eos 450d vs eos 50d

[Darren]

I'm just entering the dslr world so please forgive me for the newbie question. I am in the process of buying my first dslr and a general lens. I have it down to a 450d and ef-s 17-55m f/2.8 is usm or a 50d andef-s 17-85mm f/4-5.6 is usm.


Both choices will cost me a similar price (currently working in South Korea) but for someone who is a dslr beginner which would be the better choice? My shots will mostly be landscapes, street scenes andindoorphotography (museums where I can't use a flash or tripod)<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;"].


In regards to indoor photography would these lenses be suitable or do better choices come to mind?


Many thanks for any help offered.

[jnort002]

Hi


You should hunt around and see if there are any 40D's floating around. I had (and still have as a spare) a 450D which i bought in 2008. Late2009 I then picked up a 40D for about the same price I paid for the 450D as the 50D had been released. Unless the 450D is going for an utter bargain basement price you may be able to get 40D and 17-55 with your budget which would be a very sweet combination that will keep you going for quite some time as you learn.


The 17-55 willoffer a lot more flexibilityfor your proposed use. I previously had the 17-85 but it was just too slow for my travel and general usage e.g. using it at 85mm inchurches etcrequired very high ISO which you may be able to get away with a significantly more expensive camera but ISO1600 on a 450D rebel was notusable in my opinion. I am sure there are many 17-55 users who will vouch for it.


Hope that helps

[Sheiky]

Hey Darran,





I would vote for the 17-55 over the 17-85 anytime!! Lens is more important than camera. To be honest the 450D is a perfect camera. I had it before the 50D and the only real thing that made me choose the 50D was the improved shutterlag and faster shutterburst. But since you don't do a lot of sports....I would go for the 450D with 17-55 lens. 17-55 is really a superb lens. Great imagequality, much better than 17-85.


450D and 17-55 got my vote..


That's a killer combo to start with! Wish I had that as my first setup []

[barba]

I think I would be inclined to go with the 50d and save up a bit more for a fast prime for the museum bit.

[Oren]

Very hard to tell. I was at the EXACT same place around 6 months ago - I ended up with the 50D and 17-85.


What is your budget? maybe you can grab a used 17-55 + a new 50D. Mark (here on the forums) is selling his 17-55, you might want to talk to him.


What about the future? do you think you'll want other lenses as well?


One more thing: go to Juza's site:


http://www.juzaphoto.com/eng/index.htm


Take a look at his galleries - you'll find out amazing pictures.


Most of the time, he writes under each picture the equipment he used to get it - you might be surprised to see "350D" under some of the most amazing pictures!


Ok ok last thing (for now): go to the shop, hold in your hands a 450/500D or something like that, then hold a 40/50D as well.


Good luck and have fun! [H]

[Sheiky]

I think I would be inclined to go with the 50d and save up a bit more for a fast prime for the museum bit.

And why would that be?


Yes you could enjoy a F1.4 primelens and have a really shallow depth of field, but you'll loose the 3-stops Image Stabilizer which is far more important in this case...


With the 17-55 you'll buy one of the best general purpose lenses you can get for an aps-c crop body like the 450D and 50D.


Lens keeps it's value...better than camera. And I don't see much use in the 50D advantages, which are mainly based on more professional sportsphotographers. The advantage of the 50D is that he will get worse image quality by buying a lesser lens. He will probably regret that in the end.


The only thing that could be an advantage of the 50D in my opinion is it's size. If you've got big hands, the 450D is probably not a real good choice, unless you buy a batterygrip with it.

[neuroanatomist]

I'd vote for the 450D with EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 as well. Good lenses will last through multiple body upgrades. I started with a T1i (500D) and the 17-55mm f/2.8; I've since added several lenses (85mm f/1.8, 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS, 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 and 200mm f/2.8L, in that order). The other lenses have great uses, but the 17-55mm is (by far) the one that I use most - indoors, outdoors, landscapes.

[lcnewkirk]

I've never used either lens, but I vote for the 17-55/2.8 anyway. Everyone seems to love it, and only sell it when they upgrade to full frame. It often retains 80% of it's value. The used marked isflooded with 17-85's, and pretty much at 50% of it's value, which tells me they are hard to sell used. As far as bodies go, I like jnort002's idea of looking for a used 40D. I have the Rebel XS/1000D, which is almost identical to the 450D you're looking at, and if I wasn't unemployed right now, I'd have upgraded to a 40D. The fps burst is faster, the shutter lag is shorter, a refurb is almost the same price, and probably the biggest thing to me is that it's just a bigger camera. Tiny point and shoots are cool, but small slr's are a different story. I'm not a big guy by any means (5'10", 150lb, and my hands match), but my hands just swallow my 1000D. Go to a camera store and hold both bodies (the 40D and 50D are the same size), and see which you like better, and which works for you. The price tag kept me from doing that when I bought my 1000D, and I regret it.


Lewis

[Daniel Browning]

I also vote for the 450D and 17-55. By the time you outgrow the 450D, the 60D will be out, and it will be far better than the 50D.

[btaylor]

I'll second the 450D + 17-55mm f/2.8 IS. That's a really neat lens and much better than the 17-85mm. It's also a perfect body for a first time DSLR user. The 50D has a few extra features but you're not likely to need them for a while until you get your head around things. And as Daniel suggested it will be superceded by the time you're ready for an upgrade by a much better body in the 60D.