Considering a Canon 40D

FM Forum Rules
Canon SLRs, primes, and zooms lenses reviews

FM Forums \| Canon-mount SLRs \| Join Upload & Sell	Search Used
1 2 end

Archive 2008 · Considering a Canon 40D

BogongBreeze
Offline
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #1 · Considering a Canon 40D

TallyHo Films wrote:
That makes it a $500 difference. Now would people who suggest the 40D think if the difference is only 500, its worth going for the 5D ? Is the 5D even with its focus "issues" worth it ?

Obviously, above all else I need a camera with fast and accurate focus (fast enough to catch the kids in action as they run around).

Thanks.
I wouldn't trade my 40D for a 5D, it's that good for my use. I wouldn't get it as my sole camera for the same price as the 40D. Now at some stage I might get a 5D as a second camera, but it wouldn't replace the 40D.

Not sure if I'm in the minority of 40D owners or if they are just drowned out by the 5D owners

Jan 16, 2008 at 10:54 PM

Roy Pertchik
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #2 · Considering a Canon 40D

IMHO, it's much more important to think if you want FF or 1.6 format. Comes down to asking, are you WA limited, or tele power limited. I love my 5D for WA and maximization of bokeh available at any given framing. I use my 20D when I feel tele limited. I frequently go shooting with both bodies and a wide and medium lens I can trade back and forth to cover a great range. I am considering upgrading my 20D to a 40D to maintain the 1.6 and FF spread, but to equalize the resolution and some other performance qualities.

If you want just one body, go for the format that assists performance in the FL you like... 5D wider, 40D longer.

Jan 18, 2008 at 01:42 AM

TallyHo Films
Offline
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #3 · Considering a Canon 40D

Im definitely more into the wider and teleconvertors can over come tele power limits (at a price).

I think for me it comes down to how good at focusing is the 5D. some people seems to like it some think its off center focusing is lacking. The thought of spending close to 2000 on a camera that may or may not be good at focusing is a tough choice.....

Jan 18, 2008 at 05:05 AM

Jimmy Ho
Offline
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #4 · Considering a Canon 40D

You won't be dissapointed with the 40D. It does pretty much anything you'd need a camera to do.

Then again, don't forget that cameras are only tools. What's more important is what vision you have in your head and capturing it. Most any DSLR can do this very well these days.

Many of the current photos on my website were taken using the 40D.

Gainesville Wedding Photographer

Edited on Jan 18, 2008 at 05:57 AM

Jan 18, 2008 at 05:55 AM

Daan B
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #5 · Considering a Canon 40D

TallyHo Films wrote:
Im definitely more into the wider and teleconvertors can over come tele power limits (at a price).

I think for me it comes down to how good at focusing is the 5D. some people seems to like it some think its off center focusing is lacking. The thought of spending close to 2000 on a camera that may or may not be good at focusing is a tough choice.....

You pay that amount of money for the FF sensor mostly... The IQ of a 5D is really excellent. Try if you can find some RAW files of both the 5D and 40D. You will notice a difference (at least I did).

You could stick to using the 5D's center AF point and doing some cropping to get the composition you want. You have almost 3MP left to crop in comparison to a 40D...

Good luck with your decision

Jan 18, 2008 at 07:26 AM

Hrow
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #6 · Considering a Canon 40D

The technology gap is really narrowing. I can't really think of anything that makes a 2 year old camera "less good" than a current camera from a technology perspective. Differing feature sets? Sure. But those are more marketing driven than anything else. In other words, don't discount the 5D because it is older.

My suggestion would be to wait a couple of weeks and see what pops up at PMA. If not, then I would seriously look at the 5D if you are going to focus on portraits and pets and the 40D if you need a more generalist camera. Ultimately, a 10-22, 24-105 and 70-200 F4 IS combo with that body will make for a VERY nice kit. I would also very seriously look at the Nikon D300. It has some features that I personally find very attractive including the AF system and a much more intelligently designed flash system.

