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Overall Rating
5 Star Review
Reviewed by: natureday
Updated:06-17-08
Duration of ownership:
Strengths: Youc an really see the picture you just took in the wide review on the back.
Weaknesses: It is heavy on my hikes, but a great weight.
Overall Evaluation: I love this camera, it was pretty spendy, but I have three kids and I need a good camera, I love it so much. I think Canon makes the best cameras of course!ANna
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Overall Rating
5 Star Review
Reviewed by: realshopmaster
Updated:02-28-08
Duration of ownership:3 Months
Strengths: 6 frames per second burst rate, anti-dust system, realtime LCD, low noise 10MP sensor, light weight, 1.6 crop
Weaknesses: low LCD resolution, could be put more cross type auto focus sensors
Overall Evaluation: I have owned the first generation Canon Digital Rebel, Canon 20D, Canon 5D and now 40D. I would say that 40D is the best 1.6 crop SLR from Canon. I used it along side with my 5D, mostly for sports where its 6 FPS bust rate and 1.6 crop are more advantageous than 5D. 40D has the same sensor density as Canon's top of the line Canon 1DS III. This means that you are actually shooting with Canon 1Ds III but with much smaller FOV. The camera is very well built. The only negative I have about it is that Canon could put more cross type auto focus sensors as well as better LCD on it just as Nikon did on the D300. I hope we can see these futures in the next product upgrade. Overall, I am extremely happy with it and would recommend to anyone who needs a SLR camera one step above the Canon 400D.
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Overall Rating
5 Star Review
Reviewed by: hw323
Updated:02-28-08
Duration of ownership:4 Months
Strengths: -Better, faster auto-focusing system-3" LCD"live-view" useful for certain applications, such as for macro work-updated menu system allows for quicker and easier navigation-bigger viewfinder
Weaknesses: 3 inch lcd has same resolution as the 30D's 2.5" screen, "weather-proofing" is not complete as with the 1-series bodies
Overall Evaluation: I have used this camera for about 4 months now and have been satisfied with its performance. The kit lens is an awesome all-around lens to use with the camera. Obviously, over time, you may want to upgrade to a faster lens, but I think the 28-135 IS kit lens will serve most people for a good amount of time, since it covers such a wide range, and having image stabilization doesn't hurt either. I use this camera mostly for photojournalism work, but I had recently brought it with me on a three week trip to Toronto, Niagra, New York city, DC, and Philadelphia. The 40D performed flawlessly. Many of my photos which were taken at night at 1600 ISO came out great after a bit of noise-reduction. Overall, I am very happy with this camera, but it is not perfect. Here are my nitpicky criticisms: Some of the newer features have yet to be tested to see any marked improvements, however, such as the DIGIC 3 chip. Another is the sensor cleaning system. Although I think it helps, I don't think it is a replacement for the actual cleaning of the sensor (by yourself, or by Canon, or whoever). New button layout - because of the bigger LCD screen, Canon had to move the playback, delete, info, etc.. buttons from the left side of the LCD to the bottom. I think Canon could have worked to leave it at the old location for two good reasons. For those who use the 40D as a second body, the different controls can be annoying when the other Canon bodies essentially have the same button layout. The other, more annoying problem, is when you hang the camera around your neck or shoulder. As you walk around, the camera bounces and the play button would be pressed, causing the screen to turn on, which drains the power unnecessarily. These are all pretty minor annoyances and should not be factors that deter anyone from buying a 40D. I love mine, and would recommend anyone to check one out.
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Overall Rating
5 Star Review
Reviewed by: jerenity
Updated:01-19-08
Duration of ownership:2 Days
Strengths: Price, feel, image quality
Weaknesses: rubber grip, battery compartment
Overall Evaluation: Being my first DSLR, I'm happy with what I've seen so far. There's really no reason to say what I like about it. With all of the cameras in this class, this one had the feature set I was looking for in a camera. And for all of it's features, they all work as advertised. And the price compared to others? That was just a bonus. The only issues I've had so far have to do with the rubber grip peeling away from the camera around the edges on the front and the compact flash card door feels likes its loose and makes a little noise in your hand. The built in flash isn't high enough to be used with close-up shots with longer lenses because it will cast a shadow from the lens. My only other issue is that in order to get rapid shooting at maximum capacity, you have to be in fairly good lighting. These are really the only issues I have with the camera and they're all minor. I can't see any reason to choose another camera in the same class over the 40D because of them. Overall, it's easy to recommend this camera to others if the 40D has the features you're looking for that are lacking in other brand's models.
