I
was a long time owner of the Canon 10D which I quickly outgrew. Then, I
upgraded to the 20D and have been using it for the past few years. I
didn't think the 30D was a big enough step forward to warrant the
upgrade. Going from the 20D to the 40D is a big leap forward.
Unboxing the 40D is about the same as the other two DSLRs I've owned. Manuals in both spanish and english, plus software for MAC and PC. I got the "body only" package as I already own the 28-135mm lens. That lens is just **ok.** and I really didn't want a 2nd copy. The battery is the bp511A so I can use the already charged one from my 20D. The strap is the same as the 20D. The compact flash memory is the same as well, so I didn't need to buy any new accessories to upgrade.
The first thing you will notice is the big display on the back. It's very nice compared to the one on the 20D. Although, I'm constantly afraid that my titanium rimmed glasses will scratch the screen. The screen is so much closer to the viewfinder compared to the little one on my 20D. I think I'll look for a clear film cover that will shield it.
The controls are very similar to the 20D/30D. However, they are moved around a bit. The menu structure is very different and it will take some getting used to. The first thing I thought of was my old 10D... and how simple it was just due to the sheer lack of features. The 40D has so many that it would be tough for a beginner to get used to them all. It might be good for beginners who are a bit techno challenged to buy a cheaper, used DSLR to get used to using a simple model... then sell it and upgrade.
The camera feels so much more solid than my 20D. The little motor that pops up the flash sounds really solid compared to the old 20D. Even the shutter sounds terrific. Very quick and quiet. The old 10D had a nice shutter sound as well. the 20D always sounded like thrashing metal to me. To contrast, the Nikon DSLRs have a slow sounding swish to them... this one is tight and quick. The camera feels about the same in my hand. Although the lines are smoothed out a bit compared to the 20D.
I tried out the live preview feature and found it annoying since I'm used to looking through the viewfinder. I think I would like it much more if this was my first DSLR as a conversion from a point and shoot where you typically only use a "live view." The LCD is viewable at a strong angle so the live view may be usable for when the camera must be held at odd angles away from the body... like over a stream or something. This camera is heavier than a point-and-shoot and you need your face to help you hold it steady. I found myself a bit wobbly when I was holding it out using the live-view feature. You'll need a high shutter speed to keep from getting shaky looking pictures.
So, what about picture quality?? It's a 10mp camera so the pictures are big. I have a workhorse MacPro tower and it has no problem working on the 10-12MB pictures that this camera produces (.jpg processing for now). I'm happy to say that the focus is spot on in all of my sample pictures from 4 different lenses (17-40 f/4L, 28-135 IS zoom, 50mm f/1.4, 100mm macro). The DPP software can be used to edit raw files if you choose to use it. It works pretty well and it was very speedy on my MacPro. You also get direct access to picture styles from within the computer software so you don't have to worry about setting it in camera. The pictures look very nice. The colors are very accurate. at iso100 the pictures are so nice and smooth. My 50 and 100mm lenses make the most buttery out of focus areas on this camera.
******ALERT******
as of this writing(9-2-2007), Aperture, Finder, Preview, Photoshop CS3 (ACR4.1), and iPhoto do not support raw image files from the 40D. This was the case with the 10D when I first purchased it and it took a few months for APPLE and Adobe to deliver updates. I'm sure Canon are working hard with vendors to get their updates in the works. The good news is that there are settings for RAW+.jpg so you can have both files when the software updates come through. If you don't like being on the "bleeding" edge of technology, then wait a few months before you plunk down the cash for the 40D.
***** ALERT UPDATE *****
As of 9-13-07, Adobe has released Camera Raw updated 4.2 which now supports the Canon 40D.
As of 10-26-07, Apple's Aperture and Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard) support Canon 40D raw files.
Picture styles are easily accessed from a dedicated button on the camera. They allow you to make quick sets for defining different picture taking scenarios. It basically does some basic post-processing work in-camera to save time later. It worked really well. I found that pictures even up at 1600iso looked usable for every day stuff (e.g. not blown up too big.). ISO can be set in 1/3 stop increments which is new for me. having iso250 just seems weird but it's actually very handy. Gives you the ability to really tweak the settings to capture as much detail as possible in a high dynamic range image (like a sunset, or a backlit portrait without fill flash). I haven't taken side-by-side shots yet but it seems like the images are more detailed with a wider dynamic range than the 20D. Maybe this is the 14bit image processing from DigicIII at work?
The camera seems more responsive than the 20D. The menu scrolling seems faster, file writing seems about as fast (probably a faster rate but bigger file).
