A month with my 50D and some thoughts...

[Benjamin]

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Got my 50D before reading week, enjoying it! I once was concerned about its noise @ high ISOs and its somewhat large DLA; but so far it does not disappoint at all! Great camera!


Generally speaking I found the camera quite usable @ ISO1600 and below.Below ISO400I would say the image it produces is very very clean.When paired with good optics (like I always do)the detailindeed is mind blowing!


Regarding diffraction limit aperture (DLA), Iactually observeda tiny little image sharpness drop @F11 on some of my lenses; but overall I don't thinkF11 is something that's worthmy effort to particularly avoid. In real life applications I doubt if I'm going toregret to shoot @ F16... I'll see.


The 50D's AF is certainly better than the Rebels, in fact, much much better in terms of accuracy and speed. Very pleased with the AF system overall. However, I don't know how I can use the same AF system on the 5D Mark II as when it goes FF the points are so concentrated into the middle part of the frame... I guess I still prefer the 45-point AF system on my 1V-HS,that works great for FF. So Canon,the 45-point AF isthe proper AF system you should put on the 5D Mark II!(I know that way your 1Ds III won't sell any more. But still, forget about marketing will result in much better products --I know you can't and never will do that. BTW, Nikon put their 51-point AF system on a D300...)


The 50D is a sports camera, love its speed! Just like a sports car, you are not going to race it all time but you're just happy to drive it!


Any feedback welcome! Thanks forreading!


Ben
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[Benjamin]

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Here's a sample photo taken right outside of my university residence in Toronto, Canada.


50D + 16-35/2.8L II @ 34mm, 5s, F11, ISO200. Only very slightly cropped and resized, no PS.

[unjx]

Thanks for your thoughts Ben. I am interested in the 50D to replace a well used 30D. Honestly a 40D or even another 30D would still work for me, but there are some features of the 50D, like the new back screen that would be very nice.


Thanks for the sample shot, love the way your lens flared the street lamp.

[Sean Setters]

The 50D certainly is a nice step up from the Rebel series. This is one from my latest shoot. Not one of my best, but I liked it anyway.


50D, 17-55 f/2.8 IS, F/4, 1/100 sec, ISO 100


strobist info: 1 Vivitar 285HV, camera left, full-power, bare. A .6 (4x) B&amp;W ND filter was used. Triggered via Cactus V2s.


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[Mickey]

Sean, very nice. I've been considering a 50D with the 17-55 as a replacement for my 20D and you might have just tipped the scales.


Mickey

[Benjamin]

One thing needs to be mentioned is that I found my 50D drinks up two of the BP511A batteries with 500shots in a week or so and I'm not using LV much at all... It isCRAZY in my standard since two of the much smaller batteries in my XTi will last for a good 800shots spead in two months.


I understand that the 50D should be considerably more power demanding than previous cameras but I don't know if what I'm experiencing is reasonable for such a camera. Any thoughts?

[Mark Elberson]

One thing needs to be mentioned is that I found my 50D drinks up two of the BP511A batteries with 500shots in a week or so and I'm not using LV much at all... It isCRAZY in my standard since two of the much smaller batteries in my XTi will last for a good 800shots spead in two months.


I understand that the 50D should be considerably more power demanding than previous cameras but I don't know if what I'm experiencing is reasonable for such a camera. Any thoughts?
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Mine burns through batteries in a hury too. I definitely notice a difference between it and my old Rebel.

[Sean Setters]

That's funny because I haven't noticed the extra battery drain. I use a battery grip and a couple of Opteka batteries, and they tend to last for quite some time. I typically don't shoot 500 shots at a time, though (usually a couple hundred), but I know I don't recharge them often. That's odd....maybe I just got a good set of 3rd party batteries? I used a battery grip and a few 3rd party batteries with my XTi, and they worked about as well.


Mickey- In my opinion, the 50D and 17-55 combo is a fantastic duo. Check out my flickr photostream for more shots taken with that combination. I have the 70-200 f/2.8 L IS, and it rarely sees time on my 50D because the 17-55 is so much more useful under normal shooting conditions.

[Benjamin]

I use a battery grip and a couple of Opteka batteries, and they tend to last for quite some time.

What's the capacity of your batteries? I realize the Canon ones are not as high volume, but from what I know the genuine batteries will last much longer. My rebel batteries after two years still works like new, however, one of my friends using a 40D declares thathis 3rd party batteries lasted for a good year then the performance noticeably dropped, is that true?

[Sean Setters]

The 50D batteries I have say they are 2000mAh. However, after reading a vast number of resources, I can tell you that the stated mAhs are almost always grossly inflated on 3rd party batteries. However, I purchased an Opteka battery grip for my XTi that came with two batteries, and they worked fairly well. However, it is very common for 3rd party batteries to deteriorate in performance over time (much quicker than the standard OEM batteries, I believe).


All I can tell you is that both sets of Opteka batteries I've owned (for the XTi and 50D) have surpassed my expectations. It's important, though, to use them once they are charged. I think they will probably lose some of their luster if left idle for too long (although I haven't tested this). What I do know is that a comparable 3rd party battery is less than half of the OEM price...and if the 3rd party battery has half the life or more of an OEM battery, you've still come out even or ahead.