Canon 1000d upgrade to 500d or 50d

Matt L

Matt L

Messages
852
Name
Matt
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi just wandering if the 500d is a good enough camera and a worthwhile upgrade from the 1000d or whether i should save more and just get the 50d and whether the upgrades will be noticable?

and silly question would the grip i have for the 1000d fit onto either? bg-e5 (i think)
 
Although I have not used one I would say go for the 50D. I think the upgrade would be noticeable to a 500D but probably in features only, whereas I would hope that you'd notice a considerable difference in ISO and low light focussing from a xxD series.
No idea about the grip, Google is your friend ;)
 
Depends on what you think is wrong with your 1000D, why do you want to upgrade?
What glass do you currently have?
 
as for lenses i currently have
the kit lens that came with the 1000d, sigma 17-70, canon 50mm

problems i think is everything seems to be very soft compared to everyone elses shots on here so was hoping that upgrading the body would give me some sharper images, would also like the option to choose which part i meter instead of only having the 3 options (yet to read up whether this is possible on either of the mentioned bodies.)

edit: 500d would allow me to use my current grip but the 50d is a different one.
 
I'd say skip the 500d too, its still a low end camera and the 50d would be a major improvement in terms of features and performance.

Your battery grip would work with the 500d but is not compatible with the 50d.

Although, I personally would buy better lenses before a new body as this is what makes the difference. Perhaps you already have though...
 
Both bodies you mentioned support 'spot metering'.

Can't comment on whether the body upgrade will create sharper images though, I'm still a noobie...
 
Matt L said:
as for lenses i currently have
the kit lens that came with the 1000d, sigma 17-70, canon 50mm

problems i think is everything seems to be very soft compared to everyone elses shots on here so was hoping that upgrading the body would give me some sharper images, would also like the option to choose which part i meter instead of only having the 3 options (yet to read up whether this is possible on either of the mentioned bodies.)

edit: 500d would allow me to use my current grip but the 50d is a different one.
Click to expand...

I would say that upgrading is probably not the route you should take yet.

I take it you mean the 50mm 1.8 II? If so then there is no reason I can think of (except faulty equipment) why you would not be able to acheive sharp pictures with that on a 1000D subject to correct settings and technique. I cannot comment on the Sigma as I have no experience and even less theoretical knowledge of it.

Maybe post up some shots here, get some feedback and go from there.
Sometimes throwing money at the problem only makes it a more expensive problem :)
 
Yeah its the 50mm 1.8 which is relitvely sharp but still seem to be a bit soft compared to everyone elses.

Examples of pics with the 50mm from last night (admittedly poor lighting and not the best pictures to show what i mean)
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j259/mattlindop88/sale/IMG_0886.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j259/mattlindop88/sale/IMG_0888.jpg

linked as i think they would exceed the size limit

yeh they really arent the best pictures to show what i mean, were taken at like midnight last night so not properly bothered about right settings but in general everything seems soft with it.
 
If you are definitely ready to upgrade then I suggest going for the 50D. That way you will have a good camera and will not have to worry if you should have gone for the higher end camera. However as mentioned already make sure a body upgrade is really going to improve your images or capabilities.
 
Matt L said:
Yeah its the 50mm 1.8 which is relitvely sharp but still seem to be a bit soft compared to everyone elses.
Click to expand...

I suspect your lack of sharpness is more to do with your technique than the camera. What camera mode do you shoot in? Do you shoot RAW or JPG, if JPG what image quality. Do you use a tripod where necessary?
 
Gordon Scott said:
I suspect your lack of sharpness is more to do with your technique than the camera. What camera mode do you shoot in? Do you shoot RAW or JPG, if JPG what image quality. Do you use a tripod where necessary?
Click to expand...

Camera mode = 99% apeture mode unless im using off camera flash inwhich case i switch to manual.

format = used to be Large jpeg but now started using raw+jpeg (and i use/edit the raws but i like the jpeg there so i have a thumbnail of what each one is)
 
Matt L said:
Camera mode = 99% apeture mode unless im using off camera flash inwhich case i switch to manual.

format = used to be Large jpeg but now started using raw+jpeg (and i use/edit the raws but i like the jpeg there so i have a thumbnail of what each one is)
Click to expand...

RAW files nearly always need some sharpening, be careful not to go to far though. My understanding is that in camera JPG conversion has sharpening inherent...
Do you sharpen them at the moment?
Also, what ISO do you shoot at?
 
