Canon EOS 50D Preview,
Richard Butler, Lars Rehm and Simon Joinson, August 2008

Preview based on a pre-production Canon EOS 50D

Almost exactly a year after the arrival of the EOS 40D, Canon has announced the 50D, which we're assured will be a sister-model, rather than a replacement. Recent history has seen Canon release new models every 18 months-or-so but it's been a busy year with newcomers such as the Nikon D300 getting a lot of attention in the 40D's keen amateur/professional segment. The 50D puts essentially a 40D body wrapped around a newly-developed 15 megapixel sensor that finally rectifies the situation in which Canon's x0D range trailed the company's entry-level line, in pixel terms. Canon is claiming that the new sensor's design (new manufacturing processes, redesigned photo diodes and micro lenses) mean that despite the higher resolution the noise is actually lower than the 40D, something we'll obviously be putting to the test when we get our hands on a production model.

The other big change is the inclusion of a new, high-resolution LCD screen. 920,000 dots mean that it can convey 640 x 480 RGB pixels, making it effectively a VGA standard monitor. Three anti-reflection layers built into the screen do their best to keep it useable in bright conditions, too.

There are various other changes and added features, with many of them stemming from the first appearance of the Canon's Digic 4 processor. The key differences between the 50D and 40D are detailed below.

Model line history

Canon EOS 50D vs. EOS 40D feature and specification differences

	Canon EOS 50D	Canon EOS 40D
Sensor	• 15.0 million effective pixels	• 10.1 million effective pixels
Image sizes	• 4752 x 3168 • 3456 x 2304 • 2353 x 1568	• 3888 x 2592 • 2816 x 1880 • 1936 x 1288
RAW files	• CR2 format, 14-bit • RAW full resolution • sRAW1 (7.1 MP) • sRAW2 (3.8 MP)	• CR2 format, 14-bit • RAW full resolution • sRAW (7.1 MP)
Image processor	DIGIC 4	DIGIC III
Sensitivity	ISO 100 to 3200, extendable to H1 (6400) and H2 (12800).	ISO 100 to 1600, extendable to 3200.
Auto ISO	ISO 100 to 1600	ISO 100 to 800
Noise reduction	Four levels	On/Off
Auto lighting optimizer	Four levels	On/Off
AF adjustment	• All lenses or up to 20 individual lenses • +/- 20 steps	No
Viewfinder info	Now includes Auto Lighting Optimizer icon
LCD monitor	• 3.0 " TFT LCD • 920,000 dots	• 3.0 " TFT LCD • 230,000 dots
Live view AF	• Quick mode (Phase detect) • Live view mode (Contrast detect) • Face detect (Contrast detect)	Phase detect
AF adjust	• +/- 20 steps • Affect all lenses • Individual settings for up to 20 lenses	No
Peripheral illumination correction	• Profiles of 26 lenses includes • space provided for 14 extra profiles
User modes	• Auto • Creative Auto • Program AE (P) • Shutter priority AE (Tv) • Aperture priority AE (Av) • Manual (M) • Auto depth-of-field • Portrait • Landscape • Close-up • Sports • Night portrait • Flash off • Camera user settings 1 • Camera user settings 2	• Auto • Program AE (P) • Shutter priority AE (Tv) • Aperture priority AE (Av) • Manual (M) • Auto depth-of-field • Portrait • Landscape • Close-up • Sports • Night portrait • Flash off • Camera user settings 1 • Camera user settings 2 • Camera user settings 3
High-speed continuous	• 6.3 fps • Up to 60 JPEG Large/Fine images • Up to 90 JPEG Large/Fine images (UDMA)	• 6.5 fps • Up to 75 JPEG Large/Fine images
Menu UI	Digic 4 interface	Same as EOS-1D series
Connectors	• USB 2.0 Hi-Speed • Video out • Mini HDMI connector • N3 type wired remote control • PC Sync flash terminal • Communication terminal on base for WFT-E3/E3A	• USB 2.0 Hi-Speed • Video out • N3 type wired remote control • PC Sync flash terminal • Communication terminal on base for WFT-E3/E3A
Menu languages	25	18
Custom functions	25	24
Weight	• No battery: 730 g (1.6 lb) • With battery: 822 g (1.8 lb) (measured)	• No battery: 740 g (1.6 lb) • With battery: 836 g (1.8 lb) (measured)

Foreword / notes

If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read some of our Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).

Conclusion / recommendation / ratings are based on the opinion of the author, we recommend that you read the entire review before making any decision. Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of them, click to display a larger image in a new window.

To navigate this article simply use the next / previous page buttons or jump to a specific page by using the drop-down list in the navigation bar at the top of the page. You can support this site by ordering through the affiliate links shown at the bottom of each page (where available).

This article is protected by Copyright and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author.

Dpreview use calibrated monitors at the PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally also A, B and C.