Just a couple of questions on camera use? How is the camera for journalism or documentary? I don't want to be to specific on what type of journalism, but in real world terms how is it?
How are the ergonomics on the camera? Is the new battery pack available and would anyone know the US $ amount?
Is it balanced and comfortable to hold? Has anyone purchased the other screens that are available?
UCSB wrote:
The wireless grip has not made it to the US yet, but was recently released in Japan. Here is one on eBay now: http://cgi.ebay.com/Canon-Wireless-file-transmitter-WFT-E3-for-EOS40D_W0QQitemZ300147281806QQcmdZViewItem
I think that the US list price will be $800. Personally, I am really disappointed and pissed about this price. It is an item that I could really use. This would be a great product for networking companies to pickup on ... I'm sure a quality wireless grip could be made for $250 - $350. The BG-E2 is $170 at B&H for comparison.
just recieved my 40d hour ago and fired it up and boy did it put a smile on my face! the speed and quietness of the shutter compared to my 20d was nice!! feels solid and sure liked the new layout with the 3" screen!!! they are going to sell a lot of these....
ronlee wrote:
just recieved my 40d hour ago and fired it up and boy did it put a smile on my face! the speed and quietness of the shutter compared to my 20d was nice!! feels solid and sure liked the new layout with the 3" screen!!! they are going to sell a lot of these....
OneCall.com is shipping the 40D ... my order is on the way. They offer free 3-day FEDEX and 12 month interest free financing. Check their return policy before you order, if you think that you may need to return your purchase for any reason.
ronlee wrote:
just recieved my 40d hour ago and fired it up and boy did it put a smile on my face! the speed and quietness of the shutter compared to my 20d was nice!! feels solid and sure liked the new layout with the 3" screen!!! they are going to sell a lot of these....
I only had 5 minutes to play with one a Best Buy today, and I have to agree, those items you mentioned were the first things I noticed. The shutter sound is much different then my 20D, and it sounds closer to my 5D. 3" LCD is nice compared to the 1.8" on the 20D. Feels solid also. HAve fun with yours.
Well, after playing around with my 40D for the past couple of days I thought it was time to share some of my opinions with the board about things I like and dislike about this camera. So far I have been quite satisfied with the design and Canon really addressed many of the features that we have been asking for over the past few years.
Construction wise the 40D has a much better feeling grip compared to my 20D. It gives me the feeling that I am holding a mini version of my 1 series body. The grip material has a more rubber feel opposed to the plastic feel of the 20D.
The menu system is great. After using my 1 series I really like the design of the 40D menu. The "my menu settings" feature is a welcome addition which allows you quick access to some of the more common used functions. (FOR THOSE THAT ARE DISAPPOINTED ABOUT THE MIRROR LOCKUP FEATURE, just select that in my menu settings and it will give you quick access to mirror lockup without having to scroll through the custom functions!) BTW: Thank you Canon!
The 3" LCD display rocks! The viewfinder is a noticable improvement over the 20D/30D viewfinder! Camera user settings is also a handy feature. I like the fact that I can set certain common used functions such as ISO, quality, drive mode, etc. No more thumbing through many menus to get all my settings the way I want. The quieter shutter is great. Not as quiet as the 10D but then again people 50 feet away won't hear my camera slapping away every time I take a photo.
As for auto focus performance, I see a noticable improvement over the 20D/30D! Focus is faster and get this, I have yet to see it hunt for focus once even in dimly lit rooms where the 20D would have a problem. No, it is not better than my 1 series autofocus system nor should it be considering the difference in cost between these two bodies. Sorry, but I have not had a chance to put AI-servo through a real test but hope to do so before the weekend.
As for image quality, noise, etc. I feel that Canon has gotten much better with their Auto White Balance compared to older models such as the 10D/20D/30D. Overall noise is not much different than the 20D. It is slightly cleaner but when pixel peeping at 100% you would be hard pressed to see a difference. Image Quality is pretty impressive. The colors seem to pop more than the 20D did when shooting Jpegs straight out of the camera. As for exposure, it more closely matches my 1DMkIIN compared to the 20D. Looking at the histogram, the 40D and the 1D are very close. If anything, the 20D appears to be over-exposing slightly in comparsion.
The live view feature is interesting. This was not a feature I considered necessary when I made my decision to purchase the 40D but I can see where it will come in handy.
Dislikes: None so far! Honestly, I can't find anything that really bothers me about this camera. I have yet to discover any issues in the last two days that would lead me to believe there are any problems with this camera like the auto-focus issues with the 1DIII. Time will tell.
Yep, I like it alot! I think about how much I paid for my older Canon digital bodies and look at the features offered here. At $1300 it is a great deal.
Thanks for the review bbudman. Glad you made the comparison with the mkIIn, which I have also.
Did you try the in-camera noise reduction? and if you did, how was the IQ after using it.
Is anyone seeing lines on the LCD when using live view? If I magnify to 5 or 10X the lines go away. If I point the lens at a bright area the lines go away. When I was in an evenly lit, bright room I didn't get the lines. Now, in a room with darker areas, I get vertical lines in all colors - yellow,white, blue, black..... Anyone else seeing this? Thanks!!
I updated my tests on autofocus tracking and low light autofocus. The 40D tracking autofocus significantly outperforms the 20D. Low light autofocus is also improved greatly (on a par with my 1D mark II). ISO 1600 image quality is better as others have noted.
rachp wrote:
Is anyone seeing lines on the LCD when using live view? If I magnify to 5 or 10X the lines go away. If I point the lens at a bright area the lines go away. When I was in an evenly lit, bright room I didn't get the lines. Now, in a room with darker areas, I get vertical lines in all colors - yellow,white, blue, black..... Anyone else seeing this? Thanks!!
bbudman wrote:
None here and my room is pretty dark.
Well, thanks for the quick reply! Afraid it wasn't the answer I was looking for, tho Everything else that I have tested on the camera seems great. I guess I will test it a little more before I make a decision on what to do with it. Thanks again for the reply!
Hi guys, how does the shutter sound on your camera? Does it sound like the mp4 file posted on page 1 of this thread? My shutter doesn't sound like that... but the camera seems to function okay. I don't know if something is wrong.
a) The 40D has better processing engine and/or weaker AA filter than the 400D. Resolution is much better than 20D from every test he showed and except for the res charts the 40D IMO was also better than the 400D.
b) Noise is better than both 20D and 400D. The 20D lower res helps it a bit as it smears the noise out more. The 40D noise is finer grained and may seem more noticeable, but chroma noise is less and detail in the shadows is much better. 400D does quite well and is closer to the 40D than I would have expected. maybe with NR turned on the differences would be much greater.
c) AF both one shot and servo are much better
Looking better every day; a worthwhile upgrade from the 20D.
My thoughts are rather preliminary, as I've spent maybe 5 minutes handling the camera. First impressions:
1) Ergonomics are much improved. Viewfinder is great. Love the new menu system. Noticeably bigger.
2) Live view is going to be awesome for detailed focusing. Very powerful tool.
3) I like the improved weather sealing.
4) Motor drive is MUCH better.
5) AI Servo seems much faster than 30D, definitely improved from the 5D, though I have no real tests to prove it. Just from tracking cars, etc... It makes me feel more confident, at least
I haven't looked at any 1600 images in detail yet. Will post more as I get more familiar.
One obvious negative: The rubber cover on the bottom that protects the HDMI? port? That is just begging to be a problem. That thing will fall off very easily, IMO, and expose the interior to elements. Maybe I'll superglue mine in...
Everything else that I have tested on the camera seems great. I guess I will test it a little more before I make a decision on what to do with it. Thanks again for the reply!