Illogical Thinking?

Ok, I have had some focusing issues with my 40D. It may be me or it may be the camera, I'm not sure. I don't feel confident using the camera at just that right moment when it presents itself. I like the feel, function, and quality of the 40D. I have tried to work with it for several months now, but it still isn't working for me. It would cost me about $200 to send it in to be serviced, but for that money and the price I can get for it as is(w/accessories) I bought a newer 50d that is a couple years newer with half the shutter count and in pretty good condition( I think). I know it is sort of a lateral move, but I feel that starting anew will be better in the long run. What are your thoughts of the 50D for those that have or have owned one in the past. All your advice or thoughts are welcome and appreciated. Thanks!

I think it's your lenses. The ones you have aren't particularly fast. Even the 70-200 isn't ideal since f/4 doesn't let much light (and therefore contrast) hit the focusing sensors. The 50 is...well it's the 50. It has the right aperture but not the right AF motor.

thanks guys.

Ok, I'll quit whining now and go shoot some. Lol!

Which focus points do you use usually? I have the 40D and i find it to be an awesome workhorse. It's a bit outdated now but it still is a great camera. I have heared horror stories about 40D and focusing but that never happened to me personally. It always focuses where i point it to.

Try using just the center focusing point and see how it performs.

The 50D would give you AF micro-adjustment which of course is very useful - if you need it for any of your lenses.

My experience of the 50D vs the 40D was that it was just a little bit more reliable when doing a burst of action shots with AI Servo. The 40D would randomly lose focus some of the time, while the 50D was less likely to do so. Could've just been copy variation, or maybe the faster processor in the 50D gave it some help when under pressure. Dunno.

For static shots though, no difference.

Thanks!

For the slight price difference between selling a used 40D and picking up a similarly conditioned used 50D, I think it would be a good move.

You get a better LCD, micro adjustment, and more resolution. At least 2 of the 3 are pretty handy especially if you have a good collection of glass, and you also crop images down a bit. You won't gain any real amount of IQ though, other than by resizing the 50D down to a 40D image size, which will produce a more detailed less noisy image. The 50D sensor was slightly revised over the 40D too.

The 40D almost had me selling all my Canon gear and switching to Nikon. If Nikon would have had the Exmore sensor back then, I would have jumped. That said, the 50D firmly put be back in the Canon camp. All the frustration i felt with the 40D, and most were focusing issues (front/back and inconsistent), were gone or addressable with the 50D. I know most consider it a lateral but i saw it as a vast improvement. The picture quality is comparable, slight nod to the 50D, but the usability and reliability is way better. Go for the 50D without looking back. MFA alone is worth it.

"What are your thoughts of the 50D..."

I owned one and really liked it. I never had focusing issues with it. I've never owned a 40d, but I would expect it to be just like the 50d in that respect.

What settings (AV, TV manual, green box, etc.) are you using, what focus points are you selecting, and what focus mode (AI Servo, etc.)?

tomj wrote in post #15601614
"What are your thoughts of the 50D..."

I owned one and really liked it. I never had focusing issues with it. I've never owned a 40d, but I would expect it to be just like the 50d in that respect.

What settings (AV, TV manual, green box, etc.) are you using, what focus points are you selecting, and what focus mode (AI Servo, etc.)?

AV mostly, tv when needed and manual when I feel other adjustments need to be implemented. I use center focus mostly unless taking group portraits or need to focus on a larger area in view. I use one shot for most things and servo when shooting or anticipate shooting moving subjects. I tried AI Focus form time to time, but that has been hit or miss on most ocassions. Thanks for everyones advice.