Canon 50D at Photokina for definate, it’s launched!
So, all those people who posted about the August 26th launch of the Canon 50D and got flamed are now sitting smug, Canon has indeed launched it and the proposed specifications are pretty well matching those that were ‘leaked’.
It means that Canon has replaced the 40D which has only been out for a year, surprising many that the product cycle, which has been quite rigid with Canon, has been shortened. This means that the popular 40D will go at the end of the year, the 50D is expecting to ship in October with the body on having a $1399 price tag. This accounts for the price drops and for the user rebates of the 40D (If you’re starting out with a DLSR then it would be a very good purchase for the current pricing)
So, what is the 50D all about?
It is built around an identical body as the 40D but the 50D sensor jumps to 15 megapixels (still a 1.6x crop), the sensor resolution proposed in many forums. According to Canon, the new sensor has smaller pixels than that of the 40D’s 10-megapixel version which normally means more image noise but the company claims superior noise and image quality. This is due to an improved manufacturing process and larger, gap-free microlenses (there have been posts that Canon has been progressing well in this area). Canon will want to make a statement here with not just resolution but image quality, Nikon have been taking the headlines along with some market share, so many will be wanting to do side by side reviews with the D300 as soon as they get a 50D.
Along with the higher Mp resolution the camera sees the introduction of the new Digic 4 processor, Canons image processor chip line. They claim that despite the higher Mp it will not impose a performance penalty in terms of capture speed in burst (multiple) shooting. This is something that will appeal to action photographers.
The screen has a 3-inch LCD like the 40D but Canon has switched to a 920,000-dot LCD, the same higher-resolution display found on the Nikon D300. Long has this been a want for Canon users.
Some key facts:
50D
Sensor 15.1-megapixel CMOS
Sensitivity range ISO 100 to ISO 12,800
Image processor Digic 4
Continuous shooting 6.3 fps 90 JPEG/16 raw 6.5fps
Autofocus 9-pt AF all cross-type to f5.6 6
Price (body only) $1,399
Other key upgrades include a 4-level High ISO speed noise reduction function and a maximum ISO rating of 12,800, improved Live View shooting with a new Face Detection Live mode, a high-precision diagonal center cross-type auto focus point with f/2.8 and faster lenses, and an HDMI connection for displaying full high-res images on an HDTV.
The Digic 4 high-ISO noise reduction function has low, medium and strong settings to a maximum of 12,800. No doubt this will be one of the first head to heads with Nikon D300. Files sizes for RAW shooting can be selected with user-requested variable raw sizes of 7 and 3.8 megapixels
There are also some tweaks to the autofocus system, for example compensation for pulsed vs. constant illumination, and support for in-camera lens databases that enable it to perform vignette correction and ensure undegraded illumination across the entire frame. Finally, Canon has improved the dust prevention, with a fluorine coating in front of the low-pass filter to deal with sticky dust.
Canon expects to ship the 50D in early October. The body will run $1,399, and a kit with the f3.5-5.6 28-135mm IS USM lens will cost $1,599. The price is a early marker it seems, the D300 body on B&H site is listing for $1624, so before a street price level is established it’s $200+ cheaper. Is the 5D mk2 going to be aggressively priced and what does that hold in store?
see more for yourself;
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=17499
It’s going to get interesting in the Mid range DLSR world if as some rumors say, the Nikon D90 is to be released tomorrow, the 27th August.
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