Canon 50D, or Truth About DPReview
I like DPReview. I thought after Amazon bought it it will become more corporate, but it looks it’s still as biased as it used to be:
Let’s get things straight. None of D90 features are very different to Canon 50D, but there are several quite important differences:
| Nikon D90 | Canon 50D | |
|---|---|---|
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.94x | 0.95x |
| Histogram in live view | None | RGB |
| Live view | Slow mode only (contrast-detect) | 2 modes (contrast detect and phase detect) |
| Focus points | 11 focus points (1 cross-type sensors) | 9-point TTL CMOS sensor, all cross-type for lenses of F5.6 or faster |
| Lens correction | Chromatic aberrations | Vignetting, distortion and chromatic aberrations |
| Viewfinder dioptric adjustment | –2.0 to +1.0 | -3.0 to +1.0 |
As you can see, these 2 cameras are not even in the same class, although the price difference is very small - around $250.
So, after weighting all pros and cons, I chose Canon 50D, and I must say it’s an excellent camera. Photographic experience is totally different than it used to be with my old Canon 350D.
- Viewfinder probably as good as it can get with 1.6x crop factor
- Super-sharp, super-bright 640x480 LCD - you can re-shoot bad photos without having to check them on a computer first
- Live view for precise focusing - I couldn’t imagine the camera is still shaking a lot when my hands are rock sturdy after making “stabilization exhale”. Perhaps this technique works for old cameras, but 15MP requires to do things by the book: use a tripod, or a stabilized lens. Apparently IS lens are even more important for getting sharp picture than good glass.
- Live view for black and white photography - all picture styles work also in live view. You can start training your eye for B/W without having to download to a computer.
- Focusing is great - success rate a lot bigger now. New auto-focus system totally rocks.
- Superb menu - very logical and easy to use now. Almost Apple of cameras.
