Canon EOS 50D

57

Winner

Canon EOS 50D

"Nine point auto focus system accurate, even in low light"
dpreview.com | talking about the 50D's auto-focus
"It feels solid, reliable and 'well sorted' from an ergonomics point of view"
dpreview.com | talking about the 50D's feel

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 50D

Shutter lag
Barely any delay taking photos
131 ms shutter lag
Badge
Phase detection autofocus
fast and accurate
Fastest shutter speed
Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550

52

Reasons to buy the Sony Alpha DSLR-A550

Image stabilization
Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Light sensitivity
High ISO
12,800 ISO
Continuous shooting
Rapid fire
7 fps
Screen flips out
Flip-out screen
Great for movies
HDR
In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
Storage slots
More storage slots
2

differences

Advantages of the Canon 50D

Autofocus Faster autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
Catch candid moments easily
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available 162 lenses vs 92 lenses
Help
Around 80% more lenses available
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.59x vs 0.52x
Help
Around 30% larger viewfinder
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
Thickness Significantly thinner 2.9" vs 3.3"
Help
More than 10% thinner
True resolution Slightly higher true resolution 15.1 MP vs 14 MP
Help
Capture around 10% more detail in your photos
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
2x faster max shutter speed
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs None
Help
Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Canon EOS 50D Learn more about
the Canon 50D

Advantages of the Sony DSLR-A550

Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.8 EV vs 11.4 EV
Help
0.4 f-stops more dynamic range
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Color depth Better color depth 21.9 bits vs 21.8 bits
Help
Distinguishes 0.1 more bits of color
Overall image quality Better image quality 66.0 vs 63.0
Help
Almost the same
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 12,800 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
The DSLR-A550's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO 807 ISO vs 696 ISO
Help
The DSLR-A550 has a slight edge (0.2 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 7 fps vs 6.3 fps
Help
More than 10% faster continuous shooting
Sensor size Slightly larger sensor APS-C 23.4x15.6mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
Around 10% larger sensor
Weight Lighter 632 g vs 822 g
Help
More than 20% lighter
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Learn more about
the Sony DSLR-A550
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 50D Canon EOS 50D
57 vs 52
Explain scores
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 50D. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a pro DSLR with a entry-level DSLR.

advice

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0
votes
by Scott-Harmon last week
Canon T3i vs Canon 50D

i am taking my wife on an Alaskan cruise.  I keep thinking just take my 50D and not my video, bu...

2 people recommend the Canon T3i:

" I get a chuckle when Adorama in NYC lists Canon 50D as "vintage" but in a way that seems fitting..."

" Canon is the leader in the DSLR video market, and the Canon T3i is one of the best entry level D..."

2
votes
by Char-Sevig last month
Canon 50D vs Canon 5D Mark II

I currently have a canon xsi, with several lenses. A canon 70-200mm f/4 L ,55-250mm, 50mm 1.8 ,18-...

One person recommends the Canon 5D Mark II:

"I recently upgraded from the XSi to the 5D Mark II and couldn't be happier. As I'm sure you know, ..."

1
votes
by Leslie-Gumtz-Bradley last month
Canon 50D vs Canon 60D

I am an artist that loves photography. Want easy and to be able to react quickly and also do manua...

One person recommends the Canon 50D:

"The 60D makes some small incremental improvements on the 50D, I'd recommend getting the 50D just t..."

0
votes
by Tim-Bullock last month
Canon 50D vs Canon 60D

I have a 50D. Will lenses and accessories such as battery grip, flash, etc. work if I move up t...

One person recommends the Canon 50D:

" The 50D and 60D have the same lens mount and hotshoe, so all your lenses and flashes will be tra..."

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.

Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
95%
Light sensitivity (boost) One has boost ISO Help
50D:12,800 ISO
DSLR-A550:None
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Weather sealed Neither is weather sealed Help
Need to shelter it from weather
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Color depth Poor color depth Help
50D:21.8 bits
DSLR-A550:21.9 bits
Movie format Do not shoot movies Help
No movies
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
50D:63.0
DSLR-A550:66.0

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$848 - $1,304 body only

$1,177 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens

Movie format Records higher quality movies
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Thickness Is thicker
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens

Movie format Records higher quality movies
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $700 body only

$745 - $1,000 with 18-55mm lens

Movie format Records higher quality movies
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$1,047 with 55-200mm lens

Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Movie format Records lower quality movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens

Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens

Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens

Movie format Records higher quality movies
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor

Canon EOS 50D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,549 - $1,821 body only

$1,620 - $1,849 with 18-135mm lens

Movie format Shoots movies
Color depth Better color depth
Size Slightly larger
Weight Slightly heavier
Canon EOS 40D

Canon EOS 40D

Pro DSLR

$650 body only

Color depth Better color depth
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Autofocus Slower autofocus
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,130 body only

$2,875 - $2,999 with 24-105mm lens

Color depth Better color depth
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Lens availability Fewer lenses available
Shutter lag More shutter lag

Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$569 with 18-55mm lens

Movie format Shoots movies
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera
Viewfinder No viewfinder
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580

Sony Alpha DSLR-A580

Entry-level DSLR

$949 with 55-200mm lens

Color depth Better color depth
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Sony SLT-A55

Sony SLT-A55

Entry-level DSLR

$598 body only

$729 with 18-55mm lens

Autofocus Faster autofocus
Color depth Better color depth
Viewfinder Has a digital viewfinder
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Pentax K-r

Pentax K-r

Entry-level DSLR

$631 - $649 with 18-55mm lens

Autofocus Faster autofocus
Color depth Better color depth
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots

appearance

Canon EOS 50D Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Canon EOS 50D Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Canon EOS 50D Sony Alpha DSLR-A550

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