Canon EOS 50D !

[divine]

About when Canon got complacent with their position, started making pointless updates instead of decent new cameras and then Nikon made the D200.

And then the D300 and the D3 and the D700.

The 50D has 15MP but also has a smaller sensor, so has a much larger pixel density, which, as we all know, is never a great recipe for inherent good noise handling, meaning Digic IV will probably be working its bollocks off to make those images clean, especially at 6400 and 12800.

[petemc]

I guess this is why they haven't released any real images yet. Everyone is expecting the maths to add up. Its possible that on a FF sensor it'll be fine like on the D3. So if they do a 5dm2 that'll be ok. But on the 50D it'll be a case of use it only if you really need to.

[divine]

To be honest, I was really hoping the 50D was awesome and about £700, so the D300 had to have a price drop and then I could maybe have justified buying one. I just can't bring myself to lay out £900 on a new body though

[Tysonator]

Nikon in the last 12 months have produce some really goods bits of kit. The D80 was I think the start of there decent DSLR. TBH the D40, D40X & D60 where good but not better in my opinion than the EOS 400D & 450D. My friend had D80 before he got the D300 I was suitably impressed with the D80 and now he has the D300 I wish I had a Canon DSLR that was as good. Even the feel of the D300 in your hand is very comfortable and build quality is extremely good.

[Toby]

I must say that every thread I've read about the 50D has ended up deep discussions about its relative merits compared to the Nikon bodies, but surely this is a moot point?

I'd imagine that most people considering one of the mid-range bodies such as a 40D or D300 would probably be upgrading from lower-end kit and would also most likely have invested in a few pieces of decent glass, which would make the transition twixt Canon & Nikon rather troublesome.

Of course some will still switch but surely all Canon have to do is produce a body which is "good enough" to appease most people and stop them switching to Nikon. Looked at totally objectively, it may not be a match for the Nikon equivalent but then not many people would be considering such a body as their first camera.

[petemc]

Thats the thing. Canon don't currently have a body to compete with the D90 or D700. Well, the 50D is probably better than the D90 in some areas. Canon really need to bring out the 5dm2 to compete with the D700. ISO 25,600, 8fps with a grip, full frame, decent weather sealing, etc. If I had the money I would switch.

[divine]

You need only look at OcUK to see the number of people with a 400D or something with one or two bits of relatively mediocre glass who will quite happily shell out more to move to a 40D/50D.

[Jonny69]

I would probably not move from my Canon to another brand and I don't actually own any other lenses than the kit lens. What it boils down to is I learned on film using an EOS so naturally I bought a digi EOS because I saw the controls and saw they were the same and I was already comfortable with that. I had a go on a digi Nikon a few months back and there were a few things I wasn't comfortable with because I was so used to the way the EOS worked. I think many people would be like this because there's just not enough in the performance to make a difference to them.

[Toby]

I suppose that, since decent glass holds its value so well, there's not too much financial pain involved in switching makes, even if you do have a few lenses, it's just the hassle involved plus learning a new control system, as you say.

I don't think it matters too much whether the mid-range models from Canon aren't quite up to the standard of their Nikon competitors, providing the gap isn't large enough to outweight the hassle of changing, I doubt many Canon owners will move.

[Tysonator]

I totally agree with with Petemc, Canon just need to produce a decent weather sealed body with 8fps, decent ISO range with improved noise engine. Then alot of canon users will be very happy. As the D300 & D700 is caoning the canon spec.

I concer with divine, as I am a EOS 400D user who wish to upgrade to a decent semi Pro body and feel dissatisfied with the current Canon line up, and to a point that includes the 50D.
However I do have a few expensive lens, so changing to Nikon for me will be expensive. The best thing Canon have going for them is that they have such a hugh range of glass you can use on their EOS range.

And Jonny69 makes a good point in that alot of people have learn on EOS film. I in fact learn on a Minolta 35mm X300 SLR. So I had to make a jump to Canon and every thing was different as my X300 was MF and the EOS 35mm I purchase was AF. And I proberly would not wish to relearn another make. TBH i am just being a little lazy, and would proberly pick the Nikon system within a few months. However I really wish to stick with canon, they are not helping in my decision !