Overview

The Canon EOS 50D is a 15.1 megapixel DSLR with an APS-C sized sensor. The 50D is available in a body-only or as a kit with a 28-135mm f/4-f/5.6 IS lens. If you are getting into a DSLR for the first time, the kit lens is actually a really nice general purpose lens which, by itself, sells for $410 making the kit with the lens a really good bargain.

Features

As already mentioned, the 50D features 15.1 megapixels, built-in sensor cleaner, ISO ranges from 100 – 6400. Besides some better overall specs, what really makes 50D different from previous models is the high resolution LCD display. With a large LCD with high resolution you can really see when an image is clear and sharp. Another enhancement over previous models is face detection when in Live View mode to help focus on individual faces.

Product Features

• 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor with improved noise reduction
• Enhanced Live View shooting includes Face Detection Live mode
• New Lens Peripheral Illumination Correction setting; HDMI output
• Capture images to Compact Flash Type I or II memory cards (not included)

Technical Details

• Camera type: Digital single-lens reflex AF/AE camera with built-in flash
• Image sensor size: 22.3 x 14.9mm
• Compatible lenses: Canon EF lenses (including EF-S lenses)
• Lens mount: Canon EF
• Sensor type: High-sensitivity, high-resolution, large single-plate CMOS sensor
• Effective pixels: Approximately 15.10 megapixels
• Aspect ratio: 3:2 (horizontal: vertical)
• Color filter system: RGB primary color filters
• Low-pass filter: Fixed position in front of CMOS sensor
• Dust deletion feature: Yes
• Recording format: Design rule for camera file system 2.0
• Image type: JPEG, RAW (14-bit Canon original), sRAW, RAW+JPEG
• File size: Large/fine: 5 MB (4752 x 3168); large/normal: 2.5 MB (4752 x 3168); medium/fine: 3 MB (3456 x 2304); medium/normal: 1.6 MB (3456 x 2304); small/fine: 1.7 MB (2352 x 1568); small/normal: 0.9 MB (2352 x 1568); RAW: 20.2 MB (4752 x 3168); RAW+large/fine: 20.2+5 MB (4752 x 3168); sRAW 1: 12.6 MB (3267 x 2178), sRAW 2: 9.2 MB (2376 x 1584); sRAW 2+large/fine: 9.2+5 MB (2376 x 1584)
• Color space: sRGB, Adobe RGB
• Picture style: Portrait, landscape, neutral, faithful, monochrome, user defined 1-3
• Image processing type: Auto, daylight, shade, cloudy, tungsten light, white fluorescent light, flash, custom, color temperature setting
• Auto white balance: Auto white balance with image sensor
• Color temperature compensation: White balance correction: +/-9 stops in full-stop increments; white balance bracketing: +/-3 stops in full-stop increments
• Viewfinder type: Eye-level pentaprism
• Coverage: Approximately 0.95x (-1m with 50mm lens at infinity)
• Eyepoint: Approximately 22mm
• Focusing screen: Interchangeable (Ef-D: grid lines, EF-S: point of focus, EF-A: standard focusing screen)
• Mirror: Quick-return half mirror
• Depth-of-field preview: Yes
• Autofocus type: TTL-CT-SIR AF-dedicated CMOS sensor
• AF points: 9
• Metering range: EV 0.5 to 18
• Focusing modes: Auto, one-shot AF, predictive AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF, manual
• AF point selection: Automatic, manual
• Selected AF point display: Superimposed in viewfinder and indicated on LCD panel
• AF-assist beam: Small series of flashes fired by built-in flash
• Metering modes: 35-zone full-aperture metering: evaluative, partial (9 percent of viewfinder at center), spot (3.8 percent of viewfinder at center), center-weighted average
• Metering range: EV 1-20
• Exposure control: Program AE (shiftable), shutter-priority AE, aperture-priority AE, depth-of-field AE, creative auto, full auto, programmed image control modes (portrait, landscape, close-up, sports, night portrait, flash off), manual exposure, E-TTL II autoflash program AE
• ISO speed: Automatically set: ISO 100 to 6400 (in 1/3-stop or 1-stop increments); basic zone modes: ISO 100 to 3200 set automatically; extension settable: ISO 12800; high-tone priority settable: ISO 200 to 1600
• Exposure compensation: Manual: +/-3 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments
• AE lock: Auto and manual
• Shutter type: Veritcal travel, mechanical, electronically controlled focal-plane shutter
• Shutter speeds: 1/8000 to 1/60 second, X-sync at 1/250 second; 1/8000 to 30 second, bulb
• Shutter release: Soft-touch electromagnetic
• Self timer: 10- or 2-second delay
• Remote control: Yes, with N3-type terminal
• Flash type: Retractable auto pop-up
• Flash metering: E-TTL II autoflash
• Recycling time: Approximately 3 seconds
• Flash-ready indicator: Viewfinder icon
• Flash coverage: 17mm lens angle of view
• FE lock: Yes
• Flash exposure compensation: Up to +/-2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments
• Compatible flash: EX-series Speedlites
• Drive modes: Single, high-speed continuous, low-speed continuous, and self-timer
• Continuous shooting speed: 3 shots/second to 6.3 shots/second
• Live View shooting modes: Live View, remote Live View (with a personal computer installed with EOS utility)
• Live View focusing: Manual, autofocus
• LCD monitor: 3-inch TFT color LCD
• Resolution: Approximately 920,000 pixels
• Coverage: Approximately 100 percent
• Brightness adjustment: 7 levels
• Interface languages: 25
• Display format: Single image, single image + image-recording quality/shooting information, histogram, 4- or 9-image index, magnified view (approximately 1.5x to 10x), rotated image (auto/manual), image jump (by 10/100 images, index screen, by shooting date, by folder), slide show (all images/selected by date/folder)
• Image protection: Yes
• Erase: Single, check-marked images, or all (except protected images)
• Compatible printers: PictBridge
• Printable images: JPEG compliant to design rule for camera file system and RAW/sRAW images
• Interface: USB 2.0, NTSC/PAL selectable, HDMI mini out
• Battery: Rechargeable battery pack or AA alkaline batteries
• Camera width: 5.7 inches
• Camera height: 4.2 inches
• Camera depth: 2.9 inches
• Weight: 25.7 ounces (body only)

