Canon EOS 40D 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) by Canon
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Digital camera reviews of Canon EOS 40D 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
Digital camera Review: A great mid-range SLR for heavy duty
Summary: 5 Stars
Why would you buy this camera when you can buy a Canon 400D or Nikon D40x for about half the price? Or: Why would you upgrade from your current Canon 20D or 30D?
The 40D is more than halfway up the scale that starts with smaller, lighter, plastic-body single lens reflexes like the Canon 400D or Nikon D40x and goes up to the amazingly capable and tough cameras used by professionals. The 40D is a lot less than halfway up the price scale, so depending on how much you use your camera and what kinds of photography you do, you could consider it to be a bargain. If you plan to haul your camera around a lot, you'll like the strong all-metal body, despite the added weight and size. If you want to get the most out of Canon's full-featured external flash guns, you'll like the integrated flash control capabilities. If you want to take a series of photos very quickly to get the best shot of a sports event or a child's facial expressions, you'll like the ability to rip off 8 shots a second. If you want to take photos at night or macro photos - extreme close-ups -- you'll like the ability to flip the mirror up to get the steadiest possible shots on a tripod.
But if you don't think you'll ever use a tripod, you probably don't need this camera.
If you're thinking about upgrading from a Canon 20D or 30D, the 40D has worthwhile improvements. I upgraded from a Canon 20D. I've taken about 1000 photos with the 40D and I'm quite pleased with the improvements. The most useful are the much larger LCD and the "live view" feature. The big LCD makes it a lot easier to judge the shots you've just taken, and it's brighter and more easily visible in sunlight than the LCD on the 20D and 30D. (On the other hand, it doesn't have more pixels, so the shot is not as crisp as one would like.) Live view lets you use the LCD instead of the viewfinder (which you can do with any inexpensive digital camera). That means you can frame and focus easily when you're taking a photo from a very low angle, as you might if you're doing macro photography. And it's great in crowds because it allows you to hold your camera up over the heads of the people in front of you and still see what your camera sees.
The 40D also has a more user-friendly menu than the 20D/30D, and you can specify up to 3 custom settings that allow you quickly change to a combination of aperture, speed, ISO, and other settings that you use frequently. The 40D also has a built-in mechanism that shakes dust off the sensor. (The sensor on the 20D didn't seem to attract a lot of dust, but I'm pretty careful when changing lenses.)
If you buy the camera in a kit with a Canon lens, be careful about what lens you buy. Remember that cameras in this category - under two grand - have sensors that are smaller than the frame of a 35mm camera. Therefore, if you use a 50mm lens, the camera's field of focus makes it look like you're using an 80mm lens. (Multiply the lens' focal length by 1.6 to get the effect on a 40D, 400D, or any of the Nikon equivalnets.)
The 40D may be bundled with an inexpensive 18-55 mm lens that's pretty basic and covers the same range as a 28-80mm lens on a regular film SLR. That's a very usful range -- wide angle to modest telephoto. Or you can get a 17-85mm image-stabilized lens that has a very useful range - equal to 27 - 135mm. But the images need some work on your computer to correct distortion if you're making enlargements of wide-angle shote.
Or the kit may include a 28-135mm image stabilized lens that acts like a 45-215mm lens on these "1.6 crop factor" cameras. As such, it doesn't have enough a wide angle range suitable for landscapes or photos of groups of people. Of the three, I'd choose the 17-85mm. But if your budget can handle it, consider buying the 40D body and adding the excellent Canon 17-55mm image stabilized ("IS") f/2.8 lens, which has to be purchased separately. You might also consider the much less expensive Tamron 17-55mm f/2.8 (which lacks stabilization and is not quite as good as the Canon 17-55.)
If you already have a Canon SLR and an additional lens with a Canon mount, it's a no-brainer to consider the 40D. But if you're buying your first SLR, do take a good look at the Nikon D80 or the Nikon D300, which is more expensive but which has some nice features. And there are also very capable cameras in the same price range from Sony - the Alpha 700 - and Olympus.
Digital camera Review: A great upgread
Summary: 4 Stars
The 40D is a significant improvement over my old 20D. With more dynamic range, a brighter viewfinder ( which is important because in bright light, when my glasses darkened, I could not read the exposure values in the viewfinder. Now they are more visable.
I also like the fact that you can replace the focusing screen. The vertical and horizontal lines help you keep the camera lined up with the opjects or horizon.
The canon high end lenses are absolutely fantastic. I took a hand held photo of a woodpecker at 20 or 25 feet away and could acually see an insects wings in the woodpecker's mouth.
