40D upgrade to 50D for the microadjustment worthwhile?

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Ozy
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Hi everyone,

as above, i currently own a 40D, and can use on occasion a 50D, i like both in all honesty, great feel in my hands etc etc.

I am considering upgrading to the 50D though so that I can make use of the micro adjustment.

Ive read alot of things online that basicly say all camera's and lens's are manufactured under tollerances, and getting a lens that is pin sharp is just a case of the lens and camera matching.

So say my camera was manufactured at -2, and my best lens was manufactured at +2, that gives me 0 and a perfect pin sharp lens.

In reality ive heard the tolerance is usually between +3 and -3 at manufacture, although neither canon or nikon will tell anyone there tollerances.

The thing is, if i get a 50D over my 40D and I buy a lens from someone on here or other and it was tack sharp on theres but not mine, surely the microadjustment system should correct the issues?

Therefor giving me a huge improvement on all my lens's?

Or in practise am I way out, and the microadjustment is just a gimmick that in reality offers very little benefit?

thanks for your help (hope the above makes sense)
 
40D to a 50D is an update, not an upgrade....although it's an update which I'm hoping to make myself pretty soon....along with a 7D!! ;)
 
Some people believe a 60D or similar will be arriving soon, so you may want to wait.

What do you normally photograph?
 
Microadjustment will enable you to set your lenses to suit a particular 50D model but can't do much for an inherently poor quality lens apart from improving it slightly if the lens is badly out.

It won't turn a normal quality lens into L glass quality.
 
Not sure 40-50 is a worthwhile upgrade, go for the 7D.

7D as lovely as it is, is over my budget by a fair bit.

40D to a 50D is an update, not an upgrade....although it's an update which I'm hoping to make myself pretty soon....along with a 7D!! ;)

As i said, i cant afford a 7D lol, so 50D is the option for now!!

Some people believe a 60D or similar will be arriving soon, so you may want to wait.

What do you normally photograph?

I photography anything and everything, i will literally try my hand at anything, and i just enjoy taking photo's doesnt matter what im shooting lol

The 60D will come in way over my budget at realease.

The 50D is the only real option I have at the mo, that or keep the 40D
 
Microadjustment will enable you to set your lenses to suit a particular 50D model but can't do much for an inherently poor quality lens apart from improving it slightly if the lens is badly out.

It won't turn a normal quality lens into L glass quality.

ive got a good few L lens's and the rest arent shabby neither ;) check out my kit bag
 

lol i didnt mean it like that, i just meant the micro adjustment would be worthwhile with the lens's ive got.

lol sorry did come across a bit arrogant on re reading it lol

:bonk:
 
I've ordered my 50D, should be arriving Tuesday/Wednesday. In fact I was thinking of travelling up to Norwich today to pick it up from the warehouse in person but decided I should wait a couple more days!

I'm upgrading from my old faithful 400D - not for the microadjustment (I'd probably make it worse) but for things like double the FPS, high ISO and the amazing liveview features it has which will make manually focussing when using a TC so much easier and more precise.

I wouldn't mind a 7D though if anyone has a spare.
 
I am not a big fan of MA from when I got my 1dmk3, every lens needed +15-+20 yet they were bang on on my 1dmk2 and 1dsmk2.

but did adjusting them +15-+20 make a big differnce to your IQ?

I dont care how much i have to adjust by, if it gives me better results!

if i will see no gain at all, ill keep my 40D which i am happy with, i just thought the 50D and microadjustment would be an upgrade.
 
but did adjusting them +15-+20 make a big differnce to your IQ?

I dont care how much i have to adjust by, if it gives me better results!

if i will see no gain at all, ill keep my 40D which i am happy with, i just thought the 50D and microadjustment would be an upgrade.
Thats my point, I had to use 15-20 to make them as sharp as they were on my 3 other bodies, there was nothing wrong with the lenses.I use the same lenses on my 1dsmk3 and 7d not even looked at the MA on these 2 bodies.
 
Thats my point, I had to use 15-20 to make them as sharp as they were on my 3 other bodies, there was nothing wrong with the lenses.I use the same lenses on my 1dsmk3 and 7d not even looked at the MA on these 2 bodies.

It would appear ill be keeping my 40D and buying some new lens's instead then :)

Thanks for your help mate, wanted someone with experience of both to comment.
 