Setup

While you  can certainly take the camera out of the box and start shooting, I will run through the setting changes that I did and why.

C. Fn I : Exposure
Custom Function 3 changed to 1 to enable ISO expansion. This is needed to shoot at ISO ranges above 3200.

C. Fn II : Image
Custom Function 3 changed to 1 to enable Highlight Tone Priority. This enables Highlight Tone Priority which can help from overexposing important aspects of your image. Note however that when this is enabled, you will not be able to go over ISO 3200 regardless of the previous setting.

C. Fn III : Autofocus/Drive
Custom Function 3 changed to 1 to enable Multi-controller direct. This option enables you to select the autofocus point by using the multi-controller (mini joystick).

Live View Function Settings
Live View Shoot set to Enable to allow for Live View mode

Expo. Simulation set to enable so the LCD show how the exposure will look when the shot is taken

Grid Display was set to the rule of thirds overlay

Other Settings

Image quality was set to RAW.

Highlight Alert was enabled in order to show “blinkies” on the LCD to show overexposed areas

Finally, I made sure the date and time was correct, dropped in a compact flash card, formatted it and I was ready to go.

Using the EOS 50D

The first thing I get asked is “How good is the ISO performance?” so let’s start there. By default the 50D can shoot ISO 100-3200. If you enable ISO Expansion then you have ISO 6400 (H1) and 12800 (H2). However, just because you CAN go up to ISO levels like that doesn’t mean it really usable. The following image demonstrates the ISO performance from ISO 800 – 12,800.

As you can see, the ISO performance even up to ISO 6400 is actually pretty usable. Keep in mind that no noise reduction software was used to create this image, this is right out of the camera. Even some basic noise reduction will clean up the ISO 6400 images while the ISO 12,800 images would require some significant noise reduction to really make them usable.

