Canon launches EOS 50D

Thorsten Meyer — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:56:31 +0000

As expected Canon launched the EOS 50D.

Key features of the Canon 50D

15.1 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
Up to 6.3 frames per second
DIGIC 4 processor
ISO 100-3200, expandable to 12800
9-point wide area AF
3.0” Clear View LCD with Live View shooting & Face Detection AF
Magnesium alloy body, with environmental protection
EOS Integrated Cleaning System

The EOS 50D: Outstanding speed and resolution for the discerning photographer

The digital SLR that photography enthusiasts have been waiting for, Canon’s new EOS 50D offers incredible speed and resolution at a unique price point.

An outstanding 15.1 Megapixel resolution allows giant prints and cropping without compromise. This is matched by shooting at 6.3 frames per second in bursts of up to 90 shots[1]. See every wing beat of a bird in flight. Freeze a mid-air leap, or a split-second facial expression. With the EOS 50D, it’s possible to capture those instants that slower cameras can miss.

A new high resolution 3.0″ Clear View LCD screen provides ultra-detailed image review, as well as accurate focusing when using the Live View mode. Canon’s 9-point AF system tracks moving subjects and locks onto stationary objects with equal ease. As night falls, base ISO levels can be pushed up to 3200 – or expanded to 12800 for situations where flash is best avoided.

Plus – as with all EOS cameras – creative flexibility is assured, thanks to Canon’s world-leading range of lenses and accessories.

Specifications

Type
Type	Digital, single-lens reflex, AF/AE camera with built-in flash
Recording Media	CF Card Type I and II, UDMA-compliant CF cards, via external media (USB v.2.0 hard drive, via optional Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E3A)
Image Sensor Size	22.3mm x 14.9mm
Compatible Lenses	Canon EF lenses (including EF-S lenses) (35mm-equivalent focal length is approx. 1.6x the lens focal length)
Lens Mount	Canon EF mount

Image Sensor
Type	High-sensitivity, high-resolution, large single-plate CMOS sensor
Pixels	Effective pixels: Approx. 15.10 megapixels
Total Pixels	Total pixels: Approx. 15.50 megapixels
Aspect Ratio	3:2 (Horizontal: Vertical)
Color Filter System	RGB primary color filters
Low-pass Filter	Fixed position in front of the CMOS sensor
Dust Deletion feature	(1) Automatic sensor cleaning (2) Manual cleaning of sensor (3) Dust Delete Data appended to the captured image

Recording System
Recording Format	Design rule for Camera File System 2.0
Image Type	JPEG, RAW (14-bit, Canon original), sRAW, RAW+JPEG
File Size	(1) Large/Fine: Approx. 5.0MB (4752 x 3168 pixels) (2) Large/Nomal: Approx. 2.5MB (4752 x 3168 pixels) (3) Medium/Fine: Approx. 3.0MB (3456 x 2304 pixels) (4) Medium/Normal: Approx. 1.6MB (3456 x 2304 pixels) (5) Small/Fine: Approx. 1.7MB (2352 x 1568 pixels) (6) Small/Normal: Approx. 0.9MB (2352 x 1568 pixels) (7) RAW: Approx. 20.2MB (4752 x 3168 pixels) (8) RAW+Large/Fine: Approx. 20.2+5.0MB (4752 x 3168 pixels) (9) sRAW 1: Approx. 12.6MB (3267 x 2178 pixels) (10) sRAW 1+Large/Fine: Approx. 12.6+5.0MB (3267 x 2178 pixels) (11) sRAW 2: Approx. 9.2MB (2376 x 1584 pixels) (12) sRAW 2+Large/Fine: Approx. 9.2+5.0MB (2376 x 1584 pixels) Exact file sizes depend on the subject, ISO speed, Picture Style, etc.
Recording Functions	With the WFT-E3A attached, image recording to the CF card and to the USB external media connected to the WFT-E3A will be possible as follows: (1) Standard (2) Automatic switching of recording media (3) Separate recordings according to image-recording quality (4) Recording images having the same size
Backup Recording	Enabled with WFT-E3A attached
File Numbering	Consecutive numbering, auto reset, manual reset. Possible to create new folders and select folders in the CF card
RAW + JPEG Simultaneous Recording	Provided (sRAW+JPEG also possible)
Color Space	sRGB, Adobe RGB
Picture Style	Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User Def. 1-3

