Canon EOS 40D Expert Reviews

The chassis is robust and hardwearing

Huge LCD screen, Impressive continuous shooting speed, 10-megapixels

No great advances in image quality

On the top of the camera is a mono status LCD - cheaper cameras usually display this information on the main LCD, which some users may find annoying. However, when compared with the 400D, the 40D isn't necessarily better

Common wisdom is what the collective mind creates to make sense of the world.

Now on to Live View. When used in conjunction with the large 3" monitor this is a most impressive-looking feature, and simulates the ground-glass effect of view cameras while having all the drawbacks of shooting with a digicam. For that reason, Canon, ...

The EOS-40D is Canon's midrange digital SLR, replacing their popular EOS-30D, which was introduced back in February of 2006. While the 30D was a relatively minor update to the 20D, the new 40D has some significant new features. They include:

Excellent photo quality (with a decent lens attached), with nearly no noise ; Rugged, well-designed body ; doors and ports are weather-sealed ; Cheaper than the competition, especially the D300 ; Huge 3-inch LCD with live view feature ; histogram and ...

Tends to underexpose a bit ; Some redeye ; Live view not available in auto/scene modes ; UDMA CompactFlash cards not supported (unlike the competition) ; LCD pales in comparison to the one on the D300 and A700

Something you definitely won't find in the box is a memory card. Thus, if you don't have a CompactFlash card laying around, you'll need to buy one. The 40D supports both Type I and II CompactFlash cards, which include things like the Microdrive (does ...

Dynamic range is as good as it gets with detail well preserved both in highlights and shadows.

This 10 megapixel digital single lens reflex has several evolutionary improvements over the EOS 30D, including the extra two million pixels, a larger LCD screen and what is called "live view" function. Live view is using the LCD screen as the ...

The picture quality from the CMOS sensor and image processor is smooth, film-like and noise free even at high ISO settings. Dynamic range is as good as it gets, with detail well preserved both in highlights and shadows. The mechanical refinement of ...

The larger LCD is a low resolution affair, with 230,000 pixels, compared with nearly one million on the Nikon D300 and the Sony A700. This diminishes the usefulness of live view and also affects picture review. And there is no auto-focus assist lamp ...

This is a fine camera with worthwhile advances on its predecessor. Canon has dominated this segment of the market for DSLRs between $2000 and $3000, but now faces stiff competition. The Sony A700, the Nikon D300 and the Olympus E-3 are coming soon, ...

Updated 12/23/08: I've used a wide spectrum of digital SLRs, from entry-level models up to pro models. Once you have a taste of the capabilities of a professional camera, you can't easily go back to a digital SLR that's less full-featured; likewise, ...

Fast: Capable of 6.5 frames per second Produced pleasing, well-balanced images

Live View mode is kludgy

The strengths of the Canon EOS 40D overshadow those minor drawbacks, however. On the whole, it is a powerful, scalable camera. If you're graduating from a Rebel-series digital SLR, this is a great step-up model whose versatility will grow along with ...

A replacement for Canon's EOS 30D has been due for some time so the unveiling of the 10.1-megapixel EOS 40D at the end of August was no surprise. Nor was the inclusion of Canon's EOS Integrated Cleaning System, which was pioneered on the EOS 400D and ...

Our test camera was subjected to a wide range of exposure challenges, covering early morning, bright daylight, indoor lighting and night shots in well- and poorly-lit conditions. We also assessed how well the camera handled backlit and flash exposures ...

This DSLR from Canon performs so well that finding something to criticize about it was difficult. Although it is missing some features compared to other cameras in its class, nearly everything that the Canon EOS 40D does, it does very well. Image ...

Below average image noise up to ISO 1600, Excellent image details, Highlight tone priority for high-key images, Great dynamic range, Fast and responsive

Drop in color saturation at ISO 1600 and 3200, Automatic white-balance quite poor under artificial light, White balance system leaves slight color cast, LCD flush with left edge, Weird control ergonomics

It's like meeting an old friend for the first time.

The Canon EOS 40D is a leap forward in improvement over its predecessors and its new features make it a great enthusiast's dSLR or a credible professional backup system.

A set of useful new features ; retains the user-friendly design of its predecessors ; good-value-for-money kit ; class-leading build quality and continuous shooting speed

Same resolution and sensor size as the much cheaper EOS 400D ; Live view allows only manual focus

For more details on the 40D's design, click on the image