| Table 3: Comparison of EOS 50D and EOS 40D specifications |
| Item | EOS 50D | EOS 40D | ||
| Imaging sensor | Effective megapixels/sensor type | 15.10/CMOS | 10.10/CMOS | |
| Effective sensor size [mm] | 22.3×14.9 | 22.2×14.8 | ||
| Sensor cleaning function (EOS ICS) | Yes | |||
| Lens crop factor [approx.] | 1.6x | |||
| Image recording and processing | Storage media | Type/slot type/No. | CF cards/CF Type I and II/1 | |
| UDMA support | Yes | No | ||
| Image processor | DIGIC 4 | DIGIC III | ||
| A/D conversion [bits] | 14 | |||
| Recording pixels [approx. megapixels] |
Large | 15.10 | 10.10 | |
| Middle | 8.00 | 5.30 | ||
| Small | 3.70 | 2.50 | ||
| RAW | 15.10 | 10.10 | ||
| sRAW 1 | 7.10 | n/a | ||
| sRAW 2 | 3.80 | 2.50 | ||
| Color space | sRGB/Adobe RGB | |||
| Picture Styles | Yes (6 presets, 3 custom) | |||
| White balance | Auto/presets/manual | Yes/6 presets/specify image, set color temperature | ||
| WB correction/WB bracketing | Yes/Yes | |||
| Auto Lighting Optimizer | Yes | Supported only in Full Auto | ||
| Noise reduction | Long exposures | Off/Auto/On | ||
| High ISO speed | Yes, four levels | Yes, on/off | ||
| Highlight tone priority | Yes | |||
| Peripheral illumination correction | Yes | No | ||
| Folder selection/creation | Yes | No | ||
| Viewfinder | Magnification (-1 dpt, 50 mm, infinity)/coverage [%] | 0.95x/95 | ||
| Standard focusing screen | Precision matte | |||
| Interchangeable focusing screens | Yes (2 types) | |||
| ISO speed indication/B&W mode indication | Yes/Yes | |||
| Highlight tone priority D+ indication | Yes | No | ||
| Eyepoint [mm] | 22 | |||
| Dioptric adjustment [dpt] | -3 to +1 | |||
| Live View shooting | AF modes | Quick | Yes | |
| Live | Yes | No | ||
| Live face detection | Yes | No | ||
| Silent shooting | Yes | |||
| AF | AF points | 9 (all cross-type points, center point is f/2.8-sensitive) | ||
| Focusing brightness range [EV] | -0.5 to 18 | |||
| AF modes | 3 (ONE SHOT/AI SERVO/AI FOCUS) | |||
| AF microadjustment (C.Fn) | Yes | No | ||
| 50km/h predictive AF limit (EF 300mm f/2.8) [meters] | 8 | |||
| AF-assist beam | Stroboscopic flash | |||
| Exposure control | Shooting modes [no.] | 13 | 12 | |
| Creative Auto | Yes | No | ||
| Exposure sensor zones | 35 | |||
| Metering modes | Evaluative/Partial/Spot/Center-weighted | |||
| Metering range [EV] | 1 to 20 | |||
| ISO speeds | Auto | Yes (100 to 1600) | Yes (100 to 800) | |
| Manual | 100 to 3200 | 100 to 1600 | ||
| Extended (C.Fn) | H1 : 6400 | H: 3200 | ||
| H2 : 12800 | n/a | |||
| Exposure compensation steps and range [stops] | 1/3, 1/2 ± 2 | |||
| Shutter | Shutter speeds [sec.] | 1/8000 to 30, B | ||
| X-sync [sec.] | 1/250 | |||
| Release time lag [ms] | 59 | |||
| Flash | Built-in flash/G No. [ISO 100· m] | Yes/13 | ||
| Flash exposure control | E-TTL II | |||
| Drive | Single/continuous/self-timer | Yes | ||
| Continuous shooting speed [approx. fps] |
High speed: H | 6.3 | 6.5 | |
| Low speed: L | 3 | |||
| Max. burst | JPEG L/Fine | 60 | 75 | |
| RAW | 16 | 17 | ||
| RAW+JPEG | 10 | 14 | ||
| LCD monitor | Type | TFT | ||
Screen size [inches] |
3 | |||
| Display pixels [approx.] | 920,000 | 230,000 | ||
| Brightness adjustment [levels] | 7 | |||
| Quick Control screen | Yes | No | ||
| Playback | Display modes | Single image/Single image + info/4-image index/9-image index | ||
| Histogram display (brightness/RGB) | Yes | |||
| Highlight alert | Yes | |||
| Zoom-in magnification | 1.5x to 10x | |||
| Settable options for auto playback | Yes | No | ||
| Custom functions | 25 | 24 | ||
| HDMI jack | Yes | No | ||
| Exterior/body | Cover material/chassis material | Magnesium alloy/Stainless steel | ||
| Durability [shutter cycles] | 100,000 | |||
| Power source | Accepted battery pack | BP-511A | ||
| Possible shots (room temp.) |
AE100% | 800 | 1100 | |
| AE50%, FA50% | 640 | 800 | ||
| Battery grip/AA-battery compatibility | BG-E2N/Yes | |||
| Dimensions and weight | Dimensions (w × h × d) [mm] | 145.5×107.8×73.5 | ||
| Weight (without battery pack) [g] | 730 | 740 | ||
| Release date | September 2008 | September 2007 | ||
| EOS 50D specification outperforms the EOS 40D specification | |
| Because the EOS 50D’s pictures contain more pixels, the EOS 50D specification is slightly lower than the EOS 40D specification |