canon 40D or 50D ?

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bx338

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As a learner in photography, and buying on a budget, would i notice any difference in picture quality between the two, 40d and 50d bodies ?

I know the 50d has a lot more pixels, and is a newer model than the 40d, so in theory its a step up.

The price tag is a step up as well, so would i see aproximatly £150 worth of improvement ?
 
I want to get into wildlife, birds etc, thats the main purpose.
 
manualfocus-g said:
The 50D will give you more reach and therefore ability to crop due to the larger megapixel count. Plus, it has the ISO 6400 and 12800 options.
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Or the difference could be put towards a better/longer lens.
If you can put a decent lens on the 50D that's an excellent choice, but if the difference in price could be put towards a better lens instead, I'd take that option any day.
 
I would say that the 40D is better value at the current 2nd hand prices of both models - not making a judgement on which is better, because they are very similar. Don't think you would regret buying the 40D.
 
Personally i would go with the 50d (i am a little bias).

One of the points with digital isnt just the sensor but the software behind it all. And the 50D has newer image processing which will be handling things better in general than the 40D (i have also used a 400D which uses the same sensor as the 40D and the image quality in the 50D i would say is a little better).

The 50D would also resell better later if you decide to upgrade.
 
manualfocus-g said:
50D also has a better screen and AF micro adjust, but as the others say, lenses are the most important thing and either body will serve you well :) I had some great results from the 30D too, which is even cheaper.
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Good points there and the reasons (which i forgot) which i went for the 50D over the 40D (and the 60D even).

One point to make tho, can you get a "much better lens" for the difference of the 40D to 50D? im not sure i can think of many.
 
Thanks for all the advice.

My first choice was the 40d, that would free up another £150ish to spend on glass. I just was not sure if the 50d with higher pixels would give me better quality when croping etc ? :thumbs:
 
bx338 said:
Thanks for all the advice.

My first choice was the 40d, that would free up another £150ish to spend on glass. I just was not sure if the 50d with higher pixels would give me better quality when croping etc ? :thumbs:
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Having owned both (and currently a 7D), I'd choose the 40D over the 50D any day of the week... :)

Whichever you choose, you'll get good quality images.
Cheers,
Si
 
fenix2k said:
Personally i would go with the 50d (i am a little bias).

One of the points with digital isnt just the sensor but the software behind it all. And the 50D has newer image processing which will be handling things better in general than the 40D (i have also used a 400D which uses the same sensor as the 40D and the image quality in the 50D i would say is a little better).

The 50D would also resell better later if you decide to upgrade.
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The 50D wouldn't resell better - the 40D is pretty much at the bottom of its depreciation, whilst the 50D hasn't quite got there yet - the 40D will still be fetching around £260 in a years time but the 50D will have depreciated further in relation to the current cost.
 
How much have you got to spend on a long lens? Biggies = expensive :(

For wildlife you will need something like 400mm unless you plan on physically getting close to the action, which is possible with care and experience.

Decent 400mm options include (2nd hand):

Canon 300/4L + 1.4x TC (kenko or Canon mkI) = £500.00
Sigma 120-400mm OS = £500.00
Canon 400/5.6L = £700.00
Canon 100-400L IS = £800.00
 
In an ideal world i would love a 100-400 IS. Its going to be something to aim for in the future.

My next question was going to be options for a nice quality lens, but right now im just sorting out, and taking advice, about camera bodies.

I still think im going to look for a 40d, then free-up more £££ to put towards glass.

I just hope its the right choice. :thumbs:
 
bx338 said:
As a learner in photography, and buying on a budget, would i notice any difference in picture quality between the two, 40d and 50d bodies ?

I know the 50d has a lot more pixels, and is a newer model than the 40d, so in theory its a step up.

The price tag is a step up as well, so would i see aproximatly £150 worth of improvement ?
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40d as it has better noise handling abilities. Canon didn't do a good job with the 50d on terms of noise.
 
POAH said:
40d as it has better noise handling abilities. Canon didn't do a good job with the 50d on terms of noise.
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I see that comment a bit, but have yet to see that it is true. Never have any trouble with noise on my 50D (i think the owners thread goes into better detail).

At the end of the day tho, people make pictures, not the camera. So get what you can justify. It will be much more down to your [the OP] skills than the sensor/body as to whether you can take better pictures or not.
 
POAH said:
40d as it has better noise handling abilities. Canon didn't do a good job with the 50d on terms of noise.
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POAH always talks balls about the 50d! The 50d has far better high iso handling than the 40d and gives 50% higher resolution at the same time.

My 50d has better *high* iso handling than my 5d mk1.
 
