Canon EOS 50D Digital Camera Review

Canon EOS 50D

Digital Camera Review

4.2 Canon's new EOS 50D is the incremental upgrade from their 40D which debuted last year. Renowned for being solid, dependable cameras with a wide variety of controls and access to a considerable back catalog of lenses, we put the Canon through a considerable variety of tests. On average, it scored well but not amazingly. Full details follow. The 50D is currently available for $1399 (body only).
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Canon EOS 50D

Specs Table
Canon EOS 50D Specs
Type DSLR  
Price 1399.00  
Length 5.70  
Width 2.90  
Height 4.20  
Weight 25.70  
Mega Pixels 15.50  
Effective Pixels 15.10  
Sensor Type High-sensitivity, high-resolution, large single-plate CMOS sensor  
Image Size (1) Large/Fine: Approx. 5.0MB (4752 x 3168 pixels) (2) Large/Nomal: Approx. 2.5MB (4752 x 3168 pixels) (3) Medium/Fine: Approx. 3.0MB (3456 x 2304 pixels) (4) Medium/Normal: Approx. 1.6MB (3456 x 2304 pixels) (5) Small/Fine: Approx. 1.7MB (2352 x 1568 pix  
Aspect Ratio 3:2  
Color Filter System RGB primary color filters  
IR Cut Low Pass Filter Unknown  
Media CF Card Type I and II, UDMA-compliant CF cards, via external media (USB v.2.0 hard drive, via optional Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E3A)  
Image Format JPEG, RAW (14-bit, Canon original), sRAW, RAW+JPEG  
File Size 20.2 (RAW)-0.9  
Compression JPEG, RAW (14-bit, Canon original), sRAW, RAW+JPEG  
Lens Mount Canon EF mount  
Compatible Lenses Canon EF lenses (including EF-S lenses) (35mm-equivalent focal length is approx. 1.6x the lens focal length)  
Viewfinder Eye-level pentaprism  
Diopter Adjustment -3.0 to +1.0m-1 (diopter)  
Frame Coverage Vertical/Horizontal approx. 95%  
Magnification Approx. 0.95x (-1m-1 with 50mm lens at infinity)  
LCD TFT color, liquid-crystal monitor, 3.0 in., Approx. 920,000 (VGA)  
Mirror Quick-return half mirror (transmission: reflection ratio of 40:60, no mirror cut-off with EF600mm f/4L IS USM or shorter lenses)  
Auto Focus Type TTL-CT-SIR AF-dedicated CMOS sensor  
Focusing Modes Auto, One-Shot AF, Predictive AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF, Manual focusing (MF)  
Focusing Points 9 (Cross-type)  
Detecting Range EV 0.5-18 (at 73°F/23°C, ISO 100)  
AF Assist Illuminator Small series of flashes fired by built-in flash  
Metering Modes 35-zone TTL full-aperture metering * Evaluative metering (linkable to any AF point) * Partial metering (approx. 9% of viewfinder at center) * Spot metering (approx. 3.8% of viewfinder at center) * Center-weighted average metering  
Metering Range EV 1-20 (at 73°F/23°C with EF50mm f/1.4 USM lens, ISO 100)  
Shutter Type Vertical-travel, mechanical, Electronically-controlled, focal-plane shutter  
Shutter Speed 1/8000 to 1/60 sec., X-sync at 1/250 sec. 1/8000 to 30 sec., bulb  
Self Timer 10-sec. or 2-sec. delay  
Modes Program AE (Shiftable), Shutter-priority AE, Aperture-priority AE, Depth-of-field AE, Creative Auto, Full auto, Programmed image control modes (portrait, landscape, close-up, sports, night portrait, flash off), Manual exposure, E-TTL II autoflash program  
Speed Yes  
Burst Yes  
Automatic Modes Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User Def. 1-3  
Exposure Compensation Manual: ±3 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments (can be combined with AEB)  
Bracketing Manual: ±3 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments (can be combined with AEB)  
Built in Flash Retractable, auto pop-up flash  
Flash Range 13/43 (ISO 100, in meters/feet)  
Sync Contact EX-series Speedlites  
Flash Metering E-TTL II autoflash  
Flash Exposure Compensation ±2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments  
Resolution 4752 x 3168 pixels  
ISO Sensitivity 100-6400, extendable to 12800  
White Balance Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten Light, White Fluorescent Light, Flash, Custom, Color Temperature setting  
Playback Options Single image, Single image + Image-recording quality/shooting information, histogram, 4- or 9-image index, magnified view (approx. 1.5x-10x), rotated image (auto/manual), image jump (by 10/100 images, index screen, by shooting date, by folder), slide show  
Direct Printing Yes  
Video Output Yes  
Battery Power Source One CR2016 lithium-ion battery  
Storage Type CF Card Type I and II, UDMA-compliant CF cards, via external media (USB v.2.0 hard drive, via optional Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E3A)  
Resolution Maximum 4752 x 3168  
Resolution Minimum 2352 x 1568  
Ratings Raw Weight 
Color 8.67  
Resolution 11.59  
Noise Auto ISO 6.89   1.15 
Noise Manual ISO 13.07  
Low Light 7.04  
Dynamic Range 8.67  
Size Portability 7.25  
Model Design Appearance 8.50   1.3 
Handling 8.00  
Control Button Positioning Size 7.50   1.85 
Front 7.50   0.65 
Back 8.00   0.75 
Left 8.00   0.5 
Right 8.00   0.5 
Top 7.75   0.75 
Bottom 8.00   0.5 
Menu 8.50   1.65 
Auto Mode 8.50   1.05 
Auto Focus 9.25  
Focus 9.25   1.5 
ISO 10.00  
White Balance 10.00   2.5 
Exposure 10.00   1.75 
Meterng 9.50  
Shutter Speed 11.00   1.75 
Aperture 0.00  
Custom Image Presets 8.00   0.5 
Drive Mode 8.75   2.5 
Picture Quality Options 10.50   1.25 
Picture Effects Mode 2.00   2.15 
Playback Mode 8.00   1.5 
Movie Mode 0.00  
Viewfinder 8.75  
LCD Screen 9.00   1.75 
Flash 8.25   1.75 
Lens Mount 9.00   1.75 
Memory 3.00   0.5 
Battery 8.00   1.95 
Startup 1st Shot 9.83  
Shot Shot 6.06  
Shutter Shot 10.00  
Software 6.00   1.25 
Jacks / Ports / Plugs 7.50  
Direct Print Options 6.00   0.4 
Ease of Use 7.25   0.75 
Other Features 7.00   0.75 
Value 7.00   2.5 
Processing Speed 7.95  
Total (weighted)   680.18

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