27.01.09
Canon EOS 50D Review
Words by Roger Payne
It could be argued that Canon is currently engaging in a bout of severe one-upmanship. It’s almost as if the company’s R&D department is hell-bent on simply taking all other DSLR specifications and ensuring key functions on its new models go one better.
Witness the EOS 50D. While other DSLR manufacturers operating in the enthusiast market sector are happy to regale their models with 14-megapixel sensors (or 12-megapixel in the case of Nikon), Canon has wedged 15.1 million coloured squares onto the 50D’s CMOS sensor.
Then there’s the frame rate. Full-size images from the impressively-large sensor are delivered at a rate of up to 6.3 frames-per-second (fps). Nikon’s 12.3-megapixel D300, by comparison, lags behind in standard form with 6fps. Now, I’m all for technological progression, but while the EOS 50D clearly isn’t going to disappoint spec fans, how is it going to fare with people like you and me who value the end result more than the means with which it was created?
The chances are, you’re speculating exactly how Canon has managed to build a DSLR with these – and let’s be honest – mind-boggling headline stats for a camera outside the pro market. Well, there’s a simple answer in the form of a raft of new manufacturing processes. Redesigning has enabled Canon to cram more pixels onto the 22.3x14.9mm sensor, while the light gathering capabilities of the pixels themselves have been extended to give an improved high ISO performance.
While the 50D doesn’t reach the dizzy ISO heights of Nikon’s D3 and D700, its sensitivity does extend to ISO 12,800 – again, a headline figure that eclipses all other models in this market sector and a figure never seen before on DSLRs with an APS-C sized sensor.
The new stuff doesn’t stop with the redesigned sensor, there’s a new image processing engine in the form of DIGIC 4, too. Likely to become the mainstay of Canon DSLRs for a few months at least, DIGIC 4’s party trick is essentially its speed.
Start-up and image review times are virtually instantaneous while the processor also ensures that the rapid headline frame rate can be delivered for a burst of up to 90 JPEGs. These figures alone sound impressive, but when you consider that the 50D is creating files that open to around 43MB, you begin to appreciate just what a technological feat Canon has managed.
Having piloted an EOS 40D for the past eight months, picking up the EOS 50D was akin to slipping on a pair of comfy slippers. The two cameras are remarkably similar. Buttons, dials and switches are virtually identical and the only major external alterations come in the form of a chrome effect added to the main exposure mode dial and an additional button sitting above the rear LCD, which activates the 50D’s Live View functions.
While we’re on the subject of the LCD, it’s worth mentioning that the three-inch offering now sports 920,000 pixels for impressive clarity and more accurate assessment of exposure. There’s also a new typeface used for the menu system, which is much more pleasing on the eye, along with a Quick Control menu that gives access to most commonly-changed settings.
These, of course, are just minor alterations designed to improve the 50D’s functionality, but one feature that has been significantly improved over the 40D is Live View. While it still couldn’t be described as instantaneous in operation, the 50D’s is both more intuitive and quicker.
There are also three different Live View modes to choose from, including one that employs compact-style Face Detection operation for portraiture. Unlike the Nikon D90, however, there’s no High Definition movie mode – that’s been saved for the EOS 5D Mark II.
It’s difficult to find anything to complain about when it comes to the overall handling of the camera. Even if you aren’t an existing Canon DSLR owner, you’ll quickly find yourself at home with what is ultimately a very logical layout. The menu system is easy to navigate, function setting is a one-handed operation (a vast improvement over some Canon DSLRs of old) and the body ergonomics ensure that the magnesium alloy body feels well balanced and reassuringly solid. Granted, it’s not a brick of a camera, but nor is it likely to be blown away in a stiff breeze. If you like your DSLRs extra chunky, you may wish to add the battery grip BG-E2N (see What else to buy panel).
Of course, historically speaking, Canon DSLRs could never be described as slouches when it comes to specification lists, the issues have tended to be introduced at the crucial picture-taking stage. But before we get down to the nitty-gritty, it’s worth taking time to explore the full functionality of the 50D.
Suffice to say, that in the period of time I spent using the camera, it always had the features to match what I was trying to achieve. And then some. Take exposure modes, for example. Being honest, there were times when I simply wanted to just point and shoot, and here the 50D is adequately equipped with a good range of program modes. In addition to fully auto and a selection of subject-based modes there’s also a new Creative Auto mode, indicated by the CA setting on the exposure mode dial.
This mode still offers automatic focusing and exposure, but allows a smidgen of creative user control over depth-of-field and image brightness without losing the backup of a microchip doing the difficult stuff. Then, of course, there’s the usual PASM modes, which I spent most of my time flicking between, along with two custom modes and the A-DEP mode, which ensures objects positioned within the focusing points are sharp.
In addition to this wide variety of exposure modes there is also a series of Picture Style modes, which enable users to set various parameters according to the type of picture being taken. Each preset Picture Style has its own sharpness, contrast, saturation and colour tone settings, or you can set up your own Picture Style with your own parameters. This feature is nothing new, but it does show the level of control afforded by the EOS 50D. Further personalisation is available through the camera’s custom functions, of which there are 25 with 74 different settings.
