Comments on: Canon EOS 50D: Not worth it. Save your money.

By: Nathan Griffin

Nathan Griffin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:05:22 +0000

I’m the happy owner of a 40d and didn’t regret my purchase much when the new 50d came out. The bigger screen would be nice, but the pixel increase, and larger file sizes, doesn’t sound enticing to me.

By: Karel Donk’s Blog » Blog Archive » Canon EOS 7D: Looking Very Promising

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 05:56:57 +0000

[...] and EOS 5D Mark II (here) cameras. In the case of the EOS 50D, from the day of its announcement, I could see that it would not be a very successful camera, and it turns out that this is now exactly the case [...]

By: Karel Donk » Blog Archive » Canon has lost it

Karel Donk » Blog Archive » Canon has lost it — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:16:52 +0000

[...] products and mediocre product releases (EF 50mm f/1.2 | EOS 50D Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 | 5D Mark [...]

By: Karel Donk

Karel Donk — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:25:41 +0000

Just to hilight the important bits for those who are skimming.

By: Leroy

Leroy — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:58:12 +0000

I always wonder why Karel feels the need to use bold leters for special emphasis in making a point. Kinda makes me suspect that if he where sitting across the table from me he would also raise his voice too, Popping temple veins and all

By: Karel Donk » Blog Archive » Canon EOS 50D: Not worth it. Save your money. - Part III

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:25:27 +0000

[...] coffin of the Canon EOS 50D. This is my third post in this series, and you can find the first one here, and the second one here. Read them before you continue, including the comments, to get up to [...]

By: Karel Donk

Karel Donk — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:51:49 +0000

Nikon didn’t pay me anything. Read my follow up here and see what others are saying:
http://blog.kareldonk.com/canon-eos-50d-not-worth-it-save-your-money-part-ii/

Also read this review:
http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Canon_EOS_50D/index.shtml

You will see that the 50D offers little improvement over the 40D, that noise is the same or worse, and that the Nikon D300 beats it in almost every aspect at only $200 more expensive at the time of writing this. And to think the D300 is already a year old!

Especially read the verdict here:
http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Canon_EOS_50D/verdict.shtml

But Canon’s bold claims of matching the noise levels of the earlier EOS 40D were confirmed in our High ISO tests. From 100 to 1600 ISO, the EOS 50D’s output really is very similar to that from the EOS 40D when viewed at 100% on a pixel level. At 3200 ISO, the 50D applies greater noise reduction, but tone it down a notch and again it looks similar to the 40D. Admittedly the 50D’s 6400 and 12800 ISO modes are a step too far,

…

The addition of contrast-based autofocus in Live View was inevitable, but it’s relatively slow and best-used for static subjects and a tripod-based camera. This effectively renders the new face detection mode redundant, as while subjects are recognised instantly, it’s several seconds before the camera locks focus on them – by which time they’ll inevitably have moved.

…

Some early adopters have also reported a higher than average occurrence of Error-99 lens communication issues with the 50D. We tested our 50D with a variety of lenses and only experienced the Error-99 with a well-worn press sample of the EF-S 17-85mm IS, and then only at certain focal lengths. When we switched to a newer private sample of this lens, we had no issues. This is something we will monitor though and report back with any updates.

…

So the EOS 50D essentially takes the 40D body and adds 5 extra Megapixels, a VGA screen, HDMI output, four times the sensitivity and a number of processing and interface enhancements. If you value these improvements, then it’s worth spending the extra or for existing owners to upgrade, but remember the body, viewfinder and AF are the same, so if you want a tough and quick semi-pro DSLR at a bargain price, the 40D remains a superb choice.

…

By sharing a number of core specs with the 40D though, the 50D remains behind certain key aspects of the D300. Nikon’s body boasts a viewfinder with 100% coverage to the 50D’s 95% and an AF system with a whopping 51-points to the 50D’s nine; Canon also continues to look old fashioned by forcing you to buy and fit an optional focusing screen to see a grid in the viewfinder, while Nikon offers on-demand LCD markings which can simply be switched on and off. The D300 additionally offers more professional features like 9-frame bracketing, a built-in intervalometer and a shutter block rated for 50% more shots (150k compared to 100k on the 50D).

By: alex

alex — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:08:54 +0000

Hey dude, how much did nikon paid you for this post? or is it just to hava a “word” and cause some controversy, I’m a Nikon user but seeing this kind of posts maight change my perception of Canon… I saw other reviews other that yours and for the price the quality of this camera is astonishing….

By: Karel Donk

Karel Donk — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:00:13 +0000

The facts are there, also in the follow up. See for yourself what others are saying. Do your own research, form your own conclusion.

By: gpx4-is-an-idiot-gadget-collector

gpx4-is-an-idiot-gadget-collector — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:20:50 +0000

This author seems to be afflicted with feature-itis, like most equipment collectors who view DSLRs the same way as cellphones, MP3 players & laptops. You didn’t even bother to itemize what & why the D300 & D90 are superior to the 50D, given the price delta between these 3 cameras. Perusing the specs sheet, the 50D improves on most of the 40D specs that were inferior to the D300, which is a significantly pricier camera. And you couldn’t even give a single reason why the D90 is superior to the 50D, disregarding the toy-like video feature on that camera. This blog would have been more credible if it contained more facts than childish diatribes.

By: Karel Donk

Karel Donk — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:42:04 +0000

Don’t forget to check my follow up on this post here: http://blog.kareldonk.com/canon-eos-50d-not-worth-it-save-your-money-part-ii/

See what others are saying.

The 40D AF (and 50D AF as well since they are the same) is crap in AI Servo mode. Just search what Rob Galbraith has to say about it.

By: Walt

Walt — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:05:45 +0000

Lol !
There is nothing on this page except a Nikon guy and some breeze.
It means nothing at all but i laughed so thanx man.

By: LOL

LOL — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:43:15 +0000

Holy crap man,if nikon paid you write this dribble it would be ok,because at least your time woudnt be completely wasted in making an ass out of yourself,but yet,I know even nikon would barf in their own mouth reading the bullshit you write.

“The 9 point AF is known to be crap”

Use your brain IDIOT,you can find THOUSANDS of photos online done with that AF system(and inferior ones) that are amazing,tack sharp,of all sorts of moving subjects.

It embarrases humanity to share the world with fuckin’ retards such as you.

By: Karel Donk » Archive » Canon EOS 50D: Not worth it. Save your money. - Part II

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:17:14 +0000

[...] while ago, I wrote about the EOS 50D camera from Canon, and it wasn’t very positive. At that time, the camera wasn’t yet available but now [...]