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Overall Rating
5 Star Review
Reviewed by: 520
Updated:01-11-08
Duration of ownership:1 Months
Strengths: Accurate and fast AF, Improved High ISO performance, Live view function, 6fps, 3 inch LCD, interchangeable focusing screen
Weaknesses: Mediocre LCD quality
Overall Evaluation: I upgrade from 350D to 40D and I have to say this upgrade is huge. 1. The auto focus is always accurate and fast even you focus in a dark room or a subject with a strong backlit. This is a huge improvement especially for people like me who mainly shoot portaits.That benefits from the double f/2.8 focus lines which only exists in 40D not even in 5D!2. High ISO can be set to 3200 this is a 1 stop increase over 350D and 30D, plus under the same ISO, say, 800, this 40D's picture is clearly cleaner than 350D, but as this camera has a smaller image sensor than 5D, ISO performance is not as good as 5D obviously. I have never used 30D so I cann't comment on that.3.Live View is very useful for closeup shooting. It's really very very impresive how you can magnify the area you want to focus and adjust it. But you need a tripod if you shoot macro seriously.Otherwise the camera shake got amplified too and you couldn't get it focus corecttly. 4.The 6fps continuous shoot is a big plus over 30D and 5D, when you shoot a moving kid, you'll know how critically it is. And the focus of the moving object is also very quick, to be honest when the kid is running toward you, maybe only 2-4 shots out of 6 are on focus though. I am still learning how to improve that. It also relates to skill not purely depends on cameras.5. The 3 inch LCD is very good but not super good. The resolution cann't meet my satisification.6. This camera is the first in this class allows you to change focusing screen. I am going to order one and see how it helps focusing. After all, this is a great camera for this price, definitely recommend.
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Overall Rating
5 Star Review
Reviewed by: jmtpham
Updated:01-03-08
Duration of ownership:1 Weeks
Strengths: reasonable price, 6fps for sport, big LCD, faster EF points
Weaknesses: live view only works in creative mode with manual focus, still a crop camera
Overall Evaluation: Live view doesn't help much since you have to focus manually and in creative mode. I only find it is useful when I do some macrophotography. Shutter sound is a little more quiet compared to 20D and 30D. I still do not like the 1.6 crop factor on this camera. Overall, this is a great camera for DSLR beginner and those who enjoy photography as just a hobby.
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Overall Rating
5 Star Review
Reviewed by: overclockxp
Updated:01-02-08
Duration of ownership:
Strengths: Really Quiet Shutter, Huge LCD, Lots of new features
Weaknesses: Tiny On/Off Switch, PC Sync location, Auto ISO in Creative Zone
Overall Evaluation: The first thing I noticed is the 3? LCD. It takes up the entire back of the camera. I think 3 inches is the biggest LCD they can put on there without making it a 1D series sized camera. The 3? screen is a great size but still not enough resolution to really see if your shot was sharp or not. -So after getting over the huge LCD I put in the battery and went to turn it on. That?s when I was disappointed. The switch is small and much more recessed into the body than the 10D-30D. Granted I typically leave my camera on and let it go into hibernation but for switching to Manual mode the switch leaves a lot to be desired. The best switch was on the 10D.-After taking the first shot you?ll notice the shutter. The shutter on the 40D is much quieter than previous models. Even in high speed mode the shutter is quiet (in comparison to previous models). Many complaints have been made about the shutter sound of the 30D and especially the 20D. Now the shutter is motorized instead of on a spring so the motion is more controlled and thus quieter.-The menu layout is completely different and easier to navigate than the 30D and 20D. There are lots more settings to choose from than before. I?ll actually have to read the manual on this camera. So if you are ordering this camera be sure to download the manual from Canon while your new toy is in transit. You can even have the camera remember 3 different settings if you have situations you always use 1/60, f/2.8, ISO 800. Pretty cool. And there is even a My Menu where you can choose the most used items and put that in one menu. In my menu I have Quality and Format since those are the two most used items. Nice that they are in one place now.