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Haring
Offline
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Registered: Sep 11, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Sep 11, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
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Pros:
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fast, good iso!
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Cons:
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image quality is less good compared to 5D
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I use my canon 40D with my 35mmL, 85mmL, 17 40mmL and 24-70mmL The output is just fabulous!!!!! The quality is almost as good as the Canon 5D. The screen is better than my 5D. the high speed shutter is very fast!!!!!
Go the www.haringphotography.com if you want to see samples.
Good camera.
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 Sep 11, 2009
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svx94
Offline
[ X ]
Registered: Mar 25, 2005
Location: Canada
Posts: 657
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Review Date: Aug 10, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $750.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Practical, work horse.
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Cons:
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All the things lacking on Canon (compare with Nikon bodies)
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I switched to Nikon D700 but can't give up on the sweat 70-200 F4L IS, so I got an used 40D, instead of using a heavy Nikon 70-200/2.8 VR. The benifit of having a 2nd body for telephoto is just too great 
The 40D is a much improved camera compares with the 20D. It IQ is almost better than the 50D, and focus, controls are definitely better than the 5D2. The control, sensor cleaning and AF are the most important improvement over the 20D/30D. I especially like the custom settings on the dial. I picked this one over the 5D2 and 50D. But none of the Canons can match the Nikon bodies. Unfortunately, Nikon doesn't offer a nice 70-200 F4 VR like the Canon.
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Aug 10, 2009
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tomKphoto
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Registered: May 1, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 556
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Review Date: Jun 23, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $925.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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great value, clean output upto ISO1600, brisk auto focus in marginal light, optional grid finder, improved control layout compared to 20D/30D
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Cons:
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review screen shows soft & very saturated images with odd color balance, no usable Auto ISO like Nikons in this price range.
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To me, this camera is a classic. At the time of this writing, I own three 40Ds for Wedding work. The 40D corrects many performance & ergonomic issues of the 20D and 30D that came before. ISO changes are quick with a dedicated button and viewfinder indicator. The low light Auto Focus is great for this price range. The optional grid finder was long overdue. The signature black Canon hotshoe is actually a good thing - the black paint would just come off in heavy use.
JPEGs up to ISO1600 are very clean thanks to wonderful Noise Reduction and the Highlight Protection that really works. The ISO1600 shadow banding of the 30D is gone and the 40D shadow noise just looks like film grain, as it should.
What's not to like? There's no useable AutoISO like comparable Nikons, and the review (chimp) screen shows soft images with unreal saturation and an odd hue balance.
40D or 50D? I chose not to update to the 50D because of the much reported noisier ISO1600 output compared to the 40D. Canon should've stopped at 12mp which is probably the ideal spec for this sensor size.
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Jun 23, 2009
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Enche Tjin
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Registered: Jun 14, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jun 18, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,100.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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fast, robust, sturdy, reliable
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Cons:
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auto ISO, lcd screen is not hi-res
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I have been using Canon 40D for two years. It is my second camera (my first camera is Pentax k100). It is big, solid and tough. I thought Pentax K100d is quite big, but it is nothing compare to this 40D. The grip is very ergonomic. I feel confidence handling it.
Body and control
The built quality of Canon 40D is excellent. It is made from magnesium alloy body. It is weather seal as well. It is made to withstand plenty of abuse. I dropped the camera once to the ground, and it still performs like new. I think entry level camera such as Rebel XSi would not able to withstand it.
Canon 40D has many buttons and two main dials. The first dial is thumb dial, located near shutter button. The second one is the big round dial located at the back of the camera. I especially like the round dial. I usually change aperture, view photo, choose menu using this dial. To access live view mode, I simply push the button in the center of the dial.
ISO and Auto ISO
The ISO range starts from 100 to 3200. The auto ISO range is from 100 to 800. I hope it is 100 to 1600. 40D handles noise very well up to 800. You will see more noise creeping in at 1600. At ISO 3200, the image quality is unacceptable. The Auto ISO is the biggest disappointment for me. It tends to stick at ISO 400 most of the time.
LCD Screens
Canon 40D has two LCD screens, the main / back screen and top LCD screen. The top LCD screen is clear in the dim light condition such as indoor or evening, but not clear in the bright daylight. To solve this problem, you can use accessory called Hoodman. The top LCD screens is helpful to check out camera settings at any time and any circumstances. It has green light lcd that could be turned on if necessary.
Auto Focus System
Canon 40D has 11 AF points, distributed in diamond formation. The speed of AF will depends on the lens. Lens that have USM (Ultra Sonic Motor) is generally perform faster than non-USM, but some lenses like Canon 85mm f/1.2 USM AF are quite slow because of the complicated lens elements. Some lenses are also better in tracking subject than other.
