Not to be left behind, Canon has presented to the masses it’s replacement to the EOS 40D… the EOS 50D (didn’t see that coming, did you?)
Mainly targeted against the Nikon D300, the EOS 50D holds quite a few significant improvements over the 40D. For starters, it features a 15.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, as well as a faster DIGIC 4 processor. It has an ISO sensitivity that’s expandable to 12800 as well as a 3″ VGA LCD monitor with a Live View mode that offers 3 AF modes. And since we’re on the subject of the LCD – this one rests comfortably on par with the latest high-end Nikons and the Sony A700 due to its resolution increase from 230,000 dots to 920,000. The Live View function has also been tweaked to include a Quick Mode AF, Live Mode AF, and a Face Detection Live Mode AF that can detect up to 35 individual faces within the camera’s frame.
In addition to a Quick Control screen that allows instant access to the most commonly-changed settings, the 50D features a new Creative Auto mode that offers automatic focus and exposure – while still allowing creative tweaks to settings such as background sharpness. It also has a continuous shooting capability of 6.3fps, in bursts of up to 90 JPEGs with a UDMA card – making it ideal for low light conditions & great for sports or wildlife photography (or those concerts where you can manage to get your gear past security).
The 50D also features an Integrated Cleaning System to prevent dust & other floaties from collecting on the sensor’s low-pass filter.