Upgrade Rebel XT to 50D or New Glass?

[michael_pouliot]

<p>Hey Jeff thanks for the heads up on the Canon Loyalty thing...I've never heard of this. I called and they said that they only accept broken cameras. I guess it's to help Canon customers get a new camera when they have broken their camera out of warranty. It's a pretty awesome program, but my gear is working just fine.</p>

[arie_vandervelden1]

<p>I say: make a decision now whether to go FF or crop, and stick to it for the foreseeable future. Don't get caught halfway in between formats (50D and 17-40/4).</p>

<p>If you decide crop, get that 50D. You'll love it. Start looking at a Tamron 17-50/2.8 (VC or non-VC) or Canon 17-55/2.8 IS as your next purchase.</p>

<p>If you decide FF then get that 17-40, use it on your XT for now, and start saving for a 5D2 and a 24-something standard zoom.</p>

[g dan mitchell]

<p>I'd say that if you are happy with the lenses that you currently have, and you've had that venerable XT for five years and you just want to modernize a bit, that...</p>

<p>... the 50D sounds like a fine idea.</p>

[michael_pouliot]

<p>Alright, I'm going to check out the 50D tonight. I'm going to put this thing through the ringer before I hand over any cash so I'll let you all know how it goes.<br>

I figure that the 50D more than meets my needs and it is a significant upgrade from what I have now. If this works out then I'll start saving for some nice glass and a flash.<br>

I'll let you know how it goes!</p>

[paddler4]

<p>Good luck. Hope it works out. The 50D is a fine camera, very capable and easy to control. Don't worry about the anti-50D comments. They are an urban legend. The only disadvantage relative to the 40D that I could find is a SLIGHT increase in noise--so slight that Bob Atkins found that if you used noise reduction (which costs resolution) to offset it, the resolution still beat the 40D. And the 50D adds a number of valuable features, like Canon's sensor cleaning system and lens microadjustment. Take a look at http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/digital/canon_eos_50D_review_3.html to see noise tests and http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/E50D/E50DA.HTM for a comparison of features. No reason to avoid either of these cameras.</p>

<p>For full disclosure: I upgraded to a 50D from an XTi last spring after reading endless reviews of the 50D and 40D. I have been very pleased.</p>

<p>If this one doesn't work out, there will be others.</p>

[steve_wagner1]

<p>50D is a stinker. Keep reading, you shouldn't have much trouble finding copious complaints about the noise and softness. Out of 5 Canon DSLRs I've owned it was only slightly less disappointing than the D60 seven (?) years ago.</p>

[robin_sibson1]

<blockquote>

<p>The 50D doesn't really have many more features. The major "upgrade" is the 15MP vs. the 10MP of the 40D, which I'm not sure is really an upgrade. The excess MP cause more noise at higher ISOs. Other than that the only thing I can think of is the HDMI cable jack to look at photos on an HDTV and I think its expandable to 6400 ISO instead of only 3200. I think the 3200 is unacceptable and I only use it when I don't have a choice. I would never use ISO 6400.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Contrast detect AF in Live View? AF Microadjustment? full-VGA LCD? Of course, these features may or may not be important to you, but for some folks they matter more than pixel count.</p>

<p>I have used 20D, 40D and 5D, currently use 5DII and 50D, and have just bought a 7D for my wife, so I can comment on camera performance without, I hope, being accused of defending a favourite toy, and I can tell you that the 50D is a fine camera. Not as fine as the 7D or the 5DII, but a definite step up from the 40D which in turn was a significant step up from the 20D and (very similar) 30D. You can make good use of the high ISO settings on the 50D, but you need to be prepared to make thoughful use of NR (by comparison with the 5DII, where I don't find the need to bother with NR up to ISO 3200). Per-pixel, the 50D probably has at least as much noise as the 40D, perhaps a bit more, but the substantial increase in pixel count more than compensates for this on a per-image basis.</p>

[david kosky]

<p>I recently sold a 40D on Craigslist. The individual who bought my camera asked the number of actuations. I didnt really know, I suspected it was between 15 and 20K. We did our usual "meet at the nearest Starbucks". When he arrived he set up a laptop, tokk my camera, hooked it up to computer, ran a program called EOSinfo.exe and told me that I have exactly 19,246 actuations. Good thing I didnt tell him 5K. <br>

Anyway, this program can be found at the following website and I believe they have a version for both Mac and PC. Good luck on the purchase, I took my cash and about $1000 and ran, cash in my hot hands, to purchase the 7D. Life is sooo good.<br>

http://astrojargon.net/EOSInfo.aspx</p>

[juans eye]

<p>I think its more important to shoot now, than later (within reason). Buy what you can. The pictures are the most important part of this hobby/business, not the equipment. Inspiration and opportunity will not wait, nor does my attention :)<br>

A 50D will buy you more low light performance and AF speed/accuracy. Is that what you want? If so, I'd sell the kit lens you own with the XT and consider the EF 18-55 IS which is available for really cheap. That'll keep you going indefinitely until you make the L leap.<br>

Good luck with your next purchase. /bing</p>

<p> </p>

[michael_pouliot]

 

<p >Hi all. First off, I want to thank everyone for their input…you all very helpful and brought up some good points.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >I went last night to check out the camera and I ended up pulling the trigger. I was pretty blow away buy this thing compared to the XT. The camera is in “good” shape, but you can definitely tell it has been used. The guy is an avid night photographer but he was up front about everything and let me run it through the ringer for about an hour.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >I took a few shots when I got home and I’m pretty impressed with the results…this thing makes me love my 50mm even more. Here’s my thoughts after using it for about an hour:</p>

<p > </p>

<p >-Image quality is great. I’ve only take a few shots but IQ looks great so far. Crops look awesome.</p>

<p >-The AF speed is amazing especially in low light; my XT would just search and search in low light.</p>

<p >-This is the perfect size and weight for a camera. The XT was too small for my hands even with the battery grip.</p>

<p >-The screen is AMAZING</p>

<p >-Self cleaning sensor is a really nice feature</p>

<p >-Dedicated physical buttons. The rebel had few dedicated buttons for things like ISO and metering. I like not having to search through menus or hold a button and use the wheel to change settings.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >It’s going to take a while to get through the manual on this one…the thing is a friggin novel but I’m really excited to try some of these new features. I can’t wait to try the micro lens adjustment feature…this sounds sweet.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Anyway, thanks again for the help. I’m going to spend the weekend putting up stuff on Craigslist and eBay to raise some extra funds for glass J </p>

 

[User_3811325]

<p>Congratulations! I'm sure you will love it.<br>

I recently upgraded from the XT as well and know the feeling - the new camera is just more substantial, easier to use, better in so many little ways not even related to image quality. It feels like a "real camera". Have fun!</p>

[nathangardner]

<p>Congrats Michael! I'm sure you'll enjoy the new camera. </p>

[mike_hitchen]

<p>congratulations on your new purchase!<br>

If you are still thinking about the Canon 17-40 I would give serious consideration to the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 instead. It is a superb lens and by all accounts to the Canon 17-55 f2.8 a run for its money at a much lower price - and the extra 10mm will make it a much better walk-around lens.</p>

[paddler4]

<p>Congratulations! It is a great camera. Give yourself a few weeks to get acclimated to the controls. They are MUCH better than those on the Rebel series, but it took me awhile to stop fumbling around. the more you use it, the more you will love it.</p>

[daniel_blondowski]

<p>Now you'll be upgrading your lenses anyway:) Ask me how I know.</p>

[michael_pouliot]

<p>This site and it's members ROCK! Thanks again for the help everyone :-)</p>