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Canon 50D vs Canon 5D MIII

Portability
57
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Canon EOS 50D front
 
Canon EOS 5D Mark III front
Portability
55
Imaging
68
Features
74
Overall
70

Canon 50D vs Canon 5D MIII Key Specs

Canon 50D
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200 (Push to 12800)
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 822g - 146 x 108 x 74mm
  • Revealed October 2008
  • Previous Model is Canon 40D
  • Successor is Canon 60D
Canon 5D MIII
(Full Review)
  • 22MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Boost to 102400)
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF Mount
  • 950g - 152 x 116 x 76mm
  • Revealed May 2012
  • Succeeded the Canon 5D MII
  • Renewed by Canon 5D MIV
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Canon 50D vs Canon 5D MIII Overview

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Canon 50D versus Canon 5D MIII, both Advanced DSLR cameras and they are both created by Canon. There is a huge difference among the sensor resolutions of the 50D (15MP) and 5D MIII (22MP) and the 50D (APS-C) and 5D MIII (Full frame) boast totally different sensor sizing.

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The 50D was brought out 4 years prior to the 5D MIII and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before going into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief summation of how the 50D scores vs the 5D MIII with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Canon 50D over the Canon 5D MIII

 50D 5D MIII 

Reasons to pick Canon 5D MIII over the Canon 50D

 5D MIII 50D 
RevealedMay 2012October 2008Fresher by 43 months
Screen size3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1040k920kCrisper screen (+120k dot)

Common features in the Canon 50D and Canon 5D MIII

 50D 5D MIII 
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither features Touch friendly screen

Canon 50D vs Canon 5D MIII Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to take into account its weight and size. The Canon 50D enjoys exterior measurements of 146mm x 108mm x 74mm (5.7" x 4.3" x 2.9") along with a weight of 822 grams (1.81 lbs) whilst the Canon 5D MIII has specifications of 152mm x 116mm x 76mm (6.0" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 950 grams (2.09 lbs).

See the Canon 50D versus Canon 5D MIII in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you use during that time. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the 50D versus the 5D MIII.

Canon 50D vs Canon 5D MIII size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the 50D and 5D MIII is 57 and 55 respectively.

Canon 50D vs Canon 5D MIII top view buttons comparison

Canon 50D vs Canon 5D MIII Sensor Comparison

Generally, it can be hard to see the contrast in sensor sizing purely by going through specs. The photograph underneath will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the 50D and 5D MIII.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The 50D because of its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Canon 5D MIII will produce extra detail having its extra 7MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The older 50D will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Canon 50D vs Canon 5D MIII sensor size comparison

Canon 50D vs Canon 5D MIII Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 50D vs Canon 5D MIII Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 50D as a Portrait photography camera
Canon 5D MIII as a Portrait photography camera
72
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (15MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
80
has manual focus
megapixel count good (22 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
includes face detect focusing
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Canon 50D
Street photography with Canon 5D MIII
57
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
58
large sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW files
environment sealing
above average high ISO (25,600)
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
heavier than average in class (950g)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Canon 50D
Sports photography with Canon 5D MIII
62
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
decent sensor resolution (15 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
environment proofing
has phase detect AF
does not have image stabilization
low battery (800 shots)
71
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
megapixel count good (22MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
includes tracking focus
environment sealing
supports phase detect AF
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon 50D
Travel photography with Canon 5D MIII
57
environment proofing
decent sensor resolution (15MP)
flash built-in
low battery (800 per charge)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
51
environment sealing
megapixel count good (22MP)
no Time Lapse mode
heavier than average in class (950g)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 50D Landscape photography details
Canon 5D MIII Landscape photography details
66
has manual focus
change lenses (Canon EF/EF-S mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
decent sensor resolution (15 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
does not have image stabilization
low battery (800 shots)
73
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Canon EF mount)
screen size is good (3.2 inch)
megapixel count good (22 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
above average high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW files
environment sealing
two card slots
does not have image stabilization
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 50D Vlogging advice
Canon 5D MIII Vlogging advice
9
no video shooting
27
includes face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with mic socket
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
heavier than average in class (950g)
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Canon 50D vs Canon 5D MIII Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 50D and Canon 5D MIII
 Canon EOS 50DCanon EOS 5D Mark III
General Information
Make Canon Canon
Model Canon EOS 50D Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Category Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2008-10-30 2012-05-22
Physical type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Digic 4 Digic 5+
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C Full frame
Sensor dimensions 22.3 x 14.9mm 36 x 24mm
Sensor area 332.3mm² 864.0mm²
Sensor resolution 15MP 22MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2
Max resolution 4752 x 3168 5760 x 3840
Max native ISO 3200 25600
Max enhanced ISO 12800 102400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Minimum enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 9 61
Cross focus points - 41
Lens
Lens mount Canon EF/EF-S Canon EF
Total lenses 326 250
Focal length multiplier 1.6 1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3.2 inch
Display resolution 920 thousand dots 1,040 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology TFT liquid-crystal color LCD Clear View II TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.6x 0.71x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 6.3 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m (ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye no built-in flash
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 secs 1/200 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (29.97, 25, 23.976 fps fps), 1280 x 720 (59.94, 50 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Optional
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 822 gr (1.81 lbs) 950 gr (2.09 lbs)
Physical dimensions 146 x 108 x 74mm (5.7" x 4.3" x 2.9") 152 x 116 x 76mm (6.0" x 4.6" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 63 81
DXO Color Depth score 21.8 24.0
DXO Dynamic range score 11.4 11.7
DXO Low light score 696 2293
Other
Battery life 800 photos 950 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BP-511A LP-E6
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA Compact Flash Type I (UDMA compatible), SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 Dual
Cost at release $996 $2,780