Canon EOS 40D, the wait is over

by Oscar Colorado

When the 30D arrived, many felt disappointed with a merely evolutionary approach. The general consensus was that the 20D was a great camera without too much to improve. Now, a new generation of the semi-pro entry level family has arrived.

When I first received the 40D I wanted to try it and rush in a quick review. I didn't because it is just so easy to get caught by the "new toy" enthusiasm. So I have been using the 40D as much as I can to share with you my experience. I've tried the 40D from shooting a Formula 1 to making product photographs, producing images of architecture and taking the camera to the darkest places. Since PhotoAficionado.com first published this article we've been continuously using the 40D and I am updating this review constantly.

A Quantum Leap from the 20D

The new EOS 40D is a big step from the 30D and a quantum leap from the 20D. In the outside little has changed, except from a hungry -yet beautiful- 3" LCD battery-eater monitor.  Although the real changes are in the inside, you’d notice that something is really different from the moment you hold this new dSLR: it's heavier, slightly (just slightly) larger and the overall grip is much better. If you see the 30D and the 40D side by side, they are almost identical, but they feel quite different. The grip's rubber on the 40D is more rugged and feels very solid. Although the 30D is a magnesium alloy camera you can feel it with the 40D. The 30D feels like a very well constructed camera; well, the 40D feels even better. Now you are in a higher league. If you are currently using a Rebel (XT or XTi) let me tell you that when you hold a 40D you'll feel like Nirvana is really close. (Well... maybe not that much, but is such a great feeling!)

Live View

Live View is just like a magnet, but you won't actually use it that much in every day photography. First, if you use it a lot your battery will run down faster than a 1968 Corvette gasoline tank. You'll definitely need a couple of spare batteries. Second, it doesn't look that good under the bright sun. Third, the 40D is not your average silver-digicam that is feather-weighted, so when framing at arms distance they will hurt big time. All that said you’d find the Live View feature excellent for product photography. If you connect the camera to your computer via an USB cable you'll see a giant live view and that's superb for studio work. If you use the 5x and 10x zoom to focus you'll have a more accurate manual focus than doing it via the optical viewfinder. It is also great to have grid lines; they are really useful for architecture photographs.

The Live View feature is pretty useful for difficult angles, either very low or very high.

Macro Capabilities. We've been using the 40D for close-up photography (check our Macro-Scope feature) and we are really impressed. The Live View is invaluable. The 5x and 10x manual focus zoom is superb for really tiny objects and precise focusing. With the EF 100mm f/2.8 lens and the MR-14EX ring flash the 40D is a top choice for close-up photography. Although you have to pay your toll of battery life, the Live View is worth it. The 40D is great for the close-up photographer trying to find creative points of view. The 40D feels very solid with a large lens like the EF100mm mounted on a tripod. Check our macro gallery at the end of the review.

ISO setting and noise issues

I'm not a big fan of flash, I prefer natural light (or natural darkness, if you like): it has more personality. The 40D has a built-in pop-up flash. I was surprised that it is both accurate and the results are better than your average in-camera flash. Even having this feature I opt for natural light and that means going high on ISO settings, so it is a big deal for me.

The first improvement I found was that the ISO setting button is at the right, very near to your finger and just millimeters away from the shutter button. You can see the ISO sensitivity all the time in the viewfinder and in the top LCD screen. Now, the thing regarding natural light is that you need faster lenses but also low noise performance.

The 40D behaves very well in the low-noise department. At first I thought that the 30D was much better handling noise. I pixel peeped my first 40D's photos and I thought, "No, it's not as good as the 30D and miles away from the 5D", but I was wrong. Here you can see a comparison of the 30D and the 40D side by side at 100% size. The 40D is a very good a performer at high ISO settings, especially if you turn on the in-camera noise reduction.

>> Open here the comparison between the 30D and the 40D at ISO 200 to ISO 1600

If you compare the noise levels of the 40D with any compact camera it's obvious that this is an advanced camera that is excellent for low light situations. Most compact camera show noise even at ISO 200.

As you could see in the comparison with the 30D there is less noise, but also less detail. Since both sequences were shot in RAW format, the camera processor had nothing to do with the lack of sharpness. It is true that the softness is noticeable at 100% when pixel-peeping, but it is not an issue when printing even reasonably big copies. Also it is possible to improve sharpness with obstreperous software or, if when using JPG, changing the picture style with improved sharpness will do the trick.

Interface

I have greatly enjoyed the new interface of the 40D. It's not only inside the menus, but the buttons function and placement is more intuitive. Although this camera is a semi-pro model, you'll find pre-sets for sports, portrait, close subjects, night shoot, landscape, a fully automatic mode and a no-flash auto mode. It's like having Point and Shoot capabilities. But when you get into the "creative" zone, then the camera spreads its wings. You can personalize virtually every parameter and here it is a great difference from an entry level like the Rebel XTi. Do you want to go extreme with the ISO levels? Use ISO 3200. Are you shooting a fast moving object? Take advantage of the 6.5 frames per second continuous shooting (oh, what a feeling to use it!) Do you want to let the camera process your images? Choose the proper Picture Style. Do you want to be in full command? Use manual mode and RAW format files. Are RAW files too big? Choose sRAW format. You can't do that with an entry level Rebel XTi.

The right camera for the right situation

The 40D let's you decide what kind of photo you want. If you favor realism just set the camera to auto mode and select "faithful" picture set and you are done: instant reality. But if you prefer to have a formalist approach, where the camera itself alters the photo to make an statement, then choose a picture style (like monochrome) and set it at your taste: instant formalist approach. And, what if you want to go creative? May be you want an expressionistic photo, almost an abstract image: go manual, frame your shoot, choose RAW file for extreme post production results. The 40D adapts wonderfully to just any photographic style or situation you want. Although this is not a 40D exclusive feature it's good to have it.