Digital camera Review: A new camera
Summary: 5 Stars
I just got this 40D camera today. I got it used, but I'm very happy with it. I shot a couple shots with it with my EF 200mm F2.8, and they seem great. I haven't downloaded them into my computer yet, but on the screen, they look fine. I'm going to be happy to add this camera to my bag, along with my 50D. Again, happy with my cameraDigital camera Review: A phenomenal picture taking machine!
Summary: 4 Stars
The 40D is a phenomenal camera with excellent high ISO performance (though not appreciably better than my 20D in my own tests), more megapixels (10MP), rudimentary weather sealing, improved fps rate, automatic dust removal, spot metering, a 3 inch LCD, auto ISO and improved autofocus. Finally, it also has the ISO displayed in the viewfinder which prior iterations of this camera lacked. It is an excellent camera - make no mistake about that, however I'm disappointed that the autofocus wasn't further improved.
The pictures have a smooth buttery depth similar to my 20D - to my eye, possibly slightly better. They are simply beautiful (taken mostly with my 70-200 L). In my own tests, the noise performance is roughly equivalent to the 20D. Canon has managed to add the extra megapixels without additional noise - quite a feat though I suspect that the APS sized sensor has reached the maximum number of pixels that can be packed in without degrading the high ISO performance and dynamic range both every bit as important, if not more so, than the number of pixels. The menu system is much improved over my 20D and there are three user defined modes that one can easily accessed. The camera feels essentially the same in my hands as my old 20D. While the additional 2 megapixels don't add much in terms of picture quality they do provide some head room for cropping. The door to the CF card has a more secure feel to it than my 20D. The 3 inch viewing screen is a vast improvement over my 20D, bright and clear. And it focuses far more quickly and accurately than my 20D.
Canon has enjoyed a dominant position in the digital SLR market ever since the D30. It's lead, in this segment of the market, mostly evaporated with the introduction of Nikon's D200, the D40X and the D80. With these cameras Nikon pulled even, or close enough to establish themselves as legitimate contenders. Still Canon has had the edge in high ISO performance. The problem is that Canon has rested on its laurels and insisted on improving its cameras incrementally, protecting the market of their more expensive cameras. Certain feature sets (such as professional grade auto-focus and weather sealing) have been withheld in an attempt to maintain the clear distinctions between Canon's various camera lines while Nikon has been much more generous in incorporating advanced features lower down their product food chain. Canon's strategy worked just fine when Canon enjoyed a dominant lead over the competition, but as I mentioned its lead has been severely cut into by Nikon and now even Sony is introducing a respectable DSLR. None of the foregoing detracts from the fundamental fact that this is a fantastic camera.
For the money, the 40D is a great buy. It is the best camera for the money Canon has introduced so far and, though not particularly daring, still represents a very good buy at this price point, but Nikon's D40x and D80 currently offer better values and the Nikon D300, though priced higher, is much more feature rich. The 40D's picture quality is simply fantastic and its high ISO performance is, at this point in time, STILL the gold standard for this class of camera and in this size sensor. But it could have been so much more had Canon simply listened to their customers and understood that the digital SLR market is no longer being defined by Canon alone. I'm giving this camera only 4 stars because Canon should have given us more.
If you own a 10D or a 20D (as I did) the upgrade to a 40D does make some sense. However, if you own a 30D the upgrade is a bit more difficult to rationalize. IMO, in the area the counts most, image quality, there is not a significant improvement over the 20D or 30D to justify the upgrade at this time PARTICULARLY in light of the fact that Nikon has raised the bar substantially. Canon will have to come to the table quickly with a much improved version of the 40D including pro grade auto-focus and real weather sealing that most have been asking for.
For first time buyers, the build quality and features are excellent justifying the purchase price, but unless you are married to the Canon system, as I am, take a close look at the various offerings from Nikon including the upcoming D300, the D40x and the D80. I just wish Canon had been more aggressive and daring with this camera giving its customers more of the features they have been clamoring for. The very good news is that Nikon is back in the saddle again. This can only be good for all DSLR consumers in general and Canon owners in particular as more features and capabilities will be packed into all future offerings. I love my camera but am a bit disappointed it did not represent a greater improvement over the 20D.
