Digital Trends

Canon EOS 40D February 19th, 2008 | by David Elrich

Testing and Use

To get the feel of the camera, I started in Auto with resolution set to JPEG fine (3888x2592 pixels). Even though the 40D is capable of 6.5 frames per second the camera was in single shot mode. No need to set the device to rapid fire—yet. This mid-range D-SLR felt extremely comfortable even though it’s rather hefty. I did some shooting indoors and out for a time. The AF response was excellent with little hunting for tack sharp images. But like the alcoholic Ray Milland in the The Lost Weekend, the camera’s 6.5 frame-per-second burst mode was beckoning me like a bottle of Fleischman’s rye whiskey (who said Raymond Chandler was dead?). Enough with the metaphors—I couldn’t wait to put the 40D into full burst mode. When I did the response was amazing. Standard 3 fps second D-SLRs are much more responsive than any point-and-shoot digicam. The 40D is amazing as it blitzes through JPEGs and even huge RAW+JPEG files. People, you have to try this one out in the local store. If you plan to shoot any sort of sports or just want to capture a fleeting change of expression on your child’s face, the 40D will capture it for you.

Now on to Live View. As DT readers know, I’m not a big fan of Live View on D-SLRs. The point of framing shots on the LCD screen rather than through the viewfinder is convenience—just like a point-and-shoot digicam. The way Canon implements Live View is better than most. With just a few steps you can frame the shot on the LCD but you need a tripod to steady the camera. You can use the AF-ON key to help focus in this setting. For me this is far too much trouble than its worth. Sony—with its new alpha A300 and A350 —uses a second sensor for handling Live View and it’s much quicker. I got a chance to handle a prototype at PMA and this looks like the real deal. I’ll reserve judgment until we test a production model but it looks good at this point. Stay tuned.

After getting close to filling the 8-gig card—it’s not hard to do at 6.5 fps—it was time to make some prints. As usual they were 8.5x11 full bleeds with no tweaking of the files or printer. DT readers know I like the general “feel” of Canon photos and the 40D didn’t disappoint. Colors were very accurate with loads of detail. The camera handled noise quite well too and I didn’t find many issues at ISO 800 or below. Once you hit four-digits, noise appears and I recommend keeping at 800 or below. The image stabilized lens also worked well, letting me shoot at slower shutter speeds without too much blur. The camera captured the late winter skies nicely and performed well indoors with available light. It’s a keeper.

Conclusion

You really can’t wrong buying the Canon EOS 40D. Photo quality is very good, there are a ton of manual adjustments, it feels right—and then there’s that startling 6.5 fps burst mode. It’s like stepping on a Porsche’s gas pedal and enjoying the ride. Although on the expensive side, if you’re serious about photography, give it a long look.

Pros:

• Good 10-megapixel images
• Amazing 6.5 fps burst mode
• Large 3-inch LCD

Cons:

• Heavy
• Gets noisy above 800 ISO
• Live View—I still don’t get it