I have had my hands on a 50D for exactly two days, and have taken only a few more than 100 photos; however, it is clear to me that this is no "40D Mark II." It is a giant step-up from the 40D and, in my opinion, akin to a jump between the 20D and 40D (the 30D skipped intentionally). I can speak and write confidently of this because I own or have owned all four cameras. I have the 50D with EF 18-200mm IS Telephoto Lens, which came as an offered kit. Additionally, I own and have used the 50D with an EF 24-105mm f4L and EF 85mm f1.8. Here is my two day take:

a. Controls are familiar yet more intuitive than the 40D;

b. Photos are top shelf. "Incredible!," "Beautiful!," and "Wow!" are superlatives which came quickly to me and to my close friends. I tried a few photos at higher ISOs. Those photos showed a bit of `noise,' however, was much less than expected. Noise at low and mid-range ISOs was not visible to me. I took many pictures in shaded areas to see if this camera handles colors, tones, and lighting better than the disappointing manner of the 40D. Seems to be truth to the claim of improvement in that area. Not a Nikon D2, but still quite excellent. I did not do any flash photography.

c. The LCD is bright, sharp, and much more viewable in sunlight than its predecessor. I think it matches well with those on the Nikons, which seems to have been one major objective with this camera.

d. The camera body is solid; feeling to me even more so than the 40D.

e. The 18-200mm IS lens was quite nice, and provides a great "one-lens" option. I have not compared photos taken with it to those taken with the EF 24-105mm L-series; however, I believe in L-series lenses and would guess the 18-200mm will not hold a candle to the L's. That said, it is a very excellent lens!! My only criticism is the significant differences in focusing `speed' between it and the 24-105mm L lens. It is Slooooooow...

The bottom-line is that 50D is a very excellent and, potentially, a very outstanding camera. Not perfect by any means, but a great step forward. I have not to date exercised enough of it's' features and options to be more specific now, but I will follow-up with more information once I have the opportunity to use the camera more. I rated it a conservative "4 stars," which for me is a high rating.

FYI, I am an advanced amateur photographer. I have much experience with Canon SLRs dating back to the A-1, and with some Nikons, including the D300. I have remained a Canon enthusiast because of the investment I have in EF lenses, and because Canon, sooner or later, always seems to come to the dance with superb equipment.

I was very excited to get the 50D today, but am very disappointed with the "live view" feature. It only works in "creative zone" modes, not basic modes.

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION
It has been just over a year now since I purchased my Canon 40D. At the time, I was just beginning to take my photography really serious. Since then, a lot has changed. I have now become a semi-pro. I still have my full-time job as an IT Manager here in Miami. However, I do a lot of photography work, especially events, on the weekends.

I really love my 40D but as I started doing more and more professional work I realized three things:

1. I needed a second camera body
2. I needed a camera with a more professional focusing system.
3. I needed a camera with even higher ISO performance

It was rumored back then that the replacement for the Canon 5D would be out in the first quarter of 2008. I decided to wait for it. However, when the time came there was no news from Canon about the 5D replacement. This was back in March 2008. The Nikon D300 had now been out for a while by then. I thought about buying it but I decided to wait until it was fully reviewed by dpreview as I wanted to see if Nikon had really finally addressed the high ISO performance issues. I ordered it one day after it was reviewed by Phil Askey on dpreview.

Since then, I have been using both the Canon 40D and the Nikon D300. I know it is a bit of a strange combo. People are always surprised when they see that I am using a Canon and a Nikon together.

I took all three cameras - Canon 40D, Canon 50D and Nikon D300 - over the weekend to the Miami Seaquarium to see how the new Canon 50D compared with both of them.



SECTION 2: NEW/CHANGED FEATURES
A. High-resolution LCD Screen
The LCD screen is still 3 inches. However, Canon has now increased the resolution from 230,000 dots to 920,000 dots which is the same as that found on the Nikon D300. Of course, this makes it a lot easier to check images on playback to see if they are sharp and in focus. More important, however, is the fact that Canon added a two layer anti-reflective coating which makes it way easier now to review images in bright sunlight. It is a lot easier to review images on the Nikon D300 than the Canon 40D. However, the Canon 50D definitely surpasses the Nikon D300 when reviewing images in bright sunlight.

B. 15.1 Megapixel CMOS Sensor
I think the MP increase is the biggest surprise to me since Canon has always been conservative when it comes to this. However, this increase now seems to be the trend as the new Canon EOS 5D Mark II has gone from 12 MP to a whopping 21 MP. I was always puzzled by the fact that the baby Canon Rebel had more MP than its big brother.

I can clearly see the difference in the quality of the images produced by the 15.1 MP Canon 50D and those from the 10 MP Canon 40D. For a casual shooter this is not a big deal. However, for professionals shooting events this is really useful. Whenever I shoot an event I try not to turn it into a photo shoot. People are there to have fun. That is the first priority. I need to be able to get my shots fast. Many times this means getting the shot and then doing some cropping to make it perfect. Having 15 MP to play with can be a life savior here. Of course, if I only did portraits where I have time to pose my subjects this would be less important to me.

There is a small difference in the quality of the images from the 15.1 MP Canon 50D and the 12.1MP Nikon D300.


C. High ISO Performance
The ISO setting control how sensitive the image sensor is to light. As the light gets lower you can increase the ISO to avoid using the flash. This is really important when you want to shoot in available natural light such as at dusk or at dawn when the light is really beautiful. Another example is when you want to photograph a bride and groom during the first dance without using the flash so you capture all the romance. The downside to increasing the ISO is that the resulting photos will tend to get grainier as the ISO increase.

The Canon 40D allowed me to go to ISO 1600 and then expand it to ISO 3200. When I just started out doing casual shots this was okay. However, I find that I often needed to go higher than 1600 and of course I was forced to use ISO 3200. On the Nikon D300 I could go all the way up to ISO 3200 standard so if I needed to use anything higher than ISO 1600 I would use the Nikon D300. That way if I only needed ISO 2000 I could use that setting rather than use ISO 3200. I must let you know that Nikon did fix the high ISO performance issues that plagued its DSLRs prior to the Nikon D300.

The Canon 50D now comes with a standard range of ISO 100 to 3200 just like the Nikon D300. However, the concern that I had was that with the big increase in MP count there would be much more noise (grain) at the higher ISOs. The more MP you have the more noise you tend to get at higher ISOs. I would have much preferred a smaller MP count and better high ISO performance. However, the engineers at Canon have really outdone themselves this time. The high ISO performance of the Canon 50D is just as good as the Nikon D300 even though it has 3MP more. Much of this is due to the fact that Canon is now using gapless micro lenses on the image sensor. This seemed to have really increased the light gathering capabilities of the pixels.

The Canon 50D ISO can be expanded to 6400 (H1) and 12800 (H2). The Nikon D300 can only be expanded up to 6400. However, on the Nikon D300 you can go from 3200 to H0.3 and then to H0.7 before you get to H1.0 which is 6400. This is more flexible than having to go straight to 6400 since you should generally try to use lower ISO speeds.

You might be thinking that it is absurd that anyone should want to use ISO 6400 and worse ISO 12800. However, there are times when getting the shot is more important than the quality of the shot itself. A good example here is when shooting sports. If the light becomes very bad for whatever reason you will need to increase your ISO as much as possible to get high enough shutter speeds to freeze the action.

D. Auto ISO Range (100 to 1600)
I have been to Butterfly World on several occasions to get photos of butterflies, birds and the tropical plants there. It is normally very sunny so to save time I shoot in Aperture priority mode. This allows me to simply set the aperture and then let the camera automatically set the shutter speed based on the current ISO and aperture settings. One thing about South Florida is that one minute it can be very sunny and then in just a few minutes it can become real cloudy. The problem this pose is that when it becomes real cloudy the shutter speed selected by the camera can be so low that it would result in camera shake which in turn results in blurry images. When I just started out my photography this actually happened to me as I would simply forget to check the shutter speed that was selected by the camera.

The auto ISO feature lets the camera automatically change the ISO to suit the shooting mode. For example, when in aperture priority mode if the camera detects that the shutter speed selected would result in camera shake it automatically increases the ISO. This feature is available on the Canon 40D. However, the maximum ISO it would automatically set is 800. The Canon 50D will now set ISO up to 1600 which is a lot more flexible.

