timbop wrote:
Guys, before we start a whole rumor campain- the problem is NOT that there is a bug in the AF system like the m3. The problem is that the AF sensors are very large AND at the distances that far with a FL as short as 180mm, it is simply a case of coverage. A fact of life with the xxD series is that you need long enough glass so that the subject far overlaps the little square in the VF.
Thanks for your comment and clearing it up for a novice like myself. I'm about to buy my first DSLR and just wanted to make sure there aren't any real issues with the 40D.
Regarding the 1DM3...you're right there was a AF problem. Not sure if they've offered a fix for that yet.
But lets say you're in single-shot mode. And you want to select 1 of 9 points. Will the 40D stay on that AF point?
What I'd like to understand is why anyone would get excited about, let alone consider purchasing a focus screen that just gives you grid lines!
Nikon's bring up a grid in the viewfinder with the push of a button. So does literally almost every single p&s camera currently in production from every manufacturer, including Canon.
Actually, use live view, and you get a grid there. I don't understand the point of spending money on a screen that you have to install, just for this.
James Cripps wrote:
What I'd like to understand is why anyone would get excited about, let alone consider purchasing a focus screen that just gives you grid lines!
Nikon's bring up a grid in the viewfinder with the push of a button. So does literally almost every single p&s camera currently in production from every manufacturer, including Canon.
Actually, use live view, and you get a grid there. I don't understand the point of spending money on a screen that you have to install, just for this.
Agreed. But I wonder if you can get that "rule of thirds" grid to appear when you're looking through the viewfinder of the 40D too?
And if you're in single-shot mode...and you select a specific AF point...will it stay? And hopefully the drifting with AI Servo mode was indeed the fact that a certain lens was used.
As with the 30D, the 40D is the same in terms of setting a focus point. It will stay active so long as you are doing your part. I have not experienced any problems with focusing or servo mode.
george malamis wrote:
As with the 30D, the 40D is the same in terms of setting a focus point. It will stay active so long as you are doing your part. I have not experienced any problems with focusing or servo mode.
Thanks George. Seems as more people comment on this it's becoming apparent there isn't an AF problem with the new 40D. And the the drifting was just due to lens choice. Not being the best one for that particular job.
I took over 500 shots last week with my 40D and did not experience any problems with it, period. It's a fantastic camera and it makes me glad I chose it over the 5D! To me, the 40D is an upgrade from the 5D!
Alan321 wrote:
Funny you should say that Stan. I've just tried a 40D and it too failed at AI Servo tracking. Unlike you, I think it should have done better - my 20D did.
In one sequence I was aiming at a person walking across a park at a range of well over 50m. A few photos were in focus and then it drifted to the far background. The sensor was still on the person.
In another sequence I was aiming at a stationary subject, which was an information label card in a pot plant at a range of 2-3m. For several photos the focus was fine - within acceptable tolerance anyway - and then it drifted right off the card and eventually came back.
Both sequences were using a Tamron 180mm f/3.5 macro lens (very sharp) hand-held in continuous drive and AI Servo. I had the AF going for 1-2 seconds before actually shooting. It was a bright but overcast day, coolish weather.
To me the AF system is the greatest single improvement of the 40D over previous models and yet it has let me down. I'm not favourably impressed. It's back to the dealer for his commeants asap, but I'll try using other lenses and see how they behave. However, I fail to see why even a slow focusing lens would make the focus drift off target over a sequence of several shots, after it has already been on target.
I never noticed any problems shooting with AI AF and Servo modes throughout the 9 hours I was shooting today. All the shots (Except one) were focused on what I had pointed the camera to (One shot focused on a fence in front of me instead of the cars behind on the track).
JohnnyGCanon wrote:
I took over 500 shots last week with my 40D and did not experience any problems with it, period. It's a fantastic camera and it makes me glad I chose it over the 5D! To me, the 40D is an upgrade from the 5D!
Hello Johnny,
That's good to hear. I'm assuming by "no problems" you're including the AF. Using different AF modes.
Thanks EOS20. I guess I don't have to worry about the AF on the 40D now.
JohnnyGCanon wrote:
I took over 500 shots last week with my 40D and did not experience any problems with it, period. It's a fantastic camera and it makes me glad I chose it over the 5D! To me, the 40D is an upgrade from the 5D!
sweet, I wish more people would say such things.. keep those used 5d prices coming down. Well the 5d has a couple things going for it, slightly better IQ, more pixels, better high ISO performance.. and probably the primary reason why I want one so bad, FF sensor.
mpanoff wrote:
sweet, I wish more people would say such things.. keep those used 5d prices coming down. Well the 5d has a couple things going for it, slightly better IQ, more pixels, better high ISO performance.. and probably the primary reason why I want one so bad, FF sensor.
