Canon EOS 50D Review

Review Date: October 2nd 2008
Author: Mark Goldstein

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Page 1
Introduction / Ease of Use
Page 2
Image Quality
Page 3
Sample Images
Page 4
Design
Page 5
Specifications
Page 6
Conclusion

Specifications

IMAGE SENSOR

Type 22.3mm x 14.9mm CMOS
Effective Pixels Approx. 15.10 megapixels
Total Pixels Approx. 15.50 megapixels
Aspect Ratio 3:2
Low-Pass Filter Built-in/Fixed
Sensor Cleaning EOS integrated cleaning system with fluorine coating
Colour Filter Type Primary Colour

IMAGE PROCESSOR

 
Type DIGIC 4

LENS

Lens Mount EF/EF-S
Focal Length Equivalent to 1.6x the focal length of the lens

FOCUSING

 
Type TTL-CT-SIR with a CMOS sensor
AF System/ Points 9 cross-type AF points (f/2.8 at centre)
AF Working Range EV -0.5 - 18 (at 23C & ISO100)
AF Modes AI Focus
One Shot
AI Servo
AF Point Selection Automatic selection, Manual selection
Selected AF Point Display Superimposed in viewfinder and indicated on top LCD panel
Predictive AF Yes, up to 8m
AF Lock Locked when shutter button is pressed half way in One Shot AF mode or AF-ON button is pressed.
AF Assist Beam Intermittent firing of built-in flash or emitted by optional dedicated Speedlite
Manual Focus Selected on lens, default in Live View Mode
AF Microadjustment C.Fn III-7
+/- 20 steps
Adjust all lenses by same amount
Adjust up to 20 lenses individually

EXPOSURE CONTROL

Metering Modes TTL full aperture metering with 35 zone SPC
(1) Evaluative metering (linked to any AF point)
(2) Partial metering (approx. 9% of viewfinder at centre)
(3) Spot metering (approx. 3.8% viewfinder at centre)
(4) Centre weighted average metering
Metering Range EV 0-20 (at 23C with 50mm f/1.4 lens ISO100)
AE Lock Auto: In 1-shot AF mode with evaluative metering exposure is locked when focus is achieved.
Manual: By AE lock button in creative zone modes.
Exposure Compensation +/-2 EV in 1/3 or 1/2 stop increments (can be combined with AEB).
AEB +/- 2 EV, 1/2 or 1/3-stop increments
ISO Sensitivity* Auto (100-1600), 100-3200 (in 1/3-stop or whole stop increments)
ISO can be expanded to H1: 6400 and H2:12800

SHUTTER

 
Type Electronically-controlled focal-plane shutter
Speed 30-1/8000 sec (1/2 or 1/3 stop increments), Bulb (Total shutter speed range. Available range varies by shooting mode)

WHITE BALANCE

Type Auto white balance with the imaging sensor
Settings AWB, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, White Fluorescent light, Flash, Custom, Colour Temperature Setting.
White balance compensation:
1. Blue/Amber +/-9
2. Magenta/ Green +/-9.
Custom White Balance Yes, 1 setting can be registered
WB Bracketing +/-3 levels in single level increments
3 bracketed images per shutter release.
Selectable Blue/Amber bias or Magenta/ Green bias.

VIEWFINDER

 
Type Pentaprism
Coverage (Vertical/Horizontal) Approx. 95%
Magnification Approx. 0.95x
Eyepoint Approx. 22mm (from eyepiece lens centre)
Dioptre Correction -3 to +1 (1/m) (dioptre)
Focusing Screen Interchangeable (3 types, optional). Standard Focusing Screen Precision Matte Ef-A
Mirror Quick-return half mirror (Transmission: reflection ratio of 40:60, no mirror cut-off with EF600mm f/4 or shorter)
Viewfinder Information AF information: AF points, focus confirmation light.
Exposure information: Shutter speed, aperture value, ISO speed (always displayed), AE lock, exposure level/compensation, spot metering circle, exposure warning, AEB.
Flash information: Flash ready, high-speed sync, FE lock, flash exposure compensation, red-eye reduction light.
Image information: White balance correction, CF card information, monochrome shooting, maximum burst (2 digit display), Highlight tone priority (D+).
Depth of Field Preview Yes, with Depth of Field preview button.
Eyepiece Shutter On strap