Favorite features
There is a feature called Highlight tone priority. I think it is a great feature because it protects the highlight from over exposure. It is great to use for portraits, wedding, landscape and so on.
The shutter has a distinctive noise. It sounds very professional. This camera can also shoot up to 6.5 fps which is great features to capture fast moving object.
Competition
Because this camera is more than two years old now, it has many cameras that match or surpass this camera in term of its specifications. For example Canon 50D which has high-res LCD screen, higher image resolution and better Auto ISO. Nikon D300 is superior regarding AF system. It has 51 points and better tracking system.
There is also Nikon D90 which has hi-res 3 inch lcd screen, cleaner image in high ISO speed but slower continuous speed and worse built quality. Read controversy regarding Nikon D90 vs Canon 40D.
Conclusion
This is a very good camera suitable for either professional or amateur photographer. The size might be a bit too big for casual shooters, but after a while you might use to it. The image quality with the kit lens is good, but I recommend to get a higher quality lens to get maximum quality. Even it is more than two years old now, this camera is still capable and robust for you if you can live with its limitation (hint: Auto ISO and LCD screen). Please visit my blog http://www.radiantlite.com for more reviews.
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Jun 18, 2009
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NotABunny
Offline
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Registered: Apr 20, 2009
Location: N/A
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Apr 20, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,100.00
| Rating: 9
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My current (now unused) camera is a compact Canon A620 with which I'm happy. However, I wanted to make pictures that "pop", like those from magazines, so I thought Canon EOS 40D could do it.
I purchased a body but I had some problems getting Canon lenses (still have, for months now), so I got a Tamron 90mm F2.8 macro.
I was and still am (you'll see why) worried that I've spent a lot of money and got little to show for, but the chance to take some serious pictures showed itself when I was invited to a kiting event.
Sure enough, the pictures taken are sharp, full of large colorful areas and smiles and really "pop" as I wanted. The light was beautiful (soft, golden, toward the end of the day, the sun behind). The background was far away (being on a field). I can say that after seeing the pictures on my computer I thought the money was worth it.
So what's the problem? Metering. Big time trouble. Completely messed up. I like to take candid pictures and I thought I could do away with reviewing pictures on the display in order to save battery, but this is not possible if I'm shooting in the Creative Zone.
I am biased in saying this because with my compact camera I would look at simulated exposure from the display and know (from experience) what to do to adjust the exposure. With a DSLR, I thought I would not need to do this (considering the money involved).
The 40D usually underexposes in the Creative Zone, although that would not be a problem if it were consistent in doing so. But it's not. The manual says the metering sensor can be fooled by various factors, but I've found that it's waaay too easy to fool it.
The Basic Zone modes seem to apply some correction because they are just about right (overexpose clouds in a sunny day). I've read that they use "Auto Lighting Optimization", but this is used automatically only in the Basic Zone and there is no way to activate it in the Creative Zone. In any case, I don't know if this is really the cause of the "correct" behavior.
The reason why I don't want to use the Basic Zone for shooting is that the focus points can't be adjusted there and, except for closeup portraits, the camera can easily focus anywhere but on the subject.
If it weren't for the kiting event, I could have thought the camera was damaged, but those pictures were shot mostly in aperture priority and were consistently exposed (perhaps slightly under, but my notebook display is not exactly photographic quality to tell for sure).
I read that the camera adjusts the exposure as if everything was 18% gray. After seeing the result, I want to have available different metering algorithms (or more metering zones?) because the current one is way off. Canon says that snow, for example, is 2 stops underexposed. I found that sunny skies are about 1 stop underexposed. I don't get it, why can't the camera just say "well, there is a lot of light so there is snow or a sunny day, better leave the exposure as I'm seeing things"?
Or instead of different metering algorithms, how about adding in the viewfinder the absolute brightness (00...99 - each unit equals 1/3 or 1/6 stops maybe?) which the camera will use to determine the exposure? (The exposure compensation really doesn't need to take that much space, just use 3 characters.) For instance, if I know I'm taking a picture of some clouds in a sunny day and know from experience that this means a brightness of 80, but see the camera using a brightness of 50, I could adjust right away the exposure compensation.
I'm not gonna decrease the mark too much for this because there are ways around it (although take time that I don't have for candid photos) and the properly exposed pictures are very good.
There are also some annoying things (some to consider for the 60D?!):
* The SanDisk Extreme 3 (30 MB/s) needs UDMA for maximum performance. I knew that the 40D doesn't support UDMA, but the performance of the CF card without UDMA is pathetic. When I download pictures from the camera, I get an average of 3.5 - 5 MB/s. I tried with a USB card reader and the performance is similarly pathetic. So, when paying the difference between a Extreme 2 and 3 (or even 4), remember this. Why a nail-sized USB stick can read with 27 MB/s and Extreme 3 can't is beyond me.