Now if Canon could up the fps as well to 6.5 I might consider the next generation 5D myself. Assuming also it's available in the next 3-4 months. Haven't heard any news on it. Any how back to the caamera we should be talking about. The 40D.
mpanoff wrote:
sweet, I wish more people would say such things.. keep those used 5d prices coming down. Well the 5d has a couple things going for it, slightly better IQ, more pixels, better high ISO performance.. and probably the primary reason why I want one so bad, FF sensor.
According to the in-depth review by Luminous Landscape, a highly respected camera reviewer and photographer, the IQ and noise levels are slightly better on the 40D. That leaves more pixels on the 5D which only basically means bigger picture, and FF, which means you lose reach on telephoto!
"
Another reminder that the 5D would be a downgrade from the 40D!
Here is the quote from Luminous Landscape:
In the meantime, I find that the IQ of the 40D is on a par if not even slightly better than that of the Canon 5D, which up until now has been my benchmark for DSLR image quality both at low and at high ISO.
In the meantime, I find that the IQ of the 40D is on a par if not even slightly better than that of the Canon 5D, which up until now has been my benchmark for DSLR image quality both at low and at high ISO.
sorry if i missed it,, I went thru 10 pages of this thread, and I checked DPreview, but found no answers to these 2 questions:
How does the lower shutter noise compare with the 5D, and how many cycles for the shutter life, for the 40D.
BTW, I am well over the given shutter life of 30 000 on the 350D, maybe 35000, not sure I did not keep count, but definitely over 30 000, should I expect the shiutter to go boink anytime soon?
Can I ask a (-nother) stupid question too: What are, besides the faster shooting speed and price, differences between 400D and 40D?
40D vs 400D:
cross AF points
faster AF
slightly redesigned sensor w/ less noise
14bit color vs 12bit
Digic III vs Digic II
different menu system
top LCD
size
comfort
weight
metal body vs plastic on XTi
spot metering
more custom functions
larger rear LCD
herve wrote:
BTW, I am well over the given shutter life of 30 000 on the 350D, maybe 35000, not sure I did not keep count, but definitely over 30 000, should I expect the shiutter to go boink anytime soon?
Thanks.
The 40D is rated for 100K. I don't know about the 350D, but I just sent my 20D for a new shutter will at least 70K shots on the clock (rated fo 50K). Cost was $240 for new shutter mechanism, new PCB, and general cleaning. It actually was the PCB (main circuit board) that went bad. The shutter was working fine, but it was a convenient time to replace.
- exposure is different; the 40D tends to underexpose in high contrast scenes
- WB is also different; 40D seems to like blues
- LCD has a bluish tint but it’s still more useful than the one on the 20D
- 40D colors are more vibrant. 20D colors are more faithful but now seem to me bit washed-out in comparison
- 40D seems to produce only slightly more detail; 100% crops from the 20D seem a bit sharper to me (for images converted from RAW)
- I don’t see a difference in the viewfinder sizes but the 40D VF is more usable – it’s easier to read and doesn’t force you to press you eye to the eyecup like the 20D does
- so far AF feels ‘assertive’ – it locks fast and without hesitation; haven’t used the camera enough to have a more meaningful opinion on AF performance
- I like the 40D shutter sound much better
- ergonomics and handling have been greatly improved - settings are easier to change and the bigger 40D body is easier to handle
The 40D is definitely a better camera than the 20D but I still cannot decide if I really needed this (compulsive) upgrade that I did. Hopefully the enhanced AF will live up to its promise, in which case I'll feel that after all it was worth it. But for non 20/30D owners, I’m sure that an upgrade to the 40D will be well worth it.
JohnnyGCanon wrote:
According to the in-depth review by Luminous Landscape, a highly respected camera reviewer and photographer, the IQ and noise levels are slightly better on the 40D. That leaves more pixels on the 5D which only basically means bigger picture, and FF, which means you lose reach on telephoto!
"
Another reminder that the 5D would be a downgrade from the 40D!
Here is the quote from Luminous Landscape:
In the meantime, I find that the IQ of the 40D is on a par if not even slightly better than that of the Canon 5D, which up until now has been my benchmark for DSLR image quality both at low and at high ISO.
