are not really comparable.

I have to say at low ISO's i dont notice it to be any more or less noisy than the 40d.

However i don't really like mine. Im almost certain the AF is better on my 40d than my 50d and i've only recently started liking the shots i'm getting.
 
I just made the switch a few weeks ago from the 400d to 40d and WOW , it absolutly smashes the socks off the 400d by a million miles in my opinion, better build, ergonomics,better fps,metering, af, its just amazing,to be honest paying extra for 15mp and a higher res screen doesnt justify it for me, ive also read alot of reviews saying how the 40d copes with noise alot better than the 50d, i now wonder why i didnt do it sooner, oh yeah i forgot (Funds) :bonk:, ive actually got it sitting next to me as im typing this and carnt stop looking at it , I managed to get a good deal, i got a mint 40d body with 2100 clicks and an mint 17-85mm IS usm all boxed as new for £550 , you can pick up a good 40d body for around £400 now. Have a look on here ( www.eos-magazine.com ) there's a few availible, i was going to buy one from here but found one 4 miles down the road....... good luck
 
I owned a 40D and for a while shot side by side with a 40D and 50D. There was no escaping the superiority of the 50D when cropping and retaining detail, so much so that the 40D was swapped for another 50D. That's shooting birds though which absolutely plays to the strengths of the 50D.

If cropping ability isn't important to you then it's difficult to give a compelling reason why you should go for the 50D over the 40D, which will probably serve you just as well. Don't forget though that the 50D puts out 43 mb tiff files (from raw) so if you upload to image libraries very little interpolation is required to reach 50mb file target size. This will also be an advantage if you intend to print very big files.

If you do none of the above then go for the 40D - it's an excellent camera.
 
Either way if you have a 40D or a 50D make sure you adjust the custom settings, they make a big difference to the raw image quality.

The noise issue is really down to these settings, or the fact you're now pixel peeping at 15mp rather than 10mp, which may hide some noise.
I've upgraded my 40D to a 50D and it's much better for me as I can crop harder if required. The rear screen res is nice but not a show stopper, the instant menu ont he joystick is very useful.

If you can afford a 50D then get one, otherwise the 40D is still a great camera.
 
The 50D is the better camera, but only by a small margin. The most important additional feature (for me) that the 50D has is Micro Focus Adjustment. This allows you to correct any lenses that back or front focus slightly.

In low light, the 40D has less per-pixel noise but the 50D's extra resolution means that overall quality for printing is pretty much equal. In good light the extra resolution of the 50D wins out.

Someone above said the 40D provides better noise control than the 7D. This is both true and untrue. From ISO 400 to <1600 the 40D is cleaner, but from 1600 and up the 7D is better, and combined with the extra resolution provides a "virtual stop" of gain. I can print very high quality A5 at ISO 3200 on the 7D where the 40D & 50D would be limeted to ISO 1600.

If money is tight the 40D is the easy choice. It is an excellent camera. IMHO the 40D is the best (for it's time) non-Pro DSLR Canon have released.
 
Thanks for all the feedback guys, as in any comparison their are pros and cons to both, and i appreciate all that took time to post.

As in a lot of things price has a big bearing so in light of a new 40D + 17-85 lens going on the ebay Argos outlet for £557, so i think i may go for that

Thanks all
 
Mark said:
Thanks for all the feedback guys, as in any comparison their are pros and cons to both, and i appreciate all that took time to post.

As in a lot of things price has a big bearing so in light of a new 40D + 17-85 lens going on the ebay Argos outlet for £557, so i think i may go for that

Thanks all
Click to expand...

Think you made the right choice when you way the cost of this.By the time you would have bought a 50D + lens you would have added another £300 to this price,which will buy you a lot.
 
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