The Nikon D300 actually takes the auto ISO concept further by allowing you to set the maximum ISO you want the camera to set and the minimum shutter speed you are willing to work with before the camera start to automatically set the ISO. This gives ultimate control to the photographer.


E. Burst Buffer
Another concern I had with the big increase in MP count was the impact it would have on the burst rate. With the MP count going from 10 to 15 this would normally result in a much slower burst rate. However, the new DIGIC IV image processor is a lot faster than the previous DIGIC III processor so the burst rate is pretty much the same at 6.3 frames per second from 6.5 frames per second. If you use a UDMA card with the Canon 50D you can buffer up to close to 90 large/fine JPEGs versus the 75 on the Canon 40D. The Nikon D300 can store up to 100 large/normal JPEGs at a burst rate of 6 frames per second. With the optional MB-D10 batter pack you can get 8 frames per second.


F. Lens Peripheral Illumination Correction
It is just a fact of life that the light entering a lens tends to fall off around the edges. This tends to be more pronounced when the lens is wide open. The resulting photo will appear dark around the edges. You will see it sometimes referred to as Vignetting. It is more common on cheaper lenses. However, even the most venerable and expensive lenses are not immune to this problem. I have sometimes seen it on my professional grade lenses such as the Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS lens and even the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 G lens.

If you have Photoshop CS3 you can quickly correct this problem. However, that is still one more thing that you have to worry about which increases your workflow. The Canon 50D has a database of 26 lenses that it will automatically correct Vignetting for. In addition you can enter another 14 models. This feature can be a really big time saver when you have many photos that were shot with the lens wide open. An example of this would be a photo shoot in natural low light where you have to shoot with the lens wide open most of the times. I remember one such shoot that I did with both the Canon 40D and Nikon D300. When I returned home I had to sit there and review each photo in Photoshop CS3 for Vignetting and fix the ones that I found. This is despite the fact that I had used two professional grade lenses for the photo shoot.

This correction works with JPEG as well as RAW images.

Note that this feature is turned off by default. The reason is that Canon has no idea whether the lens that you are using will work with this feature. Even when you activate it you have to check to make certain that you see "Correction Data Available" which confirms that it does work with your lens. If not you can add your lens to one of the available 14.

The Nikon D300 does not offer Vignetting correction but it does offer chromatic aberration (CA) correction which is not on the Canon 50D. CA is the colored fringes that you sometimes see in photos. The colored fringe normally happens along some edge in the photo where there is strong contrast. A good example is a photo of a white house with green trees in the background. The edge where the green trees meet the white house in the image is a good candidate for some kind of color fringing. Once again, this is something that can be corrected in Photoshop CS3 but anything that can be done by the camera will save a lot of time in post processing.


G. Live View Functionality
If there was one feature that I really missed from back when I had my Canon S5 IS point-and-shoot camera it was face detection. It's a feature that people always asked me about since the Canon 40D and Nikon D300 both had live view but no face detection. When I use live view on the Canon 40D and Nikon D300 I normally focus manually so I can zoom in on the face and then tweak the focus to make sure that it is as sharp as possible. With the 50D I can now save some time by using the new Face Detect live view mode. I also tried it with groups of people and it is pretty good at detecting the faces there as well.

The refresh rate for live view on the Canon 40D/50D is 30 frames per second which is twice that on the Nikon D300 and even the Nikon D3. This makes the Canons better if you want to pan in live view.

One of the biggest advantages of shooting digital is the ability to review a shot immediately to make certain it is good. Because the LCD monitor is just 3 inches, most photographers doing professional work also zoom in to check the focus and sharpness of the photo. You cannot simply look at the brightness of the image on the LCD monitor and assume that the exposure was good. For example, if you are in a dark room and take a photo, when you view it on the LCD monitor it will look very bright but that is because you are in a dark room. The exposure might not be really good and it is possible that the photo is actually underexposed.

When you are doing critical work the best way to review a photo is to view the associated histogram. This is nothing more than a grayscale graph of the tonal values in the photo. An ideal histogram is shaped like a dumb-bell or like a wave that goes up and then down. It goes from black (shadows) on the left and gradually to white (highlights) on the right. A quick check is to see if any of these are clipped (cutoff). If the highlights are clipped it means that something in the photo was overexposed. If the shadows are clipped it means that something was underexposed. If most of the values are to the left (shadows) it generally means that the photo is underexposed. If most of the values are to the right (highlights) it generally means that the photo is overexposed. The Canon 50D has a live view histogram. This is something that is somehow missing from the Nikon D300.


H. Quick Control Screen
One feature that I really have enjoyed using on the Canon 40D is to use the LCD screen to set my shooting parameters such as ISO and drive mode. However, I had to push the info button twice for the screen to appear and I still had to use the buttons on the top of the camera. The Canon 50D has improved on this concept. Now all I have to do is push the multi-controller straight down to get into what is now called the Quick Control Screen where the shooting parameters are displayed on the LCD screen. Also, I can now use the multi-controller to simply select any shooting function and the use the quick-control dial to change its settings. Of course, this is a lot easier than having to make selections by pushing different buttons on the top of the camera.

The Nikon D300 has the same kind of functionality here as the Canon 40D. However, the user interface is a lot friendlier on the Canon as the names of all the icons are also displayed as well. Remember that the Nikon D300 is targeted at more advanced shooters so it does not bother with showing the names of icons. It does not even come with any automatic modes like the Canons.

I. Creative Auto Mode
When you use the Full Auto mode the camera controls just about everything. You cannot even decide whether you want to use the flash or use continuous shooting. The Canon 50D no longer has a C3 mode dial. It has a new Creative Auto (CA) mode dial. When you use this mode dial the Creative Auto screen comes up on the LCD monitor. The settings start out just as if you were shooting in full auto mode. However, you can use the multi-controller to select and make changes to any of the following: flash firing, picture brightness, picture style, image-recording quality. You can also decide whether you want to use single, continuous or self-timer shooting.

There is one special change that you can make here that needs special mention. You have probably seen some beautiful portraits where the background is beautifully blurred. This not only makes the subject stands out but also gives the portrait an overall artistic look. The only problem is that you have to be able to set your own aperture to achieve this effect. The Canon 50D has now changed all that. When you are in CA mode, you now have a graphic slider on the Creative Auto screen that you can drag one way to blur the background more and drag it the other way to make the background sharper. There is absolutely no need for you to have any idea about aperture and depth-of-field. You can now produce portraits with beautiful backgrounds (bokeh) simply by dragging a slider!

Since the Nikon D300 is targeted at advanced shooters you won't find something like this on it. It is assumed that if you are buying a camera like that, that you already know how to set your own aperture and shutter speed etc.


J. High ISO Noise Reduction
Earlier on I told you that as you start using really high ISOs you will start noticing more and more grains (noise) in the photos. Cameras like the Canon 40D, Canon 50D and Nikon D300 all offer a custom setting which allows you to specify whether you want the camera to reduce high ISO noise. You might be wondering why the camera does not simply always try to reduce high ISO noise. Well, there is a trade-off involved here. As you try to reduce the noise you will lose some of the details. If you are taking a photograph and you need to preserve details even at the expense of some noise you can simply chose to turn off high ISO noise reduction. If it is more important to get a clean photograph even though you might lose some of the details then you should turn high ISO noise reduction on. One major drawback of using high ISO noise reduction is that it greatly reduces the burst rate. This is another reason why it is turned off by default.

The Canon 40D offers just 2 settings here - on and off. The Canon 50D allows 4 settings - standard, low, strong and disable. This gives you much more flexibility as you can chose to use a low setting rather than just an on setting which is the equivalent of strong.

The Nikon D300 also has 4 settings which are pretty much the same as those on the Canon 50D even though they are named slightly different.


K. Micro AF Adjustment of Lenses
Starting with the Canon 40D, Canon started trickling down some of features from the professional 1D Mark III DSLR. One feature that did not make it down to the Canon 40D is the ability to fine-tune the AF on your lenses. This advance feature is now on the Canon 50D. You can chose to adjust all lenses by the same amount or you can actually adjust up to 20 lenses individually.

