Canon EOS 40D Review and Sample Photos
I just picked up my brand new Canon EOS 40D today, courtesy Discount Digital Photographics in North Sydney. There has been a lot of speculation, information and misinformation about this enigmatic new digital SLR from Canon. Superseding the EOS 20D and 30D models, the Canon EOS 40D features all the latest and greatest innovations from Canon. I won’t go into detail on these features (you can read a Canon EOS 40D specification here and the official Canon 40D press release here); rather, I set up this page to give you readers a subjective review of my first impressions of the camera with some sample images. What I will say though is I am eager to test out the new Live View feature which lets you see exactly what the lens is seeing, but on the giant 3 inch LCD rather than through the viewfinder. I am also keen to test out the 3 custom function settings on the EOS 40D dial as well as the reportedly excellent high-ISO performance.
First impressions:
- The Canon EOS 40D feels so much more solid and sturdy in my hands. A girl at work said it was too big and that she would go for a 400D instead. Personally I have no trouble handling it, though being a wedding photographer I may find the weight takes some getting used to versus my 350D.
- Even after handling both cameras for just an hour or so, the 350D feels like a little toy. The build is lighter and feels more fragile (though it may not be - it’s lasted me 2 years with barely a scratch), the LCD screen is laughably smaller and dimmer, and it weighs a lot less. If I’m going travelling I may think twice about taking the 40D in favour of the 350D, but the weight would be the only reason. Look at the size difference between the LCDs:
- The 3 inch LCD on the 40D is bright and large and fits the histogram and detailed photo information while still keeping the thumbnail image very viewable. It blows away the LCD on the 350D.
- The shutter noise on the Canon EOS 40D is quite different to the 350D. It’s not your traditional shutter noise; it’s more of a percussiony plastic on plastic “slap”. It’s a bit quieter than the 350D and I think it would be less intrusive - a boon for wedding photographers like me.
Here are some sample photos at various ISOs - for these tests I used the Canon 50mm/1.4 with manual focus trying to keep focus on the big blue “N” on the side of the shoe. I used Live View on the 40D with 10x magnification to help with focus. Some of the sneaker shots on the 350D are slightly out of focus - this is a real testament to the Live View and zoom capabilities of the 40D. I was able to focus with absolute precision on the part of the subject that I wanted. Truly a revolutionary feature in my opinion, if you are shooting stationary subjects.
For the 40D shots, I set Av to 1.4 and noted the shutter speed as I increased the ISO. The “Neutral” picture style was selected. I then used full manual on the 350D to match the ISO, aperture and shutter speed. All shots were taken using the “Tungsten” white balance setting on both cameras. I shot full size JPEG with both cameras (I don’t have time to shoot and process RAW right now, especially without support from my beloved Adobe Lightroom). No post-processing at all was done. Note: when you click through the photos on Picasa, click the little magnifying glass in the top right corner and wait a little while for the full size image to load (the images are around 4 megs each).
View Canon 40D versus Canon 350D/Digital Rebel photos on Picasa
My conclusions on these preliminary tests:
- At ISO 100, the shots are very similar. Noise is minimal, although the 40D does appear to have slightly less noise
- At ISO 800, there is SIGNIFICANTLY less noise in the 40D image. There are less “coloured pixel” artifacts and the background blur gradients are very smooth. Yes, the 350D shot is darker than the 40D which may contribute to the noise - that’s your call.
- At ISO 1600, this is a bit strange - there seems to be no massive difference in noise between the two photos. The noise pattern looks the same, and the in focus areas exhibit equal sharpness. Maybe you see it differently. However, taking into account the extra 2MP of resolution on the 40D, the similar noise is quite impressive.
- At ISO 3200, the EOS 40D absolutely rocks! In the past, images at this kind of high ISO were useless - as you can see from the test shots, ISO3200 images are more than just usable - they’re sharp, have a very “clean” noise profile (if that makes sense) and I’m sure would print fine. This to me is a god-send as I’m often shooting inside churches and at concerts. Nice job, Canon!
