There are plenty of technical articles out there covering all of the details and specs and differences with the EOS 40D. I think this camera is going to be one of the most significant cameras of the coming year, so I am going to go over a few of my experiences with it, now that I have had one for a week.

I upgraded from a EOS 30D. Much like the 30D, the 40D has a solid feel with its rubberized coating around the magnesium chassis. It feels great in the hands and is a pleasure to hold. I loved the feel of my 30D, and the 40D is very similar.

The first and most obvious difference is the 3″ screen. It really is a pleasure to have such a large, bright display. The angle of view is better than the 20D by far, as it retains both color and brightness much better at an angle. This is by far the best “chimping” display I have ever had on a camera, with the exception of the iPhone. And the larger size lets others “chimp” from a little further back, giving you some needed space.

The next real obvious change is the menu system. Those who have used the new Canon Mark IIIs will see that the 40D uses the same new menu structure. It takes a little getting used to, but it is definitely better organized than the 20D/30D menus. I personally think the icons across the top of the menu could be done a little nicer (they are too simple), but the structure is truly better. With a little more experience, I should be able to fly through the settings.

You can’t help but notice the new, built in sensor cleaner on this camera as an animated message displays to the screen every time you turn the camera on and off telling you it is cleaning your machine. It gives me a warm feeling all over. Like most, I hate dirty sensors and am very hopeful this will keep my sensor and picture clean.

Eddie Perlas, a friend of mine who is a photographer for the San Diego Chargers, among other sporting subjects, shoots the new 1D Mark III. After playing with my 40D for a little, he was quite convinced that the 40D was the next camera to put in his arsenal. He kept pointing out how similar the 40D was to the EOS 1D Mark III… the screen size, the menus, new features like Highlight Tone Priority, the Auto Focus button in the top right and all of the customizable features.

Interestingly enough, he explained the Highlight Tone Priority feature and how it helps recover lots of details in what would otherwise be blown out white areas on a photo (like white shirts in sunlight) and I turned that feature on. That led to a new problem: later that night we were shooting the Tall Ships coming into Dana Point Harbor and we couldn’t get the ISO to go below 200 without going to the new “Auto” setting. It was really frustrating. When I got home, I looked it up and found that when you turn on Highlight Tone Priority in the 40D, ISO 200 is the lowest you can go. Good to know.

So, the main differences we found between the EOS 1D Mark III ($4,000) and the EOS 40D ($1,300) were:

a) 10fps on the 1D Mark III vs 6.5fps on the 40D
b) No built-in flash on the Mark III
c) Shutter sounds a lot different (and quieter) on the 40D
d) The Mark III has 2 media card slots – CF and SD

Now, there are a few more differences than those above, but these were the only major ones we really noticed on first use. Over all, the 6.5fps vs. 10fps isn’t a huge difference except in very specific situations. The built-in flash and quieter shutter are a nice advantage on the 40D. Overall, the EOS 1D Mark III is only a slight improvement over the 40D for certain users. The 40D is really going to cut into Canon’s perceived Mark III market.

Like the 1D Mark III, the 40D has the Live View feature. Live View flips the mirror out of the way and lets you view through the lens on the 3″ screen. It takes a few steps to set up, and I am truly not that impressed with this feature. The first reason is that there is no auto focus when you use it. You have to manually focus, which to me defeats some of the purpose of using this feature to stand back and get a nice visual on the scene. You end up putting your face right up to the screen to make sure you are manually focusing properly and it takes a lot of time. For landscapes and still life and studio shots… maybe it would be nice. But the second issues is that this function supposedly heats the sensor, and heat is the enemy to good, low-noise/artifact photos and sensor life. I admit it is cool to show off, but not a real convenient feature as implemented.

So, as nobody had any EOS 40D bodies in stock on intro day, I decided to buy the EOS 40D kit from BestBuy ($1,499) as they got 2 in on the first day. I really didn’t need a new lens, but the kit was only $200 more than the body alone. After opening the kit, I was surprised by the quality of the included lens. It is an EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens, and for $200 more, give me a break! I cannot believe this lens costs only $200 more. It may not be the fastest lens, but the IS is said to give you back at least a stop due to good stabilization. I played around for a bit and was pleasantly surprised by the results. It’s a very universal range lens for everyday, outdoor shooting (I say this as I like faster glass for indoor shooting). And looking at how close the glass is to the front of this lens, a lens hood would have been nice to add to the box.

By the way, my BG-E2 vertical grip works just great on the 40D. The only differences between it and the new BG-EN2 grip are that that it has a rubber seal around the battery door and it has an Auto Focus button on the corner like the 40D and Mark III bodies do. However, I am really waiting for the WTF-E3/E3A wireless grip as the ability to send photos to a laptop or a USB drive is a feature I have wanted for years.

As for complaints, I have a couple… the first being that new out of the box there was a spec of dirt in the viewfinder and I will have to send it to Canon service to get this removed. Fortunately, Canon service is about 3 miles from me. Second, the camera actually crashed on me. As I was writing this article, <1 week after purchase, 1.0.3 firmware installed, I powered the camera on and it wouldn’t shoot or display anything on the screen. I could not get a menu or view an image. I turned it off and on, and I replaced the CF card. I finally had to remove the battery and re-insert it to reset the camera. I hope not to see this issue again, especially not at a shoot.

The one last thing I am truly waiting for is by far the hardest to live without… RAW support for applications like Adobe LightRoom. I know it’s coming, but it’s just so hard to wait when RAW is such a part of your daily workflow.

Overall, I am happy with my upgrade from the EOS 30D to the EOS 40D. The resolution and screen size made it worth the purchase price. I truly believe that this is the best current camera on the market in this price range. I am sure I will get my use out of it.

For fun, here are a few photos I have taken in the first week with my new 40D.

Maurice Naragon
Digital Creations
Website Development and Marketing
Professional Photography in Orange County, CA

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