This feature is also on the Nikon D300.

L. HDMI Output
One of the biggest advantages of shooting digital is that you can review your shots right away as well as show them to your clients or friends right there if you have a display unit that you can hook your camera up to. Of course the craze these days is HD. Everything just seems to look better in HD. There was no HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) output on the Canon 40D so you could not do a slideshow on a HDTV. With the 50D you can now do that. You can now take some really cool photos of your kids and view them right there on your HD television which makes a huge difference from viewing them on a non-HD display.

The Nikon D300 has this feature.


M. Auto Lighting Optimizer
When you photograph a scene that is evenly lit your camera does a very good job of setting a proper exposure to ensure that your main subject comes out bright enough. However, if the scene contains high contrast areas of brightness and darkness it can trick the camera and cause your main subject to come looking really dark. For example, if you try to photograph your friend with the sun behind him you will most likely find that your friend comes out looking really dark. This is because the bright light from the sun in the background tricks the camera into believing that there is more light on your main subject than there really is.

The auto lighting optimizer feature enables the camera to better handle these kinds of scenarios by lightening the dark areas in a scene such as your friend while still keeping the details in the bright areas such as the sun in the background. This feature was not on the Canon 40D but it was added to the Canon Rebel XSi which came after it. With the Canon 50D you now get this feature but with 4 settings rather than just the enable and disable settings found on the Canon Rebel XSi. You can choose from standard, low, strong or disable.

This feature is on the Nikon D300 with similar 4 settings.


N. New sRAW
There is a new extra small raw file format. With the 50D you now have the option of shooting RAW files at 3.8MP, 7.1MP and of course the whopping 15.1MP.



SECTION 3: Is this the right camera for you?
Your buying decision should be based on your requirements, budget and personal preferences.

It is very tempting when comparing the 50D to the 40D to get carried away with the 5MP difference. However, you really need to consider the type of work that you will be doing and the maximum print size that you expect to do. Here is a summary of the maximum print sizes for different megapixels (resolution):
6 megapixels 8" * 10"
8 megapixels 11" * 14"
10 megapixels 13" * 19"

As you can see if your maximum print size is 8" * 10" then you are covered with even a 6 megapixels camera. You should really have a very good reason for needing more than the 10MP found on the Canon 40D.

Here is what you should do. Check off the new/changed features that you think you will need based on where you would like your photography to start and be in a couple of years. If these new/changed features are not really important to you then go with the Canon 40D. You will save yourself some money that you can then use towards buying a good lens. For example, assume that you have $2,000 to spend on both the camera and lens and you are just interested in getting great shots of your children playing soccer and of their dance performances. In that case I would recommend that you get the Canon 40D body ($955) plus the Canon EF 24-105mm L IS lens ($1,040). It is really important to get a good lens. It is better to have a good L lens on a Canon 40D rather than a mediocre lens on the Canon 50D. On the other hand, if you know you want to do strong professional work and you definitely want a Canon then I can highly recommend the Canon 50D with its new/changed more advanced features. You will not be disappointed with this camera. So far I have found it to live up to everything that it promises. I am really blown away by the fact that Canon could really pack so many MP into that sensor and still give great high ISO performance on par with that of the Canon 40D and Nikon D300.

The decision between the Canon 50D and the Nikon D300 is a little bit trickier. Last year when I purchased the Canon 40D, the body was going for $1,299. This means that Canon has only added $100 to make the price $1,399 for the Canon 50D. When the Nikon D300 launched last year, the body was going for $1,799. This difference in price plus the fact that there are still many features on the Nikon D300 that are not on the Canon 50D, tell me that Canon is still not trying to compete directly with the Nikon D300. This is reinforced by the fact that Canon has now even added a Creative Auto mode which is for beginners. In my opinion Canon is trying to provide a DSLR that can be used by both beginners and even professionals depending on the type of work that they do. This is all done at a very reasonable price. The problem that I see right now is that the price of the Nikon D300 is now at $1,550 which means that for just $150 more you can get a much more advanced camera. Two of those key features are the whopping 51-AF focus points versus the 9 on the Canon 50D as well as 100% coverage in the viewfinder versus 95%. You have to decide if the higher resolution, higher ISO performance and a better live view on the Canon 50D are more important to you. If so, then you should go with it. If not, you should go with the Nikon D300. However, be prepared to spend a lot of time learning because there are no automatic modes on that camera. Another important point to consider is the availability and prices of the lenses you will need. Canon lenses are readily available and are also cheaper than their Nikon equivalent. Shortly after I purchased my Canon 40D I simply went on Amazon and bought a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS lens. After I purchased my Nikon D300 I had to wait several months before I could get my hands on the Nikon equivalent of that lens. It is constantly back-ordered. When I finally got it I had to pay $300 more than the regular price. I own 5 Canon L lenses and I had no problem getting them - they were all ordered right here on Amazon.

When I did my review of the Canon 40D, someone asked me about the 1D Mark III. I told him that it was way out of the league of the 40D. However, I also warned him about the potential focusing problems that had been reported. I want to mention the only problem I have had with the Nikon D300. It sees purple as blue so if you shoot a lot of purple you will have a problem with it. Since I have been shooting I have only shot one scene with purple. It was a purple flower. I have shot many events and so far this purple problem has not been an issue for me. In any case, if it happened I would have simply used the Canon 40D for those shots. You can check the reviews of the Nikon D300 right here on Amazon for other people who have encountered this purple problem.


SECTION 4: Conclusion
Your camera should make you feel invincible when out in the field. The Canon 50D is a robust and capable camera that produces stunning images even at very high ISOs. However, it is really up to you to decide whether this is the camera that is best for you based on your personal requirements, budget and preferences. Whether you decide to go with this camera or the Canon 40D or the Nikon D300 I can promise you that you will not be disappointed.

You can check out photos from the Canon 40D and Nikon D300 on my website at tajdigistudios. As I do shoots with the Canon 50D you will see photos from it as well. Be sure to check under the Portfolio menu item. If you are new to DSLRs you might want to check out my free course at tajdslrcourse. If you are considering the Canon 40D you should also check out my review of it right here on Amazon.

Wow....this is a great camera. I've owned and used several Canons and a couple of Nikons over the years and I think this is the fastest camera I've ever used. Generally I use manual focus on everything, but the focus is so fast and so accurate that I have barely used manual. The LCD screen has beautiful resolution and can actually be used to get a feel for how you're pictures look, it's as clear as a computer screen. Most of the menu functions are easy to find and change on the fly, which is nice. It's a very smart camera so for those who don't like to use manual settings the creative feature is nice as you can instantly control your apeture and shutter speed as well as get a screen capture before you take a shot to see what it looks like. This camera is far superior to the 40D and any of the Rebels. The pictures are as crisp and colorful as can be with the camera right out the box and only get better as you customize and fine tune your settings. I've been shooting in RAW with "L" glass for the last week and can't get over how next to perfect this camera makes your shots. Just a great camera by Canon, especially for the price....the XSi is nice (better than the 40D I think).....but this is the Canon to get......Oh yeah did I mention that this thing is superfast and can give you large size prints that look great!!!

First of all, the camera is fantastic--4.5 stars for it.
HOWEVER...I purchased this camera Oct 5, the order was fulfilled through a company called Pavillion Electronic LLC, and what was shipped to us is a black-market camera. The camera came with no US warranty, Asian software, and missing various bits of documentation. Returning it will be a challenge, as the company does not answer their phone or email. This is doubly sad, because I bought the camera for my husband for his birthday to take on our vacation--so he'll have neither a present nor a camera. BEWARE of who you're purchasing this item from. I've never had this happen with Amazon before, so this was a very sad and shocking surprise.

