Sound good? Good. Now let’s take a closer look at the Canon EOS 50D…

So you think you know how to use your Canon EOS 50D? Like many of us, you may have a DSLR or compact system camera but tend to use only a handful of your its features.

In our ongoing review of some of the more popular current and ‘out of date’ digital cameras, we want to help you better harness the creative potential of your camera.

Call them camera tips, or call it a user’s guide to your favourite digital camera. The advice below comes from experts who have used the Canon EOS 50D and know this DSLR inside and out.

If you have your own Canon EOS 50D tips you’d like to share, post them in the comments below. What we want to build is an ever-growing user’s guide for the EOS 50D that comes not from a press release or a lab test, but from the photographers who shoot with this DSLR (read more of our DSLR tips or read about another Canon DSLR).

We want to inspire you to twist the mode dial and move beyond your favourite settings and functions and get more out of your Canon EOS 50D starting today!

Tip 1: H1/H2 ISO
To use sensitivity settings above ISO 3200, you’ll need to activate ISO Expansion in the Custom Functions menu. Turn the dial until either H1 is displayed in the top LCD screen (for ISO 6400) or H2 (for 12800). Picture taken at these settings will contain lots of noise though.

Tip 2: Small RAW
The 50D introduced reduced resolution RAW files to the EOS line. These can save space on both the memory card and your computer, but still provide the flexible editing of full-res RAW files. If you only upload to the web or print small pictures, this is ideal.

Tip 3: Quick Control screen
Like all new EOS bodies, the 50D features a Quick Control screen, although instead of pressing a Q button, you use the Multi-controller instead. If it’s not working, it’s likely that the controller has been set to select the AF point directly in Custom Function III-3.

Tip 4: FUNC button
The 40D’s Jump button is replaced by a FUNC button that, like the SET button, can be assigned a frequently used function via Custom Function IV: 7. It’s set to adjust the brightness of the screen by default, but can give you one-touch access to Lice View functions or bracketing instead.

Tip 5: Custom modes
The 50D offers two Custom mode settings – C1 and C2 – which enable you to preset many of the camera functions for a particular shooting situation. The 40D offers one more Custom mode, but this is replaced by the Creative Auto setting on the 50D’s dial.

READ MORE

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The Canon 7D, launched in 2009, sits firmly between the Canon 50D and the Canon 5D Mark II, between the pro and amateur range, but which one should you go for? At first, the 7D would seem to have more in common with the 50D, but pro features are also in abundance. We take a look at the 7D’s key features, including new features and improvements, to help you decide.

Read the full Canon EOS 7D review at TechRadar.com