I just recently purchased a Canon 50D expecting wonders after owning the Rebel XTI. hahahaha....
I am a little dissapointed in what I got. The camera has sharpness issues, very blue shadows, very yellow highlights, and the worst noise of any camera I think I've ever used. The color issues I can deal with, in post, to an extent. However, I tend to be shooting in low light settings, so I need sharp and relatively noise free high iso images.
Also, I know that the full frame cameras are supposed to be less noisy. I've checked out some full size images from web sites and I really cannot tell a dif between FF and CF so far as noise. Have you guys found this to be true?
That said, could someone recommend a good camera that fits my low noise criteria? I have about a 1,600 budget for a camera... but, it probably needs to be somewhere about 1,200-1,400. (i do not prefer canon over nikon or vice versa, i just need a decent camera hahah)
Thanks so much!
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Will, I own a few Canons - 40D's & 50d's. The problems you are seeing with your 50D are something that I have not encountered at all. The Rebel series has the same sensor as the 10D to 50D series, depending upon the model vs. model. The D series has a stronger body and many more features that are available. If you take the same test image on either camera (model vs. model), it should be similar or identical. I'm not clear on your post whether you think the 50D is FF or if you are just looking for a FF. To be clear, the 50D is not FF and is a cropped sensor. I also don't keep track of Rebel model numbers so I have no idea what your Rebel compares to in the xxD series.
You should not be having any problems with yellow/blue (I've never heard of other complaints on this) but obviously it will depend upon your situation and your settings. Without more info AND an uncorrected sample, no one here could give you anything more than a blind guess. If I were guessing, you're either on auto or your preferences are set wrong.
Sharpness could be an issue. You've got to remember that the 50D went way up in file size (compared to 40D) and I personally have noticed a files are a 'touch' softer than 40D. I added a 'touch' of sharpness in post to correct but it's so slight that adding any sharpness in the camera was too aggressive for me. So, it's a very minimal problem on the cameras I have.
As far as high ISO, I shoot 3200 & up often enough. The trick is to get your exposure BANG-ON. Even a half stop one way or the other will certainly start to increase noise. A full stop under and the image has to have post work for sure IMHO.
You may have a dud camera, possible. My guess is that you need to do some more controlled tests to see where the problem is coming from.
Post some examples with full exif and I'm sure you'll get good comments.
well FF is a much larger sensor, if its the same MP count as a crop then the pixels are much larger=more area for light to hit=lower noise. they are kind of like solar electric cells or they probably ARE SE cells. but then the company comes out with better ways to read the signal and process the signal off the chip which counteracts this to a degree.
im kindof disapointed to see so many MP added to the crop cameras. i agree it probably softens. i hear reports of this on the 1ds mark III FF 21MP.
well i would return the camera sounds like a problem. my rebel xti seems to color balance kindof red but all over and i just correct the raw file. im a long time canon shooter and havent heard of that or experienced that.
well most cameras go up past 6400 iso but many dont reccomend using those settings. for low light, perhaps invest in fast glass so you make the most of your high iso.
also some cameras give better results for noise/sharpness etc depending on the raw converter. its not something i can say use this one with your camera, its a kindof personal preference, kindof like a b/w film and a developer. for example, the old 5d files dont process that well (aka to my liking) but the 1d/1ds mark II series/ 1d mark III do.
I have the 50D and also the 5D Mk II, and I can tell you full frame has less noise. There's no question larger photo sites on the 5DII make all the difference. That said, the 5D MkII does not fit into your budget. But you could buy a good condition used 5D for that much, which is still a great camera.
Yellow highlights and blue shadows certainly sounds like a white balance problem on the 50D -- have you tried shooting RAW? I also find that switching off highlight tone priority helps on the 50D.
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