I have been using this camera for about a week, with a couple of hundred pictures. My 40D is a year old, and agree with those who say that the 50D is the camera Canon should have introduced in its place. In spite of the 40D being an excellent piece, it was not a Nikon D300 contender. Now, Canon's latest is the one with which they can strongly fight back in this highly competitive semi-pro camera market. I know that sooner or later it will be surpassed but, for the moment, this is the best you can buy for its price, and in fact, more. My key awareness for a camera of this caliber is to produce no less than technically outstanding images, and this device excels in every aspect to get them, so I'm absolutely pleased with its results; its resolution is better than most of the competitive cameras. Don't take my word for granted: I invite you to visit http://www.imaging-resource.com/ and compare sample images of this camera with, say, Nikon D3 (yes, Nikon D3) at ISO 100. It's not perfect, I know, but neither is the EOS 1Ds Mk III, nor the Nikon D3.
I wish I have the latest in camera technology every year, but not always can I indulge myself, and with the actual crisis, I know that a lot of you can neither. But, be assured that this camera can withstand a good long time in your hands, without getting obsolete. Its high quality level and electronic advances that let you produce absolutely amazing pictures won't let you down in a long time to come.

Earlier this year I purchased the Canon 40d, thinking that it's replacement wouldn't be in the works for a while. I was quite surprised, and somewhat dismayed, to find that Canon was releasing the 50d so soon. I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend more money to upgrade. But I was never totally satisfied with the 40d, so I took the plunge. I can only say that I'm thrilled with the performance of the 50d compared to the 40d. While I'm not prepared to go into a long detailed comparison, I will say that I find the image quality and the auto-focus accuracy of the 50d to be noticeably better than the 40d. I have no regrets making the upgrade.

I upgraded my 30D for the 50D. One reason I chose the 50D over waiting for the 5D MkII was I could use everything I already had for my 30D. So I can continue to use my batteries, grip and remote release.

The new screen is perhaps the most obvious upgrade to anyone used to a 30 or 20D, the screen is stunningly clear and the higher resolution is obvious from the moment you turn it on.

The Digic 4 menu system is far easier to get along with compared to previous models, and the user custom menu allows you to configure your favorite options all on one place.

The 15 megapixel sensor is honestly overkill in my opinion, there is way too much attention pushed to the 'make it higher everytime' by camera companies. 8 megapixels is more than enough for most people out there and big enough for most normal size prints, I've printed up to 13 inches without any problem. The one thing the extra mega pixels does give you is the option to crop closer in post processing.

Live view is nice, but I'll probably never use it. One of the reasons I like my DSLR over my point and shoot is the way the view finder allows me to see nothing but the shot and compose exactly the way I want without any distractions. Personally I still think Live view is an odd feature to put in a mid to high range DSLR but I can see where Canon would want to target those people used to point and shoot cameras. And most likely is something designed to get slowly move us towards the video/still camera style of which the 5D mkII is the future I'm sure.

I have to say at first I was some what concerned how sharp the images were at the full resolution, I shoot with the 24-105 F4/L and 70-200 F/4L and both of those lenses are incredibly sharp on my 30D. However I believe now that it is the software that is to blame, I have never been impressed with Canon's software and am delighted that Adobe has released Camera RAW 4.6 to allow me to get back into Bridge and Photoshop CS3. I hope that Lightroom 2.1 gets released soon as that is my normal workflow and image management application. (I do also use Aperture 2 but I am sure that will be a while before it becomes compatible with 50D RAW files).

The in camera JPEG files are OK...until you see what the RAW files can do, but at times it's nice to use in camera JPEG's when I am just doing point and shot stuff.

The camera feels very solid, and the build quality is excellent, the main scroll wheel feels much better than my 30D which always felt a little soft on the clicks.

I am concerned that for the first time today I got the err99 that many have reported and I am hoping it was a one off and not a sign of pending hardware failure in a camera less than one month old, there is plenty of posts out there on dpreview.com discussing these problems and I suggest reading them.

Overall I am happy with the upgrade (assuming the err99 does not become a problem, I've never had this with a Canon DSLR before), but when it comes down to the images I have to say that I'm not seeing anything that justifies the upgrade price for any 30D owners and certainly not 40D owners. The two main reasons I upgraded are the new screen that finally enables me to check focus and the sensor cleaner (dust was always a problem on my 30D sensor).

Received my EOS 50D last Tuesday and promptly packed it up and returned to amazon for a refund. The camera would not AF with any of my Canon lens: 10-22, 17-40, 24-105 and 70-200. Nothing but an Err 01 - Lens Communication Failure. Fully charged battery, different SanDisk Extreme III CF cards, different shooting modes, it didn't matter what the setup was. Never had an issue with my previous 30D or 40D.

I'll give it several more weeks before trying another one and hopefully can give it a better rating.

I purchased my 40D upgrade from my 30D last Aug for my Bday only to find out 30 days later a 50 was on the way(ouch!). I bought the 50 anyway & kept my 40 which I loved. Boy, what a jump! I love this camera! as "Jodi-Ann" so eloquently put it. The DIGIC 4 is a step up. Pix are absolutely amazingly sharp as "Leoncel" attested. BTW, thanks big time to the positive reviewers here - you guys make the Difference in the World!

I received my 50 body last Friday from here through ElectronicsExpo which came in earlier than promised. I shot pix all Sat & Sun. Dayuumm! is my first impression. I'm not gonna get into techs bcoz I don't have to, your eyes can tell you. Plus the great reviewers here already have & that's why I jumped. I used my "Oh so tac-sharp 24-70F2.8L & 50F1.2L glasses." Verdict: My 40 was great, Presto 50 is better!

If you can swing the $$ its worth it! It all comes down to $$$. If stepping up is a strain or near impossible due to todays EcoMeltDown then your 40 is still great. If this will be your first DSLR but on a budget then the 40 will be a bargain now that the 50 is here. Either one is excellent, but the 50 supercedes its predecessors. I can only imagine how the 5Daddy2 will be when it comes next month :)

I recieved my Canon 50D thru Shutterbug store here on Amazon, and had it in my hands with in 3 days. I already have a 40D, but wanted to see if all the upgrades on the 50D were worth investing into. First of all, the image Quality is the best I've ever seen of all the prosumer models out there!! I own an OlympusE-510,a NikonD300 as well as my 40D. A Bat can see the difference as far as image Quality! If you can afford the upgrade to the 50D I would definetely suggest owning it!

This will be short and sweet. Buy it!!!

I had a Canon EOS Rebel XSi which I loved. It really spoiled me for anything else. Someone decided I needed a new camera and bought the 50D for my 65th birthday (I couldn't have afforded it otherwise). As I said I was spoiled by the XSi. When I opened the box and started playing with it, I thought I don't like this and that and it is too heavy (I have some minor disabilities). I took it on a shoot and within two hours, the camera became an extension of my arm, eye, and mind. I can't imagine using anything else and I quickly adjusted to what I thought were problem areas. My only gripe is the multiselection button which could be larger or made the main wheel like it is on the XSi. But, even this I'm getting used to. the EF-S 18-200mm IS lens is a great all purpose lens and I love it. I go out every day and take 50 to 200 photos. I would not want to work with anything else.

Image quality great with compatible lens. However, the menu screen remains cumbersome. I chose to return it because of compatiblity issues with my older 70x200mm lens ... a Canon lens!

I love this camera. I was initially pleased but not overly enthusiastic when I tried it out with my EF-S 60mm macro lens. Then, I attached the 24-105mm L series lens and the pictures are wonderful. I have always done touchups with Photoshop and Noise Ninja; don't need those anymore, at least for these pictures, although I did some additional sharpening. I severely cropped some pictures and still had enough detail and sharpness to please anyone. The exposure (with less blown out highlights) and focusing were spot on, and focusing is FAST!! It is a much better camera than either the Canon 20D or 30D.

Got the 50d body yesterday ... I had an awesome time with it since then, but I had 2 ERRORS .. the 99 error and the Busy error, I ended up taking the battery out each time and it seemed to work, hopfuly this wont last, if it happens again, I will take it back to replace it. But YES it is really cool!

I love this camera! I have owned the 20 D for some years now, and just hard the urge to upgrade. I love to take pictures. For being an amateur I certainly take good quality pictures. See the bride pictures I took with this camera with the Canon Speedlite 580 EX II Flash. I got the flash specifically for my girlfriend's wedding. The camera is fast and I couldn't be happier. I will continue to invest in lens and continue to take pictures for as long as I live.

Thank you 17th Street Photo!!!

