Should I Upgrade Now?

[stkr]

I've been using my Digital Rebel XT for a while now and I am considering upgrading to a 50D this Christmas. It's a pretty expensive camera, and I realize that it debuted in 2008, so is there a chance that it will be replaced within a few months? I would hate to get one as a Christmas gift to only have a newer model come out in January-February with more features for the same price. Is Canon on a set cycle for camera upgrades? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[Doug Pardee]

The camera manufacturers are extremely secretive about their upcoming products. Those people who know what's coming up cannot tell you, because they've doubtless signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement with the manufacturer and would get sued.

That said, based on Canon's past behavior, many people are expecting a "60D" or similar to be announced just ahead of the PMA show which opens February 21. You'll see a flurry of announcements from all of the manufacturers in the middle of next February. Whether there'll be a "60D" announcement in there or not, time will tell.

It generally takes Canon a couple of months after announcement until the product is in the stores. If one is announced, don't expect to be able to buy one before mid-March.

[inkista]

All the camera manufacturers tend to announce their products at two specific tradeshows: PMA and Photokina. PMA happens in the spring, Photokina in the fall on even-numbered years. In odd-numbered years, there's still a flurry of product announcements in the fall, but they don't all come at the same time. (One of the online reviewers dubbed it "Fauxtokina" this year).

With the Canon xxxD and xxD models, the typical lifespan is 18 months, but there have been exceptions, such as the 50D being announced a year after the 40D. When you go higher up the chain to the xD models, it's sort of anybody's guess. Those cycles can be three or more years (e.g., 5D -> 5DMkII). Wikipedia has a chart of dSLR releases.

I'd also be careful of putting too much credence into "feature lists" you'll see on rumor sites and around the 'net. A lot of those are pure wishful thinking. Chances are good that you'll see every 7D feature listed for a rumored "60D" and simple logic should tell you that this is not going to be the case: if the 60D were exactly equivalent to the 7D, how would Canon sell any 7Ds, or price the 60D for $500 less?

I would also add that I did an upgrade o' death from my XT to a 50D by simply sending my busted XT in for service, and being offered the Canon Loyalty Program, where I got a refurbed 50D body for $700 (they quoted $640 but added tax and shipping). The big downside is that it's got only a six month warranty. I'm not saying take a hammer to the XT, but if something on it wasn't working quite the way it used to...

[stkr]

Thanks very much to the both of you. I figured that Canon was very secretive, as most companies are, but it never hurts to ask . My Digital Rebel XT works perfectly fine and serves me quite well. I just want something newer. I suppose the only thing that I don't want to have to worry about is bad noise levels in the 50D. Of course if that's the case I could always send it back. Video recording would be nice too, but I'm thinking it would be more of a novelty then anything useful for me. Anyway, thanks again for the great responses.

[private]

The 50D has video recording? I believe the 7D which is canon's newest crop camera has video recording. The 50D has live view (which I have not used yet...)

[inkista]

I love my 50D's live view. I use it all the time to get precise focus with my manual focus lenses and my fisheye lens.

The 50D doesn't have video. The 5DMkII, 7D, and 500D do, which is why the 50D was disappointing to video geeks who can be forgiven for assuming it would. The big difference here, though, is that the 5DMkII, and 7D both do 1080p, while the 500D only does 720p. Internally, I think the higher models have dual data channels off the sensor, which would allow the larger throughput. The 500D, otoh, has only a single channel, which is probably why it's throttled. The 50D only has a single data channel, so I'm assuming Canon pulled the HD video capability, because of the hue and cry that would result from "only" offering 720p on a mid-level camera. But that's just a wild guess.

[stkr]

I was saying that the successor to the 50D will most likely have it, so if I get a 50D it will be a missed feature. I'm not sure if I will use live view or not. I really like using the viewfinder so I guess that will just be something I have to figure out. I wouldn't mind only having 720p video recording either .

[inkista]

Exactly. Now that the 7D is out, Canon can point and say, "well, if you really want 1080p on a crop, there it is." So, delivering 720p on the 60D won't be quite the "shocker" it would have been pre-7D.

I also think you're probably right in assuming the much-posited 60D will have better high iso noise performance (although I must say, the 50D's iso 1600 is much cleaner than my 350D's was), since it's likely to inherit the same (or a slightly modified version of the) sensor and Digic processor in the 7D.

[stkr]

High ISO isn't a problem at all since I rarely venture that high. I just like knowing that if I need to then I can. The 50D has, from what I've read so, had very positive reviews so I know that I will be satisfied with it for quite a while.