Canon EOS 40D

I bought this camera about 2 months ago. It is my first DSLR, though I did have an older Canon EOS film camera before. I just bought the body alone since I already had a couple of lenses and didn't want to spend the extra money on a kit lens. I was also able to get a decent rebate at the time of purchase, along with a Canon printer. I'm very pleased with my camera. The ergonomics are very comfortable, the dials and such are easy to reach and handle. Image quality is only limited to my lenses, which is still very good. Even though the D50 is just around the corner, I have no regrets buying this camera. I feel it should last a long time, perhaps at least long enough to afford a full-frame some day. :D

Build Quality
Ergonomics
Ease of use
Price
Lens & accessory selection

A bit heavy

Canon EOS Elan IIe film camera

Haven't had to ever use it.

A short review for me, but jotting down some notes since I've now been using the 40D for a little while...

I don't upgrade model after model like some, so while some folks might miss out on a tweak made from one model to the next, I was still using a 10D when I bought my 40D, missing two in the series. So I noticed the modifications to the body more. I'm going to be honest and say that I do not think the 40D is built as "tank-like" as the 10D was. It's certainly well made, and better made than the Canon Rebel series of course, but there is a certain amount of cost-cutting in order to meet todays price points I think, and when you hold a 10D and then pick up a 40D, you can feel it.

The body is still a composite alloy and sturdy, but perhaps a bit thinner than in the 10D days. Also, the on/off switch to me, feels much more fiddly (and small) than on the 10D - but similar to newer versions of this camera. The other controls are laid out in Canon tradition and feel right for this price of camera, except for the always cheesy feeling memory card door.

Image quality with good lenses is excellent. Many stores bundle this camera with Canon's 28-135 I.S. lens, and while that lens did a good job on past, lower resolution models, I think when you place it on the 40D's 10 megapixel body, it does start to show it's limitations. It's not a "bad" lens, but it doesn't resolve as much detail as the 10MP chip is putting out. You're only paying $200 roughly for it when bought in the bundle (it retails for around $429.00), so it's not a bad deal as a general lens to use, but if you want the most you can get out of your images, it will be good to invest in a higher quality lens.

The 40D is being bought by everyone from everyday folks who want a "very nice" camera, to pros who use it as a backup body, and those in-between. With the recent announcement of the 50D, prices on the 40D will drop even further, making it an even better deal. Recommended.

1) Very good low light/high iso speed capability.

2) Overall solid feel - quality made.

3) Wide range of lenses to choose from.

4) Good handling and weight for a DSLR.

5) Excellent image quality (with good lenses).

1) Colors thrown off in indoor lighting with no flash using "auto" white balance.

2) Fiddly on/off switch (too small).

3) Kit lens (28-135 IS) is not quite good enough to resolve details from the sensor.

4) "Live view" mode too hard to use/access and not practical.

Canon 10D / Rebel XT, Nikon D40, Sony R1

Canon is quick to answer the phone and generally their people are very knowledgeable (and speak English!). But I did have to send one Canon point-and-shoot back for repair and they shipped it to the incorrect address once finished, even though a typed letter in the box explained not to send it to that address.

Now, I'm not sure if the DSLR repair department is separate from the point-and-shoot department, but I do respect a company more if they honor instructions you include with the item being repaired.

Other than that, however, I've not had to send anything in for repair to compared the hit-to-miss ratio.

One of Canon's best. The buffer and burst rate accommodate the Digic III processor beautifully. The camera I used prior to purchasing the 40d was Canon's 1D Mark II. I have not had the necessity to use my 1D but once since purchasing my 40d. With Canon's L lenses, USM in AI Servo focusing mode, there is nothing I can't do with this camera. All Canon needs to add is the availability of a full frame sensor.

Canon has provided the best service I have ever known to exist... When I call, I make my selections, and am talking to a rep before I hear any sort of hold dialogue and/or music.

Nikon ain't got nuthin' on them.

Great camera! I love the easy to use features and the menus are very easy to navigate.
The grip is good, not to heavy nor to light so as to make minute handling a problem.
Used with a good lens this camera can create great pictures and for the price unbeatable deal!

All the buttons are easy to reach while holding the camera and looking through the view finder. Almost all key functions have dedicated buttons or are the secondary feature of the button (activated by pushing the button twice).

Not too heavy nor too light. Good grip and excellent feel. Great images and fast processing power. Lots of options and features.

Doesn't have a full bodied sensor. No vertical hand grip.

Great bought it from B&H.

I have just finished a full weekend evaluating this camera as a future replacement to my Sony A100 (the other camera on the Cards is the Sony A700). It was an interesting weekend, looking at the differences between the 2 systems. In total, I took nearly 1000 frames over the period to get a good feel on what it can do.

The first thing that I have noticed with this camera is the Auto Focus. Its fast & accurate most of the time. The only real problems I had was with a runner running straight at me in changing light (full sun to shadows), but from anything that wasn't front on, it performed unbelievably. It certainly lived up to the hype.

The other thing I noticed about it was the weight. It surely is a heafty camera, but I put this down to the build quality. I'm not sure whether this is overkill or not. While there is a perception that Metal is better for an outer casing, I am not sure whether it is really necessary. I like the idea of the Magnesum chassis, coupled with an engineering plastic body, such as the A700. The lens that I used the most on the camera was a Sigma 70-200 f2.8, this coupled with the battery grip made it a very heavy combo, especially when panning motor sport. Once I lost the battery Grip, I found it far more managable, but I have never been one for battery grips.

6.5 FPS is unreal, but by the end of the day, I actually turned it off. I found it far to easy to rattle off a barrage of shots without really intending to. (I tend to find myself as a shoot, re-compose, shoot, re-compose photographer when doing motor sports).

Image quality was as good as I would expect. I found that the 40D over exposed by about 1 stop, compared to my Sony A100. Not a real big deal when you look at it, especially when most of my images are post processed. Exposures/metering I found to be consistant as you would expect for a camera of this level.

Now, my gripes. Firstly, screen resolution on the LCD. I must admit that I am a bit spoilt by the Sony. WIth the Sony, I could readily zoom in on an image to check detail & to ensure that I am getting the required effect. With the Canon, the LCD was really only good for checking composition. I would expect more from a higher level camera. Secondly, I found the menus & buttons clunky & at times a little hard to work around. I think, in fairness to this camera, this is more of a user adaption thing then a camera thing. Finally, Live view. Seriously, who uses this on this camera. I have never seen anything as clunky as the live view application as what I have seen here. I dont know whether its the lack of AF in LV or the delay when you do press the button, but I think other manufacturors have done this a lot better. I can see that it would be OK doing MF macro, but thats lower on my list of priorities. I would nearly prefer that Live view wasn't an option if its applied this way!

All in all, I enjoyed my time with the Camera, but saying that, I dont think its any better then other Camera's in its category. With that in mind, its not enough to convince me to change brands. I think, though, this camera would suit someone who wants more out of their Canon equipment, especially those who shoot sports & action

Availability of equipment for the Canon system
Build Quality
AF performance
Image quality
price - this is just about the cheapest high end amateur - mid level pro camera, in Australia at least

LCD resolution
Live View
Hype - yes it is a Canon, but don't just buy it because it is a Canon!

Sony A100
Minolta 7000i 35mm SLR
Minolta 303si 35mm SLR

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