Upgrading from my old Point-and-shoot camera was never so easy. This lens/body combination is an excellent entry-level DSLR camera for anyone. The lens provides excellent range from very close, to telephoto. I can take pictures of the kids sitting right in front of me, to birds sitting on the back fence with ease. After 3 days with the camera, my wife and I have already taken over 200 pictures.

I bought this camera while taking advantage of the free-trial of Amazon Prime. That means, that I ordered it at 1PM on Tuesday, and received it the VERY NEXT DAY. After reading many of the horror stories of people buying 'grey market' cameras, from over-seas retailers, I felt absolutely comfortable purchasing this camera from Amazon. Great Job Amazon!

Just a word of caution for Adobe LightRoom 1.x users and possibly PhotoShop CS3 (and prior) users. Adobe is apparently playing a negative role in Canon's updated and changing RAW formats, in that if you buy the 50D, thus far, Adobe is NOT releasing a RAW update to Lightroom 1.x, and you MUST upgrade to Lightrom 2.1 with an update to gain 50D RAW capabilities. I believe Adobe is playing somewhat the same card for Camera RAW 5.1 in PhotoShop, which I understand is solely for CS4. Buying the 50D may have these hidden costs to consider for Work-flow-minded photographers.

I don't know who is more to blame, Canon, Adobe, or stock-holders, but it's the customer who bears the cost.

Just FYI

Great camera, but keep getting Error99s. Called Canon service but got no help. Maybe they just had not figured it out yet. I recently found a link on the Canon Forum that Canon has released a 1.3 firmware update. Here's the link.
http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/firm-e/eos50d/firmware.html
Other than that, the camera is great!
Cheers, Jose
www.snapdog.com

I am surprised to see that the images on the 40D are better than the 50D. I would think logically it would be better to have the CMOS updated on the 50D, but when you compare images side by side 100% crop, the 40D wins. More Pixels doesn't mean better, and that's what the camera factories would want you to believe. The big reason I would want the 50D is for the totally improved LCD screen, which is like the D300, to see if you are getting the shot you want. If you're looking for improved image quality, stick with the 40D. That's truly a great camera!

I bought this camera last week.. I have two L Series lenses. 24-105 and 70-200. with these lenses image quality is perfect. Colors are vivid. I strongly recommend this camera to eveyone.

(Canon 30d, Macbookpro, Aperture 2, don't mess with Photoshop, shoot mainly, local wildlife, portriture for friends, Children's sports, nothing pro or for profit)

First let me say i do not own this camera yet, however I do have a little hands on experience, read further:

As an owner of twin 30d's and previous 10d & 20d Canon DSLR's, I have been looking to replace one or both of my current models. As my research began, an interesting fact popped up to give me some skepticism about making the 50d my choice. One of them was that thru reading other reviews there was information offered that the new Raw file from the 50d could not be read by various softwares. As a user of Apple and Aperture this gave me great concern.

Yesterday I woke up and slowly made my way passed my cup of coffee and over to my Mac. After firing it up and logging in I notice there was a software update available. When I read the details, low and behold it was a Aperture update enabling it to read the new Raw files being captured by the 50d, and other Nikon, olympus, sony and other DSLR's. I accepted the download and went and got dressed.

Took a little drive up to the local garden variety Camera/photo national franchise chain to develop some prints, and asked it they had a 50d. sure enough they did. Luckily I had grabbed a CF card and stuck it in my pocket before heading out. The gentleman behind the counter offered me the camera and let me slap the Cf card in and play with it for awhile.

What they say is true. The controls are a lot different. Still the same type fit and finish of the typical Canon offerings. However, within 5-10 minutes or so the controls had been mastered. I like the new controls. there are too many to go into details, but suffice it to say that I have made the decision to make the 50d my new workhorse. Of course there is still the lingering question of figuring out how and where to get the funds for the transaction. At approx. $1399 it is a good value based on the overall features and also considering what we have been paying for previous generation DSLR technology.

Later, when at home i had the chance to review the RAW files on Aperture which were taken with the 50d. Crisp, clean, good color, just what we have come to expect from Canon. Something worth noting is that the file size shot in the full size RAW mode was 20MB+, so the mac and Aperture was laggin a little. The camera has three Raw sizes to choose from however. Personally i would mailnly shoot in the middle (7.1 mp mode) most of the time. Having the 15.1 mp RAW capability feature is a tremendous tool to be able to work with.

Getting my hands on one made all the difference and it is my humble opinion that the 50d is a solid offering and a strong value. All things considered I will probably be purchasing one within the next 60 days or so. Maybe for Chistmas, who knows?

Moving from a 400D (XTi) to the 50D was a huge leap for me. The vast improvement in ISO performance, functions, menu, fps, etc. was invaluable. As my skills have progressed, I am looking forward to the opportunities afforded to me by the very powerful 50D. I will have to enhance my skills even more to fully use this camera. So for those moving from the Rebel line to an xxD series, this is a great move. Or if this is your first DSLR you will not be disappointed. However, if you already own an xxD (such as the very popular 40D), then this is probably not the best choice for you. As some comprehensive reviews have shown, the 50D is not a major advancement from the 40D and really only offers some new features such as improved LCD, micro-AF adjustment, and a larger sensor. However, it does not beat and sometimes looses to the 40D in terms of noise and per-pixel sharpness, although both are still hotly debated.
The point being, if you are moving from the rebel series or this is your first camera, it is amazing, powerful, and you will not be disappointed. However, it is not, evolutionary to the xxD line, and is not a necessary trade-up for current xxD owners. This does not mean it is a bad or non-improved camera. It is amazing and incorporates many great new features. The value to you simply depends on your needs/style, and where you are coming from.

Canon EOS 50D 15.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens

I purchased this product as a replacement/addition for/to my 2005 Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, which I was using in dusty and wet environments. The body is partially weather and dust sealed, which is useful in the above conditions. It is an improvement in ease of use, and ergonomics. The price point is higher, but the body definitely has less of a plastic like feel. Live view is useful for framing photos, and the additional high speed burst mode avails itself for action shots at 6fps.


The included Digital Photo Professional (Version 3.5)is useful for raw file manipulation. One downside is the requirement for a large and fast compact flash card (can be pricey), if one is to take advantage of jpeg and raw images concomitantly with little compression.

This camera is nice if one requires better results at ISOs 1,600 and 3,200. "Cnet reviews" concurs stating this is because the higher resolution delivers extra sharpness without showing significantly more noise.

I have to say they have improved over the 30D I had. The sensor was what I wanted to get. After comparing photos to my D300 Nikon I would have to say at this point that the Nikon has an edge in Photo Quality. Of course this is just my opinion. That could take in several points,different lens,not as familiar with this camera as I am with my D300 yet. I have always thought that their is not that much difference in the two brands.
This camera is a very good camera and has all the bells and whistles that I am qualified to use. Both the Canon and Nikon take very good photos. So I would say it is a personal preference to which one you like or have the accessories for.

| am an advanced amateur with a good experience with Canon equipments ( 40D,5D plus 5 L lens) and 15 years shooting mainly landscape and wildlife.

After a Safari to Africa, I realized I needed two things
- Higher ISO capacity to get better shots on the dark. Even with my 70-200 2.8 IS I missed some great shoots because ISO 3200 was not high enough
- More resolution to crop bird pictures that my 40D with a 100-400L could not fill the whole frame

So the 50D seemed like the perfect upgrade to my next photo safari to Tanzania. It have all the specs I wanted plus some cool features such as the VGA view.

After three days using the camera I am glad I bought it. I can not compare this camera to the Nikon, since all my gear are Canon, but compared to the 40D and the 5D the performance of this camera is great ( it have more noise than the 5D but it is much more user friendly and 6.3 pictures per s is perfect for wildlife).

Highly recommended!

I used the 40D for a year, purchased the 50D based on positive user reviews here and at other online merchants, but as soon as I started taking photos with the 50D I noticed it had more noise and was softer than the 40D. Within a few days, people and review sites started posting comparisons and they all showed the same. Many people are raving about the 50D's greatness, but the photos tell a different story.