I’ll take the Canon EOS 40D out to the Indian festival in Castle Hill on Sunday and cut loose with lots of different styles of photos at various focal lengths. I will post my shots and thoughts from the day if you guys are interested.
I’d love to hear your comments on these tests as my eyes are of course different to yours.
September 1st, 2007 at 2:01 pm
AWSOME!
Just what I was looking for real photos from a real photographer with a real feel for the camera.
I have a Digital Rebel XTi right now and I’m either getting the 40D or waiting for a 6D just not sure.
THoughts?
Grant
September 3rd, 2007 at 10:30 pm
Hey Grant, I took this camera out to an Indian festival last weekend to give it a test drive. It is truly a phenomenal camera - I was taking photos of a fast-moving dancer in a very poorly lit hall and at ISO1600 with my 50mm/1.4 lens at f1.8 I was getting around 1/400th of a second i.e. frozen motion! Photos are tack-sharp too with super smooth gradations of tones. High ISO performance is off the charts. If you want samples from it just shoot me an email.
I think if you are worried about funds, just get the 40D now - you won’t be disappointed. It’s a fraction of the price.
September 8th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
Hi Jatin
Liked your preliminary review of the 40D. I am contemplating upgrading from from 20D and would love to see photos at hioh ISO’s of the indian festival.
regards mate
Michael
September 9th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Good review!
Glad i bought one now, will have it on tuesday.
Wasnt thinking it would be much of an upgrade from the 400D, but after looking at those shots…
As a landscape photog, the lie view is really going to come in handy, though there are warnings about the sensor over heating.
I think it’s nice just to have a little conformation about my purchase!
Plus, and this is a first, the Americans get this AFTER us Aussies
Cheers
Ev
September 13th, 2007 at 8:54 pm
I too use a 350D and have just ordered a 40D. Do you notice much difference in the viewfinder size and brightness… one thing i really miss from the old film days is the size of the image you see.
N.
September 13th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
Nigel, when I first put my eye to the 40D’s viewfinder I did notice a difference. Everything seemed to be brighter and clearer, and it seemed like I could see more of the scene. I can’t compare between a full frame like the 5D because I’ve never used one, but the difference is noticeable.
September 14th, 2007 at 9:15 am
Hi Jay
Thanks for the reply. Can’t wait til mine arrives…
Great reveiw by the way.
N
September 22nd, 2007 at 4:29 am
The 40D shots are darker than the 350D (At the same ISO)
September 25th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
How does professional photographer feels about using a live view on the job? The live view to me just don’t give that professional image when someone where to watch you shoot. I know it is not about what it looks on the outside, but sometimes it’s important how people precieve. Maybe it will be one of those things in time we will get used to everyone, even professionals, using a live view.
September 26th, 2007 at 12:56 am
Hi Tammy,
I have not shot any weddings with the 40D yet, but from my at-home testing with live view I think for 95% of shots I’d still use the viewfinder for accuracy and speed, and use live view for the “detail” shots, e.g. shoes, rings, dress detail. I think it will help me get the focus just right and play with focussing on different parts of the subject.
I don’t think live view would be useful for general shots because the LCD is not as clear and accurate as the viewfinder - I would be very surprised if it replaced the viewfinder in general photography.
September 27th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Hi Jay,
Thanks for your reply.
December 12th, 2007 at 6:55 am
i just bought a canon 40d and tell me this you cant use af while using live view is this true , how do i focus on car racing if i have to manual focus very akward
December 20th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
Hi,
I’m thinking of buying a 40D but have one concern. I heard that the focus in low-light is slow. I shoot performances in theater and music halls and need a quick focus to catch an expression or “moment”. Have you found this slow focus a problem or not?
thanks,
Rixanne
January 6th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
I would appreciate some guidance. I have a new 40D. I’d like to know which setting are the best for taking the “sharpest” photos. Would very much
appreciate your feedback. Thank you! G Buie
January 9th, 2008 at 8:45 am
Hi G,
I think it would be a good idea for you to read up more on “depth of field” in photography and how adjusting the aperture affects sharpness and in-focus areas. The best setting depends more on the lens you use, and less on the camera itself.
