Digital Trends

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

Features and Design

There’s no mistaking the EOS 40D for one of the zillions of point-and-shoots or entry-level D-SLRs like the Nikon D40 or Canon Rebel XT. It weighs a ton by comparison. The camera has a magnesium alloy body—unlike cheaper models that are mostly plastic. This one weighs in at 26.1 ounces without the lens and battery. Add those two vital items and you’re lugging around 2-plus pounds (37 ounces). It measures 5.7 x 4.2 x 2.9 (WHD, in inches).

The camera is available as a body only for $1,299 USD or $1,499 USD with an EF-S 18-55mm stabilized lens. That’s the lens Canon supplied us and makes the package a decent comparison with Sony alphas such as the 12MP DSLR-A700  as alphas have anti-shake built into the body so any lens you attached is stabilized. The alpha kit with an 18-70mm lens is $1,499 USD so it’s pretty close to the 40D package. The older 10-megapixel Nikon D80 with an 18-55mm lens is $999 USD but there’s no image stabilization and it only shoots at 3 fps. But I digress since you can go crazy trying to do direct apples-to-apples or kit-to-kit comparisons.

The 40D is a very solid-looking D-SLR with a black body and textured finish. It doesn’t look too much different than all the other mid-range models. Sturdy, utilitarian are words that come to mind re: this baby. The front is dominated by the EF lens mount and it accepts EF, EF-S, TS-E and MP-E glass. The camera has a 1.6x digital factor so every lens gets a boost therefore the supplied 18-55mm lens is really 28.8-88mm. Also on the front is the red-eye reduction/self-timer lamp, lens release and depth of field preview buttons as well as a flash-on key. Canon and “40D” logos tastefully grace the front as well. This camera has a very solid grip with shutter button and jog wheel to make menu adjustments. As with all cameras and camcorders we urge you to try it out in a store since everyone’s grip is different. It felt just fine for me.

Besides overall build quality one obvious feature jumps out at you with higher-priced D-SLRs—an LCD panel on the top of the camera. This gives you a quick overview of the settings and is very handy when you’re caught up in the heat of shooting. You can quickly check battery strength, shots left on the card, ISO, metering mode and so on. There are direct access buttons for metering/white balance, AF-Drive, ISO and one to light the LCD panel. Also on top is the auto pop-up flash, hot shoe and main mode dial. Turn this knob and you can move from Auto into basic scene modes or manual adjustments. There are even three custom shooting modes so you can quickly access your favorite group of settings, another feature not found on most entry-level D-SLRs.

Image Courtesy of Canon