The 50D does have a much better LCD, does handle colors slightly better, but has more noise in photos than the 40D at ISO400 and up, as well as softer images. Taking softness and noise into consideration, you're not getting the clarity you should with 15mp, when compared to the 40D's 10mp. Even when downsizing photos to a smaller, web-sized image, more noise artifacts were visible in the 50D. Since I mostly shoot concert photography, I did not feel this was a worthwhile upgrade, so I returned the 50D and purchased another 40D.

If you shoot outside or in bright light you'll have better use of the 50D, but I don't think you're getting a great use of those 15mp. The 5D is 12mp and produces sharper images than the 50D - yes, it has a larger, better sensor - but my point is to show how you're not quite getting the most out of the 15mp on the 50D. You're paying for 15mp, but how useful are they? If the 50D were 12mp, then producing sharper images with less noise than the 40D, I would have found that to be a worthy upgrade. The battery also drains faster in the 50D because of the LCD upgrade, if you use LCD much.

While the 50D may be great for some, I'll wait to see what's next. I highly recommend getting the 40D instead; save money, get better lenses, upgrade later (hopefully the next xxD) and shame on Canon. Their claims of the 50D having less noise must have been based on its blotchy in-camera noise reduction quality and the more aggressive default settings of DPP's (Canon's Digital Photo Professional software) noise reduction as well.

I love canon cameras, but they missed the mark on this one.
My 20D could produce sharper files than this camera. I have printed sharp 16x20's from my 20D. I could not get the same quality from this camera. It has all the features I want, except at ISO 100 these files are soft. No matter which lens I use. Very disappointed and sending this camera back.
Thanks to Amazon for a great return policy. I will probably purchase a 40D until I can save up for a 5DMKII. DP review also confirms that even though its a bigger file it's not a sharp image.
Thanks Amazon!

Amazon transferred my order to Pavilion Electronics on Oct. 2nd. I received the camera on Oct. 6th. Per the 228 page manual, a complete outfit includes eleven items. Two items were missing. On Oct. 10th I notified Amazon of the problem. Amazon relayed my email to Pavilion. I never received a reply. On Oct 14 I called Pavilion and got only a "closed until Oct 16" recording. I sent a second email to Pavilion informing them that there was no warranty document. I never received a response to that email either. On Oct. 21 Amazon asked if the problem was resolved. When I replied "No", Amazon gave me a number to call at Pavilion. Again the connection was a recording, this time "closed until Oct 23." I notified Amazon of these ongoing problems and asked for help. Amazon replied they could not help! On Oct. 23 I finally got through by phone to the manager at Pavilion. He promised to send the missing items and also, as a courtesy, to refund my shipping charge. On Oct 25 I received two of the missing documents and a notice from Amazon that Pavilion had credited my account as promised. However, the warranty document was still not forthcoming, and I so informed the manager via email on Oct. 28. To date there has been no reply. I have since discovered that this camera can be purchased at any number of places for considerably less than I paid Pavilion. I blame myself for putting blind faith in Amazon for its customer service and competitive pricing.

I did a lot of research before switching from Pentax to Canon. I have several friends who shoot with the 30D and love them,, but this has much more to offer. The 40D did not get great reviews from my professional friends, which meant a lot to me. I stayed away from the 40D after reading too many forums with negitive comments on DigitalWeddingchat, dppreivew, and Canonforums. I am a semi-professional and use this camera for portrait and landscape work. What I noticed first off was the quality of the photos right out of the camera. They are beautiful. With my Pentax K10D I really struggled with low light situations,, the Canon 50D camera doesn't. It is easy to learn how to use, and quite lightweight. Until I put the pro L series lens on it! The huge LCD is amazing. So crisp and clear. I find the controls well placed and easy to use.
I do believe I paid way too much at full price, but I couldn't wait. :) I can't recommend Willoughbys enough. The camera had a dust spot in the viewfinder and I had to send it back the first day. Willoughbys sent me out a new one,, no questions asked. They also refunded me the 95.00 overnight shipping price!
They were wonderful.
I have no regrets switching over to Canon. The 50D is a thrill to use. High quality throughout. If this camera lasts as well as the 30D has for my pro friends,, I will be in heaven.
You won't regret a purchase of the 50D.

This company was great. I received my camera safely and quickly. I will definitely use this company again for my future camera related purchases.

I am about 1,000 images into the new 50D. So far it's been a pleasure. I am switching from a Nikon D200. Nikon, to me, has superior ergonomics - the buttons and functions are so well thought out. Canon works well too but sometimes I feel like I need to be double jointed to change a setting. I do not like the wheel on top; the silver color is not great and it turns to easily. I have switched modes in the middle of shooting and not known it. But, the camera feels solid, the screen is absolutely amazing, the menus are super easy to navigate, the 6 frames per second is impressive. 15 megapixels; well, you only need it if you are printing larger than 20" or so. I've done 26" prints with a 10 megapixel, and if you know what you are doing and use a great printer it's flawless. As for low noise - well, it's low, but I'm not blown away. Remember all your lenses will be 1.6 times their focal length, so it's hard to go wide angle with this camera. But, it's easy to get super tele photo. I use it with the 24-105 L lens, which costs almost as much as the camera is worth it.
This decisions is tricky - it's very solid, I recommend it. But if I were a first time DSLR buyer right now looking at mid-range cameras, Canon has no advantage over Nikon. The D90 is terrific and cheaper, the D300 and D700 are amazing. Why did I switch to Canon? Simply because I like their lenses better on the high end. The Nikon 80-400 is slow as a dog, although sharp. I would much rather have the Canon 100-400 L. Nikon's high end lenses seem to be a little more expensive, and frankly, there are fewer out there so they are harder to find, new or used.

Good luck, happy shooting, this a great camera.

I got this to evaluate against an EOS 1D Mk II N pro body. Bottom line, I am selling my EOS 1D Mk II N and keeping the 50D.

Nothing sucks more than hindsight. And hindsight, you see, requires time and experience.

In my case, Time means a few months, and experience means I bought a 40D.

Does this camera just ROCK!!!??? Is it AWESOME!!!??? Don't you just LOVE IT!!!???

GREAT! I will never know. My 40D makes me money, takes good stuff, works with my legacy glass, and makes me happy. But this whole 15.1MP-brighter-LCD-"oooh-I-just-love-my-50D" thing makes me sick. All the people saying "it not sharp!" and " what the big deal?" make me happy! Make me feel I made a GOOD choice...

Sigh. Jealousy is ugly, isn't it?

I was holding out of a 5D at one point. I have a buncha L series glass, full-frame, all that. Now what's next? Can't do the 1D - I'd have to sell my kids (wait! No...).

Ah, well. The 40D doesn't exactly suck, and this was inevitable. Shoot many, shoot well, and shoot beautifully, my friends. I'll catch up next time...

I just upgraded from a Rebel XTi. I absolutely love my XTi, but I needed a little more. To see the kind of work I shoot, go to www.flickr.com/photos/waterbubblz
This camera is everything canon promises. Though I've read every review on here religiously, and read about the errors some have received, I have not had any issues with this. I have tried it with both my 50mm 1.8 (BUY this lens, btw) and Macro 60mm 2.8. Outstanding results.

Highly recommended!

I purchased a 50D because I do a fair amount of bird photography, and I thought that the additional pixel count in this camera would yield better images, and also allow for more cropping room. While the images were very good, they really weren't any better than those I have taken with my 40D. I was also disappointed with the high ISO performance of the 50D, as I thought the 40D was just as good or better.

Even so, the 50D is still a very good camera. If you are upgrading from a 10, 20, or 30D, you will notice substantial improvement in features and better image quality. If you have a 40D, I think it becomes tougher to justify the upgrade. In the end, I decided to return my 50D and take advantage of Amazon's excellent return policy.

I purchased your Canon 50D body only as soon as it was on the market. I purchased from the US since I thought it is cheapest there! However I find the same with the lens (kit) for less in Singapore (Around 1300 US$. It has not arrived yet from my relative's place in California.

I don't want to be repetitive with the review of the body, since many others explained how amazing the body is...