January 9th, 2008 at 8:48 am
Hi Rixanne,
I haven’t had a problem with slow focus in low light - if you’re using a quality lens (Canon L or the 50mm/1.4 which is my main lens) then slow focussing won’t be an issue. I have found focussing to be slightly faster in the center, but the corner focus points are very quick too.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:39 am
I just bought a 40D and very new to photography. I understand that ISO 3200 is available but not sure not to set it. Been browsing the settings in the camera and didn’t manage to find it. Would you mind showing me how it’s set?
tq
January 29th, 2008 at 7:25 am
Melvin, go to “Custom Functions” and find “ISO Expansion” and set it to on. Then you’ll be able to dial your ISO up to 3200.
January 29th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Jay, i’ve turn the ISO expansion on as directed by the manual but couldn’t dial more than ISO 1600. Could there be something wrong with my camera?
January 29th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
I’ve manage to set ISO to 3200. The problem at first is that i activated the highlight tone priority. After i disable that, i was able to set the ISO to 3200.
thx for the help and advice.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:49 am
hey jay…
mate i also do wedding photography and just recently bought a 50mm 1.4, what sort of speed are we talking about with the 40d inside at iso3200, i just know that dimmly lit churches on an overcast day really do push the limits of “tack” sharpness, i shoot with a 20d at the moment and am really trying yo convince myself that this will be my no1 body and be able to put the 20d in the bag as a backup…
thanks a heap
benny
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:56 am
Hey Benny,
I’m not sure if the 20d goes as high as ISO3200, but obviously you’ll get another stop of light going from 1600 to 3200. with a 40d at f2 at iso3200 i think you could safely get 1/80 to 1/100. I’ve honestly never had to take it up to 3200 for church interiors, but maybe I’ve never had a really dark church to work with. Most people don’t mind if you use a flash with bounce card or diffuser for the critical shots anyway - nobody’s ever pulled me up on it.
Hope this helps.
Jay
May 3rd, 2008 at 1:08 am
Hi Jay,
I’m trying to decide between buying a 40D or the 400D. I plan to take my new camera with me when I travel, and will also use it for landscape etc shots.
I’ve read reviews saying that the 400D has some improvements over the 350D. I’m new to photography, and I’m just wondering if you think the 350D or 400D are suitable as a first dSLR? Or if the 40D is worth the extra expense as it is such a good camera?
Keen to hear your thoughts.
Thanks,
Helen
May 5th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Hi Helen,
The 400d and 40d are both excellent cameras. I’ve used both and in my opinion it’s worth the few hundred dollars extra to get the 40d. Why?
- I’ve found that the 40d produces superior images at all ISOs - the gradation of tones is very smooth, and the noise is well controlled
- The LCD is huge - this is a huge advantage as lets you see your photos more clearly to check for focus, and lets you view the RGB and light histogram all in the one place, which I imagine would be handy for landscapes to make sure nothing is clipping
- quiet shutter - this will be useful when travelling in case you’re trying to take shots of people unaware. the difference in shutter sound between the 400d and 40d is like night and day.
- focal point joystick - this is my favourite. on the 40d there’s a little joystick at the back which, when flicked in a direction or ‘clicked’ will set the focus point to that side. this means that if you have a subject to one side of the frame you can just flick the joystick to that side and it will focus there (so you don’t have to focus/recompose).
there are lots more advantages of the 40d over the 400d like live view and picture styles - but for me the better image quality and low light performance are worth the price alone.
HTH
Jay