Summary: I have just finished a full weekend evaluating this camera as a future replacement to my Sony A100 (the other camera on the Cards is the Sony A700). It was an interesting weekend, looking at the differences between the 2 systems. In total, I took nearly 1000 frames over the period to get a good feel on what it can do.
The first thing that I have noticed with this camera is the Auto Focus. Its fast & accurate most of the time. The only real problems I had was with a runner running straight at me in changing light (full sun to shadows), but from anything that wasn't front on, it performed unbelievably. It certainly lived up to the hype.
The other thing I noticed about it was the weight. It surely is a heafty camera, but I put this down to the build quality. I'm not sure whether this is overkill or not. While there is a perception that Metal is better for an outer casing, I am not sure whether it is really necessary. I like the idea of the Magnesum chassis, coupled with an engineering plastic body, such as the A700. The lens that I used the most on the camera was a Sigma 70-200 f2.8, this coupled with the battery grip made it a very heavy combo, especially when panning motor sport. Once I lost the battery Grip, I found it far more managable, but I have never been one for battery grips.
6.5 FPS is unreal, but by the end of the day, I actually turned it off. I found it far to easy to rattle off a barrage of shots without really intending to. (I tend to find myself as a shoot, re-compose, shoot, re-compose photographer when doing motor sports).
Image quality was as good as I would expect. I found that the 40D over exposed by about 1 stop, compared to my Sony A100. Not a real big deal when you look at it, especially when most of my images are post processed. Exposures/metering I found to be consistant as you would expect for a camera of this level.
Now, my gripes. Firstly, screen resolution on the LCD. I must admit that I am a bit spoilt by the Sony. WIth the Sony, I could readily zoom in on an image to check detail & to ensure that I am getting the required effect. With the Canon, the LCD was really only good for checking composition. I would expect more from a higher level camera. Secondly, I found the menus & buttons clunky & at times a little hard to work around. I think, in fairness to this camera, this is more of a user adaption thing then a camera thing. Finally, Live view. Seriously, who uses this on this camera. I have never seen anything as clunky as the live view application as what I have seen here. I dont know whether its the lack of AF in LV or the delay when you do press the button, but I think other manufacturors have done this a lot better. I can see that it would be OK doing MF macro, but thats lower on my list of priorities. I would nearly prefer that Live view wasn't an option if its applied this way!
All in all, I enjoyed my time with the Camera, but saying that, I dont think its any better then other Camera's in its category. With that in mind, its not enough to convince me to change brands. I think, though, this camera would suit someone who wants more out of their Canon equipment, especially those who shoot sports & action
Strengths: Availability of equipment for the Canon system
Build Quality
AF performance
Image quality
price - this is just about the cheapest high end amateur - mid level pro camera, in Australia at least
Weaknesses: LCD resolution
Live View
Hype - yes it is a Canon, but don't just buy it because it is a Canon!
Similar Products Used: Sony A100
Minolta 7000i 35mm SLR
Minolta 303si 35mm SLR
Summary: This camera just feels right!!! The controls are in the right locations (with the exception of the on/off switch). The magnesium alloy body is rock solid leaving you with the reassurance that this bad boy can take a licking. I found the menus quite easy to follow & intuitive. Despite its weight, the camera is well balanced... even with a lens attached. Picture quality is top notch. Even though it only utilizes a 10.1 megapixel C-MOS sensor, it does so with improvements in the microlens design of the sensor & a better processing engine( Digic lll) for improved images & performance... not to mention 14-bit processing. The addition of dust removal is a welcome addition & should prove worthy. Although Canon claims weatherproofing, it is limited to specific areas of the camera & not throughout the camera body as the Nikon D300. But it's also $500 to $600 less than the Nikon!!! That's the price of an additional lens. Its shutter has also been upgraded to pro levels with a durability rating of 100,000 cycles... not bad. Additionally, the mirror mechanism has been improved with the elimination of the spring mechanism, replaced by a "servo" motor making it much quieter. Despite the fact that I prefer landscape photography, it is comforting to know this camera has the capability to shoot at a phenomenal 6.5 frames per second! At this price point it beats out many, if not all, competitors. Overall, the shutter sound has become more subdued & just sounds "professional". The pentaprism is gorgeous... very bright, giving you the added capability to focus with very little, if any, difficulty. Some people have complained about the positioning of the DOF preview button. They keep insisting it belongs on the right side of the lens. Personally, I like it just where it is. My left index finger falls right where the button is... for me it's "right on". I'm not into "Live View" & don't use it, so I'll reserve judgment on this. But I can say that the new 3" LCD screen is extremely bright & allows for an improved menu. Despite the lower resolution compared to the Nikon D300, I found it to be quite satisfactory in reviewing images & reading the menu. The increase in size, for me anyway, was more important than greater resolution(which is a fine 230,000 pixels). I also added the optional "Battery/Portrait Grip" and found, despite the additional weight gain, it actually made shooting more comfortable. It added more surface area which in turn translated into more grip options for shooting & still felt well balanced. Oh, let's not forget the added benefit of being able to swap out the "proprietary" batteries for "AA" batteries(an adapter that comes with the grip allows this added functionality). Remember, you can almost always find "AA" batteries just about anywhere. This can come in handy should you ever have the immediate need for "juice" in the event you suddenly run of power & have no back-ups or an outlet for re-charging!!! Personally, I like some weight to my gear... it just feels more robust & I don't mind the extra weight. I also found the "rubbery" feel added to the surface area of the camera body & the inclusion of an indent for my right index finger, made holding it a pleasure. The only problems I found were the location of the ON/OFF switch & lack of a protective cover for the LCD screen(something along the lines of what Nikon has for it's LCD screens. Perhaps Canon can take this suggestion to heart & develop a cover that "snaps" on over the screen. Nikon claims to use "tempered" glass for the LCD screen on the D300... that would have been nice on this camera, but, again, there is the issue of a $500 to $600 difference in price. Bottom line: If you're looking for great value in a "prosumer" level camera, this is it. It's a lot of "Bang" for your Buck" & should give you years of reliable service & the versatility to take awesome pictures.
