Awesome write up my friend. Sounds like the 50i may not be quite the usable weapon that paper stats make it out to be (at least in comparison to 35i and 35d offerings)....
your review has made me feel that I dont have to go out and rush for a 50i now ... sounds like the premium and change-over costs would not be worth it right now (my 35d is only 2 months old) .... I might just sit back and enjoy what I have until the next full model presents itself in a few years .... or even think about a slight downgrade in size to X3 if they put the 35i and 8 speed box into it
We get the 40d here soon ..that thing will sell like hotcakes I reckon ... 225kw and 600Nm - 0-60 in around 6.3 secs ....