Pros:
- 10.1MP
- Fast 6.5fps
- Solid and rugged magnesium body
- Picture styles and C1, C2, and C3 functions
- Massive and intuitive menu feature
- Dials and buttons for a faster and manual controls of f-stop and shutter
- The kit lens is better than the rebel series'
- 3.0" LCD
- Very fast start-up time and virtually no distinguishable shutter lag
- Plethora of shooting options and functions available
- EF and EF-S compatible
- RAW, JPEG, or RAW+JPEG shooting
- Canon software DPP
Cons:
- 1.6x crop reduces effectiveness of wide-angle
- Pop-up flash is near useless
- 3.0" LCD is lacking in color and resolution
Thoughts:
I've upgraded to the 40D from my Canon SD870 IS and the jump is huge. Even though the 50D and 5D mark II is out, the 40D is still a good value. I've used this over the course of 6 months and I love it! I have taken this exploring many places: in rain, sun, and humid and have used 5,000 actuations. It's rated to about 100,000 actuations so I've fine just shooting away. I've used this body in conjunction with my 24-70mm f/2.8L and 70-200mm f/2.8L IS. It is a solidly constructed camera with those L lenses. A weather sealed package allowed me to shoot in light rain while touring Asia, but I'd dare not shoot in anything more than that.
The 3.0" LCD is nice but doesn't show the full color range as when viewing on a monitor. Live view is good only for showing the composition. It is a bit slow for shooting anything moving. The viewfinder should be the first and only place to go. Also, using only the viewfinder allows you to better brace the camera for less blur. Be sure to use the on-camera highlights feature in review to show parts of the picture that are overexposed.
I don't recommend using the pop-up flash unless used with a pop-up diffuser. A dedicated flash unit like the 580ex II is highly recommended. Using pocketwizards or even just the wireless infrared is a good start.
This is a very nice starting camera. If and when I decide to buy a new full frame camera, this will be a nice backup camera. I use this with 2 SanDisk Extreme III 8GB CF memory cards. Try not to get too big or too small of a memory card. 10.1MP shows up as 3888x2592. For JPEG, files are about 4-5mbs each. For RAW, files are about 10-20mbs each. The 40D has the option to shoot both RAW+JPEG at the same time, but at a reduced rate since the buffer can't keep up. I shoot almost exclusively in RAW, and the buffer is about 6 shots continuous. In JPEG, the buffer shows 99. High speed burst is a good option to use, and I used it for 3 shot bursts.
The manual controls are good. A dedicated wheel to the right of the LCD controls the f-stop and a smaller wheel behind the shutter release controls the shutter speed. ISO, metering, color balance, shot setting, AF, and AE lock are right behind that wheel on the top right corner. The grip on the body feels easy to use and the finish is just right all around.
The bundle that is included with the camera is nice: the industry standard neckstrap, DPP, cordless wall charger, and li-ion battery pack. The neck strap is decent, but I wear it backwards as it irritates my neck. Digital Photo Professional is the proprietary software that is included and it is great for after shot changes for white balance and to a small part, exposure compensation at 1/3 stops. The battery charger is small and does not have cords to deal with; the prongs fold down and plug directly into the outlet. The battery pack is li-ion, charges relatively fast, and looks like 2 AA batteries combined.
Recommended with:
- Canon Speedlite 580ex II
- Canon 50mm f/1.8
- Canon 50mm f/1.4
- Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L
- Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS
- Canon BG-E2N Battery Grip
- Lowepro Slingshot 200
- SanDisk Extreme III (2GB, 4GB, 8GB) CF memory cards
- SanDisk SanDisk CF Type I/II ImageMate
Bottom line:
Highly Recommended! If you're in the market for a DSLR and are looking at the rebel line (XSi, etc) you might as well get the 40D or other x0D series instead. The difference is +$200~ but you get so much more value.
Canon EOS 40D 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
4.3
| 498 ratingsPrice: 699.99
Last update: 12-18-2024
About this item
Powered by BP-511A, BP-511, or BP-512 lithium-ion battery pack; stores images on CF cards
sRAW mode , 35-zone metering system , integrated Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit
Large 3.0-inch LCD display with enhanced Live View and broadened color gamut
10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor captures enough detail for photo-quality poster-size prints
6.5 frame-per-second continuous shooting capability (for bursts of up to 75 Large/Fine JPEGs or 17 RAW images) / 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor captures enough detail for photo-quality poster-size prints / Large 3.0-inch LCD display with enhanced Live View and broadened color gamut / 6.5 frame-per-second continuous shooting capability (for bursts of up to 75 Large/Fine JPEGs or 17 RAW images) / sRAW mode; 35-zone metering system; integrated Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit / Powered by BP-511A, BP-51
sRAW mode , 35-zone metering system , integrated Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit
Large 3.0-inch LCD display with enhanced Live View and broadened color gamut
10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor captures enough detail for photo-quality poster-size prints
6.5 frame-per-second continuous shooting capability (for bursts of up to 75 Large/Fine JPEGs or 17 RAW images) / 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor captures enough detail for photo-quality poster-size prints / Large 3.0-inch LCD display with enhanced Live View and broadened color gamut / 6.5 frame-per-second continuous shooting capability (for bursts of up to 75 Large/Fine JPEGs or 17 RAW images) / sRAW mode; 35-zone metering system; integrated Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit / Powered by BP-511A, BP-51
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Canon EOS 40D 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
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