Canon 50D to be Discontinued? 60D Coming?

A lot of you come across my site searching for comparisons of the 550D, 50D, 7D, and 5D (see this post for a thorough comparison of them) so you should know that the production life of the 50D appears to be coming to an end (and word that it is discontinued here).  What that means is you should possibly wait a month or so to see if 50D prices drop or if rebates are offered, or wait for the new improved model to replace it – the 60D or whatever they may call it – although it will be difficult to create a worthwhile improvement of the 50D that isn’t just a 7D.  If there is one, it will mostly serve to fill in the price point between the 7D and th T2i.  I’m speculating that it will cost $1,100 to $1,300 – a little more than the 50D, more than the T2i , but less than the 7D.  It will probably have 18MP, and have the 63 zone metering system of the 7D and 550D.  It is likely that its insides will be closer to a 550D with the exterior body and controls of a 50D/ 7D. Will it have the 19 point autofocus system, 8 frames per second high speed shooting rate, HD video, and remote flash control of the 7D?  If so, it would just be a 7D.  It seems that it will sit at a new position that will no longer be a bridge between pro and consumer cameras (pro-sumer) as the 7D now fills that role (as the 50D once did), but will now be considered a very advanced consumer level camera.

I’m going to join in on the pointless but fun 60D speculation:

  • cost: $1,100-$1,300
  • 18MP 1.6x sensor
  • 63 zone metering
  • 9 or so point autofocus system, less advanced than 7D
  • 6 or so FPS at high speed
  • HD video
  • 3″ 3:2 LCD – articulating
  • 98%+ viewfinder
  • single Digic processor
  • all other features of 50D (construction, custom functions, AF microadjustment, live view, etc.)

5 thoughts on “Canon 50D to be Discontinued? 60D Coming?”

  1. I am debating about getting the 7d but curious to see the actual specs of the 60d before I jump and upgrade from my 30D.
    I have a feeling I am still going to want the 7d

    1. Yes, I think the 7D is still going to have better specs and more features than the 60D, other than maybe an articulating screen. I think the 7D is the way to go, if you are willing and able to afford it.

  2. i had thought about going into full frame but its toomuch of an investment for me especially as some of my lenses will not work. Some will, some won’t.
    and the articulating screen really does not interest me

  3. Hi Doug, I am very close to purchasing the 50D. I get that it could be discontinued and replaced by 60D. If the price of 50D is going to drop further before discontinuation, I’m still inclined to get it as I really want a good performing camera that will last a while without being caught up with all the technical talk. No gear envy here. I am more interested to get the right lens for my purpose (travel, street and in your words, humanitarian type of pictures)

    If we put the 60D aside, assuming I’m getting the 50D, I’m thinking of choosing one amongst 24-105/18-135/28-135 from your list. How does this compare to a 17-55mm f2.8? I notice the later is a fixed aperture lens. Can you please explain how the fixed vs variable aperture impact the final output?

    Thanks a lot.

    1. Thanks for reading. I assume you saw this post about the lenses. I haven’t used or looked at the 17-55mm in person, but the limitation of it would be that it won’t zoom in nearly as close as the others. For my style of photos I like to zoom in really close to capture faces or details, and in most situations the 17-55mm wouldn’t allow me to get the image I want (look at my portfolio at http://www.dojoklo.com to see what I mean). Also, the 17-55mm is an EF-S lens which means you can use it on the cameras with the 1.6x cropped sensor, including all the Rebels, 50D, and 7D, but not on the full frame 5D. (EF-S lenses are designed specifically for the cropped frame cameras, typically allowing you to get wider on the wide angle end, and possibly a fixed aperture, at a reasonable price – the drawback is they can’t be used on full frame cameras.)

      The fixed/ variable aperture shouldn’t affect your photos to a large degree. It just means that on the variable aperture lenses, the largest aperture you can choose when you zoom in will not be as wide open as the largest aperture you can choose at the wide angle end. For example with the 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, with the lens set at 18mm (the wide end), you can use the f/3.5 aperture setting. But with the lens zoomed to 135mm, the widest aperture you can use is f/5.6. This will slightly affect the amount of background blurring (wider, larger apertures like f/2.8 or f/3.5 blur the background the most, which helps to create dramatic images). The reason not all lenses have fixed apertures is that it makes them very expensive, so variable aperture is a compromise in order to offer more reasonably priced lenses. Also, the wider apertures (f/2.8, f/4) are best for low light situations because they allow more light to enter the camera and thus allow you to select a shutter speed that won’t blur the image while hand-holding the camera. If you are typically working outside, this shouldn’t be too much of a concern, but if you work indoors or in low light, lenses with wide apertures like f/2.8 or f/4 are desirable.

      Also, regarding the 50D: after using both the 50D and the 7D, I am constantly frustrated with the 50D. Its system for exposure metering is not nearly as good as the 63 zone system of the 7D. I would recommend the 550D (Rebel T2i) over the 50D since the 550D has the same excellent 63 zone metering system as the 7D – or wait for the 60D.

      Let me know if you have any other questions, or if I can help make this all clearer. Oh, and I enjoyed your latest blog post. I once experienced that same frustration that eventually led me to stop taking photos, and I’ve been working on a blog post to discuss that issue).

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