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Below is a shot, taken with my 50D, at ISO 2000 @ f/5.6. It has had a very small amount of noise reduction

fighter_rework_web.jpg

​
 
Without wishing to get dragged into the middle of a 'what's better' argument, I have to agree with Poah (as much as it pains me to agree with anyone that cantankerous)! ;o)

I owned a 40D for two and a half years (and now my daughter has it) and I owned a 50D for about 6 months... In my (very) humble opinion, IQ with the 40D was better in general. If I'd honestly thought that the 50D was a better camera, I'd have sold the 40D and given my daughter the 50D! ;)

At the end of the day though, shoot with what you can to the best of your abilities! :)
Cheers,
Si
 
Spiritflier said:
Having owned both (and currently a 7D), I'd choose the 40D over the 50D any day of the week... :)

Whichever you choose, you'll get good quality images.
Cheers,
Si
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Ditto I have both (and a 400D and a 600D) and I'd choose the 50D over the 40D. It has 1 stop ISO better noise levels and the larger screen. Writes to CF cards quicker, has live view (which occasionally is a godsend) and the excellent instant menu access of most used features through the joystick button. Add to that the increase in resolution and it's a far better camera.

POAH said:
40d as it has better noise handling abilities. Canon didn't do a good job with the 50d on terms of noise.
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Spiritflier said:
Without wishing to get dragged into the middle of a 'what's better' argument, I have to agree with Poah (as much as it pains me to agree with anyone that cantankerous)! ;o)

I owned a 40D for two and a half years (and now my daughter has it) and I owned a 50D for about 6 months... In my (very) humble opinion, IQ with the 40D was better in general. If I'd honestly thought that the 50D was a better camera, I'd have sold the 40D and given my daughter the 50D! ;)
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odd jim said:
POAH always talks balls about the 50d! The 50d has far better high iso handling than the 40d and gives 50% higher resolution at the same time.
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Much of this came from early reviews, after which it was discovered if you turn off some of the 'noddy' features the camera was far and above better than the 40D. Or from people 100% pixel peeping, but not comparing like for like. Check the 50D owners thread for the settings to use.

There's a reason the 50D is significantly more than the 40D second hand and it's not about age of camera ;)
 
Byker28i said:
...It has 1 stop ISO better noise levels and the larger screen.
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Are we talking about the same cameras? ;) I didn't find any noticeable difference with the ISO in use (and I certainly didn't get so anal that I compared the results stop by stop). The 40D and 50D both have a 3in screen... The 50D's screen is a higher resolution but that's not a deal-breaker (since the LCD should only be used for checking images)!

Byker28i said:
...Writes to CF cards quicker, has live view (which occasionally is a godsend) and the excellent instant menu access of most used features through the joystick button. Add to that the increase in resolution and it's a far better camera...
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The 40D has live view too (which is most definitely a godsend) - surely you remember that! Viewing images at 100% on both shows up the limitations of the 50D sensor. I find that the images from the 40D are smoother.

Vive la difference eh? ;)
 
For what it's worth I have just got a 40D as a backup for my 5D2.
The 40D is a really balanced camera in regards megapixels vs noise. Is the 50d worth the extra money? Not in my opinion, The 40d IMHO is the better camera for less money (and notice that I said better and not newer).
Oh and the 40D does have live view.

I would say find a well looked after 40D (which is not hard) and put the extra cash towards some nice glass.
 
odd jim said:
My 50d has better *high* iso handling than my 5d mk1.
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I'm surprised by this comment to be honest, as my 5D is better all the way up to ISO 3200 than the even newer (and supposably better at high ISO) 60D. Are you talking about RAW or JPG? Obviously the 50D is better above ISO 3200 than the 5D though ;)
 
I have read that if using a 50D one has to buy the best glass possible.

Guys, how does a D90 rate next to a 40D and 50D?
 
Go for the 50D, newer sensor, same sensor as the 500D infact.
 
Spiritflier said:
Without wishing to get dragged into the middle of a 'what's better' argument, I have to agree with Poah (as much as it pains me to agree with anyone that cantankerous)! ;o)

I owned a 40D for two and a half years (and now my daughter has it) and I owned a 50D for about 6 months... In my (very) humble opinion, IQ with the 40D was better in general. If I'd honestly thought that the 50D was a better camera, I'd have sold the 40D and given my daughter the 50D! ;)

At the end of the day though, shoot with what you can to the best of your abilities! :)
Cheers,
Si
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Shooting a lot of indoor sport as I do, I completely disagree. The 50d completely outclasses the 40d above 800iso in both noise and resolution. If it didn't I'd have kept my old 400d (aside from the fact the 40d is a far better camera than the 400d its shares the same sensor).