One of the neatest features is the custom C1, C2, and C3 dial positions. You can set these up to "remember" camera settings for quick access later on. They act like the memory buttons on luxury car seats! Very handy if you take really different kinds of shots. I go back and forth from Macro to Landscape all the time so I can quickly dial in my base set and go from there.
The vibration dust remover might be a cool feature. I can't feel the camera vibrate or hear it working, which is nice. Apparently it vibrates for 1 second whenever the camera is turned on or off. I changed this setting so that it's only triggered manually by me. I figured I could just use it when I need it rather than have it going all the time. .
Another of my favorite features is the spot meter. The 10D and 20D never had this feature. Apparently the 30D does, but this one is slightly higher weight at the center point. I tried it out and it works really well in combination with the AF point selectors.
So what do I hate about the 40D? I really hate the Auto White Balance setting for indoor shots. You want to be sure to set the camera manually when you are taking the 50millionth picture of your dog. Otherwise it'll be all yellow looking. Canon, can you fix that please?? If you set it manually it looks great.
SInce I like to do available light photography I like to use mirror lock-up. I wish there was a button for that as do many other people.
Canon finally has the iso setting in the viewfinder so we'll give Canon props for that.
My last gripe is that the display screen could have a bit higher resolution. It's nice and big but could have a denser pixel set for really checking out your work.
Overall I'm sure anyone would be happy with this camera if you are willing to spend the time to learn how to use it. If you are a beginner, don't expect to take magazine quality shots on day 1. Wait at least till day 2 :-)
I must say that Nikon did come out swinging this time. The newly announced D300 is quite the camera. It will be interesting to compare the Sony CMOS pics to those produced by Canon. Had I not had a bunch of Canon gear already I might have given up the extra dough for the Nikon. Nikon (Sony) blues and reds always seem too punchy to me but that's just my personal taste. My good friend has a Nikon D200 and his pictures are just beautiful out of that camera. The Nikon D300 has some wiz-bang features but I'm not sure I would take advantage of them... nor do I think they will directly result in better pictures. Spend the $500 bucks you'll save on a photography class and you'll have more fun, meet more people, and be taking better pictures at 3 months than if you start with a really fancy camera that you can't figure out how to use.
I'm hoping Canon has been spending some time re-inventing as Nikon have over the last couple of years. The good news is that all of these cameras take good pictures; however, you have to know how to use them. When I pick up my friends Nikon is seems all foreign to me and I feel out of my element. He makes the same comments when he uses my Canon.
Unboxing the 40D is about the same as the other two DSLRs I've owned. Manuals in both spanish and english, plus software for MAC and PC. I got the "body only" package as I already own the 28-135mm lens. That lens is just **ok.** and I really didn't want a 2nd copy. The battery is the bp511A so I can use the already charged one from my 20D. The strap is the same as the 20D. The compact flash memory is the same as well, so I didn't need to buy any new accessories to upgrade.
The first thing you will notice is the big display on the back. It's very nice compared to the one on the 20D. Although, I'm constantly afraid that my titanium rimmed glasses will scratch the screen. The screen is so much closer to the viewfinder compared to the little one on my 20D. I think I'll look for a clear film cover that will shield it.
The controls are very similar to the 20D/30D. However, they are moved around a bit. The menu structure is very different and it will take some getting used to. The first thing I thought of was my old 10D... and how simple it was just due to the sheer lack of features. The 40D has so many that it would be tough for a beginner to get used to them all. It might be good for beginners who are a bit techno challenged to buy a cheaper, used DSLR to get used to using a simple model... then sell it and upgrade.
The camera feels so much more solid than my 20D. The little motor that pops up the flash sounds really solid compared to the old 20D. Even the shutter sounds terrific. Very quick and quiet. The old 10D had a nice shutter sound as well. the 20D always sounded like thrashing metal to me. To contrast, the Nikon DSLRs have a slow sounding swish to them... this one is tight and quick. The camera feels about the same in my hand. Although the lines are smoothed out a bit compared to the 20D.
I tried out the live preview feature and found it annoying since I'm used to looking through the viewfinder. I think I would like it much more if this was my first DSLR as a conversion from a point and shoot where you typically only use a "live view." The LCD is viewable at a strong angle so the live view may be usable for when the camera must be held at odd angles away from the body... like over a stream or something. This camera is heavier than a point-and-shoot and you need your face to help you hold it steady. I found myself a bit wobbly when I was holding it out using the live-view feature. You'll need a high shutter speed to keep from getting shaky looking pictures.
