Canon Camera advice after long lay off

Good Morning, I'm looking to get back into photography after many years of being out of it. I still have my old 50D and lenses and I was wondering if I should look into a new camera body or would my old 50D still do a decent job? Budget wise I'd like to stay on the lower end of things, what are the new Rebels like? Should I look at a new Rebel or a used D series camera? Thanks, apologies for the vagueness of my questions.

acrephoto wrote in post #19549869
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Good Morning, I'm looking to get back into photography after many years of being out of it. I still have my old 50D and lenses and I was wondering if I should look into a new camera body or would my old 50D still do a decent job? Budget wise I'd like to stay on the lower end of things, what are the new Rebels like? Should I look at a new Rebel or a used D series camera? Thanks, apologies for the vagueness of my questions.
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Hello, and welcome back!

My goodness a whole lot has changed in the last several years. . Rebels and D series cameras are either no longer being made, or barely being made. . Now Canon and other manufacturers are mostly all about so-called "mirrorless" camera bodies. . But the differences go far beyond the fact that they do not have a mirror assembly.

I am one of the few still using a DSLR, but plan to go mirrorless in the near future.

Whether it would be best for you to stick with older, used DSLR bodies or get a newer mirrorless body really depends on what you shoot and how you shoot it. . But for the time being if I were in your shoes I would start shooting with the 50D again to re-familiarize myself with that body's capabilities and also with shooting in general.

I recommend watching some YouTube videos to get up to speed on what the new generation of camera bodies are like and how they differ from the mirror reflex bodies that you were so familiar with. . If I have time to find some relevant videos, I will post a few links here.

EDIT:

This video by Simon d'Entremont is one of the best videos on the differences between DSLRs and mirrorless systems. . Simon is a super nice guy and presents things objectively:

https://www.youtube.co​m/watch?v=-D-TDLP42q4&t=568s


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I have a similar story and got back into photography in 2020 after retiring.

My suggestion is to shoot with the old equipment and learn about the new equipment via internet and YouTube. The video Tom references is a good one and there are lots more.

Mirrorless is clearly the future from all manufacturers and there are lots on Canon models to choose from now. The model you choose will depend a great deal on what you like to shoot. EF lenses adapt very well onto mirrless bodies and generally perform better due to contemporary autofocus capabilities.

In my own caae, I sold all my old equipment after a few months and rebuilt from scratch.

I second the above post, the 50D is still a very capable camera even though it's a bit old. I agree that a lot has changed but but not so much that it would make the 50D obsolete. Mirrorless cameras are nice and a clear evolution from a DSLR but unless your shooting in the most challenging conditions, high ISO or fast action, the image quality between the newest Canon cameras and a 50D is not really noticeable.
Shoot the 50D and when you start bumping into issues where the 50D is really struggling, that's when you look around for a better, more capable body that does the thing you need.

Agree with the others. Start with the 50D that you're familiar with. It will work just as well as it did the last time you used it (may need a new battery if it's been sitting for a while). See what direction your photography goes, and what capabilities the current cameras have--if any--that you feel would help you. In time, the answer will become clear to you.

Thanks everyone that's great advice! That's exactly what I'll do, dust off the old equipment and get back to shooting and see where it takes me. Thanks again!

On top of the great advice above the one thing to consider is what you are shooting and where/how. The 50D is a capable camera but if your new dedication to photography requires better iso performance or better autofocus options then there are other things to consider and some can be achieved in the used market. Once you get back in the swing of things then decide what might be improved and how willing you are to go there.

What has changed, in general, since your 50D

1. sensors have more pixels, and ability to shoot at higher ISO with less apparent noise
   
2. feature improvements like Auto ISO functions better (less illogical in selection of ISO vs shutter speed combination
   
3. faster burst shooting
   
4. ability to shoot video
   
5. mirrorless designs from Canon, with added features

   
   

   • control ring on lenses for third (assignable) control function
     
   • ability to track animal/human eyes to autofocus
     
   • ability to track the photographer eye to determine point of focus (R3)
     

   
   

Another thing that has changed is that photo editing tools have hugely improved to a point where what was once unusable is now perfectly usable. (I suppose it depends on what you are editing your photos with) Where I notice this most is with my SX70. I had auto-ISO limit to 200 because anything higher is just too noisy especially when shooting very early in the morning. With PS' AI-Denoise, ISO400 or 800 look like what 200 use to be. Noise is rarely a issue any more.