Canon EOS 40D Hands-on Review
Reviewed on 26 August 2007

Since Canon’s press release on the EOS 40D on the 20th this month, we have been restless with excitement to get our hands on it. Less than a week has passed and DigitalRev is proud to be one of the first to get this gem in our hands. Just how good is it? We brought out the 30D to give you a benchmark for comparison.

The Solid yet Gentle Look

From the moment we picked up the EOS 40D, we knew that we were going to have some fun. Our model, Cody, was quickly put on the spotlight as we paraded both the 40D and 30D before her. While both cameras are equally comfortable in the hands, we were immediately impressed with the large 3 inch LCD on the 40D. The layout of the buttons also feels a lot more neat and tidy. Holding it with both my hands, I was able to thumb through the bottom buttons easily without having to stretch my hold. Overall, the 40D is slightly larger and heavier than the 30D. While that is not a big issue, we were just a little disappointed that it still possesses the soft, plastic feel that belies its strong, rugged magnesium-alloy exterior.

Another thing that was quick to catch the eye is the mode dial which now contains space for three sets of user-defined settings. Fully customisable to your preferences, you can switch instantly between several shooting setups. We have to admit that we didn’t really bother programming any preferences though, as we were very quick in getting snap-happy with Cody and the 40D.

The CMOS Evolution

There has been a lot of press about Canon’s development of the CMOS sensor. Already evident from the 1D Mark III and as expected, the improved 10.1 megapixels CMOS sensor in the 40D shows marked improvements from previous models.

Canon tells us that each pixel is now more sensitive to light and coupled with improved on-chip noise reduction electronics, we were to expect less digital noise and better high-ISO performance than ever before. A quick test alongside the EOS 30D shows if all the hype is in fact true.

ISO TEST:

Updated (GMT 16:00 28 Aug 2007): Thanks to feedbacks from our readers, we have updated the ISO test section with a full comparison of 40D vs. 30D at each full ISO stop.

Secured on a Gitzo tripod, we used the same EF-S 17-85mm lens at its 85mm end on our EOS 30D and EOS 40D bodies to carry out our ISO test. Lighting conditions stayed the same throughout the entire testing process, to minimise any discrepancy that may affect test results.

At ISO 100, both cameras pick up the texture of the box clearly but as the sensitively increase to ISO800, the 40D clearly takes the lead. At ISO 3200, the 40D still manages to show the texture of the printing but the 30D suffers greatly from noise.

A Thrilling View

Another new feature that we were quick to put through its paces was the Live View function. The quality of the image from the LCD was great mainly thanks to its increased size. Our opinion is that Live View on a 3 inch LCD is really what should be set as a standard. Even without using the 5x or 10x magnifications on offer, we were able to easily compose our shots and focus without difficulties.

We quickly took to the streets after a quick shoot in the office and enjoyed a few drinks at the local bars to boot. After a number of shots of Cody holding the 40D, we managed to entice her to trade it for a cocktail whereby we managed a series of test shots with the 40D. We didn’t remote control the 40D via USB or wireless but we expect that in studio or well lit environments, your view should be fairly accurate.

Beyond the much publicised AF-ON button, we really cannot stress enough how well the new AF system works overall. It has really made the AF function a powerful tool even in the hands of less experienced users. For those who are usually happy with manual focus, it acts well to assist whenever quick, accurate response is required.

With Picture Style technology in the EOS 40D, you can make use of six preset settings (Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful and Monochrome) and three additional settings for your particular photographic style. Although we would generally recommend creating such effects with digital darkrooms like Adobe Photoshop (TM) rather than on board the camera for greater control.

Bursting with Energy

Ready. Yes that is what we would use to describe the 40D. Its fast response time is such that you could be shooting before you read the stats of the 40D’s product specs. If you are interested in the numbers, the 40D has a 0.15-second start-up time and a shutter lag time of only 59 milliseconds.

Another significant improvement that we felt placed the 40D well above the 30D is its continuous shooting mode. Whether you are impressed with the speed increase from 5fps to 6.5fps is not the main issue. The decisive factor that convinced us is the burst rate of 75 JPEGs or 17 RAW files that the 40D can handle thanks to its DIGIC III processor. This is a significantly higher number than the meek 30 JPEGs or 11 RAW files that the 30D had previously offered.

While we did not test out the burst mode in this hands-on review, we are confident from what we’ve seen that it will deliver in those high octane moments when the ability to keep shooting for a few more seconds could make all the difference.

Shots taken by our 40D

We managed to pack our 16GB Extreme III with a full load of RAW+L shots, some of which are shown here. Do download the full size original if you wish to assess the quality yourself, but be warned that the file is extremely large.

The King is Dead! Long Live the King!

Without a doubt, the EOS 40D totally surpasses the 30D and reinforces Canon’s product positioning above the EOS 400D. For enthusiast and semi-pro customers alike, you will find that the 40D will meet your expectations and give you that extra bit of power that you might need in action shots.

Related:

• The Canon EOS 40D is available now! Click here to purchase yours.

• To return to Canon EOS 40D Info page, Click here.