New Prosumer SLR From Canon (Canon EOS 40D)

Member Name: seldom

Product:	Canon EOS 40D
Date:	10/04/08 (570 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Picture quality (noise, DR), LiveView mode, price

Disadvantages: Auto WB performance

Ok, I'm about to finally write a review of Canon EOS 40D. I own this camera for several months now, and have tried it both in studio and outdoors, so I feel I can share my opinions with you.

I previously owned several Canon SLRs, so I will rather compare 40D to older Canon cameras rather then raise Canon vs. Nikon debates. I'm sure the new Nikon D300 is a great camera too, but I'm a Canon user, and that's it.

All Canon SLRs are named EOS (Electro-Optical Systems), both film and digital. Canon has 3 EOS lines, "entry-level", "prosumer" (professional consumer?) and "professional".

Entry-level SLRs were Canon 300D, the first affordable digital SLR ever, then the 350D, then the 400D which is still in stores and the latest one, 450D. Prosumer SLRs were D30, D60, 10D, 20D, 30D and, finally, the 40D. Professional SLRs were 1D, 1D Mark II, 1Ds, 1Ds Mark II and Mark III, and 5D.

Of course I won't be able to give a full and complete review, so I'll focus on what's new in this camera and what I personally like about it.




LOOKS AND CONTROLS


Canon EOS 40D is a prosumer SLR - and you can tell this instantly by its size and weight. The body, as well as the mount, is metal (magnesium alloy), not plastic, which means it's more robust. They also say it's weatherproof now, including battery and card compartments. 40D is a bit larger and heavier then 30D, but insignificantly.

The controls are classic Canon wheels, one at your index finger and one at your thumb (usually used to adjust aperture/shutter speed in manual mode). There's also a joystick to navigate through the menu. And the menu itself has changed a bit, comparing to that of 30D. The menu is now "page-style", like in professional SLRs.

The LCD is larger and now measures 3". Because of that, the buttons from the left are moved to under the screen. I don't really think it's a good idea, because you can't access them with your left thumb as quick as before, but that's the price to pay for the larger LCD.

That's about all changes to the looks, so let me continue to what's inside.




FEATURES


40D has a 10 megapixel APS-C (1.6x crop) CMOS sensor. The truth is, camera sensors are really getting better and better. Comparing to older sensors, the dynamic range (ability to capture detail in shadows and highlights) is improving, though there's still a long way to go to achieve film DR. 40D features a highlight priority mode, so you'll never lose detail in those clouds or that dress of the bride.

Another great thing is how 40D deals with noise. I'm not sure if it's sensor or noise-reduction software, but the result is amazing! With reasonable shutter speeds, pictures taken at ISO1600 look as clean as those taken at ISO100! I really couldn't believe my eyes!

By the way, have you ever ruined your photo session because you left ISO at 3200 on a sunny day? Now there's an ISO icon in the viewfinder, so you won't forget to adjust it.

Another nice feature about the sensor is its integrated cleaning system. Every time you turn your camera on and off the sensor automatically cleans itself. There's some anti-static coating and a piezoelectric element which shakes the front part of it so that dust doesn't stick.

One new feature I don't really understand is all that "picture style" thing. There's a specific button that quick-launches picture style menu page. In fact, picture style is a quicker way to adjust JPEG processing settings, something that was previously available to alter through custom function settings. But I don't really get why we need so many JPEG options while vast majority of 40D users will shoot RAW anyway.

By the way, there's now an option to shoot RAW+small JPEG, which is extremely convenient, and also a small RAW feature (though I can't imagine why would I use this).

Another nice thing is continuous shooting: it's now 6.5 frames per second and up to 75 large JPEGS! In reality the speed is a bit lower, but still impressive!

Well, that's about all significant changes to 40D... Or have I forgotten something?..

Imagine a friend standing beside you with his digital compact and asking questions about your SLR. "Ok, can it shoot video clips? Why don't you use the back screen for shooting? Why would one use a camera which is so big and heavy and can't do such simple things? And how much do you say it costs???" Oh, I hear all those questions all the time :) But now I can be proud: finally my "expensive professional camera" can do the same as any digital compact. I'm talking about...




LIVE VIEW MODE


Yes, it finally happened. The picture that you normally see through the viewfinder can now be seen on the LCD - live. It felt sooo weird when I tested it for the first time!

LiveView is achieved by locking-up the mirror to transmit information from the sensor to the LCD. Because of the SLR architecture, you cannon use autofocus in LiveView mode (autofocus needs TTL metering so the mirror must be down). If you press the autofocus button while in LiveView, the LCD will go black, then the camera autofocuses and restores LiveView mode in a moment.

You can use manual focusing without any problems, and the nice thing is that LiveView has digital magnifying which enables you to focus more precisely.

This all may sound great, but, frankly speaking, I hardly ever use the LiveView mode. But it must be very handy on gigs, when you shoot from the crowd in the standing area and lift your camera to prevent heads and hands of the guys around to spoil your shots.




PRICE AND VALUE FOR MONEY


Canon website says RRP for Canon 40D is £800, but Jessops says it's £629.99, and, what's more, you can claim £100 cashback from Canon! I only had a £50 cashback, but still it's a sweet deal. The closest models are Nikon D200, which is £749.99 @ Jessops, and maybe Pentax K20D which is £869.99. So it's cheapest in its class, and, to my opinion, of best performance.




FURTHER INVESTIGATION


You can find detailed specifications on official Canon website canon.co.uk. I also highly recommend dpreview.com as a trustful and reliable source of digital photography reviews. The 40D review can be found at www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos40d

Summary: An absolutely fantastic camera in terms of picture quality and value for money

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