The metering system is equally well endowed, with four separate patterns available to tackle a wide variety of lighting conditions. For the majority of situations the 35-zone Evaluative meter will do the job just fine, but partial, spot and centre-weighted options are also on hand should you need them. Needless to say, exposure and flash compensations are available, along with exposure and white-balance bracketing.
Out in the field, this wealth of technology conspires to conjure up an excellent picture-taking performance. I tested the camera primarily with EF-S 17-85mm lens and EF 100-400mm lenses and found the focusing performance to be hugely impressive. Despite the comparatively slow maximum apertures on both lenses – f/5.6 at the long end of their respective focal ranges – the nine-point focusing system zipped into sharp focus quickly and accurately.
This is, no doubt, down to the fact that each one of the nine points uses a cross-type sensor, plucked straight from the EOS 40D, which makes for a more accurate focusing performance on both static and moving subjects.
Even better, particularly for the die-hard Canon enthusiasts among you, is that the DIGIC 4 image processor not only makes the 50D a remarkably fast camera to use, it has – crucially – improved the camera’s performance in the sharpness stakes. For some time now, Nikon has had the edge over Canon in terms of image clarity, but that gap has now closed noticeably.
Pre-DIGIC 4 Canon DSLR users have had to use Unsharp Mask to deliver the sort of sharpness you get straight out of a Nikon DSLR, but the EOS 50D seems to get it right first time. This is great news and bodes well for the EOS 5D MkII, which uses the same processor but has a 21.1 million pixel count.
There’s more good news when it comes to transferring images to a computer. Canon remains one of the most generous suppliers of bundled software and the EOS 50D is no exception. The excellent Digital Photo Professional is supplied, which is the most intuitive Raw processing package I’ve used this side of Photoshop’s Camera Raw, plus there’s also Image Browser, PhotoStitch to create panoramic images and EOS Utility for tethered shooting via the supplied cable.
EOS 40D vs EOS 50D
Cosmetically, there may be little difference between the 40D and the 50D, but delving beneath the magnesium alloy skin of the new model uncovers a different story. Here are the key specification changes, along with the 40D’s original spec in brackets:
Resolution: 15.1-megapixels (10.1-megapixels)
ISO sensitivity: 100 to 3200, extendable to 12,800 (100 to 1600, extendable to 3200)
Processor: DIGIC 4 (DIGIC III)
Live View: 3 modes: 2 contrast detection, 1 phase detection (phase detection mode)
Frame rate: 6.3fps for 90 JPEGs with UDMA card (6.5fps for up to 75 JPEGs)
Raw formats: 3 options: Raw, sRaw1 and sRaw 2 (2 options: Raw and sRaw)
Rear LCD: 920,000 pixels (230,000 pixels)
Noise reduction: 4 levels (on or off)
EXTRA FEATURES: HDMI connection, additional custom function, Creative Auto exposure mode at the expense of one camera user mode
SPECIFICATION
Price: £1500 with EF-S 17-85mm
Distributor: canon.co.uk
Resolution: 15.1 million effective pixels
Lens mount: Canon EF/EF-S
Focal length: Approx 1.6x magnification
Sensor: 22.3x14.9mm CMOS sensor with sensor cleaning
Autofocus: 9 user-selectable points
Exposure: 35-zone Evaluative, partial system (9%), spot (3.8%) and centre-weighted
Exposure: PASM, full auto, modes 7 advanced scene modes, A-DEP, two custom modes
ISO range: 100-3200 (expandable to 6400 and 12,800)
Shutter: 30-1/8000sec , flash sync at 1/250sec plus B
White-balance: Auto, colour temperature settings, setting, 7 preset modes, white-balance bracketing
Monitor: 3in 920,000 pixel TFT LCD with 160° viewing angle
Viewfinder: Approx. 95% coverage, dioptre corrections
Integral flash: Guide number of 13 (ISO 100/m), flash exposure compensations +/-2 EV in 1/3 or 1/2 increments.
Image file: JPEG, Raw (14-bit), sRaw, formats image size 4752x3168 pixels
Drive system: Up to 6.3fps, self-timer with 2- or 10-second delay
Storage media: CompactFlash Type I and II. UDMA compatible
Interface: USB 2.0
Battery: Rechargeable BP-511A
Dimensions: 145.5x107.8x73.5mm (wxhxd)
Weight: 730g body only
PROS AND CONS
Resolution, ISO range, frame rate, ‘out of the box’ sharpness, loads of useful software
Pricing, not much else I can find to complain about
THE VERDICT
Having used an EOS 40D for much of this year, I would never describe it as a bad camera – far from it – but the EOS 50D improves on it in so many key areas. The higher ISO sensitivity, the impressive pixel count and the ballistic frame rate (when you consider that it has a 50 per cent bigger resolution) all combine to make this a fine camera, particularly for the speed freaks among you.
For me, though, the biggest news is the DIGIC 4 processor. Being an existing Canon owner and, therefore, a regular user of Unsharp Mask, I was delighted to see that the 50D delivers images that require little or no sharpening straight out of camera.
In my view, the Canon’s only problem is its price. It lacks a full-frame sensor, so may not be considered as a cheaper alternative to the D700, but then sits at a higher price than most DSLRs with an APS-C sized sensor, including the D300.
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