Im not sure whats going on with the 1000d I must say that alot of the soft images I get are due to either my mis-handling or my sigma lens not focusing on the part I want in focus.

IMG_2703.jpg


That was taken with my 1000d and my sigma lens. F4.5 ISO 400 @ 56mm 1/60th sec.

I can see why you want to upgrade to the 50d as it is a far superior camera compared to the 1000d. Regardless of what everyone else states I do think that higher end camera's do add a little bit to the IQ even though the glass is the main bit for IQ.

If you can save up, sell that grip on and just add the money to the funding for your 50d, and buy a spare battery and just keep it charged in your camera bag.

Good luck with what ever choice you take.
 
six6six said:
I can see why you want to upgrade to the 50d as it is a far superior camera compared to the 1000d. Regardless of what everyone else states I do think that higher end camera's do add a little bit to the IQ even though the glass is the main bit for IQ.
Click to expand...

I can definitely see why he would want to upgrade.... I'm approaching upgrading to a 50D myself. But as several have said, don't necessarily expect it to correct the sharpness issues; that is more likely to be in acquisition technique and post processing.
 
I think you also need to take the weight/size of the body into consideration; the 50D is considerably larger than the 1000D and the 500D, with these latter two being virtually identical to each other in that respect. Ergos shouldn't be overlooked here; if you're happy with the more substantial body of the 50D then go for it; it may not have video (anyway it's an anathema to me as to why people would want a hi-res but rather rudimentary video function on a very versatile stills camera; if I want video I'll go out and buy a video camera), and on paper the spec may look similar, but in terms of flexabilty it's head and shoulders over 500D. But, saying that, if a smaller, lighter body is for you, you can't get much better than the 500D at that level.

Go to Jessops and play with some :thumbs:
 
Thanks for all the replies, nifkin, i think i will have to go and try them first, i like the 1000d with the grip on it to bulk it up a bit but not actually seen the 50d in person yet.

i know that the upgraded body wont make them loads sharper but surely it would help a bit, plus i really would like the spot metering option.

Will have to see what they both feel like as on paper they do seem very similar so not entirely sure if the extra £400ish for the 50d seems worth it at the moment.
 
I upgraded from a 400d to 500d in June, together with the upgrade lens to the canon 28-135mm. after a bit of practice I am very happy with it, as it's almost the same spec as the 50d - and you can take very reasonable movies of the kids with it. I personally wouldnt go for the 50d.:thumbs:
 
I'm keeping an eye on this thread as I currently have a 1000d and find it struggles heavily at higher ISO's, i'd also like to have more AF points to choose from and as said I do feel that the IQ on the 1000d is somewhat lacking (may just be operator error)
 
Maybe they could stick a telephone function on the 550D when it comes out so then people can MMS their pics and vids to their friends too; instead of being a camera phone it'll be a phone camera!!! :lol::naughty::lol:
 
Matt

I would spend a bit more time initially on perfecting your shots using the camera functions and investing in how to get the photos you like.

From the two shots you posted I would think it is more technique than camera(?) so an upgrade needs to be carefully thought through as you may be as disappointed with the upgrade body in this respect too!


If I was upgrading I would look at lenses first (in this case perhaps go for EF rather than EF-S so that they are compatible with a wider range of bodies) and then look at the body later. In this case I would bypass the 500D (which is a great camera) and jump into the 50D camp (without a doubt)
 
PS Just took a peak at your website - there are some great shots on there :thumbs:
 
How about an example of the shots you feel you are unhappy with?

Sharpness on web based shots is often more down to the processing technique than the equipment used.
 
Video wouldnt get used or i really doubt it would so thats not bother to me,

Buck, Thanks for the comment about the pictures on the website (got loads more but im waiting for my friend to send me an updated site so haven't updated it since it was first made, think only half the pics in on there were taken with the 1000d the people ones were definatly taken with a 5dmk2 i got to use in the studio.

The upgrade wont happen for a few months so i will still be using my camera to improve my technique so will see closer to the time (this thread was just for ideas on what people thought, which by the looks of it, i need to improve my technique first then go for lens's before the body).

Rich: I would post some of my images from flickr but they have all bin processed to improve them so wouldnt be a very good example to use. but when i get home i will see what i have to upload to show.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top