To really get the best out of the extra MP's of the 50d, assuming that is one of your goals, this camera demands great lenses. The best zoom lens for this camera is clearly the 70-200mm f4 IS. Tremendous value and a perfect match for the 50d, ultra sharp, relatively small and compact considering its zoom range. At f4 (wide open) its ultra sharp...out of focus area is gorgeous...have a look, hand held with 50d at 200mm f4...

http://www.pbase.com/bglick/image/105272354

A shorter fl zoom and this lens makes an amazing 1-2 punch. I am not crazy about any of the lower fl zooms, as the shorter fl's are much harder to produce razor sharp optics, but the 17-55 f2.8 IS is a nice complementary lens with the 70-200...its good, but due to its shorter fl, not in the league of the 70-200 IS f4.0.

I own a Canon 20D and debated for a while in getting the Canon 50D. I finally made the purchase and it was well worth it. I still love my 20D but the 50D resolution and better noise control is awesome. The 50D is also more intelligent when I do not use the manual mode. The sensor clean is also a bonus.
The battery life is very impressive and rarely need to use my two back-ups unless in the wild for some time. I managed to take over 1000 no-flash pictures for a football game with the same battery. So when the photo taking gets heavy, nothing is better when you do not have to worry about the battery all the time.
With this camera I have reliability like no other.

Sold my 40D wish I had not the 50D IQ is worse even with good lems
hope the 5d mk 11 will be better !!

I spent time carefully shopping and weighing the numerous DSLR products offered. I settled upon the Canon EOS 50D 15.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Std Zoom Lens kit and made my purchase. I hope this will become a very satisfying camera. I think that the kit zoom lens offers an ideal focal length range for everyday, "walk-about" use.

This is my first DSLR, and I received it on 11/12/08.

The Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Std Zoom Lens was defective.

The zoom ring spins freely as gravity takes the zoom barrel of the lens from 28mm out to 135mm anytime the camera is (even slightly) pointed downward. I call Canon hoping that they will send me a replacement (new and perfect lens) lens and I can send them this lemon.

Canon doesn't "roll" like that, and they only offer to repair the brand new lens at a factory service facility. Canon advises that I seek resolution with my dealer.

Amazon customer care was fantastic and shipped a replacement kit immediately; I received the replacement kit on 11/19/08.

The lens in the replacement kit Amazon sent is no better than the first lens.

After some Internet searching, I discover that this phenomenon is known as "zoom creep". (so much for carefully shopping and weighing) I would characterize the two lenses I received as being afflicted with zoom run. Their zoom ring functions were both extremely sloppy and Lucy Goosy. The ring itself was not problematic in its rotational travel, the lens zoom function was ridiculously loose, at the mercy of gravity.

While this issue does not have any effect on the optical quality of the lens or images it certainly does not feel like precision optics to me. Canon Technical Support says that with the image stabilization, the auto-focus, and the particular design of the zoom mechanism in this model lens, there is some inherent looseness, but that what I am describing is not at all "normal".

I decided that I was not interested in playing the replacement and return game with Amazon, in search of the perfect lens that I had bought.

I sent the original Canon EOS 50D 15.1MP Digital SLR Camera w/EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Std Zoom Lens kit back to Amazon at a cost of $35.00 with insurance.

Throughout the sordid affair, I had been calling Canon Technical Support. To their credit, they have been very courteous and accommodating. Yeah, I would like them to send me the perfect lens that I have already bought, but, as I said, they can't do that.

Beaten like a rented mule, once I finally succumbed to the inevitable, Canon Technical Support did supply me with a prepaid UPS shipping label to send my brand new and second defective Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens to their Irvine, CA Service Center.

Since I did not budget for any additional lens(es) with my purchase, I am waiting for my new and defective lens to be repaired and returned.

Although my excitement has been tempered (yeah, ya think?), I look forward to the day when I can take pictures with my new camera.

Amazon wants your opinions to be heard!

We recommend your reviews be between 75 and 300 words long, but there is a 1,000 word maximum for written reviews. For video reviews, the maximum length is 10 minutes, and we recommend that you write a brief introduction - about 75 words or so.

Who can create customer reviews?

Customers! Anyone who has purchased items from Amazon and is in good standing in the Amazon community can create reviews.

What to include:

Your review should focus on specific features of the product and your experience with it.
The best reviews include not only whether you liked or disliked a product, but also why. Feel free to talk about other related products and how this item rates in comparison.
What not to include:

Amazon is pleased to provide this forum for you to air your opinions on the products we feature. While we appreciate your time and comments, we request that you refrain from including any of the following in your review:

Spoilers! Please don't reveal crucial plot elements.
Other people's material. Your thoughts and opinions are what matters.
Time-sensitive material (i.e., promotional tours, seminars, lectures, etc.).
Commenting on other reviews visible on the page. Other reviews and their position on the page are subject to change without notice.
Profanity or spiteful remarks.
Obscene or distasteful content.
Single-word reviews. We want to know why you liked or disliked the item.
Phone numbers, mail addresses, URLs.
Advertisements, watermarks on videos, or promotional material.
Availability, price, or alternative ordering/shipping information.
Solicitations for helpful votes.
A review is not an appropriate place to tell us our catalog has typos in it. If you'd like to tell us about a specific problem, please contact-us.

Any review in violation of these guidelines will not be posted.
Amazon wants your opinions to be heard!

We recommend your reviews be between 75 and 300 words long, but there is a 1,000 word maximum for written reviews. For video reviews, the maximum length is 10 minutes, and we recommend that you write a brief introduction - about 75 words or so.

Who can create customer reviews?

Customers! Anyone who has purchased items from Amazon and is in good standing in the Amazon community can create reviews.

What to include:

Your review should focus on specific features of the product and your experience with it.
The best reviews include not only whether you liked or disliked a product, but also why. Feel free to talk about other related products and how this item rates in comparison.
What not to include:

Amazon is pleased to provide this forum for you to air your opinions on the products we feature. While we appreciate your time and comments, we request that you refrain from including any of the following in your review:

Spoilers! Please don't reveal crucial plot elements.
Other people's material. Your thoughts and opinions are what matters.
Time-sensitive material (i.e., promotional tours, seminars, lectures, etc.).
Commenting on other reviews visible on the page. Other reviews and their position on the page are subject to change without notice.
Profanity or spiteful remarks.
Obscene or distasteful content.
Single-word reviews. We want to know why you liked or disliked the item.
Phone numbers, mail addresses, URLs.
Advertisements, watermarks on videos, or promotional material.
Availability, price, or alternative ordering/shipping information.
Solicitations for helpful votes.
A review is not an appropriate place to tell us our catalog has typos in it. If you'd like to tell us about a specific problem, please contact-us.

Any review in violation of these guidelines will not be posted.
Amazon wants your opinions to be heard!

We recommend your reviews be between 75 and 300 words long, but there is a 1,000 word maximum for written reviews. For video reviews, the maximum length is 10 minutes, and we recommend that you write a brief introduction - about 75 words or so.

Who can create customer reviews?

Customers! Anyone who has purchased items from Amazon and is in good standing in the Amazon community can create reviews.

What to include:

Your review should focus on specific features of the product and your experience with it.
The best reviews include not only whether you liked or disliked a product, but also why. Feel free to talk about other related products and how this item rates in comparison.
What not to include:

Amazon is pleased to provide this forum for you to air your opinions on the products we feature. While we appreciate your time and comments, we request that you refrain from including any of the following in your review:

Spoilers! Please don't reveal crucial plot elements.
Other people's material. Your thoughts and opinions are what matters.
Time-sensitive material (i.e., promotional tours, seminars, lectures, etc.).
Commenting on other reviews visible on the page. Other reviews and their position on the page are subject to change without notice.
Profanity or spiteful remarks.
Obscene or distasteful content.
Single-word reviews. We want to know why you liked or disliked the item.
Phone numbers, mail addresses, URLs.
Advertisements, watermarks on videos, or promotional material.
Availability, price, or alternative ordering/shipping information.
Solicitations for helpful votes.
A review is not an appropriate place to tell us our catalog has typos in it. If you'd like to tell us about a specific problem, please contact-us.

Any review in violation of these guidelines will not be posted.
Amazon wants your opinions to be heard!

