Canon EOS-50D officially announced

Not too long ago, the rumored successor to the 40D just seemed too unreal with the 40D just more than a year old. But with the recent announcement of the Canon EOS-50D, we have now confirmed that Canon has finally picked up the pace to go head–to–head with its competitors.

Here’s the official spec of the 50D:

• 15.1 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
• 6.3fps continuous shooting, max. burst 90 JPEGs with UDMA card
• DIGIC 4 processor
• ISO 100-3200, expandable to 12800
• 9-point wide area AF
• 3.0-inch Clear View VGA LCD with Live View mode & Face Detection Live AF
• Magnesium alloy body, with environmental protection
• EOS Integrated Cleaning System
• HDMI connection for high quality viewing and playback on a High Definition TV
• Full compatibility with Canon EF and EF-S lenses and EX-series Speedlites

Certainly, the Canon EOS-50D is a solid camera just like the 40D it replaces. Worthy of note is the new 15–megapixel CMOS sensor that supposedly produces smooth images with less noise compared to its predecessor. Canon adopted a new manufacturing process and utilized redesigned photo diodes and microlenses, allowing for better light–gathering properties while fitting more pixels in the same sensor size.

Personally, I am not a fan of the megapixel race and stopped caring once it reached 10–megapixel. Photographers wouldn’t know mind though if all these changes result in the most important improvement — better image quality. Now, ISO goes up to 3200 with expanded options that give ISO 6400 and 12800. Now we’re talking really tangible improvements.

Everything seems promising if all promised improvements are indeed true. Pegged at $1399 USD, the Canon EOS–50D provides a viable upgrade path for EOS shooters looking to improve their arsenal.

For more information, here’s Rob Galbraith’s breakdown of the camera while DPReview has a hands–on of the 50D.