40D Likes:
- light weight compared to my 1-series bodies
- fast and accurate AF (close to an old 1DmkII I still own, mkIII noticeably better)
- great color
- very good high iso NR
- good frame rate at ~6fps
- nice menu layout!
- 3 custom settings that save ALL camera settings upon registering
- flash on body decent for quick snapshots
- much larger, brighter 1D-like viewfinder with very good eye relief
- excellent battery life
- I LIKE the 1.6x crop factor for my sports/aviation work
- excellent value
- very good auto-WB
40D Dislikes:
- no weather sealing (no, Canon, the foam door is NOT weather sealing)
- needs a better BG-E2n grip design (slimmer, like that for Nikon's D-300)
- needs AF-on button on a redesigned BG-E2n grip
- needs new BG-E2n grip design more flush with the body
- no lens AF micro adjustment
- no AF sensitivity control
- as stated, the useless print button; at least make it programmable
I just got my 40D in today, and I upgraded from a 20D.
What really stands out with me is the speed (fps) and the quietness of the camera. It's also heavier, and built more durably. I don't like the feel of a Rebel in my hands because it's so small.
The Auto WB is really good too. I shot a doubleheader for HS softball today and the weather was really weird, going from sun to overcast to dark every few outs. With the 20D I have to go back and do minor adjustments, but with the 40D I didn't have to do anything other than create thumbnails and sharpen .
The focusing (to me) is an upgrade too. I didn't have any OOF shots unless I happened to make a mistake (my fault). The camera exceeded my expectations.
The only thing I noticed is that at 3200 the noise is really grainy and sharp. More so than the 20D. I haven't checked the Noise Ninja website to see if they have a profile for the 40d so I'll have to do that.
Overall I really can't complain about any of the features. I'll have to get used to the menu and the way the Custom Functions are mapped out, and some other minor things that changed. But it's a great camera.
I just don't understand the "I hate the crop factor" posts. I mean, if you didn't want a crop sensor, buy a 1.3 or FF camera. No one forced you to buy a 1.6x if you didn't want it. Haha.
Menu system is fiddly and convoluted
Noise is worse than the 20D
AI servo never stops focusing
Low-res LCD
No contrast-detect Live View
No body-IS
I don't care about that last point, but the current version of Live View can't be used as an idiot mode. The people I've handed the camera to assume (rightfully) that when the mirror flips to focus, the picture has been taken.
My best description of the 40D is that it's extremely competent. Only a handful of bodies can claim to have no weak points, and this is one of them. I can't imagine I could find a photographic pursuit that would require me to upgrade. The only thing I really miss is the high-res LCD. Price difference or not, the D300 raised the bar.
Ivor Karabatko wrote:
I just don't understand the "I hate the crop factor" posts. I mean, if you didn't want a crop sensor, buy a 1.3 or FF camera. No one forced you to buy a 1.6x if you didn't want it. Haha.
It's very simple. We bought it for its pros but we got the cons bundled in the package.
Dislike:
LCD Screen, and displayed images are over saturated, soft, crap, low res, colour cast etc.
ERR 99
Can't permanently have shooting info displayed on main screen, need to press INFO
Mine also has a huge dead pixel in the middle of ISO 1600 shots which I still need to see Canon about
I like everything about the 40D except for the lack of ECF. The joy stick thingie is too slow and cumbersome for selecting AF points.
I find the LCD fine. Increased rez on a 3 inch LCD wouldn't help me much as I need to view from at least 18 inches (for my eyes to focus). Well, I could use a LCD loupe but what for. I rarely got a soft chrome or neg with film so no need to chimpin' endlessly.
LCD Screen, and displayed images are over saturated, soft, crap, low res, colour cast etc.
Why not use the "Neutral" Pict style? The display jpeg will be less saturated.
Faster AF, very good AF in low light and for outer focus points.
(AF improvement was the main reason why I upgraded from the 20D and I am not disappointed)
3 Custom Settings (not a big thing but it is definitely very useful and I would like even 4 or 5!)
I like:
Anti Dust
6,5 fps
Shutter Sound
Live View
My Menu
ISO in Viewfinder
Auto ISO
Overall Handling
Improvements that I would like:
Higher LCD resolution (size for the menus and information is okay).
Better high ISO noise.
For the price, the 40D is a great camera! I don't mind the 1.6 crop because I never really knew full frame and ... because I own a 17-55
I am thrilled to own the 40D. I upgraded from a Digital Rebel XT. This camera is ALMOST perfect. Some things I think could have done better:
Programmable, "Nikon style", auto ISO.
More shots included in bracketing, as well as a larger range of EC. (Again, Nikon does this already)
A smaller spot meter (not a huuuuge deal, but if I were to design it... 2.5% would have been enough)
A dedicated grip with the AF-ON button, rather than the backwards compatible grip it made. The bg-e2n as well as its predecessors is just too big. Pentax and Nikon have been making more "natural" looking ones that dont appear as though you glued a brick to the bottom of your camera. Also, this grip should have the AF points selection joystick on it and use the 1D battery, and drop the AA magazine (the reason it is so bulky)
And of course, the old LCD problem. For the record, it is not the LCD that is causing trouble with determining sharpness. When you take a picture with the 40D, in JPG or RAW mode, the camera creates a down-sampled preview image and embeds it in the file. This is the image you are looking at when viewing your LCD. You could replace the LCD with a 60" plasma screen and it wouldn't make a difference. There is adequate resolution here. You would have to put your eyeball up to the screen to see an increase in resolution. The solution is for Canon to allow us to zoom in on the actual image file, and only use the embedded image for quick full-screen previews.