The most important thing? Think about how you are going to use the camera and which body best meets your needs. Anyone one of them can produce exquisite results so don't get too caught up in arguments that one is "better" than another.

Jan 18, 2008 at 01:14 PM

Marcus Watts
Offline
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #7 · Considering a Canon 40D

Agreed you can get great images from either camera but when in the market to make a purchase i would still go with the best I.Q and so for me it would be the 5D
Shutter lag on the 5D though? I have never heard that before.

Jan 18, 2008 at 01:24 PM

jimgarvie
Offline
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #8 · Considering a Canon 40D

Tally,
first of all, the best suggestion I've seen is to rent the 5D and the 40D for a week along with one of the lenses you're considering and try them out. See for yourself whether one is substantially better than the other for what you do.

I've used the 5D for shooting formals at dog shows and it has awesome IQ. I own a 30D and have rented the 40D. The differences between the 30D and 40D were noticeable but not enough to get me to buy the 40D. I find that for what I shoot, the 5D and FF does not offer me a huge advantage.

I own the 70-200 F4L and it's a great lens. I just rented the 70-200 F2.8L IS lens for a week of shooting and it's a greater lens. If you can spring for the IS -- either F4 or F2.8 -- I'd suggest you do it. Buy used if necessary but I think you'll appreciate the IS.

For macro, get the 50mm F1.8 (cheap, sharp) and some extension rings and do some macro. If you find that combination works, stick with it. If you need better IQ or working distance, consider the 100 F2.8 macro. It's awesome.

You can't go wrong with either Canon or Nikon right now. Both systems are extensive and outstanding. Test drive both and go with what works for you and then don't question your decision. Just shoot and enjoy.

Jim

Jan 18, 2008 at 01:51 PM

Hrow
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #9 · Considering a Canon 40D

Marcus Watts wrote:
Agreed you can get great images from either camera but when in the market to make a purchase i would still go with the best I.Q and so for me it would be the 5D
Shutter lag on the 5D though? I have never heard that before.

Depends totally on what one shoots.

Jan 18, 2008 at 02:13 PM

jvarszegi
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #10 · Considering a Canon 40D

Daan B wrote:
TallyHo Films wrote:
Im definitely more into the wider and teleconvertors can over come tele power limits (at a price).

I think for me it comes down to how good at focusing is the 5D. some people seems to like it some think its off center focusing is lacking. The thought of spending close to 2000 on a camera that may or may not be good at focusing is a tough choice.....

You pay that amount of money for the FF sensor mostly... The IQ of a 5D is really excellent. Try if you can find some RAW files of both the 5D and 40D. You will notice a difference (at least I did).

You could stick to using the 5D's center AF point and doing some cropping to get the composition you want. You have almost 3MP left to crop in comparison to a 40D...

About a 10% resolution difference is not huge, and it does not give extra flexibility, just a little more resolution. The image quality of the 40D is also excellent.

Jan 18, 2008 at 02:19 PM

John Ferguson
Offline
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #11 · Considering a Canon 40D

Marcus Watts wrote:
Shutter lag on the 5D though?

I am used to shooting with a 1 series, the 5D is slow by comparison. To be fair, the 40D is a bit slower than a 1 series too, but not as slow as a 5D. Shoot with a 1 series for a while, then go back to the 5D and you'll immediately notice the difference.

Jan 18, 2008 at 09:16 PM

krementz
Offline
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #12 · Considering a Canon 40D

Several people talk about the superiority of the FF for wide angle, but
I am not sure that is really true.

The 10-22 is the same as the 16-35 on FF, and there are several third party lenses in this range too. Sigma makes a 8mm fisheye and has introduced a 4.5 mm fisheye for crop cameras.

So, except for the 14L II, you have just about the same options on the crop cameras as the full frames.