The 50d is in a different league to the 40d as far as high iso goes
 
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manualfocus-g said:
I'm surprised by this comment to be honest, as my 5D is better all the way up to ISO 3200 than the even newer (and supposably better at high ISO) 60D. Are you talking about RAW or JPG? Obviously the 50D is better above ISO 3200 than the 5D though ;)
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Raw, processed in DPP. The 5d is better in the shadow detail and far more forgiving if the exposure is slightly off I will add though. I'm guessing that comes from the better dynamic range of the bigger sensor, but I'm talking just noise, particularly chromatic.

I also find the 50d 1600+ files are more detailed overall.
 
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It does not matter which you buy whether it be the 40D or the 50D you are still going to need long decent glass.
The cheaper long lens are not worth the money IMO been there done that, If you want to shoot wild life or sports then either the canon 400mm or the canon 100-400mm is the way to go, you could look at the sigma 150-500 as that get good reviews.

As you are just learning most of the above will not be relevent as you will not be comparing it to anything else you have.
Alot of people on here still have the 40D and would not part with it so that tells you something.
Me just starting out again would go with a good quality body 40D and a good piece of glass, that way if you still get crap shots its you not the camera ha ha!!!

Good luck with what ever you choose

spike
 
I bought a 50D when I compared it against a 40D (both new at the time) partly because it had better rear screen, micro adjustment and more mpix for a greater cropping ability, it also has better weatherproofing (so I was told). My wife now uses the camera and likes it very much, it can resolve very fine detail (more so than my 5Dmk1 or 1Dmk2). If I had a 40D I wouldnt upgrade to a 50D, as I had neither, I had an old 10D the 50D made more sense to me.
I think for most of us the noise issue bogs us down and is only relevant when we're being anal about our photos, both the 40 and the 50 will do a great job, if there was little difference in price, not enough to be able to get an L lens then I'd still buy a 50 over a 40. 40's tended to be bought and used (abused?) by pretty serious amateurs, by the time the 50 came out the 7 was on its way and I'd be tempted to say a lot of 40 users went either 5 or 7 and not 50, consequently a secondhand 50 will probably have had a much easier life than a secondhand 40, particularly as its probably a lot newer too. My impresion is that some of those that bought the 50 were in general a little disapointed (it wasnt a quantum leap over a 40 after all) so moved the camera on to a new owner quite quickly (and bought a 1, 5 or 7 - which are much "better") again meaning its probably had a pretty easy life. I think a 50 is a good bargain these days and would certainly get my cash (still) over a 40.

Matt
 
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In my opinion it all depends on the lens. If you have good quality glass the 50D gives great results. However with poorer quality glass it isn't as forgiving as the 40D and the lower megapixels appears to give better results.
 
In my opinion it's all about the photographer. Anyone can take a photograph but it takes skill and a good eye to make a one.

Like Ansel Adams said "A good photograph is knowing where to stand" He mentions nothing about a camera or a lens but just the knowledge of the photographer. So pick the one that suits you. If you pick the 50D over the 40D, you'll probably end it selling it for a 40D in the end ;)

They're not very different... Canon aim to make a "better" camera but it's not always the case and this is one of them. My 40D is an extra limb for me. It's perfect for everything and it has to be as I'm doing a degree course that requires me to explore every area of photography (excluding film obviously, I have my Om2n for that!).

Asking people on here which is the best is not the way you want to pick which one to buy. Everyone has they're own views, you have to make yours. Read reviews and try them out in shops. You could even hire them and try them out yourself. I think that is the best thing to do :)

Natalie
 
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Was chatting to a fellow tog the other day who had moved from a 400D to a 50D and was very dissapointed with the lack of sharpness from his images,he says that he has to do a lot more PP work than before.
I have moved from a 400D to a 40D and am delighted with the improved quality of the images
 
Lots of talk of the 40D being the better camera than the 50D. Strange how this can be. You would think the newer camera would be better in all ways.
 
Thanks for all the input. The case is solved, i have just bought a 40d, now i need to get advice on a desent lens, i know i want a 100-400is but thats out of my league at the moment. Thanks again. :thumbs:
 
bx338 said:
Thanks for all the input. The case is solved, i have just bought a 40d, now i need to get advice on a desent lens, i know i want a 100-400is but thats out of my league at the moment. Thanks again. :thumbs:
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Dont know if its a bit short for your purposes but the Canon 70-300 IS is a brilliant lens,I picked mine up off here for £260
 
CaptainPenguin said:
Was chatting to a fellow tog the other day who had moved from a 400D to a 50D and was very dissapointed with the lack of sharpness from his images,he says that he has to do a lot more PP work than before.
I have moved from a 400D to a 40D and am delighted with the improved quality of the images
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I never found that at all.

Sharpness depends on the lens 99.9%.

In relation to your point about the 400d - 40d, the 40d shares the same sensor as the 400d so I'd be surprised if there's much of a difference if at all in iq? I didn't find an iq improvement from the 400d to 40d, though as a package the 40d is obviously a lot better than the 400d.
 
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