Canon 50D

After a month of using the 50D, a few thoughts. I bought the camera in early October and I've taken a little over 2000 shots since.

While I knew the pixel count was double of my old camera, I didn't really think it through. The file size is not quite double that of my old camera which was a 30D. Since I tend to use smaller size memory cards in case one goes out, I didn't realize I would basically have to replace them all. For example, I have one 4 Gb memory cards I bought because I got such a great deal on it. With the 30D, I got slightly over 400 photos on it, while with the 50D, I get slightly under 200. Which while not a big deal, means if I go out for an afternoon of shooting sports or an event I have to remember to carry extra cards.

I've also found that I'm moving files off my computer to external storage sooner. While I would back up the old files before I would keep them on my computer for a month or two while I worked on them. I find I can't do that anymore, I need to room for new photos.

Operationally, the camera is pretty much the same as the 30D. The button layout is slightly different, which annoys me. They put the erase button between the display and info buttons. Since I'm always changing what info I'm looking at depending on the circumstances, I keep hitting the erase button accidentally, especially when the light is low.

I like the fact that they put an ISO display in the viewfinder, since that has bit me in the past.

One other annoyance is that it goes through batteries faster. The battery on the 30D used to last several sessions before it would need to be recharged. I find I need to recharge these before I go out pretty much every time.

Another thing I need to look at more is the "Peripheral Illumination Correct" menu setting. From a quick glance at the menu, it corrects vignetting issues in lenses. Of course it recognizes the Canon lenses, but doesn't any others.

One annoyance I still haven't gotten over is the pixels look soft when viewed at 100%. I still haven't gotten used to this view yet, and this seems to be a common complaint when this camera is reviewed.

I've also got a Sigma macro lens that will not auto focus with this camera. It works in manual mode though, but it is a pain.