Edited on Jan 18, 2008 at 10:05 PM

Jan 18, 2008 at 09:45 PM

pipspeak
Offline
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #13 · Considering a Canon 40D

That's true, except you have a wider selection of *fast* wide angles for FF and then you also have ultra-wides for FF, an option that doesn't really exist for crop bodies.

I started a thread on dpr about this... asking if the wide-angle advantage on FF is really as great as everyone suggests. The consensus seemed to be it's not as great as it once was but is still significant.

Jan 18, 2008 at 10:21 PM

waynesot
Offline
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #14 · Considering a Canon 40D

I upgraded to the 40D from the 20D last October and have been very happy with the 40D. At the time I was on the fence as to the 40D or 5D, but what made the difference to me was the 40D has the latest technology and the 5D technology is about 2 years old. My plan is to upgrade to the new 5D (or what ever it will be called) about a year after it hits the market.

As for lenses, I currently own the 24-70 f2.8L (awesome lens), the 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 IS USM and the EF-S 17-85 f/4.5-5.6 IS USM. I love the 24-70, IQ is very good and I really like the 70-300 as the IQ is good (can be soft at 300 wide open), but for the money ($550) this is a very good lens. All of these lenses perform very well on the 40D. The 24-70 AF is very quick on the 40D, much faster then the 20D.

I'm getting to ready to add to my lens kit and one of the len's will be either the 70-200 f2.8L IS USM or the 200 f2.8L II USM. If I go with the 70-200 I will sell the 70-300.

If unsure of which lens to get you can always rent them before you buy. I have used a company called Lens Pro to Go at www.lensprotogo.com. Excellent service and shipping is included both ways in the rental price.

Hope this helps...

Jan 18, 2008 at 10:22 PM

TallyHo Films
Offline
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #15 · Considering a Canon 40D

I played with both at the shop today and to be honest I preferred the 40D, I don't think it was that much faster at focusing but there was just something about it I preferred.

I may go back next week and have another play, thankfully the camera shop is very helpful and lets me stick a variety of lenses on and play around with them.

Im now going to think more about lenses. this is the list of the ones I wanted if i was going with the 5D but if I go 40D I'll probably have to change them a bit.

Canon 24-70 2.8L
Sigma 50 2.8 Macro
Canon 70-200 f2.8L USM (2.8 IS is too expensive so would prefer a 2.8 non IS over 4 IS )
Canon 85 1.8 USM

Id rather stick to L lenses so I dont have to sell the ef-s ones if i go full frame; Also if i eventually end up with both a crop and a full frame camera they can do for both.

Jan 18, 2008 at 11:08 PM

keithreeder
Offline
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #16 · Considering a Canon 40D

TallyHo Films wrote: I preferred the 40D, I don't think it was that much faster at focusing

Oh, it is, but with short lenses the difference isn't as apparent as it would be on long lenses.

Jan 18, 2008 at 11:47 PM

Ernie Aubert
Offline
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #17 · Considering a Canon 40D

I have Canon stuff, but if I didn't and was just starting, I'd have to look very carefully at the Nikon D300. The new issue of Popular Photography has a mini review of it, and they found its high ISO performance to be really outstanding. It also has a lot of other good features and performance; enough that they named it their camera of the year for 2007.

But as everyone points out, camera bodies are only one element in the picture (so to speak); the lens selection is possibly even more important. It's a pretty large investment to buy a whole system, so it makes sense to do lots of research before signing the line...

Jan 18, 2008 at 11:58 PM

Kent_Photo
Offline
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #18 · Considering a Canon 40D

I have a 40D and it is a definate improvement over the 20D that I had before. Quicker and more accurate auto-focus, nicer LCD, quieter shutter release and a very good value.

Jan 19, 2008 at 02:41 AM

Breitling65
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: On

p.2 #19 · Considering a Canon 40D

TallyHo Films wrote:
I was thinking of the 5D also but there is the obvious argument of 2year old technology vs current technology. Id also like to get more into pet photography and I also have a baby on the way so my thoughts were that the 40D is a faster focuser from what i've read.