Strengths: Build quality, ergonomics, improved performance over the previous version, weatherproofing, larger LCD display, great ISO range before images begin deteriorating, kit lens combo is a real bargain!!!
Weaknesses: Weatherproofing entire camera body, LCD protective cover as on NikonD300,
placement of ON/OFF switch.
Similar Products Used: None
Customer Service: Haven't needed customer service so far.
Summary: I have had the camera since about the sixth of September and haven't put it down since. It's mainly used for people photographs of all kinds, but has been used to shoot star trails, wildlife, sports events; even a two day hard rock music festival. Kit with 28-135 IS USM lens is a great value!
I would ( and do! ) recommend this camera to anyone who wants a well built, solid camera that can be used every day; avid photo takers who don't want to 'outgrow' their equipment; people like me who are ALMOST pro and are looking for a great upgrade from existing equipment.
Be warned, however, that this is a solid camera, and is heavier and larger than the Rebel series. You will need a comfortable case (I use the canon backpack) if you will be hauling it and a lot of accy's, lenses and flashes around. This is NOT for people who want a small, lightweight camera.
Strengths: -DURABLE build quality. This thing made it through two mosh pits, a crowd surfer and a swarm of other photographers pushing and shoving and never batted an eye.
-Low digital noise in mid range ISO's, tolerable in higher ISO's.
-Live View comes in handy sometimes.
-Very good battery life. Still carry an extra, but be assured you will get LOTS of photos!
-Comes with decent software.
-Fantastic menu is easy to use and intuitive.
-Customizable like no other! You can customize and save settings to your hearts content.
-Beautiful, well made piece of machinery :)
-Camera will warn you with a message on the LCD screen if you try to open the CF compartment while it's writing. GO UPGRADES!!
-Relatively good instruction manual. I don't normally read the things, but this one was actually pleasant and informative.
Weaknesses: -AF with Live View must be activated with a button. Kind of a pain.
-Great build quality = HEAVY camera, especially with good lenses attached. INVEST IN A GOOD, PADDED NON-SLIP STRAP and don't carry it around your neck; shoulder this bad boy!!
-Maybe too many features for a casual user not interested in learning, otherwise sort of overkill to shoot on Auto mode *though it does this beautifully!*.
Similar Products Used: -Canon EOS 30d
-Canon EOS Rebel XT
-Canon EOS Rebel XTi
-Nikon D80
Customer Service: I have had canon products for about three years now and their customer service is always amazing.
Summary: While it's only the second dslr I've owned, and even though I've only had it for a month, It's already earning it's money back, and the learning curve isn't all that steep.
Strengths: *3 or 6.5 fps
*up to iso 3200
*low noise up to iso 1600
*excellent image quality
*auto foucus handles well in low light
*superb battery life
*fast processor allows for fast image scrolling
*solid construction
*ergononics
Weaknesses: For my usage and expectations, none come to mind thus far.
Summary: I own this camera for 2 months now with a EF-s 17-85 USM and a EF 70-300 USM Lens.(KIT). Before that I had a AT -1 analog canon for 25 Years and a nikonos underwater camara. These old camera's had one great aspect: solidity. In never had a problem in all these years.
The Canon 40d has that oldfashioned 'feel'. I used the 400d for some time and the pictures were great, even with a kit lens. But the camara didn't feel solid: too small for me and plastic touch.
Strengths: Solid, great pictures: colours, little noise at iso 800 -1600. Fast and intuitive operating even without reading the manual ! For me the perfect camera.
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