Image Processing
Type	Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten Light, White Fluorescent Light, Flash, Custom, Color Temperature setting
Auto White Balance	Auto white balance with the image sensor
Color Temperature Compensation	White balance correction: ±9 stops in full-stop increments White balance bracketing: ±3 stops in full-stop increments Blue/amber direction or magenta/green direction possible
Color Temperature Information Transmission	Provided

Viewfinder
Type	Eye-level pentaprism
Coverage	Vertical/Horizontal approx. 95%
Magnification	Approx. 0.95x (-1m^-1 with 50mm lens at infinity)
Eyepoint	Approx. 22mm (from eyepiece lens center)
Built-in Dioptric Adjustment	-3.0 to +1.0m^-1 (diopter)
Focusing Screen	Interchangeable (Ef-D: Grid lines, Ef-S {point of Focus), Ef-A standard focusing screen provided
Mirror	Quick-return half mirror (transmission: reflection ratio of 40:60, no mirror cut-off with EF600mm f/4L IS USM or shorter lenses)
Viewfinder Information	AF information (AF points, focus confirmation light), Exposure information (shutter speed, aperture, ISO speed, AE lock, exposure level, spot metering circle), Flash information (flash ready, flash exposure compensation, High-speed sync, FE lock, Red-eye reduction light), Image information (Highlight tone priority, monochrome shooting, maximum burst, white balance correction, CF card information)
Depth-of-Field Preview	Enabled with depth-of-field preview button

Autofocus
Type	TTL-CT-SIR AF-dedicated CMOS sensor
AF Points	9 (Cross-type)
Metering Range	EV 0.5-18 (at 73°F/23°C, ISO 100)
Focusing Modes	Auto, One-Shot AF, Predictive AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF, Manual focusing (MF)
AF Point Selection	Automatic selection, manual selection
Selected AF Point Display	Superimposed in viewfinder and indicated on LCD panel
AF-assist Beam	Small series of flashes fired by built-in flash Effective range: Approx. 13.1 ft./4.0m at center, approx. 11.5 ft./3.5m at periphery

Exposure Control
Metering Modes	35-zone TTL full-aperture metering Evaluative metering (linkable to any AF point) Partial metering (approx. 9% of viewfinder at center) Spot metering (approx. 3.8% of viewfinder at center) Center-weighted average metering
Metering Range	EV 1-20 (at 73°F/23°C with EF50mm f/1.4 USM lens, ISO 100)
Exposure Control	Program AE (Shiftable), Shutter-priority AE, Aperture-priority AE, Depth-of-field AE, Creative Auto, Full auto, Programmed image control modes (portrait, landscape, close-up, sports, night portrait, flash off), Manual exposure, E-TTL II autoflash program AE
ISO Speed (Recommended Exposure Index)	Automatically set, ISO 100-6400 (in 1/3-stop or 1-stop increments) Basic Zone modes: ISO 100-3200 set automatically Extension settable (with C.Fn.I-3-1): ISO 12800 High Tone Priority settable: ISO 200-1600
Exposure Compensation	Manual: ±3 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments (can be combined with AEB)
AE Lock	Auto: Applied in One-Shot AF mode with evaluative metering when focus is achieved Manual: By AE lock button

Shutter
Type	Vertical-travel, mechanical, Electronically-controlled, focal-plane shutter
Shutter Speeds	1/8000 to 1/60 sec., X-sync at 1/250 sec. 1/8000 to 30 sec., bulb (Total shutter speed range. Available range varies by shooting mode)
Shutter Release	Soft-touch electromagnetic release
Self-timer	10-sec. or 2-sec. delay
Remote Control	Remote control with N3-type terminal

Built-in Flash
Type	Retractable, auto pop-up flash
Flash Metering	E-TTL II autoflash
Guide Number	13/43 (ISO 100, in meters/feet)
Recycling Time	Approx. 3 sec.
Flash-ready Indicator	Flash-ready icon lights in viewfinder
Flash Coverage	17mm lens angle of view
FE Lock	Provided
Flash Exposure Compensation	Up to ±2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments

External Speedlite
Zooming to Match Focal Length	Provided
Compatible Flash	EX-series Speedlites
Flash Metering	E-TTL II autoflash
Flash Exposure Compensation	±2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments
FE Lock	Provided
External Flash Settings	Flash function settings, Flash C.Fn settings