Of course i'm open to having my mind changed

I own both (5D & 40D) 5D focusing speed is almost same as 40D, especially on L prime lenses like 135L, 35L, 24L I am using.
Only one lens I feel focusing bit faster is 100mm macro (non L). But not as super faster, just some bit of additional speed.
However 40D can't beat 5D in IQ and noise level. It is noisier on high ISO. Most toys they add to 40D like live view, 3 inches lcd etc - I don't care much. Really like 6.5fps and probably 14 bit raw - that is basically all I need from 40D.

Jan 19, 2008 at 02:59 AM

Daan B
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #20 · Considering a Canon 40D

jvarszegi wrote:
Daan B wrote:
TallyHo Films wrote:
Im definitely more into the wider and teleconvertors can over come tele power limits (at a price).

I think for me it comes down to how good at focusing is the 5D. some people seems to like it some think its off center focusing is lacking. The thought of spending close to 2000 on a camera that may or may not be good at focusing is a tough choice.....

You pay that amount of money for the FF sensor mostly... The IQ of a 5D is really excellent. Try if you can find some RAW files of both the 5D and 40D. You will notice a difference (at least I did).

You could stick to using the 5D's center AF point and doing some cropping to get the composition you want. You have almost 3MP left to crop in comparison to a 40D...

About a 10% resolution difference is not huge, and it does not give extra flexibility, just a little more resolution. The image quality of the 40D is also excellent.

The OP is rightly concerned about the performance of the 5D's outer AF points. I have already suggested other work arounds, this is another one... Bottom line: the 5D has more resolution (maybe not huge, but still it offers more room to crop in comparison to a 40D file) and that doesn't take into account any cropping on 40D files (if so, the difference would be even greater).

Maybe a matter of taste, but I have not been impressed by the IQ of 40D RAW files (in comparison to 5D RAW files)...

Edited on Jan 19, 2008 at 08:51 AM

Jan 19, 2008 at 08:48 AM

jvarszegi
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #21 · Considering a Canon 40D

Daan B wrote:
jvarszegi wrote:
Daan B wrote:
TallyHo Films wrote:
Im definitely more into the wider and teleconvertors can over come tele power limits (at a price).

I think for me it comes down to how good at focusing is the 5D. some people seems to like it some think its off center focusing is lacking. The thought of spending close to 2000 on a camera that may or may not be good at focusing is a tough choice.....

You pay that amount of money for the FF sensor mostly... The IQ of a 5D is really excellent. Try if you can find some RAW files of both the 5D and 40D. You will notice a difference (at least I did).

You could stick to using the 5D's center AF point and doing some cropping to get the composition you want. You have almost 3MP left to crop in comparison to a 40D...

About a 10% resolution difference is not huge, and it does not give extra flexibility, just a little more resolution. The image quality of the 40D is also excellent.

The OP is rightly concerned about the performance of the 5D's outer AF points. I have already suggested other work arounds, this is another one... Bottom line: the 5D has more resolution (maybe not huge, but still it offers more room to crop in comparison to a 40D file) and that doesn't take into account any cropping on 40D files (if so, the difference would be even greater).

Maybe a matter of taste, but I have not been impressed by the IQ of 40D RAW files (in comparison to 5D RAW files)...

No, the difference would be... about 10%, the resolution difference. The difference is purely in resolution.

Jan 19, 2008 at 02:34 PM

Daan B
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.2 #22 · Considering a Canon 40D

jvarszegi wrote:
No, the difference would be... about 10%, the resolution difference. The difference is purely in resolution.

Thumbs up for you my friend...

Edited on Jan 19, 2008 at 04:25 PM

Jan 19, 2008 at 04:23 PM


FM Forums \| Canon-mount SLRs \| Join Upload & Sell 1 2 end