How good is a Canon 50D?

I know someone who offered to sell me her Canon 50D. She has another camera. She is an amateur photographer and takes pretty decent wedding pics etc, so I suspect she takes good care of it. I know her well enough to know that she would dump it off due to defect or anything.

Anyone have enough photography experience to offer advice? I used to own an older SLR film camera, and I use a consumer grade Olympus digital, but I find it hard to set up anything in low-ish light and have it come out right. My experience with manual modes on it have been less than underwhelming, even compared to a much older Sony Mavica.

At any rate, I've been wanting a digital SLR for a while, but not wanting to spend the $$ to get a newer model, and not really wanting an old model.

How much would a Canon 50D run, used, with a basic lens and an average memory card? Do you think they are still worth having (I don't think they are all that old...)

Check our kenrockwell.com He has reviews of everything and he is a no bull**** kind of guy. Then check ebay to see what current prices are.

I just bought a Canon 60D. I do a lot of videography and editing work. I don't do to much photography but I will use it for that. I have used the 50D a bunch of times and it is a really good camera. A DSLR like a 50D giives you the options of significantly changing the F stop, letting you to control low light and high light situations. The Canon BLOWS away the Olympus consumer camera. I have a friend who does professional photography with a Canon 5D Mark 2 and uses the 50D as her back up camera.

What you need to be careful with is how old is the camera, when was it bought, has it ever been broken/repaired, has it had a yearly cleaning and maintenance. Some photographers can improperly store lenses or take the lens off and not cover the eye. This can cause dust to get inside the camera, so it really depends on how well you know and trust the seller. Personally I would only buy a used camera (as I use it for work) if I knew the dealer or if it has been inspected or refurbished by Canon.

I know refurbished form Canon with a 18-135mm lens runs somewhere around 1,200$ used from off dealer sites can go as low as 1000$. Let me know if you have any questions I didn't cover.

PS I LOVE CANON you really can't go wrong with one. My 60D is my baby and I love it, almost as much as my brew stuff.

Unfortunately, the camera is NOT a Canon 50D. It's a Nikon D50. This makes me feel better, as I thought the price was WAY low for the Canon. It's about right for the Nikon.

I can change a lot of that stuff on my Olympus, but it still never seemed to give good shots. The manual modes are pretty clumsy, and the optics leave a lot to be desired.

I think the Nikon D50 is a decent camera, but obviously not as new and feature-packed as the Canon I thought she was selling. Nikon is a solid camera brand.

She has had it cleaned and there is an aberration of some sort on the mirror, but since that obviously doesn't get on the picture, I don't think it's a big deal.

She's grabbing it from her parent's house this weekend and I'll check it out and decide if I want to spend the $$ on it after all.

Yeah the Nikon is still a great camera, I used one for a long time til I discovered the almighty Canon GL have fun with it if ya buy it as it is still a very good product

Canon 50D is a great camera. For an SLR, the most important piece is the glass. I still get excellent results with my 30D, for what it's worth. (But I shoot with L glass).

I've still got my 30D. I haven't looked at a new camera in a couple years since I don't shoot nearly as much as I used to. I do like Canon, though.

pointerDixie214 said:

For an SLR, the most important piece is the glass.

Click to expand...

Yeah, the glass is important, but the Nikon D50 is only 6 megapixels, so it's fine for doing web work, but pretty small format if you're going to print. I'm currently eying the Nikon D7000. Cousin just upgraded to it from the D80, and he loves it.

I would hold out for a Canon DSLR if it was me. I actually had a 50D briefly, but didn't use it at all. I traded one of my lenses (that I really wasn't using) for it. I had intended to send it out for an IR conversion, but never did, so I sold it.

I have a 1Ds Mark III body and all L class f2.8 glass. I can shoot anything I want with my setup, and do. For me, it's just a serious hobby. Almost as serious as brewing has become.

If there are any decent camera stores in your area, check them out to see what they have for used Canon DSLR bodies. You can even look in the used section of B&H Photo Video. I've bought many camera item from them over the years. Just review their rating of the item before you buy it.

I will second the importance of good glass. I have great glass, and look at it as a very long term investment. I've gone through several camera bodies since I started getting the L class lenses, and will probably go through a few more before I feel the need to replace any lenses.

NIKON FTW

-=Jason=-

Flomaster said:

NIKON FTW

-=Jason=-

Click to expand...

I'd say, you're good with either. Just remember, once you start buying lenses, you're stuck with that brand. Handle both, see what fits you better.

That said, I love my Nikon.

Think of it this way:

"photograph" means "light" "writing" so think in those terms.

What captures the light? The lens.

What captures the image? The camera.

The lens makes the picture. The camera captures it.

Lens first, camera second. Skill and experience back it up. I've taken great pictures on a Cannon Rebel with the kit lens.

I'll probably pick it up today and check it out. At only 6 MP it's less than I would have liked, but with good quality pictures, they can be printed at a decent size and still look good. I think my current Digital is only 5 MP and I've printed 5x7 easily.

I've actually read reviews that claimed the Canon 50D has TOO high of a resolution. They say that the thing can actually show imperfections from your lenses.

At any rate, 6MP should be pretty decent for the money and I could always sell it and upgrade if I end up using it a lot and don't like the pixel count. It's GOT to be better than the one I have that I can't set a shutter time and get a decent pic out of.

Homercidal said:

I'll probably pick it up today and check it out. At only 6 MP it's less than I would have liked, but with good quality pictures, they can be printed at a decent size and still look good. I think my current Digital is only 5 MP and I've printed 5x7 easily.

I've actually read reviews that claimed the Canon 50D has TOO high of a resolution. They say that the thing can actually show imperfections from your lenses.

At any rate, 6MP should be pretty decent for the money and I could always sell it and upgrade if I end up using it a lot and don't like the pixel count. It's GOT to be better than the one I have that I can't set a shutter time and get a decent pic out of.

Click to expand...

I've printed 16x20s from a 5MP Canon P&S and the prints came out fairly good. When up close you can see the grain but from normal viewing distances it looks just fine.

Didn't get the camera last night. I might get it, but he originally told me it would come with a macro lens, and his wife (her camera) made him change that. $200 for the basic camera and lens, and $275 with the macro lens... Sucks because I really enjoy taking close up shots, and I am practically guaranteed to want that lens.

I'd also want a decent used tele lens too, eventually. Doesn't have to be massive, just decent quality and a bit of reach.

Wish I knew a bit more about SLR cameras.

Homercidal said:

Wish I knew a bit more about SLR cameras.

Click to expand...

This is a good site to learn about digital photography in general with a heavy focus on SLRs: http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/

Also I HIGHLY recommend the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. He covers the basics in an easy to understand way. I learned alot from it.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0817439390/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

The camera is not bad. The images are less vibrant than I'm used to, and I think that's because the camera that I am used to probably adds some processing. I can also add that on the PC afterwards. This camera can add color processing but only in the A/S/P/M settings.

The lens that was extra was a 300mm zoom and she wants $75 for it. Not bad for the price, but the action is slightly rough.

I only looked at the pictures on my daughter's laptop. I'll have a better look tonight on my PC (if I get my friend's Ball Joints finished) and make a decision.

$200 for the camera and basic lens seems fair though. The 1GB card that it comes with seems to hold a lot of images. I can get up to 2GB sticks for it for not much money.