-Finally! The hotshoe for the external flash isn?t painted black! They left it unpainted, natural silver colored. The paint just rubs off anyways when putting on and taking off the external flash. Which I highly recommend getting to everyone. It will change your photos. And do a google search for bubble wrap diffuser while you?re at it. -The Live View feature is neat. The Live View function will not make the 40D a point and shoot camera. The camera doesn?t automatically focus while in Live View without the press of a button. It is mainly meant for macro shots and using a tripod. So don?t buy the 40D just for Live View. It did come in handy for framing a group shot but I deactivated it before taking the actual photo. -The 10.1 MegaPixel sensor is plenty for about 99.9999% of us. Many don?t understand megapixels. What do the vast majority of us do? We take a 10.1 MP picture and look at it on a 1024x768 monitor. That monitor is only 786,432 pixels; less than one megapixel. Or you might get a 4x6 printed. I have seen 5x7 prints that were great from a 1 megapixel camera. So don?t get too concerned about the 40D?s 10.1 MP and the competition with a 12 MP camera. You won?t notice the difference, ever. Usually the higher the MPs the more noise there is in the picture anyways. [/end of rant]-Image quality is of course excellent. I decided to give it a real test. My girls had a gymnastics class on a Saturday so I went to play with the new toy. I got out my Canon 70-200 2.8 (non-IS) and set the ISO on H (or 3200) and in Av mode set the aperture to 2.8. The pictures were awesome. Very usable right out of the camera. And high speed drive mode is fast and quiet. 6.5 frames per second rocks! Warning: When paired with a huge lens you will receive many comments from people that just don?t understand.-When I got into digital photography I really wanted to get backdrops and lights. I finally did and the quality of the photos went thru the roof. But this is my second complaint about the 40D, the location of the PC Sync terminal. I?m afraid I will break off the rubber cover it is so high. I liked the location of the PC terminal on the 30D. But if you don?t ever plan on having a studio setup then don?t worry about this.-One of the things that I liked on paper about the 40D was the Auto ISO setting in the creative zone. Well liking it was only on paper after all. I went on a cruise and was planning for the next day?s shots on Puerto Rico and set the ISO to Auto and just planned on keeping the camera in P mode. So I was at the fort El Morro taking the most beautiful shots of the fort overlooking the ocean when I went to review some and noticed that the ISO was 400 while in the Auto mode. It was bright sunlight and didn?t need to be that high. ISO 100 would have worked the best to have as little noise as possible. The pictures came out great but I would have picked much different settings. So like Live View won?t make the 40D into a P&S neither will Auto ISO in the creative zones.-As for the 28-135 I sold it because I already have that range covered. Some really like or even love the lens. It is a great range and the IS is helpful if you know how to use it properly.
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Overall Rating
5 Star Review
Reviewed by: gladiatorbk
Updated:12-20-07
Duration of ownership:3 Weeks
Strengths: Everything
Weaknesses: None
Overall Evaluation: I debated long and hard whether to buy the 40D, the XTI, or the Nikon D40X. In the end, I chose the 40D and I am sure glad I did. One of my main reasons for buying this camera is that I felt as if it was the latest in technology and I did not have to worry about my camera being outdated in a year. This camera is lightning fast and takes excellent pictures. It feels like a real camera and not a piece of plastic like the XTI and D40X. The camera is also easy to use. I took it out of the package, charged the battery, and was ready to shoot. I have a 3 yr old and a 6 month old, so I have willing subjects every moment of the day.
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Overall Rating
5 Star Review
Reviewed by: twilbur
Updated:12-14-07
Duration of ownership:
Strengths: Stunning qualityFantastic rapid-fire shots
Weaknesses: My skills
Overall Evaluation: We picked up the Canon 40D as our first DSLR. Were it not for a love of short-track speed skating, we would have made do with a much simpler choice like the XTi. But we picked this camera for its greater ability to take rapid-fire shots (6.5 shots/sec).Even with minimal skills, this camera takes AMAZING photos. The simplest photos are so rich and show such detail I can't ever imaging going back to a point-and-shoot.After a couple weeks of learning, we're getting better, but this camera is still better than us. We'll keep working on it.
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Overall Rating
5 Star Review
Reviewed by: neofantasy
Updated:12-12-07
Duration of ownership:
Strengths: 9 pts focusing, 3"LCD, sensor cleaning
Weaknesses: not full frame
Overall Evaluation: best made among APS camera and great for DSLR newbies!I would always recommend Canon DSLR since their midrange and telephoto lens toppled others which you often need for stage or studio portrait.
