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Canon EOS 50D

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Features

One of the most significant changes you'll notice from the 40D, at least upon first inspection, is the LCD screen. It's a vast improvement over its predecessor, upped from 230,000 to 920,000 pixels. It renders colors accurately and with far greater detail than before, making even the dullest picture look vibrant--in fact, images often look better on-camera than they do on a computer screen. Complete with a brand new anti-reflection coating, we were able to see images in brightly lit environments. However, it's not foolproof, and under very bright light sources it was still a struggle to see the images without shadowing the screen with a hand.

Creative Auto mode is a new addition to the 50D, and essentially acts as a slightly more advanced automatic mode. Choose between a blurred or sharp background and the ability to adjust the brightness, and that's about all the control you get. It's a curious inclusion given that someone new to dSLRs will most likely go for a more entry-level model in Canon's lineup such as the 1000D or 450D, rather than the midrange, semi-professional 50D.

Live View in the 50D is also a significant improvement from its predecessor on the 40D. Automatic focusing is now much easier to use and face detection is another notable inclusion, working effectively even in low-light conditions.

Curiously, Live View is now available only in manual exposure modes, not in automatic or any of the preset function modes (portrait, macro, etc.)--which seems odd given it's a feature that will appeal to those upgrading from a point-and-shoot and expecting a similar configuration in automatic modes on a new dSLR.

There's now the added option to capture RAW images at lower resolutions in sRAW1 and sRAW2 mode. We can see advantages and disadvantages on both sides here--it's nice to have the option of shooting at a lower resolution for RAW, but unless you have limited space on your memory card and need to snap smaller images, it's just as easy to reduce the resolution in post-processing.

If you are expecting the latest and greatest in dSLR features on the 50D, there's one whiz-bang option that is notably absent--video recording. Though it's not a considerable disadvantage to exclude this feature, it is still an interesting move on Canon's part given the recent announcement of the Nikon D90's video mode (even if there are several quibbles with its operation and performance). The next camera in Canon's lineup that will feature high-definition video recording is the EOS 5D Mark II, a professional model with a price tag to match. While it's likely to be a mainstay of the (presumably named) 60D, as well as other newer models in the midrange/semi-professional dSLR category, the 50D will unfortunately have to do without.

It won't be a problem for photography purists who believe a camera should take only pictures. But for anyone else tossing up between features in name alone, it may be the deciding factor that pushes them toward a Nikon.



Tags: Camera, processor, LCD, CMOS, LCD screen
 
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