Canon EOS 50D

I've been using my Canon 5DS R for 3 years now and just had a wonderful experience with it. The standard of the pictures I get is excellent

Bought my Canon 50d New from Jessopps (now gone bust) and after only 2 years of light amature use and 16000 exposure the camera has developed the dreaded ERR01 error and had to be sent away for repair costing over £200. I only used L lenses on the body and my 6 year old 400d is still working fine after alot more ecposures. Canon rate the camera to 100k exposure so to break after only 16k is not good. 16% life.

Photo quality wise and speed is good but with the L lenes i have i wouldn't expect anything else.

this camera is one of the best. it is very easy to use and has an amazing picture resolution. i love it

I'm an experienced photographer, both as an amateur and a professional, and I've used cameras from all the big brands (so I'm not biased).

I use a Canon EOS 1Ds III for my work, but it's too heavy and too limited outside the studio, so I wanted another Canon body that was more portable which I could still use my other Canon lenses with - enter the Canon EOS 50D.

Image quality is great with the right lenses, and the resolution is sufficient to allow substantial cropping of the image if required, before printing at poster size. No lag on the shutter due to waiting for images to be written to the card shows that the processor is quick and efficient. Colour is beautiful, and can be set to specific bias if required for different kinds of shot - it works well. The menu system is clear and easy to use, and the buttons and dials are equally clear and conveniently located. It feels good in your hands, though it took me a while to get used to the smaller size of the body compared to the 1Ds, but it's a much more substantial camera than the 500D which felt like a toy to me, and was too small to hold comfortably (though it might suit a child's or woman's smaller hands). DoF preview works nicely, mirror lock up is available for macros and extreme telephoto images (to prevent camera shake when handheld, or in the case of extreme macro, even on a tripod), and the Live View facility works nicely when it's awkward to get to the viewfinder (though having to use a thumb button to focus when in live view is slightly awkward) - I always use this for macro as I can use a 5x or 10x magnification of the subject to check I've got the focus absolutely spot on where I want it - it makes the use of an anglefinder totally unnecessary. The built-in flash is handy, though either under powered for distant objects or too harsh for closer objects - I bought a handy little gadget on ebay that acts as a diffuser for the built in flash which is fitted quickly and now makes the flash excellent for portrait fill in. The camera is sturdy and strong, and the battery lasts quite well. I bought some spares for long trips so I didn't need to carry the charger with me - I recommend Hahnel spare batteries, excellent quality and cheaper than the Canon branded ones (which Hahnel used to make - probably still do). There is an extended grip that duplicates the right hand buttons for easier use in portrait mode, and also allows for two batteries, but I find I don't miss it on this body and prefer the lighter weight. Compatible with all Canon lenses, but if you don't already have pro full frame lenses in EF fit, I recommend the EF-S lenses that only work with smaller APS-C sensors. For lighter weight, I have bought some of these, even though I already owned professional equivalents - the 10-22mm, 35-70mm f2.8, 60mm macro. All of these lenses are excellent - the 35-70 zoom is better than the L designated full fram equivalent that costs a lot more, and the 60mm is the sharpest macro lens I have ever come across (though the 180mm macro gives better background blur). The new 70-200mm L lens is also well worth the money to make this kit complete, and I also carry a Sigma 50mm f1.4 for low light photography (which is better than Canon's, but choose the lens carefully, some are better than others, so I recommend testing all the samples the store has of this lens and never buying mail order). My next purchase will be a housing to use it underwater when diving.

The result is I have an excellent all rounder that allows me to take a full camera kit without excessive weight, whether walking around the city or on holiday. It won't take over from my 1Ds III for professional studio work, but for hobby use, travel (and once as a backup for the pro camera whilst in for repair) or any professional use where weight of equipment is a concern, it's the right camera.

The 50D is a great camera with easy to use menus and great feel when in the hand. it is robust, well waterproofed and the 920,000 pixel 3" screen gives class leading playback of shots. All canon lenses are compatible with it and also there is a good range of third party manufacturers making compatible lenses too. The only drawback i have found is that because the sensor is "pixel hungry", average lenses will struggle to bring out the best in it. Having used "L" series glass and standard glass there is a greater amount of quality loss than if the sensor was that out of, say, the 40D......... If you can afford a 50D then do it justice (as you would any camera i suppose!) and match it up with good glass..

this is a best camera.

After using both the Canon 400D and 30D for 18 months each, I got the Canon 50D as a gift and it is amazing. The screen is bigger with better resolution. You have the nifty live view for crowd shots and the delete all button has been removed, so you can't accidentally delete all of your pics! The menu is easy to navigate and the body is comfortable to hold. I can't think of anything bad about this camera yet. Thanks Canon!

Canon EOS 50D is very versatile SLR with advanced menu features. Pleased with the increased resolution.

The Canon EOS 50D is a great semi proffesional DSLR, easy to use with good build quality and excellent features. Live view is available on this model and the 17-85mm lens comes with image stabilizer and face recognition. A choice of settings from full automatic to manual.

Canon 50D review - I have been using multiple SLR cameras before, have always boast on using the old school manual SLR for classic photography but professional photography I had to use digital SLR and can't do it without my Canon. Have used other brands but Canon survived my lifestyle. Did some upgrade and I never was disappointed with any of them. Canon is still my brand.