Canon EOS 50D announced

I was really surprised when I read that Canon itself leaked a webpage describing an EOS 50D! The surprise was due to the usual timespan of 1½ years after which Canon presented a successor of their respective EOS line. As the EOS 40D was presented in fall 2007, I didn’t expect a 50D to come before spring 2009. But probably the 50D came a little earlier to be placed against Nikon’s D300 that really outperforms the 40D.

Having a brief look at the specs I have the impression that it’s rather a minor advance compared to the 40D, fortifying the impression of a pure marketing decision rather than a real technology jump. The significant changes in my eyes are

• 15 MP compared to 10 MP,
• DIGIC IV processor compared to DIGIC III, and
• ISO 12800 max. compared to ISO 3200.

In the end only the last one in that list could be of interest if it implies a lower noise behavior at the same ISO speed. The jump from 30D to 40D was much more significant in my eyes, while that from 20D to 30D was only a cosmetic one in a similar way. However, as there obviously won’t be another successor in spring 2009, I can now be sure that my EOS 40D will stay a top camera for at least another year.

Much more interesting in my eyes is the upcoming EOS 5D Mk II, Canon’s updated “cheap” FF DSLR. Nikon aimed their D700—a FF DSLR as well—at the same target audience. It’s interesting also that Nikon now has two FF DSLRs on the market, both from this year, while Canon announced their first FF DSLR, the EOS-1Ds, already in 2002.