* The buttons from the bottom of the camera are accidentaly pressed when I walk with the camera hanging from my neck. I had pictures showing up, information being displayed, the camera shutting down.
* There is no swivel display. I miss it (from my A620) when I trying shooting from weird angles.
* The strap mount should be on the side with the display in order to keep the camera downward when hanging from the neck (or so it seems I would want it to hang.) This could be incompatible with a swivel display (but the swivel is more important to me).
* OLED display for the 60D?
George
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Apr 20, 2009
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Nachtnebel
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Mar 30, 2008
Location: Norway
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Apr 5, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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I've previously owned 20D, 30D and now just got the 40D for a really good price. Price was one of the reasons for not getting the 50D + I see the 50D rather as a 30Dvs20D upgrade. I've totally fallen in love with the 40D, it has all I need. Really like how the menu is set up, love the S-RAW option, like the screen and live view for macro and really like the AF-On-button for focus (although it's a little far to the left, but I'll get used to it). My wife uses the camera once in a while, and she never got used to having the autofocus at the * button instead of the shutter. Now we are both happy (she can use the shutter, I use the AF-On). Too bad the battery grip doesn't have the AF-On-button though.
Image quality is outstanding, I think the colors come out better than the 30D. I shoot a lot of concerts and can't wait to take the 35mm f/1.4L and the 40D to the next concert. ISO 1600 looks great so far. The autofocus speed seems considerably better in low light than 30D.
This camera is a keeper!
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Apr 5, 2009
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another_mikey
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Mar 2, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 1040
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Review Date: Mar 28, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Handling, live view, AF, image quality
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Cons:
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small preview jpgs used on back LCD for preview, LCD resolution, no lens microadjust
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I have had my 40D for over a year, and have shot about ~4,000 shutter clicks wit it, so I decided to review it for anyone out there trying to decide if they want one.
The camera is an excellent model from a already very mature camera family. If you have used any of the predecessors to this camera, it will feel very familiar and easy to use right away. I think it is currently in a very sweet spot of Canon's lineup when price, features, and IQ are concerned. While the 50D does have some nice features the 40D lacks, the price difference is not trivial - over $300 (using current B&H body only pricing as a guide...)
If I still had my 350D and wanted to upgrade, it would be a tough decision between the 40D and 50D. But for me now, I find that the 40D noise, resolution and image quality are very good, and I just am not compelled to consider an upgrade at this point. The 40D is an exceptional photographic tool, and I will have to get a lot better before I find it limiting my results in any significant way.
ML
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Mar 28, 2009
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jfk03
Offline
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Registered: Mar 20, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 463
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Review Date: Feb 28, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $900.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Image quality, price, dust reduction
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Cons:
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None
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I debated about going for the 50D but settled on the 40D because it has everything I need and the price is right. Don't need the extra pixels. I use the 40D for wildlife, birds and action, the 5D for landscape photography. I particularly like the dust reduction feature. Image quality is superb.
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Feb 28, 2009
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clocksley
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Registered: Mar 7, 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 547
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Review Date: Feb 3, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Fabulous dynamic range, ease of use, speed, resolution.
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Cons:
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none so far.
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I previously owned a 30D and was expecting only a slight upgrade. A couple more megapixels and a few extras that I wouldn't really have use for (live view being one).
My first outing with the camera was in the snow and thought I would humiliate it by pointing it back straight into the sun and the white snow on the ground, whilst also capturing the dark trees that had no snow on them. I was positively shocked to see the preview on the LCD, which had the sun, with flare coming off it, all the white snow, and not only the black trees but also the shadows within them! The dynamic range is utterly stunning. My 30D, which was a favourite, would have given up when pointed at the sun and given me dark snow and lost the trees completely. Coupled with the fact it handles noise expertly I don't see an upgrade coming any time soon!
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Feb 3, 2009
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disegno-s
Offline
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Registered: Jun 15, 2008
Location: Belgium
Posts: 54
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Review Date: Jan 6, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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AF speed, build, ease of use
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Cons:
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none
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I actually bought a second 40D a few months ago to replace my 350D as backup body, at the current pricing it is one hell of a camera for next to no money.
Was thinking about getting the 50D instead, but the extra features didn't tempt me to spend nearly double the amount, don't need 15Mpixel anyway, I can print large posters from the 40D shots too, my customers love them and that's all that matters.
AF speed and tracking is spot on with the 40D, the fps is amazing although I rarely use/need it, but it is good to know you have it available if required.
Did fix a grip on it from the first day (both bodies) to have the extended shooting capabilities.
Actually paid less for the 40D than for my 350D back then.