LCD MONITOR

Type 3.0" TFT, approx. 920K dots
Coverage Approx. 100%
Viewing Angle (Horizontally/Vertically) Approx 160
Coating Dual Anti-reflection
Brightness Adjustment Adjustable to one of seven levels
Display Options (1) Quick Control Screen
(2) Camera settings

FLASH

 
Built-in Flash GN (ISO 100, meters) 13
Built-in Flash Coverage up to 17mm focal length (35mm equivalent: 27mm)
Built-in Flash Recycle Time Approx. 3 seconds
Modes Auto, Manual Flash On/Off, Red-Eye Reduction
Red-Eye Reduction Yes
X-Sync 1/250sec
Flash Exposure Compensation +/- 2EV in 1/2 or 1/3 increments
Flash Exposure Bracketing Yes, with compatible External Flash
Flash Exposure Lock Yes
Second Curtain Synchronisation Yes
HotShoe/ PC Terminal Yes/ Yes
External Flash Compatibility E-TTL II with EX series Speedlites, wireless multi-flash support.
External Flash Control via camera menu screen

SHOOTING

Modes Auto, Creative Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, No Flash, Program AE, Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority AE, Manual, A-DEP, Custom (x2)
Picture Styles Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User Defined (x3)
Colour Space sRGB and Adobe RGB
Image Processing Highlight Tone Priority
Auto Lighting Optimizer (4 settings)
Long exposure noise reduction
High ISO speed noise reduction (4 settings)
Auto Correction of Lens Peripheral illumination
Drive Modes Single, Continuous L, Continuous H, Self timer (2s, 10s)
Continuous Shooting Max. Approx. 6.3fps. (speed maintained for up to 90 images (JPEG) (with UDMA card), 16 images (RAW))

LIVE VIEW MODE

 
Type Electronic viewfinder with image sensor
Coverage Approx. 100% (horizontally and vertically)
Frame Rate 30 fps
Focusing Manual Focus (Magnify the image 5x or 10x at any point on screen)
Autofocus: Quick mode, Live mode, Live Face detection mode
Metering Real-time evaluative metering with image sensor
Active metering time can be changed
Display Options Grid overlay (x2), Histogram

FILE TYPE

Still Image Type JPEG: Fine, Normal (Exif 2.21 [Exif Print] compliant) / Design rule for Camera File system (2.0),
RAW: RAW, sRAW1, sRAW2 (14bit, Canon original RAW 2nd edition),
Digital Print Order Format [DPOF] Version 1.1 compliant
RAW+JPEG Simultaneous Recording Yes, any combination of RAW + JPEG, sRAW1 + JPEG, sRAW2 + JPEG possible.
Image Size JPEG: (L) 4752x3168, (M) 3456x2304, (S) 2353x1568,
RAW: (RAW) 4752x3168, (sRAW1) 3267x2178, (sRAW2) 2376x1584
Folders New folders can be manually created and selected
File Numbering (1) Consecutive numbering
(2) Auto reset
(3) Manual reset

OTHER FEATURES

 
Custom Functions 25 Custom Functions with 74 settings
Metadata Tag User copyright information
LCD Panel / Illumination Yes / Yes
Water/ Dust Resistance Yes
Intelligent Orientation Sensor Yes
Playback Zoom 1.5x - 10x
Display Formats (1) Single image with information (2 levels)
(2) Single image
(3) 4 image index
(4) 9 image index
(5) Magnified view
Slide Show Image selection: All images, by Date, by Folder
Playback time: 1/2/3/5 seconds
Repeat: On/Off
Histogram Brightness: Yes
RGB: Yes
Highlight Alert Yes
Image Erase/Protection Erase: Single image, All images in folder, Checkmarked images, unprotected images
Protection: Erase protection of one image at a time
Data Verification Original image verification data can be appended to the image (OSK-E3 required for verification)
Menu Categories (1) Shooting menu (x2)
(2) Playback menu (x2)
(3) Setup menu (x3)
(4) Custom Functions menu
(5) My Menu
Menu Languages 25 Languages
English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Greek, Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Ukrainian, Turkish, Arabic, Thai, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Japanese"
Firmware Update Update possible by the user.