Digital camera Review: A solid step forward with room to improve
Summary: 4 Stars
Pro:
- Speed: power-up, continuous shooting. The high speed mode is so fast that I have to switch to the normal speed so I don't waste disk space all the time, and I am shooting raw+JPG on a SanDisk UltraII, not exactly the top of line disk. Comparing to my XT350D it's day and night. Canon seems to have solved the bottle neck of data communication between the camera and the disk once and for all! Feels like I can create an animation movie with this camera!
- ISO 800/1600 is dramatically better than 350D, ISO1600 is very useful now. ISO 800 is favorably comparable to ISO400 on the 350D. In fact now I found my old pictures from 350D@ISO400 to be annoyingly 'noisy'. Thought they were pretty clean before. This is especially true with the pics I took under indoor low lights.
- Customizable settings, very helpful (But could use a lot more of these considering how awful the overall menu/button/switch combo are needed to get to the core functionalities! But I'd rather wish for a more streamlined redesign on Canon's part...) Just found out that I can't even add flash compensation to user menu. Only flash control group function can be added. But I only need the flash exposure compensation, the single humble item, not the whole group... This is only one example. (Site Note: Just read that 50D is better. Will I'll be stuck with my 40D for as long as I can I hope. For one thing, mega pixel counts only makes the file larger - more disk space, slower processing time. I am no pro and can't afford to print wall size spreads so the 10MB is fine with me.)
- Works better with 580EX flash than my 350D XT, far better. 350D seems to have a hard time figuring out how much flash it needs in auto mood. Not 40D, fortunately.
- Battery life is very long. I was fiddling with the camera all night last night, figuring out the settings and features, flashing shooing, deleting, shooing, changing settings. Not one bar was lost on the battery today!
- Viewfinder is brighter and bigger, great! I can actually do some MF indoor with very little light!
Neutral:
- Build quality doesn't feel significantly better than my 350D, slightly maybe. The battery door is better, to a degree. The rubber pieces covering the USB/power/video are of questionable quality fit.
Con:
- No improvement on AWB in indoor lighting, still come out with odd looking color - awful. Flash solve the problem, but still awful.
- Menu system is convoluted, too many buttons/switches and the combination of them to get to the things I need. Why the 3 position power switch, why in that awful location? (I know, that is Canon position, but still, why? Power up is so fast, but from that location? Also, the print button is useless, so is the joystick, not much joy to use, and not much use at all. If these switches have to be there, at least give them more work to do!) This really is a software design issue. Canon should hire some consultants from Honda/Toyota. The layout and functionality on a Honda/Toyota counsel is so much straightforward comparing to a Chevy or a Lincoln. Americans use to believe that is because the Japanese cars are cheap with fewer functionalities.Might have been somewhat true 15 years ago. But the real genius in those simplified straightforwardness prove to be true winner in the end. There's always ways to do things in a lot fewer steps. Under the current design, the customization functions are much needed, but only as a last resort, should never be a substitution for fixing the somewhat time-honored poor design from Canon. Many folks like myself are still with Canon because its line of lenses and 3rd parties support too. But that might change. When I saw Nikon's new offerings, I almost jumped the ship...
- AE/over expose under bright sunlight, this is true with 350D as well. I sent my 350D for fixes back twice, and didn't fix the problem. Probably the problem lies in the hardware I am afraid rather than calibration. And too bad Canon only supports +-2 compensation. Under bright sunlight -1.2-1.7 seems to be about right for me.
- Auto-dust cleaning system is not working for me. My brand new 40D got dust spots on my ocean view pictures already, and many of them. I didn't switch lenses often and I didn't shoot in dusty places. Canon should save the dust info into RAW so each pics can be digitally cleaned afterwards. As it stands, dust data collecting is not straightforward at all.
- The LCD is big, but prove to smear and of very odd color. The resolution and color accuracy are simply not present. This probably was a cost cutting measure? Too bad. Bigger is not always better.
- The new software pack is faster and more useful. But raw processing is still slow. And 40D is only a 10mp camera and 1Ds doubles that, imagine that! My PC is quite up to date with 2GB RAM. But I still have to use raw to get the real picture I intended. JPG is so often ruined by the AE/AWE problems beyond rescue.
Bottom line:
A very solid and useful DSLR has very strong features in speed shooting. But the old AWB and AE problem remain unsolved. The menu system is a nightmare. What happened to user-friendliness? Ease-of-use? Straightforwardness? Making complicated things simple is genius. The other way around? Well, call it whatever you want.
40D is not the flagship, priced at $900+ is a bargain. But still, buyers of this group is not exactly in for the bargain. Just hope Canon can really solve the AWB/AE problems in the near future. Oh, a better LCD too. Bigger is not always better, so true here!