Monday 14 September 2009

The Canon 50D a Dream of a Camera

The Canon 50D

A review from a Nikon user.

I've never been drawn to one brand of camera over another. About ten years ago I had just about settled on buying a Canon EOS 1N and the 35-350 lens.
Disaster had struck on the way home testing it one weekend and I was run over while cycling home.

I wasn't quite run over as much as I'd spotted the car coming for me, managed to stand on the crossbar of the bike, which was stripped out from under me as I did a couple of sommersaults into the windscreen, bonnet and finally the ground. With my backpack and head taking most of the punishment.

"It would make a great street show moment."

A bit of a battle ensued with the driver's insurance company, but finally it was agreed that the camera and lens had to be written off and it was unceremoniously destroyed with a sledge hammer.

Replacing the EOS, I had to then choose something a little more affordable. So I got the Nikon F90X. Five, six years down the line I'd moved to the F5 and the F100. Before giving up my film career and picking up a digital camera on the odd occasion.

With my Fringe photography and the reputation I have on the High Street and with all the right contacts Canon got in on the act this year with the loan of a 50D with a 17-85 and a 70-300 lens.

The camera is a joy to work with. Within a day (without instructions) I'd worked out most of the things I like cameras to do. Had spent that first day or first couple of hours just confusing the camera with different scenarios to see how it coped. Wonderfully was how I felt.

The lenses great. The drive fast enough to keep up with the action I shoot on the High Street. And once I'd remembered the Left/ Right rules (Nikon/Canon) I was balancing on bollards like a mad man under my brolly in all weathers getting shots because there are times that most photographers just give up.

The camera didn't give up. The battery lasted all day on the days I did seriously pushed it to the limit. That's on the day's when I used the pop up flash (which I'm not much of a fan of, whether it be on any SLR camera.

After that I was happy to use the camera as I've always treated a digital camera. As if I'm using film. People ask and always have asked if I have anything good on the day. My reply was almost always the same. "I hope so." I don't check images; if I know the camera can do the business. If I know the exposures correct. Its pointless checking images constantly through out the day. I think you could miss things. If you understand the nature of film photography or photography in general then why do you have to check if you've got it right.

I'll not guarantee that every image I shoot will be 100% or perfect. But over the last couple of years I'm now shooting less and less images every year. I know people with digital cameras that are shooting even more. If I was still on film there were days this year I'd have shot less than 3 rolls of 36 exposures. When in my early years on film I'd easily be shooting 8 to 10 rolls a day.

The canon was beautiful to work with. In all weather conditions come rain or shine. It did prove its worth in my last week where I pushed it to its limit and did some theatre work with it. If it had not been up for the challenge then I don't think I'd have gone back 5 nights to the same show.

Canon will probably be jumping up and down with joy at this point, because having "retired" over the last few years. I've almost decided that I could very easily work with that camera again. So yes this time Canon might just have converted me over to their camera system and maybe even a 50D.

I had already stepped into their digital camera market with the purchase of the Canon G10 compact. Which I'll say right here right now is probably the best compact camera out there in the market place right now. It's rugged. It's responsive and it takes fantastic photos. Who but me would do unique shots from St. Giles and use a compact. But it is a professional compact.

2 comments:

  1. Did you use the 17-85 and 70-300 for theatre work? Did you find the lenses to be a little too slow when working in low light conditions?

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  2. just used the 17-85 and as with all the theatre stuff I've ever done just play best guess or cross my fingers. Seems to work well.

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