One way to work around this if you shoot on RAW - I set the camera to neutral picture style, and crank the sharpness all the way to 7. This makes it much easier to see if a picture file is sharp when zooming in on the shitty preview image. Setting it to 0 pretty much ensures that you won't be able to tell. I use ACR so the raw settings don't matter in actual use.
I know a lot of you guys hate Pop Photo reviews. However I was reading the one about the new 14.2MP Sony 350 DSLR and they mentioned the 14.2MP sensor has exactly the same resolving power as the 10.1MP 40D CMOS (average 2150 lines of resolution at ISO 100-800). So the 40D appears to make the most of what it has.
My only gripes with the 40D are the lack of real weather-sealing, and the really crappy LCD. On the plus side, AF performance is amazing for a non-1 series body, and the output is fantastic with proper exposure. I also like the ability to change the focus screen in just a few seconds. The menus and ability to save custom settings are also a nice upgrade from the 30D.
Yakim Peled wrote:
How can a 1D owner write this is beyond my comprehension.
Happy shooting,
Yakim.
How? You must be kidding or haven't compared them directly? I own both sets of bodies (2x40D and 2x1DmkIII plus a 1DmkII as 3rd backup) and looking through the viewfinder, the SIZE of the viewfinder on the 40D is huge compared to the 10D, 20D and 30D bodies before it. When I look through my 1-series bodies viewfinders and then switch to the 40D, the image seen via the 40D is cropped but the subject is larger due to their similar sized viewfinder areas. Put the same lens on both bodies then switch back and forth and you'll see what I mean. On the older xxD series bodies, the viewfinder was tiny in comparison to my tired eyes so I neve replaced the venerable 10D backups until the 40D.
Bmeister wrote:
How? You must be kidding or haven't compared them directly? I own both sets of bodies (2x40D and 2x1DmkIII plus a 1DmkII as 3rd backup) and looking through the viewfinder, the SIZE of the viewfinder on the 40D is huge compared to the 10D, 20D and 30D bodies before it. When I look through my 1-series bodies viewfinders and then switch to the 40D, the image seen via the 40D is cropped but the subject is larger due to their similar sized viewfinder areas. Put the same lens on both bodies then switch back and forth and you'll see what I mean. On the older xxD series bodies, the viewfinder was tiny in comparison to my tired eyes so I neve replaced the venerable 10D backups until the 40D.
I have a 1D and 40D for about 6 month and often use both. I never had any other XXD body so I just compare these two and I can tell you that the viewfinder of the 1D is significantly larger than the 40D. And yes, It was several times when I switched lenses and amazed at the difference.
My opinion may not be quite as positive as others - I shoot the 40D on occasion when my 1Ds3 is too big / occupied -- and then usually regret it. So it's from this perspective that I speak.
Pros:
- Buffer. Deep: with the 1Ds3, I hit it all the time. With the 40D, almost never. Then again granted I use the 1Ds3 more.
- Frame rate. 6.5, or whatever it really is, doesn't suck. Is actually too fast for most things I do
- Quiet shutter.
- Light. Wife can use it.
- Easy controls. Wife can use it.
- Auto ISO. Not perfect, but it's a start, and hopefully Canon will make it work as well as Nikon (or even better) by the time the 70D comes out.
Cons:
- Image quality. And I don't mean just in comparison to the 1Ds3. Even the 5D will outperform it on an average day without breaking a sweat. I am not talking about a scientific test of a brick wall that may show that the 40D is actually better in this or that category. I mean when I pick up a 40D or a 5D and go to the woods or shoot my kids, the 5D always wins. And some here may know that I don't like the 5D at all.
- AF. Shooting my 2-year old daughter running at me, servo at high frame rate, with the 17-55/2.8, can't get more than 40% of shots in focus. That's just sad. And I tried three 40Ds. And given that the 1Ds2 / 1Ds3 can do it would suggest that my technique isn't totally rotten - after all, the 1Ds2 has an inferior AF system, or so they say.
- AF. Indoors, nowhere the same accuracy as my retired 1Ds2, not to mention 1Ds3.
- Controls. Easy to change settings. How often have I found myself with some other settings than I started out with.
- Light. I can kill an attacking mountain lion with the 1Ds3 (and L-bracket). No, doesn't happen often, but it's reassuring.
- Viewfinder. Yes, it's better than the XTi etc., but that doesn't say much.
- Crop factor. Would be nice to have two identical FOV cameras. Since the Rebel (the film variety) is FF, don't tell me to get another 1Ds or 5D class camera. Yes, the day of FF for the masses will come.
The LCD doesn't phase me because I have the same crap on my 1Ds3
This is a better camera than the D30 I bought in 2001 for $3300 or so. But it doesn't strike me as 7 years better, if you know what I mean. I'd pick a beat up 5D or original 1Ds over this puppy any day, if it only didn't have to also serve my wife, who puts in the size / weight veto.
stanj wrote:
. Even the 5D will outperform it on an average day without breaking a sweat.
You sound surprised... My impression is the 5D does this to most cameras (and I've owned a 1Ds2).
Honestly, my biggest fear is that the 5D is as good as it is because of some unlikely-to-be-repeated happy accident, and that its replacement model will be "improved" with the same heavy AA approach used on Canon's other sensor packages.
I came from the Digital Rebel (300D), so I love...
- The huge buffer. My finger would probably get tired before the buffer fills up.
- The ability to review an image very fast. It'd take 5+ seconds on the 300D.
- Live View when shooting Macro...it is just fantastic.
- Lots of other stuff.
Like stanj, I am not too impressed with the AF, servo mode at a high frame rate with my 3 year old daughter running towards me. But that does not happen too often.
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