450d to 550d, worth the jump?

AndyWest

AndyWest

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I have the 450d which I really like as it is small, light and produces fine images. I have sold my Car restoration project and can jut about afford a new 550d when I get back from a short holiday so was wondering if the 550d would be good enough to make the jump. I don't care about video at all but the 18mp sensor and new iFCL metering system sounds interesting. The reviews sound good but it's always best to ask people who have used it in the 'real world':)

Your thoughts....
 
Unless you're after video, I'd say no. Go for a second hand 40D, 50D, or 7D if you can stretch to it. The xxxD are great cameras to get you into DSLRs, but I think you'll notice more of a difference ergonomically with an xxD one if you're looking to upgrade!

Chris
 
I have already had a 40D and found it very heavy and bulky so don't want to go that route. The 550d looks a similar size to the 450d and the sensor & metering system are the same as what's in the 7d which isn't an option as it has a magnesium housing so will be heavy and is rather expensive!
 
Ah right, well in that case ignore my previous remarks! Is there any particular reason you have for upgrading? Or is it a case of you have the money, and not sure what to do with it? Personally for me, the 18mp wouldn't be a selling point, if anything I find it annoying that the 15mp images from by 50D take up too much space!

Do you have issues with the current metering system? If not, I'd say perhaps put it towards a new lens, or something like that maybe?

Chris
 
Despite it being a megapixel maniac I keep hearing good things about the 550D's high ISO performance. For a start it goes way beyond 450D's maximum of 1600.

Ergonomically I've never had any problems with the 450D and wonder if its either because of my small hands, or just because the people who say it is bad to hold have never actually done so. I have just upgraded from a 450D to a 1Ds, a massive jump, and while the 1Ds is bigger and more 'grippable' it's also massively heavier - even the xxD range is like twice as heavy as the xxxD so a serious consideration to make.

Sell the 450D to recoup some of what you spend on a 550, and I'd say, jobs a good 'un! :)


the sensor & metering system are the same as what's in the 7d
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Honestly? Christ almighty, that's awesome! Although I do read of a lot of 7D owners complaining of unnacceptable low ISO noise; whereas I have never read of this happening to 550D owners. Either the processing is different, or it's a placebo...
 
chris321 said:
Is there any particular reason you have for upgrading? Or is it a case of you have the money, and not sure what to do with it?

Do you have issues with the current metering system? If not, I'd say perhaps put it towards a new lens, or something like that maybe?

Chris
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In a nutshell mate! Money burning a hole in my pocket!! :D I have no issues with current metering system but just thought seeing as i have the spare i could put it to good use. The 18mp is a bit worrying file size wise!

As i do a lot of photography with old Manual Focus lenses it would be nice to have a decent screen for the Live Mode. The 450d is pretty rubbish but does the job when the sun isn't too bright. The 550d is supposed to be much better in bright sunlight due perhaps to it's 1Million pixel screen....which must look awesome!
 
trencheel303 said:
Honestly? Christ almighty, that's awesome! Although I do read of a lot of 7D owners complaining of unnacceptable low ISO noise; whereas I have never read of this happening to 550D owners. Either the processing is different, or it's a placebo...
Click to expand...

I don't have any IS on either of the 2 AF lenses (+ many Manual focus lenses) that I have so better ISO would benefit me enormously if I could get decent quality at say 800 or even 1600 ISO. I never go over 400 ISO on the 450 as it starts to effect the IQ.
 
I've got a 550, and was out at dusk last Friday. I was shooting at ISO 3200 with no hint of noise. Had to go so high ISO for handheld, to get a reasonable shutter speed.
 
mickledore said:
I've got a 550, and was out at dusk last Friday. I was shooting at ISO 3200 with no hint of noise. Had to go so high ISO for handheld, to get a reasonable shutter speed.
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That's good news!
 
AndyWest said:
I don't have any IS on either of the 2 AF lenses (+ many Manual focus lenses) that I have so better ISO would benefit me enormously if I could get decent quality at say 800 or even 1600 ISO. I never go over 400 ISO on the 450 as it starts to effect the IQ.
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I have never really had IQ problems on the 450D at high ISO, except at the beginning when I didn't really know how to use it properly lol. 800 was almost never a problem and as long as I was careful with my exposure, I could nail a really good shot at 1600.

My famous bolt shot, which nearly everyone on TP must have seen by now:

IMG_8361_sb.jpg


Was done on a 450 at ISO 1600 and has had no noise reduction whatsoever. Call me a liar but to me that looks very clean with almost no noise.
 
hmmm, may have to do some ISO tests on my camera!
 
AndyWest said:
hmmm, may have to do some ISO tests on my camera!
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Be aware that the way you take the shot helps. Noise is much more visible in the shadow so I try to overexpose a little at high ISO (the fancy term is ETTR - expose to the right, meaning try to drag the histogram as far right as possible without clipping) and then trim the exposure back down a bit in post processing. Obv this works much better with RAWs., and is the exact technique I used in the above bolt shot. I did not use any noise reduction, however I am fairly sure ETTRing helped keep the noise down. In effect, ETTR is a kind of noise reduction without any other side effects like loss of sharpness. It just means a bit extra work afterwards . :)
 
Dave Stone said:
Spend the money on some good glass for the 450D.
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Very tempting as i would like a good macro for flowers!

Be aware that the way you take the shot helps. Noise is much more visible in the shadow so I try to overexpose a little at high ISO (the fancy term is ETTR - expose to the right, meaning try to drag the histogram as far right as possible without clipping) and then trim the exposure back down a bit in post processing. Obv this works much better with RAWs., and is the exact technique I used in the above bolt shot. I did not use any noise reduction, however I am fairly sure ETTRing helped keep the noise down. In effect, ETTR is a kind of noise reduction without any other side effects like loss of sharpness. It just means a bit extra work afterwards .
Click to expand...

What a great bit of advice! Thanks very much, i'll give that a go.

I think i'm perhaps buying a new camera for buying sake when i should really get the best out of what i have.
 
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