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:

  • Nikon D90 – described as photographer’s camera
  • Canon 50D – highly recommended, just

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 640×480 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.