Review Canon 50d

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Peter
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Canon 50d

This is by no means an in-depth or expert review, but hopefully something that is useful for those interested in stepping up from their current body. Having been in possession myself of a 10d body for the last seven years, I was interested to see how things had advanced in the xxd range (10, 20, 30, 40 and now 50d).

Body/Layout

The body feels good to hold, not too small and not too big, yet like the 10d, solidly built. The dials and button layout is very similar to the 10d, although much more user friendly. The menu is very well laid out and very easy to navigate around. For me the LCD screen is one of the best improvements, with superb clarity even outside in bright sunlight.

Performance

I have read a lot about ISO performance on this camera, and although I have not done extensive tests, in my opinion, results at 2000 iso, are very acceptable (after PP), something I could not say about the 10d, even at 800 iso.
Much has also been written about live view, and although it is unlikely that it would be required on a regular basis, it does come in to good use, when the camera is on a tripod. For me it is much easier to view the lcd screen, when the tripod is at a low level, rather getting your eye in place, without bumping the camera/tripod.
Another feature that I really like is, by the push of one button you can quickly access your preset picture style parameters (this was a fairly slow process on the 10d).
The camera also has very quick start up time, good burst rate, and good AF.

Conclusion

There are many other great things about this camera, where it appears Canon has gone into fine detail to improve minor details for easier use. This camera is not just about the massive 15 megapixels that frequently gets discussed, it is much more. Given the current price (got mine for £649 from Kerso); I can only highly recommend it.
 
Good review Peter. I am considering one of these, moving up from my bridge camera at present. Very helpful.

Malcolm
 
Good review Peter. I am considering one of these, moving up from my bridge camera at present. Very helpful.

Malcolm

It's well worth it. I just upgraded from an S9600 to a 40D, and the difference is phenomenal.
 
High ISO means you can get shots that you normally wouldn't get. For instance when taking photos of moving horses you need to have a high shutter speed to freeze the feet (hoofs) otherwise they are blurry. You can't use flash around horses that are not used to it and in any case you are probably to far away to make use of flash. So using a high ISO setting will allow you to use a 500+ shutter speed in relatively low light and still get a good shot.
 
Currently waiting for mine to be delivered, but as it's a local holiday up here I doubt if the delivery men will be out today. Can't wait.
 
Added to the directory.

Thank you for taking the time to review for TP (y)
 
I've recently moved from a SonyA200 over to Canon and a 50d.
The impact it has had is nothing short of phenomenal, a fantastic camera sadly superseeded by the 60d.
My only gripe was that a movable screen for live view would have been nice
 
..a fantastic camera sadly superseeded by the 60d.

Perhaps by name but the 60D seems more like a XXXD than a XXD

I guess otherwise it would have been treading on the toes of the 7D
 
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