INTERFACE

Computer USB 2.0 Hi-Speed (Mini-B)
Other HDMI mini output, Video output (PAL/ NTSC), Extension system terminal (for WFT-E3)

DIRECT PRINT

 
Canon Printers Canon Compact Photo Printers and PIXMA Printers supporting PictBridge
PictBridge Yes

STORAGE

Type CompactFlash Type I/ II (Microdrive compatible, UDMA compatible), external storage with WFT-E3

SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEM

 
PC & Macintosh Windows 2000 (SP4) / XP (SP2/SP3) / Vista inc SP1 (excl. Starter Edition)
OS X v10.3-10.5

SOFTWARE

Browsing & Printing ZoomBrowser EX / ImageBrowser
Image Processing Digital Photo Professional
Other PhotoStitch, EOS Utility (inc. Remote Capture, WFT utility*, Original Data Security Tools*), Picture Style Editor
* Requires optional accessory

POWER SOURCE

 
Batteries Rechargeable Li-ion Battery BP-511/BP-511A or BP-512/BP-514 (BP-511A battery supplied), 1xCR2016 for date & settings
Battery Life Approx. 640 (at 23C, AE 50%, FE 50%)
Approx. 540 (at 0C, AE 50%, FE 50%)
Battery Indicator 4 levels
Power Saving Power turns off after 1, 2, 4, 8, 15 or 30mins.
Power Supply & Battery Chargers AC Adapter Kit ACK-E2, Compact power adapter CA-PS400, Battery charger CB-5L, Battery charger CG-570, Car Battery Cable Kit CB-570, Compact Power Adapter CA-570

PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Body Materials Magnesium Alloy body covers
Operating Environment 0 40 C, 85% or less humidity
Dimensions (WxHxD) 145.5 x 107.8 x 73.5mm
Weight (Body Only) Approx. 730g

ACCESSORIES

 
Viewfinder Eyecup Eb, E-series Dioptric Adjustment Lens with Rubber Frame Eb, Eyepiece Extender EP-EX15, Focusing Screens Ef (with Grid Ef-D, Super Precision Matte Ef-S), Angle Finder C
Wireless File Transmitter Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E3
Lenses All EF and EF-S lenses
Flash Canon Speedlites (220EX, 380EX, 420EX, 430EX, 430EX II,550EX, 580EX, 580EX II, Macro-Ring-Lite, MR-14EX, Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX, Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2)
Battery Grip BG-E2N, BG-E2
Remote Controller/ Switch Remote control with N3 type contact, Wireless Controller LC-5
Other Original Data Security Kit OSK-E3
   
Predictive AF with EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM at 50kph
Magnification with 50mm lens at infinity, -1 (1/m) dpt
Continuous Shooting Large/Fine(Quality 8) resolution
Based on Canon's testing conditions, JPEG, ISO 100, Standard Picture Style. Varies depending on the subject, memory card brand and capacity, image recording quality, ISO speed, drive mode, Picture Style, Custom functions etc.
Water/ Dust Resistance Memory card and battery door only
Battery Life Based on the CIPA Standard and using the batteries and memory card format supplied with the camera, except where indicated
Page 1
Introduction / Ease of Use
Page 2
Image Quality
Page 3
Sample Images
Page 4
Design
Page 5
Specifications
Page 6
Conclusion

DIWAPhotographyBLOG is a member of the DIWA organisation. Our test results for the Canon EOS 50D have been submitted to DIWA for comparison with test results for different samples of the same camera model supplied by other DIWA member sites.

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