Differences from the 40D

After the ISO question, the second most common question is “Is the 50D worth upgrading from the 40D?” so let’s compare a few key features between the two:

While not everyone will need the new features, I certainly think that many people who are more serious shooters like wedding photographers will really appreciate the high ISO performance, the larger megapixel count and the high resolution display. Those are certainly the key selling points for me.

50D Coolness Features

We have already looked at some of the biggest of the 50D’s features but there are a number of features hidden in the 50D that are actually pretty cool even if they don’t make the short list that everyone talks the most about.

• Peripheral Illumination Correction: This feature corrects vignetting that happens with certain lenses
• Live View Enhancements: Two different focusing modes are now available as well as a new face detection system for locking focus onto faces.
• User Settings Modes: Two modes on the main dial allow you to create two custom modes for your custom settings.

How big are the images?

Well, they are pretty big. The following chart shows typical sizes for the different quality modes:

Coming from using a 30D (8 megapixel) this means that my storage requirements have just doubled.

Does it take good images?

Of course it does. Here are some samples:

ISO 100 f/22 1/100 12mm

ISO 3200 f/4.0 1/60 12mm

ISO 100 f/4.0 1/1600 18mm

ISO 200 f/16 1/160 24mm

The 50D Controversy

There is quite a lot of debate about the sensor’s pixel density and how the smaller pixels and density are a recipe for more noise. While this is a very hotly debated topic a lot of it depends on your shooting situation. You will most certainly see extra noise in areas of images that are underexposed while if you are shooting well, or slightly overexposed images you can really move up into the higher ISO ranges. As we have discussed in previous articles, digital sensors loose detail in underexposed areas while maintaining more detail in overexposed areas, thus its safe to slightly overexpose to help reduce noise and maintain detail. A good rule of thumb is to overexpose by 1/3 – 1/2 of a stop, even more if you can without clipping. Learning the nuances of how your particular camera works and where it’s unique “sweet spot” is will help you to get the best images from your camera.

Is the 50D the best choice for you?

You are the only one that can decide if any particular piece of equipment is the right choice for you. What I did was to rent the body from Borrowlenses.com for a week to really put it through its paces and do some major comparisons. After using it in a variety of conditions, I knew it was the right choice for me at this time.

DSLR Sensor

What are you really cleaning?

There are two components that we will look at cleaning, the first being the focusing screen mirror. If you remove your lens and look into your camera with a lens off, you will see a small mirror.  Dust typically doesn’t stick to this surface very much, so a few quick blasts of air from something like a Rocket Blower should keep the mirror in relatively clean and clear.  This mirror, however, only affects what you see through your viewfinder and not what the sensor sees.

The second component is the “sensor”.  To get to the sensor you have to put your camera into sensor cleaning mode which moves the mirror out of the way, letting you get to the sensor plate. It is important to note that we are never actually touching the sensor itself.  The sensor sits behind a thin sheet of glass and it is this glass that we will be cleaning.  Knowing that you are actually going to be cleaning a piece of glass, and not the actual sensor itself, will hopefully make some of you feel a little better about this process.

And for those of you who take your camera bodies to Canon and get a free cleaning whenever you want (like we do), be aware that the days of free cleanings are about over.  Manufacturers are soon going to be discontinuing this free service, from what we have been told.

Lenspen SensorKlear II CCD Sensor Cleaner and SensorKlear Loupe

Tools of the trade

There are many things you can stick into your camera body to wipe down the sensor, but the goal of this article is to show you how to do it right.  There are many, many products available on the market to clean sensors in DSLRs today.  And quite frankly, many of them just don’t make sense.  Recently, we were at PMA in Las Vegas and we saw the myriad of cleaning products and solutions available for this job.  It is both overwhelming and confusing.  Then, we came across a product and a solution that just made perfect sense.  It’s called the Lenspen SensorKlear II CCD Sensor Cleaner and the SensorKlear Loupe.  These two items, together with a blower ball like the Giottos Rocket Blower or the Lenspen Hurricane Blower, make perfect sense as a solution to the problem.

Blowing out the camera

What are we getting into here?

