Canon EOS 50D

Canon’s EOS 50D is a semi-pro DSLR which may share essentially the same body as the EOS 40D, but features a number of key differences. First is a significant boost in resolution to 15.1 Megapixels, and an increase in the maximum sensitivity to 12800 ISO; despite the higher resolution, continuous shooting is only fractionally slower at 6.3fps. The screen remains 3in, but is a new high resolution VGA model, and there’s also now an HDMI port for HD slideshows. Completing the spec are AF micro-adjustment, in-camera vignette correction, contrast-based AF in Live View, and software which lets you remote control the camera with your PC or Mac. The 50D is now a worthy rival to the Nikon D300 and a highly recommended model at this price point.

Pros: High resolution. Quick handling. VGA screen. HDMI.
Cons: Needs a good lens to exploit resolution. Face Detect mode slow.
Overall: A feature-packed DSLR, but compare closely with D300.