MA certainly isn't a gimmick - the whole idea is to enable users to sort out their own minor focus problems rather than returning equipment to Canon for calibration. Having said that, I wouldn't have thought that MA alone would be the prime reason for swapping to a 50D unless you think you're experiencing AF problems at the moment.

At launch, the 50D added 50% more pixels over the 40D - an unheard of and jaw dropping increase in pixel density at the time, and bringing a massive increase in cropping ability with the ability to still retain detail to those who need it.

The 40D is a great camera, but shooting birds side by side with a 40D and 50D, we soon realised that the 40D really couldn't compete, and ours was swapped for another 50D - since exchanged for a 7D.

If you don't need the massive pixel density of the 50D or make really massive prints, then you'd probably be as well served by your 40D.
 
MA certainly isn't a gimmick - the whole idea is to enable users to sort out their own minor focus problems rather than returning equipment to Canon for calibration. Having said that, I wouldn't have thought that MA alone would be the prime reason for swapping to a 50D unless you think you're experiencing AF problems at the moment.

At launch, the 50D added 50% more pixels over the 40D - an unheard of and jaw dropping increase in pixel density at the time, and bringing a massive increase in cropping ability with the ability to still retain detail to those who need it.

The 40D is a great camera, but shooting birds side by side with a 40D and 50D, we soon realised that the 40D really couldn't compete, and ours was swapped for another 50D - since exchanged for a 7D.

If you don't need the massive pixel density of the 50D or make really massive prints, then you'd probably be as well served by your 40D.


my 40D serves me well yes, id be lying if i said otherwise, its a lovely camera.

I shoot alot of motorsport, so i guess the ability to crop images down and maintain alot of detail would be an advantage. although not something ive considered before.

another reason i considered it was the fact that my dad has a 50D and he teaches me alot of techniques and things to have a go at, and it would be easier for him to show me, if he knew his way around my camera (he went from 30D to 50D).

Im confused lol
 
Im confused lol

I know the feeling. :p

It really comes down to what you shoot as to whether you'd really see the benefits from the 50D. The 50D is pretty well ideal for me which is why we ended up with two of them which so suited our needs I couldn't really see us needing to change for a long time. In the event the 7D was launched soon afterwards and one 50D has been changed for a 7D.

The 50D still holds up well though in comparison to the 7D as far as IQ is concerned at least, and is still a great wildllife camera in my opinion. Don't forget that those 5 million extra pixels mean you get a substantial increase in effective reach of all your lenses.
 
not really particularly when you'll get less IQ and more noise from the 50D

Hi everyone,

as above, i currently own a 40D, and can use on occasion a 50D, i like both in all honesty, great feel in my hands etc etc.

I am considering upgrading to the 50D though so that I can make use of the micro adjustment.

Ive read alot of things online that basicly say all camera's and lens's are manufactured under tollerances, and getting a lens that is pin sharp is just a case of the lens and camera matching.

So say my camera was manufactured at -2, and my best lens was manufactured at +2, that gives me 0 and a perfect pin sharp lens.

In reality ive heard the tolerance is usually between +3 and -3 at manufacture, although neither canon or nikon will tell anyone there tollerances.

The thing is, if i get a 50D over my 40D and I buy a lens from someone on here or other and it was tack sharp on theres but not mine, surely the microadjustment system should correct the issues?

Therefor giving me a huge improvement on all my lens's?

Or in practise am I way out, and the microadjustment is just a gimmick that in reality offers very little benefit?

thanks for your help (hope the above makes sense)
 
I've got both cameras and must admit that I have never used the micro adjust on the 50D, perhaps I should try it but I've never felt the need. I think there is very little to choose between the two cameras, I don't even think about which I reach for. The extra 5mp sounds like a lot but the 40D will easily produce A1 prints so I don't think it's a real issue. Personally I'd say stick with the 40D and save yourself some cash.
 
Have a look on YouTube, there's a few reviews there where they compare them side by side, there were enough important differences for me to know I wanted the 50D over the 40D, but I'm not sure I'd be that bothered if I already had the 40D.
 
The 50D has a much better lcd screen, which makes it easier for composition with liveview, as well as the ability to crop photos as has been mentioned before.
 
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