The inside of the camera body is a dark and tight space.  To know what you are getting into, the the SensorKlear loupe is what you use to look into the camera to see if there is any dust that needs to be cleaned off the sensor.  This device is specially engineered to light the interior of the camera body and sensor surface, magnify the view to the eye and allow easy side access to get to the sensor.

There are also two kinds of dust that we will encounter.  Dry dust and sticky dust. Dry dust will make up about 95% of the dust particles you will encounter which is good news since they are easily removed with a blower ball.  A few quick blasts on the mirror, then putting the camera into sensor cleaning mode and then a few quick blasts onto the sensor is usually all you need for the majority of the dust you will encounter.  This should always be your first step when cleaning your camera’s sensor, and many times will be more than enough to solve your problems.  Once you complete this step, either check your sensor with a SensorKlear Loupe or put a lens back on, turn on manual focus and shoot a photo of a white background.  Check to see if there are any spots on your image.

Any dust that remains on our sensor and refuses to budge with just a simple blast of air is known as “sticky dust”.  This dust may be sticky from humidity or it is static charged and wants to just hang on the sensor.  There are several ways to get the sticky dust off and dozens of companies that are ready to sell you all manner of cleaning supplies to solve this problem.  In the worst case, it is possible that a spec might not be so easy to remove.  There are brushes that may work, or sometimes they just end up moving the dust around.  The other products offered are chemicals that will often leave a residue on the sensor glass (and yes, they ALL leave a visible residue… some just less than others).  Depending on the environment, some dust could even have some oil on it and the best you can do with brushes is to move it around and never get it to come off.  That’s when a chemical process and swab may (worst case scenario) have to be used to get that stubborn piece of dust off.

Lenspen SensorKlear

But outside of the worst cases (which RARELY occour), a simple blow, look and swipe should handle all your needs.  This is where the two piece solution of the Lenspen SensorKlear II CCD Sensor Cleaner and the SensorKlear Loupe make the perfect combination.  Let’s get into detail about these two pieces.

The SensorKlear Loupe is an electronically lighted eyepiece that sits over the body where the lens normally sits.  With it’s multiple LED lights, it gives you a wonderful, lighted view of your sensor that is magnified many times.  With this, you can see every spec of dust and debris on your sensor’s surface.  This is the only way we know of today to effectively see what needs to be cleaned.  You simply tell your camera to pup up the mirror for sensor cleaning, remove the lens and lay the camera on its back.  Then, you put the SensorKlear over the body opening and turn on the light.

The Lenspen SensorKlear II CCD Sensor Cleaner is a pen-like device with a hinge in the middle.  It has a capped cleaner surface at one end.  This cleaner surface is a specially designed chamois surface that is shaped like a rounded triangle to allow you to get into the corner of the sensor area and reach any surface.  Unlike brushes that can simply move things around, this pen can wipe just the area where the dust sits and pick it right up.  If the dust is sticky, it will usually pick it up too, or in some cases, it will move it around and turn it from sticky to dry dust, which can just be blown out of the camera.  Either way, there is no form of dust it cannot seem to handle.

Using the SensorKlear Loupe and SensorKlear II CCD Sensor Cleaner

So, the next step is to remove any debris we see.  We are assuming at this point that you have blown out the camera.  With the SensorKlear over the opening, there is a side access opening.  You simple bend the CCD sensor cleaning pen at a slight angle and reach in through this side access opening, watching the whole time throuh the eyepiece.  You make a small wipe or blot of the area where the dust is and it is immediately picked up and swept away.

We know that this sounds like a product plug; and truthfully, it truly is.  This is the first series of products that have actually made us feel comfortable cleaning our own camera sensors.  And that is saying a lot.  As a matter of fact, we heard rumors that Canon service techs themselves use these products for the work that they do on customer’s cameras.  I guess that makes sense to us too.  After all, its the best solution we have seen.

SensorKlear and Lenspen CCD Pen

Lenspen Website: http://lenspen.com

Authors

Maurice Naragon
Digital Creations
Website Development and Marketing
Professional Photography in Orange County, CA

Kerry Garrison
Orange County Wedding Photographer

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