Canon EOS 40D Review

This camera just feels right!!! Its controls are in the right spots (with the exception of the on/off switch). The magnesium alloy body is rock solid leaving you with a reassuring feeling that this bad boy can take a licking. I found the menu quite easy to follow & intuitive. Despite its weight, the camera is well balanced… even with a lens attached. Picture quality is top notch. Even though it utilizes a 10.1 megapixel sensor, it does so with improvements in the microclines design on the sensor & a better processing engine for improved images & performance… not to mention 14 bit processing. The addition of dust removal is a welcome addition & should prove worthy. Although Canon claims weatherproofing, it is limited to specific areas of the camera & not throughout the camera body as the Nikon d300 has. But it’s also $500 to $600 less than the Nikon!!! That’s the price of an additional lens. Its shutter has also been upgraded to pro levels with a durability rating of 100,000 cycles… not bad. Additionally, the mirror mechanism has been improved with the elimination of the spring mechanism, replaced by a “servo” motor making it much quieter. Overall, the shutter sound has become much quieter & just sounds “professional”. The pentaprism is gorgeous… very bright giving you the added capability to focus with very little, if any, difficulty. Some people have complained about the positioning of the DOP button. They keep insisting that it belongs on the right side of the lens. Personally, I like it just where it is. My left index finger falls right where the button is… for me it’s “right on”.

I’m not into “Live View” & don’t use it so I’ll reserve judgment on this. But I can say that the new 3″ LCD screen is extremely bright. Despite its lower resolution compared to the Nikon d300, I found it to be quite satisfactory in reviewing images & reading the menu. The increase in size, for me anyway, was more important than greater resolution. Bottom line: If you’re looking for great value in a”prosumer” camera, this is it. It’s a lot of “Bang” for your “Buck” & should give you years of service & awesome pictures.

Rating: 9 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.

My Canon 40D has taken great pictures but I’m alittle dissapointed with the autofocus on this camera. I came from the 20D which worked fine for me. I took the 40D out & started taking pitcures. What the heck, they were all blurry. I took some that following week at another location and some of those were off too. Took some more recently and a fair percentage of those as well were out of focus. No rhyme or reason. Using a tripod indoor pitcures. I’m dissapointed. Don’t know if I can really on this camera to take the can’t miss photo. I’ll have to talk some more to the camera expert.

Rating: 7 :: 0 out of 0 people found this user review helpful.