Johan
www.CarPhotoTutorials.com
Automotive photography made easy
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Jan 6, 2009
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Canon40D
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Registered: Feb 28, 2008
Location: South Africa
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Dec 12, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,395.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Good speed and Great AF
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Cons:
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Non so far
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An excellent upgrade from my EOS350D...controls and ergonomics are great. AF is great, even in poor light. Battery life is top-drawer, with around 1800 shots from the 2 batteries on the BG-E2N
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Dec 12, 2008
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dhphoto
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Feb 15, 2003
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 13811
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Dec 4, 2008
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graphik300
Offline
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Registered: Jul 17, 2006
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Nov 29, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Great performer. Well balanced. Excellent FPS.
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Cons:
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Will reveal quality issues of average lenses
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This is a replacement to my trusty 300D - which other than not being able to deliver decent FPS, was still going strong.
Love the build quality and handling of the 40D. Never miss a shot now, and the buffer is astounding - never get "Busy"... No delays reviewing images whatsoever. Huge plus. On the downside, images shot with the my walk-around Tamron 18-200 have revealed some disturbing CA which was never present in the 300D. Have gone with Neutral as the picture style and although it has helped, the CA is still marginally there. Images shot with my prime lenses and Macro are superb however. Wish it had the higher res LCD but will wait for the 60D I think.
Image quality up to my expecations and excellent tolerance to noise.
dhphoto: I have been shooting with a Sandisk Extreme III 4GB with no issues. It's not incompatible with my 40D. Is this a documented issue?
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Nov 29, 2008
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dhphoto
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Feb 15, 2003
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 13811
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Review Date: Nov 18, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $650.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Current price, build, speed, LCD, big viewfinder, 14 bit RAW, my menu, grip, silver hotshoe, ISO in viewfinder, interchangeable screens, pretty much everything
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Cons:
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Incompatibility with Sandisk Extreme III 4GB cards
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This is just a fantastic camera, especially for the now reduced price (thanks to the only marginally improved 50D). I paid less than half what I paid for my 10D and 20D. Outstanding value.
It is fast, beautifully made, has a much improved viewfinder over the 20/30D, weatherproofing, frames-per-second, menu options, I could go on and on.
The 10 meg sensor is very marginally inferior to the one in the 450D/Xsi, but the focusing system is so much better it makes up for it. The overall image quality is superb, especially in RAW.
In years to come cameras like the 40D, 450D/Xsi and 5D will be the markers by which others are judged. It's a great camera. It has no real weaknesses in any area apart from the odd issue with the Sandisk card, which is half a camera issue and half a card processor issue. If you know about it you needn't worry.
Get one cheap while they're still here
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Nov 18, 2008
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aVOLanche
Offline
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Registered: Apr 7, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 174
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Review Date: Nov 4, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Operating speed
Image quality
Ergonomics
Value....best in dslr market!
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Cons:
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Would love to have the newer style lcd as on 50D,but it's still got a great 3" lcd(a very minor neg.)
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I traded my 30D for this camera(+$175).I didn't expect much of an upgrade.Was I ever wrong.It's IQ is better than the 30D with no added noise at iso 800 and up.The menu system is better,the custom modes are a great addition as is the iso in the viewfinder and lcds.The shutter is much quieter.The camera feels better in hand.
I thought LiveView was a gimmic,but I'm enjoying it.This is a well-made,user-friendly,inexpensive camera that is WAYYY better than the 30D.I'm so glad I went ahead and got it and passed on the 50D.
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Nov 4, 2008
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whitetail
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: May 21, 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 140
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Review Date: Nov 3, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $869.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Weight, grip, sealing, balance, size, FPS (*drool*), noise control, image quality, price!
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Cons:
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Menus, arrangement of some settings. Liveview's battery consumption.
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I bought this camera two months ago, and I'm still in love. I bought it the day the 50D came out, because I didn't see much upgrade difference. The build is amazing, and I still can't get over the rubber covered body. It really makes it easier to hold, and better to work with. The FPS is really amazing, it's lovely to listen to and really helps get the shot. The AF is quick and snaps to easily, I rarely miss a shot with it. It almost seems to sense what I'm looking for! I love the color/image quality I get out of this camera. I see a big difference in between this and the XT I upgraded from. Infrared photography has a whole new ballgame with this camera. I love the balance it has with L lenses, it makes the whole arrangement less burdensome. With the BG-E2 battery grip, this thing is a rock! The only thing that bothers me on occasion are some of the settings. I had some problems figuring out why exposure compensation was off, and also why I couldn't go under ISO 200. Overall, this was a great buy. The price is phenomenal, especially now with the 50D out. Snag one!
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Nov 3, 2008
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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147
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172949
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Nov 5, 2017
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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92% of reviewers
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$1,168.60
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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9.13
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9.10
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9.2
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