I currently have a Rebel xsi and use a 300mm f/4 L 90% percent of the time but I'm looking for something better on the camera end of the deal. So I'm looking into a 50D and have some questions: Is the 50D worth the extra expense over the old 40D? Are refurbished ones reliable? And how does the image quality compare against cameras like the 7 or 5D?
Thanks.
I own both the 40D and 5D Mk II and have also had some experience with the 50D.
In terms of build quality, the 40D and 50D are pretty much on par. Both are built well are are much more robust than the Rebel you're using at the moment. The 50D has a nicer screen on the back but that's not a huge deal for me.
In terms of image quality, they're pretty damn close as far as I can see. A lot of the internals are very much the same so you would expect that.
The biggest advantage (in my eyes) of the 50D over the 40D is autofocus microadjustment - the 40D doesn't have it. If you're using a 300mm f/4L I assume you're into sports/bird/wildlife photography in which case it's critical to have accurate autofocus as you might only get one chance to take the perfect shot of a subject.
There's a pretty big step up in image quality between the 40/50D and the 7D, especially if you intend to crop or make up some big prints as it has a higher resolution.
Moving to the 5D MkII is a whole different ball game and the image quality is superb, but you pay a price for it.
If you're on a budget then I would suggest the 50D - although the enhancements over the 40D are not huge, the ones that are there are very nice to have. If you're not on a budget I'd suggest the 7D if you want to stay with a crop sensor.
Hope this is helpful. Cheers, Ben.
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If you're going to buy a 40D or 50D, get the 50D. The rear LCD is oh-so-worth-it.
But, if don't mind waiting a bit to save your pennies, get a 7D. It's light-years ahead of the xxD cameras, and an incredible value for the price paid. We have a 1D3, a 40D, and two 7D; the 40D only goes if both of us see a use for two cameras.
We're a Canon/Profoto family: five cameras, sixteen lenses, fifteen Profoto lights, too many modifiers.
Originally Posted by peety3
Agree.
Thanks for all the replies, and yeah I like to shoot wildlife and sports - I will be going to an AMA pro National motorcycle race this summer and maybe from hearing what you guys had to say making the stretch for the 7D might be worth it. But being 16 I am definitely on a budget.
I know where your coming from. I just got a regular job and worked many hours for my gear but itsdefinitelydoable.
I agree. I'm 20 and same deal. Just be patient [] There's always another race coming soon.
I concur with what Ben said, for the most part. The only point I'm not sure about is "There's a pretty big step up in image quality between the 40/50D and the 7D." There's a big step in resolution between the 40D (10 megapixels) and the 7D (18 megapixels), but not much a step from the 50D (15 megapixels) to the 7D. The 5D, as a FF camera, is a significant step up in terms of image quality especially in the ISO noise performance. But keep in mind that with FF, you lose the 1.6x crop factor - in practice that means that if you find yourself frequently cropping your images, you'll lose the benefit of FF (look over your current shots - if you crop shots from your XSi already, a 5D will be worse than the XSi, for you).
Taking FF out of the picture, ISO noise may be a differentiator - from Bryan's review of the 7D, "I'm particularly impressed at the Canon EOS 7D's noise performance against the 50D. Comparing the gray blocks at the top of the 50D's image shows the 7D to have a slight advantage over the 50D at ISO 800 that builds to a solid advantage at ISO 3200. By ISO 12800, the 7D solidly outperforms the 50D." However, as a 7D user I'm not particularly thrilled with ISO 3200, which still looks pretty noisy to me even after cleanup of the RAW file. But then again, an image that's shot at ISO 3200 on the 7D, not cropped much, and printed 8x10" still looks good. The 7D may 'solidly outperform' the 50D at ISO 12800, but I've never been desparate enough to go that high.
In terms of ISO noise on the 40D vs. 50D, they are pretty similar there (and kudos to Canon for a 50% increase in pixel density without taking a hit on noise!).
Having said all of that, honestly, there are not going to be huge differences in image quality between the XSi that you have and the 50D or 7D. Incremental differences, yes. But not huge. I upgraded from a T1i (very similar IQ to the 50D) to a 7D, and really didn't notice a big difference based on sensor performance. IMO, the biggest differences are in other areas.
Build quality takes a big step up from XSi to 40/50D, and another noticeable step up from 50D to 7D. The ergonomics are also better, IMO - having the dial and joystick on the rear means much faster adjustments of image parameters than on a Rebel.
As Ben mentioned, AF Microadjustment can be a significant benefit. Most of my lenses have some amount of adjustment applied. Beyond the microadjustment feature , the AF performance itself will be a bit better with the 50D (9 cross-type sensors) vs. your XSi (similar 9 points, but only the center is cross-type). The 7D's AF system is excellent, with 19 cross-type sensors and lots of customizable options for AI Servo tracking.
If you do shoot wildlife/birds/sports with your 300mm f/4L that's on your camera 90% of the time, the other big benefit you'll notice is frame rate. Your XSi is 3.5 fps, the 40/50D are nearly twice as fast (6.5/6.3 fps), and the 7D is over twice as fast with 8 fps. Here's an example of two successive frames from an 8 fps burst:
[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.35.15/IMG_5F00_2847.jpg[/img] [img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.35.15/IMG_5F00_2848.jpg[/img]
EOS 7D,EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6<span style="color: red;"]LIS USM @ 400mm, 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 3200
On the whole, if your reasons for wanting to upgrade your camera body are primarily around image quality, I'd say keep the XSi and consider lenses (what's that other 10% shot with, and do you want better IQ there?), a Speedlite flash if you don't have one, etc. In general, lenses have a much greater impact on image quality than the camera body.
But, if your reasons also include overall performance, ergonomics, etc., then an upgrade is worthwhile. In that case, you can't really go wrong with the 40D, 50D, or 7D. If you can stretch your budget to cover the 7D, it's an amazing camera. If the 50D fits your budget, I'd get that over the 40D.
I agree with neuro. The AF system on the 7D is amazing. There's also the group focusing option that you can use on the 7D which I find to be quite useful when trying to compose a specific shot in mind but only have a few instances to catch it in. Enter the 8fps burst. Amazing! Better than the 50D as well as the 5D as well (mind you the 5D obviously has differences that are better in their own way) but for what you're thinking of doing the 7D would probably be best because of the high fps, superb AF system and the fact that the 1.6x crop will extend your 300mm to a 480mm.
Cheers,
-Mike
I agree with neuro. The AF system on the 7D is amazing. There's also the group focusing option that you can use on the 7D which I find to be quite useful when trying to compose a specific shot in mind but only have a few instances to catch it in. Enter the 8fps burst. Amazing! Better than the 50D as well as the 5D as well (mind you the 5D obviously has differences that are better in their own way) but for what you're thinking of doing the 7D would probably be best because of the high fps, superb AF system and the fact that the 1.6x crop will extend your 300mm to a 480mm.
Cheers,
-Mike
Since he already has an XSi, which is also APS-C, the FOVCF will be the same, assuming he gets a 40D/50D/7D.
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