We recommend your reviews be between 75 and 300 words long, but there is a 1,000 word maximum for written reviews. For video reviews, the maximum length is 10 minutes, and we recommend that you write a brief introduction - about 75 words or so.

Who can create customer reviews?

Customers! Anyone who has purchased items from Amazon and is in good standing in the Amazon community can create reviews.

What to include:

Your review should focus on specific features of the product and your experience with it.
The best reviews include not only whether you liked or disliked a product, but also why. Feel free to talk about other related products and how this item rates in comparison.
What not to include:

Amazon is pleased to provide this forum for you to air your opinions on the products we feature. While we appreciate your time and comments, we request that you refrain from including any of the following in your review:

Spoilers! Please don't reveal crucial plot elements.
Other people's material. Your thoughts and opinions are what matters.
Time-sensitive material (i.e., promotional tours, seminars, lectures, etc.).
Commenting on other reviews visible on the page. Other reviews and their position on the page are subject to change without notice.
Profanity or spiteful remarks.
Obscene or distasteful content.
Single-word reviews. We want to know why you liked or disliked the item.
Phone numbers, mail addresses, URLs.
Advertisements, watermarks on videos, or promotional material.
Availability, price, or alternative ordering/shipping information.
Solicitations for helpful votes.
A review is not an appropriate place to tell us our catalog has typos in it. If you'd like to tell us about a specific problem, please contact-us.

Any review in violation of these guidelines will not be posted.
Amazon wants your opinions to be heard!

We recommend your reviews be between 75 and 300 words long, but there is a 1,000 word maximum for written reviews. For video reviews, the maximum length is 10 minutes, and we recommend that you write a brief introduction - about 75 words or so.

Who can create customer reviews?

Customers! Anyone who has purchased items from Amazon and is in good standing in the Amazon community can create reviews.

What to include:

Your review should focus on specific features of the product and your experience with it.
The best reviews include not only whether you liked or disliked a product, but also why. Feel free to talk about other related products and how this item rates in comparison.
What not to include:

Amazon is pleased to provide this forum for you to air your opinions on the products we feature. While we appreciate your time and comments, we request that you refrain from including any of the following in your review:

Spoilers! Please don't reveal crucial plot elements.
Other people's material. Your thoughts and opinions are what matters.
Time-sensitive material (i.e., promotional tours, seminars, lectures, etc.).
Commenting on other reviews visible on the page. Other reviews and their position on the page are subject to change without notice.
Profanity or spiteful remarks.
Obscene or distasteful content.
Single-word reviews. We want to know why you liked or disliked the item.
Phone numbers, mail addresses, URLs.
Advertisements, watermarks on videos, or promotional material.
Availability, price, or alternative ordering/shipping information.
Solicitations for helpful votes.
A review is not an appropriate place to tell us our catalog has typos in it. If you'd like to tell us about a specific problem, please contact-us.

Any review in violation of these guidelines will not be posted.
Amazon wants your opinions to be heard!

We recommend your reviews be between 75 and 300 words long, but there is a 1,000 word maximum for written reviews. For video reviews, the maximum length is 10 minutes, and we recommend that you write a brief introduction - about 75 words or so.

Who can create customer reviews?

Customers! Anyone who has purchased items from Amazon and is in good standing in the Amazon community can create reviews.

What to include:

Your review should focus on specific features of the product and your experience with it.
The best reviews include not only whether you liked or disliked a product, but also why. Feel free to talk about other related products and how this item rates in comparison.
What not to include:

Amazon is pleased to provide this forum for you to air your opinions on the products we feature. While we appreciate your time and comments, we request that you refrain from including any of the following in your review:

Spoilers! Please don't reveal crucial plot elements.
Other people's material. Your thoughts and opinions are what matters.
Time-sensitive material (i.e., promotional tours, seminars, lectures, etc.).
Commenting on other reviews visible on the page. Other reviews and their position on the page are subject to change without notice.
Profanity or spiteful remarks.
Obscene or distasteful content.
Single-word reviews. We want to know why you liked or disliked the item.
Phone numbers, mail addresses, URLs.
Advertisements, watermarks on videos, or promotional material.
Availability, price, or alternative ordering/shipping information.
Solicitations for helpful votes.
A review is not an appropriate place to tell us our catalog has typos in it. If you'd like to tell us about a specific problem, please contact-us.

Any review in violation of these guidelines will not be posted.
Amazon wants your opinions to be heard!

We recommend your reviews be between 75 and 300 words long, but there is a 1,000 word maximum for written reviews. For video reviews, the maximum length is 10 minutes, and we recommend that you write a brief introduction - about 75 words or so.

Who can create customer reviews?

Customers! Anyone who has purchased items from Amazon and is in good standing in the Amazon community can create reviews.

What to include:

Your review should focus on specific features of the product and your experience with it.
The best reviews include not only whether you liked or disliked a product, but also why. Feel free to talk about other related products and how this item rates in comparison.
What not to include:

Amazon is pleased to provide this forum for you to air your opinions on the products we feature. While we appreciate your time and comments, we request that you refrain from including any of the following in your review:

Spoilers! Please don't reveal crucial plot elements.
Other people's material. Your thoughts and opinions are what matters.
Time-sensitive material (i.e., promotional tours, seminars, lectures, etc.).
Commenting on other reviews visible on the page. Other reviews and their position on the page are subject to change without notice.
Profanity or spiteful remarks.
Obscene or distasteful content.
Single-word reviews. We want to know why you liked or disliked the item.
Phone numbers, mail addresses, URLs.
Advertisements, watermarks on videos, or promotional material.
Availability, price, or alternative ordering/shipping information.
Solicitations for helpful votes.
A review is not an appropriate place to tell us our catalog has typos in it. If you'd like to tell us about a specific problem, please contact-us.

Any review in violation of these guidelines will not be posted.
Amazon wants your opinions to be heard!

We recommend your reviews be between 75 and 300 words long, but there is a 1,000 word maximum for written reviews. For video reviews, the maximum length is 10 minutes, and we recommend that you write a brief introduction - about 75 words or so.

Who can create customer reviews?

Customers! Anyone who has purchased items from Amazon and is in good standing in the Amazon community can create reviews.

What to include:

Your review should focus on specific features of the product and your experience with it.
The best reviews include not only whether you liked or disliked a product, but also why. Feel free to talk about other related products and how this item rates in comparison.
What not to include:

Amazon is pleased to provide this forum for you to air your opinions on the products we feature. While we appreciate your time and comments, we request that you refrain from including any of the following in your review:

Spoilers! Please don't reveal crucial plot elements.
Other people's material. Your thoughts and opinions are what matters.
Time-sensitive material (i.e., promotional tours, seminars, lectures, etc.).
Commenting on other reviews visible on the page. Other reviews and their position on the page are subject to change without notice.
Profanity or spiteful remarks.
Obscene or distasteful content.
Single-word reviews. We want to know why you liked or disliked the item.
Phone numbers, mail addresses, URLs.
Advertisements, watermarks on videos, or promotional material.
Availability, price, or alternative ordering/shipping information.
Solicitations for helpful votes.
A review is not an appropriate place to tell us our catalog has typos in it. If you'd like to tell us about a specific problem, please contact-us.

Any review in violation of these guidelines will not be posted.
Amazon wants your opinions to be heard!

We recommend your reviews be between 75 and 300 words long, but there is a 1,000 word maximum for written reviews. For video reviews, the maximum length is 10 minutes, and we recommend that you write a brief introduction - about 75 words or so.

Who can create customer reviews?

Customers! Anyone who has purchased items from Amazon and is in good standing in the Amazon community can create reviews.

What to include:

Your review should focus on specific features of the product and your experience with it.
The best reviews include not only whether you liked or disliked a product, but also why. Feel free to talk about other related products and how this item rates in comparison.
What not to include:

Amazon is pleased to provide this forum for you to air your opinions on the products we feature. While we appreciate your time and comments, we request that you refrain from including any of the following in your review:

Spoilers! Please don't reveal crucial plot elements.
Other people's material. Your thoughts and opinions are what matters.
Time-sensitive material (i.e., promotional tours, seminars, lectures, etc.).
Commenting on other reviews visible on the page. Other reviews and their