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| Brand: Canon
Category: Photography
List Price: $2,600.00
Buy New: $1,259.99
You Save: $1340.01 (52%)
New (33)
Rating:  62 reviews
Sales Rank: 70
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Floppy Disk Drive: None
Includes Software: Yes
Optical Zoom: 4.8
Display Size: 3
Maximum Focal Length: 135
Minimum Focal Length: 28
Maximum Resolution: 15100000
Has Red Eye Reduction: Yes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.3
Dimensions (in): 5 x 4 x 3
MPN: 50D 28-135 IS Kit
Model: 50D 28-135 IS Kit
UPC: 013803104677
EAN: 0013803104677
ASIN: B001EQ4BY0
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Some of the feature functions I like. December 30, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Before the year is out, I thought I'd upgrade my Canon 30D to the Canon 50D, to take advantage of, among other reasons, the little tax right off. and the financing deal offered by Circuit City. But my financial objectives are not the reason I'm writing about Canon 50D.But my financial objectives are not the reason I'm writing about Canon 50D.
Since there are a plethora of articles already written about Canon's most recent EOS camera, I thought I'd point out some some function features of the camera that I have already found useful. Keep in mind, I've only had the camera less the 24 hours, but since this is my third Canon DSLR camera (in addition to owning the Canon Powershot G9), the features of this newest model are not foreign to me.
If you do a quick Google search about the 50D, you'll see that many reviews rightly compare the camera to it's predecessor, the 40D. There have been mixed reviews about how much better the 50D is than the 40D. I won't get into that because I never purchased the 40D. But if you're a 20 or 30D owner like myself, stepping up to the either 40D or the 50D is almost a no brainer, especially if you're a serious amateur or professional photographer.
The features of the 50D (which can also be said for the 40D) are very useful for shooters who take lots of pictures, especially in demanding situations. Canon has greatly streamlined the 50D, making controls and features easier to get at. And though image quality is of course primary in selecting a camera, the function features should not be overlooked. When you pay for a camera like this, you should definitely know and use all its features to your advantage.
So here a list of my "first impression" features that I would like to share. As I get more time to play around the camera, I will try to share others.
1. Custom Menu: The 50D comes with a feature called "Registering My Menu" (page 185 in the Manual) which enables you to create a set of six of your favorite or most used menu items. After you select and set up the items, you can push the Menu button on the back of the camera, and your custom set of menu items will be the first to appear. So for instance if you use the Format, Quality, and Auto Bracketing menu items a lot, they will be included in your custom set which means you don't have to scroll to get at them. This little feature doesn't have anything to do with quality photos, but it does save you scrolling and clicking time. (By the way, have you ever stopped and wondered how many times you click and scroll on your computer everyday? It's worse than changing channels on your television.)
2. Auto Rotate: With my Canon Powershot G9, you can turn the camera in a vertical position and the image displayed will rotate into full screen viewing. When you tilt the camera back to horizontal position, the selected image will turn back to that position. It's totally sweet. Well, you can't do that with the 50D, and I'm bummed out about that. However, I did discover that you can turn off the auto rotation of vertical images on the 50D so that images will appear full screen in playback. You can do this so that the images only rotate on your camera and not on your computer. If you don't this, you simply don't get the full advantage of viewing your vertical images on the 3 screen. This is described on page 146 of the camera's manual.
3. Quick Control Screen: Though I haven't used it much yet, I think I will like the Quick Control Screen feature of the camera. This feature displays camera settings on the LCD monitor. You can select items and change settings while viewing them in the monitor. This may prove quicker than viewing some of the exposure settings on the top side of the camera, or having to go into the menu and change settings there.
4. Highlight Alert: I think all the digital EOS cameras have had a feature called Highlight Alert. When enabled, this alert (when viewing photos in playback) will point out areas of the selected image that are overexposed. Some camera users call this the "blinkie" feature. I used this feature all the time on the 30D, but you have to push the Info button to get at it, and the selected image in playback is almost thumbnail size, preventing you from getting good assessment of what is blown out. Well, that problem has been corrected in the 50D. Now you can get Highlight Alert while the image is played back in full screen mode. Totally lovely. Page 133 of the manual.