40D and Realism	40D and Formalism
40D and Expressionism

Image Quality

Image quality is extremely good. The bottom line of any camera is image quality, and the 40D produces excellent photographs. You may not see a quantum leap if you have a Rebel XTi, but the new Digic III processor makes a better job. You'll benefit from the new 14-bit Analog/Digital converter because each pixel records 16,384 colors (compare that with the 30D's 4,096 colors of its 12-bit A/D converter). A 14-bit A/D converter will result in more accurate color and smoother gradation. Check the 30D vs 40D Gallery (opens a new window).

If you use the in-camera processing for JPGs you’ll notice how good this new “brain” is: blazing fast, color rendering is accurate, and the Picture Styles is like changing the film in an analog camera. For the RAW format users this feature is not quite useful, but for the entry-level Aficionados it's like changing the film on analog cameras. It is true that results using picture styles are less than dramatic.

Customization

One thing that makes the 40D such a powerful camera is customization. With relatively few buttons (you'll find more on the PowerShot S5), you'll have to dig into the menus for most advanced features. The "My Menu" setting allows you to choose six parameters for instant access. With such an impressive array of features, I would like ten or more "May Menu" parameters. And you have not one, or two but three customizable settings at the Mode Dial. When you program a custom mode you can record everything: from mirror lockup to ISO setting, picture style, all is right there almost instantly.

Performance

When photographing extreme subjects you need top speed and performance. This camera is aimed to both enthusiasts, but also professionals: from photojournalist to researchers to serious amateurs. The 40D performance is truly remarkable. Every operation in the cameras is incredibly fast. The exposure is much more precise than the Rebel XTi's that tends to underexpose (at least mine).

6.5 frames per second. Yes, people stare at you when shooting at this speed. It's like arriving on a Ferrari to the club. This is a superb feature for sport and fast moving subjects photography. Regarding continuous shooting time and frames recorded don't get too excited: it depends on the speed of your card, the ISO setting, the shooting speed, the file format and the size of your images, the weather, humidity, political ambient, holidays... Did you read the tiny little letters? We guess not...

Other features:

- Highlight tone priority. It is supposed to reduce highlight clipping. The difference is subtle, at best, and disables ISO 3200.

- sRAW mode. If you don't plan printing big copies, the sRAW format allows you to have smaller files.

- Dust control technology. Oh, this is a feature that made many photographers buy a Rebel XTi instead of a 30D. Dust is the curse, nightmare and nemesis of any dSLR camera, and it is unavoidable. The dust removal feature on the Rebel XTi is now included with the 40D and it is very good to have it. You can't get rid of the dust, but the 40D controls it efficiently. I've been changing lenses constantly with the 40D and I haven't found any dust on the sensor. In comparison, my 30D has dust on the sensor even trying to be extra-careful when changing lenses.

An object by itself

All what I said before is, in one way or another, utilitarianism. We use the 40D. But we rarely remember that, as photographers, most of us just go crazy with cameras. That’s the reason we buy tons of accessories, glasses and enjoy having a little (or large) camera collection. What about the 40D? Does it belong to your shelves? How much would you enjoy a camera like this?

The 40D is a practical camera, which means function triumphed over style. It is not revolutionary, not even evolutionary regarding design; it’s the same thing as the 30D but with a big 3” LCD sensor. You can say that the 40D style is “a timeless classic”, that is the same as saying “Canon guy’s at design room didn’t want to risk anything”.

This is a camera made to last. The weather sealing at the door and memory card doors have been improved as well as the hot shoe. The sealing is not as good as the professional grade Canon cameras, but is a good addition.

It may look practically the same as the 30D, but yes, the 40D is a pleasure by itself.

Conclusion

The two extra mega pixels don’t make much of a difference. But there's almost no specification that the Canon guys left untouched. Almost everything is improved, so the 40D is much more than just extra mega pixels.

For Rebel users, this is one major upgrade. For 30D users, enjoy your camera for a while, and jump into the 40D when you feel you really need the new specs. If you are a pro and own something like a 5D you'll find the in 40D a great back up body. If this is your first dSLR, do your homework and check other brands before buying the 40D; it's a great camera, but it is not alone in the entry level semi-pro arena (and by that we mean: check the Nikon D300, yet keep in mind that this rival is more expensive).

Overall, I am very satisfied with the 40D. It is a remarkable camera with no significant flaws. It has great image quality, plenty of bells and whistles, highly customizable and with a remarkably bang-for-the-buck ratio. This camera is just grand.

The bottom line

Canon 40D Photo Galleries

From cars to portraits and historic places, take a look of what the Canon 40D is capable of.

Formula 1 (R27 ING-Renault) Post processed images
Cars (TM) Movie Post processed images	Mixcoac (Mexico City) Unprocessed images Lens: Canon EF-S 17-85 IS USM
Universidad Panamericana (Mexico City) Unprocessed images Lens: Canon EF-S 10-22 USM	Nifty Fifty Unprocessed images Canon EOS 40D Lens: EF 50mm f1.8 mark II, EF50mm f1.4 US & EF 50mm f1.2 L USM
30D vs 40D vs 5D Unprocessed images Lens: Canon EF 24-105L IS USM	>> MACRO GALLERY: 40D with Ring Flash Gallery >> MACRO GALLERY: 40D with Lowel Ego Gallery