So, what about picture quality?? It's a 10mp camera so the pictures are big. I have a workhorse MacPro tower and it has no problem working on the 10-12MB pictures that this camera produces (.jpg processing for now). I'm happy to say that the focus is spot on in all of my sample pictures from 4 different lenses (17-40 f/4L, 28-135 IS zoom, 50mm f/1.4, 100mm macro). The DPP software can be used to edit raw files if you choose to use it. It works pretty well and it was very speedy on my MacPro. You also get direct access to picture styles from within the computer software so you don't have to worry about setting it in camera. The pictures look very nice. The colors are very accurate. at iso100 the pictures are so nice and smooth. My 50 and 100mm lenses make the most buttery out of focus areas on this camera.
******ALERT******
as of this writing(9-2-2007), Aperture, Finder, Preview, Photoshop CS3 (ACR4.1), and iPhoto do not support raw image files from the 40D. This was the case with the 10D when I first purchased it and it took a few months for APPLE and Adobe to deliver updates. I'm sure Canon are working hard with vendors to get their updates in the works. The good news is that there are settings for RAW+.jpg so you can have both files when the software updates come through. If you don't like being on the "bleeding" edge of technology, then wait a few months before you plunk down the cash for the 40D.
***** ALERT UPDATE *****
As of 9-13-07, Adobe has released Camera Raw updated 4.2 which now supports the Canon 40D.
As of 10-26-07, Apple's Aperture and Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard) support Canon 40D raw files.
Picture styles are easily accessed from a dedicated button on the camera. They allow you to make quick sets for defining different picture taking scenarios. It basically does some basic post-processing work in-camera to save time later. It worked really well. I found that pictures even up at 1600iso looked usable for every day stuff (e.g. not blown up too big.). ISO can be set in 1/3 stop increments which is new for me. having iso250 just seems weird but it's actually very handy. Gives you the ability to really tweak the settings to capture as much detail as possible in a high dynamic range image (like a sunset, or a backlit portrait without fill flash). I haven't taken side-by-side shots yet but it seems like the images are more detailed with a wider dynamic range than the 20D. Maybe this is the 14bit image processing from DigicIII at work?
The camera seems more responsive than the 20D. The menu scrolling seems faster, file writing seems about as fast (probably a faster rate but bigger file).
One of the neatest features is the custom C1, C2, and C3 dial positions. You can set these up to "remember" camera settings for quick access later on. They act like the memory buttons on luxury car seats! Very handy if you take really different kinds of shots. I go back and forth from Macro to Landscape all the time so I can quickly dial in my base set and go from there.
The vibration dust remover might be a cool feature. I can't feel the camera vibrate or hear it working, which is nice. Apparently it vibrates for 1 second whenever the camera is turned on or off. I changed this setting so that it's only triggered manually by me. I figured I could just use it when I need it rather than have it going all the time. .
Another of my favorite features is the spot meter. The 10D and 20D never had this feature. Apparently the 30D does, but this one is slightly higher weight at the center point. I tried it out and it works really well in combination with the AF point selectors.
So what do I hate about the 40D? I really hate the Auto White Balance setting for indoor shots. You want to be sure to set the camera manually when you are taking the 50millionth picture of your dog. Otherwise it'll be all yellow looking. Canon, can you fix that please?? If you set it manually it looks great.
SInce I like to do available light photography I like to use mirror lock-up. I wish there was a button for that as do many other people.
Canon finally has the iso setting in the viewfinder so we'll give Canon props for that.
My last gripe is that the display screen could have a bit higher resolution. It's nice and big but could have a denser pixel set for really checking out your work.
Overall I'm sure anyone would be happy with this camera if you are willing to spend the time to learn how to use it. If you are a beginner, don't expect to take magazine quality shots on day 1. Wait at least till day 2 :-)
I must say that Nikon did come out swinging this time. The newly announced D300 is quite the camera. It will be interesting to compare the Sony CMOS pics to those produced by Canon. Had I not had a bunch of Canon gear already I might have given up the extra dough for the Nikon. Nikon (Sony) blues and reds always seem too punchy to me but that's just my personal taste. My good friend has a Nikon D200 and his pictures are just beautiful out of that camera. The Nikon D300 has some wiz-bang features but I'm not sure I would take advantage of them... nor do I think they will directly result in better pictures. Spend the $500 bucks you'll save on a photography class and you'll have more fun, meet more people, and be taking better pictures at 3 months than if you start with a really fancy camera that you can't figure out how to use.
I'm hoping Canon has been spending some time re-inventing as Nikon have over the last couple of years. The good news is that all of these cameras take good pictures; however, you have to know how to use them. When I pick up my friends Nikon is seems all foreign to me and I feel out of my element. He makes the same comments when he uses my Canon.
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