Canon EOS
50D
 vs
Canon EOS
5D

Canon EOS 5D

81

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
1,368 ISO
Color depth
 Great color depth
22.9 bits
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.71x
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second
Canon EOS 50D

79
"The ergonomics feel well sorted, all the controls are in the right place and even the formerly rather pointless Direct Print button now serves a purpose"
dpreview.com | talking about the 50D's button-layout
"The EOS 50D has to stand its ground in a highly competitive bracket of the DSLR market."
dpreview.com | talking about the 50D's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 50D

Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
300 ms startup delay
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
131 ms shutter lag
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second

differences

Advantages of the Canon 50D
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.5"
Help
 More than 20% larger screen
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 4x higher resolution screen
Live view Has live view Yes vs No
Help
 Preview your photos on the camera's screen before taking them
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 6.3 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 More than 2x faster continuous shooting
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.4 EV vs 11.1 EV
Help
 0.3 f-stops more dynamic range
Lens availability More lenses available 162 lenses vs 125 lenses
Help
 Around 30% more lenses available
True resolution Higher true resolution 15.1 MP vs 12.7 MP
Help
 Capture around 20% more detail in your photos
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
 A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 3,200 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The 50D's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Lowest price Cheaper $1,281.99 vs $3,279.25
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,997 cheaper (2.6x less)
Size Smaller 146x108x74 mm vs 152x113x75 mm
Help
 Around 10% smaller
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The 50D's boost ISO is 2 f-stops better
Weight Lighter 822 g vs 895 g
Help
 Around 10% lighter
Thickness Slightly thinner 2.9" vs 3"
Help
 Almost the same
Canon EOS 50D Learn more about
the Canon 50D

Advantages of the Canon 5D
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 1,368 ISO vs 696 ISO
Help
 The 5D has a slight edge (1 f-stop) in low noise, high ISO performance
Color depth Better color depth 22.9 bits vs 21.8 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.1 more bits of color
Overall image quality Better image quality 71.0 vs 63.0
Help
 More than 10% better image quality
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 More than 2.5x larger sensor
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.59x
Help
 Around 50% larger viewfinder
Viewfinder coverage Better viewfinder coverage 96% vs 95%
Help
 Almost the same
Canon EOS 5D Learn more about
the Canon 5D
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 50D Canon EOS 50D
79 vs 81
Explain scores
Canon EOS 5D Canon EOS 5D
Green arrow Too close to call! Snapsort considers these cameras too competitive to make a clear recommendation.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS 50D
 Canon EOS 50D vs Canon EOS 5D
CanonEOS 5D
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
1
5
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
6
1
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
0
6
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
4
0
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
0
5
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
2
4
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Weight Heavy Help
50D:822 g
5D:895 g
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
50D:95%
5D:96%
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
50D:3,200 ISO
5D:1,600 ISO
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Weather sealed Neither is weather sealed Help
Need to shelter it from weather
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Movie format Do not shoot movies Help
No movies
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
50D:11.4 EV
5D:11.1 EV

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Size Fairly small Help
50D:146x108x74 mm
5D:152x113x75 mm
Thickness Thin Help
50D:2.9"
5D:3"
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
50D:12,800 ISO
5D:3,200 ISO
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
50D:15.1 MP
5D:12.7 MP
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
50D:6.3 fps
5D:3 fps

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$899 - $1,304 body only

$1,138 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 50D
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 5D
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$579 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Has a lower quality type of viewfinder
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 50D
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 5D
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$869 - $897 body only

$1,099 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens
Movie format Records lower quality movies
Dynamic range Has significantly wider dynamic range
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 50D
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 5D
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,329 - $1,821 body only

$1,498 - $1,800 with 28-135mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 50D
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,400 body only

$2,799 - $2,839 with 24-105mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Cross type focus points Has slightly fewer cross-type focus points
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 50D
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 5D
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$609 - $800 body only

$709 - $1,180 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 50D
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 5D
Canon EOS 40D

Canon EOS 40D

Pro DSLR

$1,000 body only
True resolution Takes slightly lower resolution photos
Compare the EOS 40D vs the EOS 50D
Compare the EOS 40D vs the EOS 5D

Canon EOS 50D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS 50D.

Canon EOS 5D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS 5D.

appearance

Canon EOS 50D Canon EOS 5D
Canon EOS 50D Canon EOS 5D
Canon EOS 50D Canon EOS 5D

Find similar cameras

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discussion Which do you think is better?

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