5. Custom Mode Dials C1 and C2: Similar to the custom menu feature I discussed above, this feature allows you to register a set of camera settings (shooting mode, menus, etc.) as presets and dial them up anytime you like simply by turning to the C1 or C2 positions on the camera's mode dial (page 186 of the manual). I use this feature on my Canon G9 and it's great. I've read that the 40D has three, instead of just 2, of these preset positions. Canon took away one of the positions on the 50D and replaced it with what they call Creative Auto mode. I haven't played with that mode yet, so I can't say if it's worth getting rid of one of the positions. But I do know that once you get your camera presets the way you want, these C1 and C2 positions can be quite handy. You could for example, have one position set for shooting outdoor photos and another position set for shooting indoors. Perhaps I'll write more about this later in another blog entry.
Well, that's my five function features that I like so far. I would have included the Live View feature in the list, but I haven't played around with it enough to like it. It's more clunky and difficult to use than on the G9, in which I use the Live View all the time.
50D versus 40D: Six of One, a Half-Dozen of the Other December 27, 2008
16 out of 18 found this review helpful
I'll echo the comments of many others regarding the 50D when compared to the 40D: in my view, the 50D's not better, it's different.
I sold my 40D to a friend before purchasing my 50D. Half of me says it was the right thing to do, and half of me says it was a mistake. Under the right conditions, the 50D's resolution is very impressive. It has produced some very nice shots. The extra pixels not only mean finer detail, but also, greater smoothness.
The 50D also, however, generates more noise and captures less color and tone contrast than the 40D. The dpreview dynamic range tests show the 50D lagging behind the 40D by over 2/3's of a stop in the shadow end. Many of the images I've shot with the 50D clearly reflect this weakness; hair, for example, can take on that matted, muddy look.
The 50D's greater resolution gives me more freedom with cropping. I can shoot a scene "big" and know I can trim it later and still produce a high quality image. Color and tone accuracy and balance are typically Canon-like. But my 40D did a much better job in mid and low light, and the tone curve it produced was easier for me to work with in Photoshop.
I understand now why Canon announced the 50D as a companion to the 40D, rather than a replacement. I do like the 50D's increased resolution, but the 40D is arguably the better or more versatile photographic tool. The 50D will excel in good light situations, but the 40D will produce a better image in high contrast situations and low and mid light.
 defects are niggling December 27, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
My only regret is that the price keeps dropping on this so I spent about $200 than I needed to. That said I was scared off by the eary reviews here that seem to be niggling compared to the B&H photo/video reviews that are almost 100 percent pro photographers. I am a professional photographer who spends more on glass and accessories than the camera body and have avoided the megapixel mania. I moved up from a Rebel XTi so I can't speak to the difference between the 40D and the 50D. This camera is fabulous compared to anything under $2,500.
Love the feel of the Canon 50D.... 5 stars with a caveat* December 24, 2008
0 out of 9 found this review helpful
The only lens I have is a Tamron AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 XR DI VC. This lens is soft soft soft any where above 100mm. I was coming home from just shooting some photos around the county where I live and saw an immature red tailed hawk sitting on a wire right beside a semi-busy highway.It was hunting mice and caught two while I was watching. I pulled off the road into a driveway of a business that was closed, and with this lens shot about a dozen or so pics. Mind you I was only 40 or 50 feet from this bird and did not get a single usable photo. So until I either learn how to use this lens or I spring for an "L"
lens I'll have to wait to review this camera fairly. I'm only doing this one because Amazon asked me to. Any advice would be appreciated also!
Terry
Solid Camera with Great Results..... December 24, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I was debating over the Nikon D90 or this camera for a while after a few hours of research online. I always trusted the Canon name and opted to spend a little bit more and get the 50D. Very happy with the purchase. The cameras construction is SOLID and the interface is relatively easy to navigate through. I actually found some video tutorials on YouTube on the 50D that were really helpful. The 200mm lens is a great all around lens as well. You will not be disappointed with this camera. Tasty times...
Joe
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