Digital Trends

Late last year Canon released the EOS 40D, a 10-megapixel D-SLR targeted to serious photographers since it costs north of $1,000 USD for the body alone. Add a few lenses and accessories, the next thing you know you’ve hit $2K. This camera is targeted for anyone looking at the older 10-megapixel Nikon D80 or the newer 12.2MP Sony alpha DSLR-A700, a camera I liked a great deal. In other words, it’s for those more than willing to go beyond Auto and make the most of a sophisticated imaging capture device (a.k.a camera). How advanced is the 40D? Rather than the usual 3 frames per second, this one cranks off 6.5 fps up to 17 huge RAW files before it stops for a breather. If you shoot in smaller JPEGs, you can crank off 100 shots. If your child is a budding athlete, this D-SLR will capture him or her in full stride. The Auto Focus system has been beefed up for quicker response (Canon claims it’s 30 percent faster than the EOS 30D) plus it has Live View so you can use the larger 3-inch LCD to frame your shots. All these things sound great on paper but it’s in the real world your camera gets its workout. And that’s exactly where we took it…