Drive System
Drive Modes	Single, High-speed continuous, Low-speed continuous, and Self-timer (10 sec. or 2 sec. delay)
Continuous Shooting Speed	High-speed: Max. 6.3 shots/sec. Low-speed: Max. 3 shots/sec.
Maximum Burst	JPEG (Large/Fine): approx. 60 (CF)/approx. 90 (UDMA CF) RAW: approx. 16 RAW+JPEG (Large/Fine): approx. 11 Based on Canon’s testing standards with a 2GB CF card, high-speed continuous shooting, ISO 100 and Standard Picture Style Varies depending on the subject, CF card brand, image-recording quality, ISO speed, drive mode, Picture Style, etc.

Live View Functions
Shooting Modes	(1) Live View shooting (2) Remote Live View shooting (with a personal computer installed with EOS Utility)
Focusing	Manual focus Autofocus (Live View image interrupted for AF): Quick mode, Live mode, Live Face Detection mode
Metering Modes	Evaluative metering with the image sensor
Metering Range	EV 0-20 (at 73°F/23°C with EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens, ISO 100)
Magnified View	By 5x or 10x at AF point
Grid Display	Provided
Exposure Simulation	Provided
Silent Shooting	Provided (Mode 1 and 2)

LCD Monitor
Type	TFT color, liquid-crystal monitor
Monitor Size	3.0 in.
Dots	Approx. 920,000 (VGA)
Coverage	Approx. 100% (viewing angle: approx. 160°)
Brightness Adjustment	7 levels provided
Interface Languages	25

Image Playback
Display Format	Single image, Single image + Image-recording quality/shooting information, histogram, 4- or 9-image index, magnified view (approx. 1.5x-10x), rotated image (auto/manual), image jump (by 10/100 images, index screen, by shooting date, by folder), slide show (all images/selected by date/folder)
Highlight Warning	Provided (Overexposed highlights blink)

Image Protection and Erase
Protect	Single images can be erase-protected or not
Erase	Single image, check-marked images or all images in the CF card can be erased (except protected images)

Direct Printing
Compatible Printers	PictBridge-compatible printers
Printable Images	JPEG images compliant to Design rule for Camera File System (DPOF printing possible) and RAW/sRAW images captured with the EOS 50D
Easy Print feature	Provided

DPOF: Digital Print Order Format
DPOF	Version 1.1 compatible

Direct Image Transfer
Compatible Images	JPEG and RAW images Only JPEG images can be transferred as wallpaper on the personal computer screen

Customization
Custom Functions	Total 25
Camera User Settings	Register under Mode Dial’s C1 and C2 positions
My Menu Registration	Provided

Interface
USB Terminal	For personal computer communication and direct printing (USB 2.0 Hi-Speed)
Video Out Terminal	(1) Video OUT terminal: NTSC/PAL selectable (2) HDMI mini OUT terminal
Extension System Terminal	For connection to WFT-E3A

Power Source

Battery

One Battery Pack BP-511A
AC power can be supplied via optional AC Adapter Kit ACK-E2 (with optional Battery Grip BG-E2N or BG-E2 attached, AA-size batteries can be used)

Number of Shots

Number of shots (approx.)

Temperature		Shooting Conditions
Temperature		No Flash	50% Flash Use
Normal Shooting	73°F/23°C	800	640
Normal Shooting	32°F/0°C	640	540
Live View Shooting	73°F/23°C	180	170
Live View Shooting	32°F/0°C	140	130

Battery Check

Auto

Power Saving

Provided. Power turns off after 1, 2, 4, 8, 15 or 30 min.

Date/Time Battery

One CR2016 lithium-ion battery

Start-up Time

Approx. 0.1 sec. (Based on CIPA testing standards)

Dimensions and Weight
Dimensions (WxHxD)	Approx. 5.7 x 4.2 x 2.9 in./145.5 x 107.8 x 73.5mm
Weight	Approx. 25.7 oz./730g (body only)

Operating Environment
Working Temperature Range	32-104°F/0-40°C
Working Humidity Range	85% or less

Note: All the specifications above are based on Canon’s testing standards.
The camera’s specifications and exterior are subject to change without notice.

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Canon 50D (Japan) Web Page Sneak Peek

Thorsten Meyer — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 10:58:28 +0000

old post removed. The Canon 50D has been released