Canon EOS 40D 10.1 Megapixel

Ok, this is a great camera. I'm not going to cover the features of this camera, other reviewers did that well. Let me point out a few things to watch out for.

___LOUSY LENS KITS___ The Canon EOS40D is a fantastic camera, but lots of sellers will try to getcha by bundling a $1200 camera body with a really mediocre lens. If you're going to spend that kind of money on a camera, don't get seduced by 4 lens kits.

First, decide if you are planning on using a camera bag everywhere you go or not. Because if you are not taking a camera bag with you, you do NOT want 4 lenses -- 3 of the 4 will just stay home 95 percent of the time. What you will need in this case is ONE REALLY GREAT LENS.

The most common lens offered with this camera is an 18-55mm lens followed by a 17-85mm lens. Now that is a really nice wide angle lens down at 17/18mm. However, you really get very poor (55mm) to extremely mediocre (75mm) telephoto capacity with either of those lenses. If you're looking for a great all purpose lens, avoid both of these.

Next, you'll see the 70-300mm lens. That's a great telephoto zoom and gives you lots of pretty nice range. But keep in mind that 70mm is NOT wide angle. That means you'll struggle to shoot close-ups of anything. No wide-angle shots of buildings, landscapes, mountains, or even large groups of people at the dinner table. A great second lens, but not a great single all-purpose lens.

Any lens kit that mixes up 2 or 3 of the above lenses are still leaving you short of ONE GREAT all-purpose lens.

The best all-purpose lens out there is the 28-135mm zoom. 28mm is plenty wide-angle enough for anyone. And 135mm gives you enough zoom lens to shoot the kids soccer game close-up from across the entire field. With 10MP, you can still crop down for a nice close-up and get great high-quality prints. With this lens, you won't need a camera bag for 90% of you who are buying this camera for non-professional work.

Finally, avoid kits with lens correctors that screw into the end of your lens and give you more or less "magnification". These lenses are uniformly lousy.

Also, the "bonus" items in these kits, like the tripods and camera cases are cheap, cheap, cheap. Better to buy these components separately.

Last, there's a great product out there called "Camera Armor" I know they make it for the EOS 30D. As soon as its available for this camera, I would recommend it. It is a custom made rubber housing that fits like a glove over the camera's body. It does a nice job of keeping your camera from getting banged up or badly scratched.

Purchased this camera specifically due to frames per second and burst functions. As an action photographer the number of frames I could obtain in a burst while shooting in RAW is important. I believe the technical specs state that it will shoot 17 continuous frames in RAW mode. In the literature and real life however this numbers drops if you are shooting full size raw images (it has 2 sizes of RAW images available) and dependent upon your camera settings. My current settings of a medium size .jpg file with a full raw file only allow the camera to shoot 6 frames in a burst. This is equivalent to what I can / do get out of my EOS 20D...and although the file size is larger, that's a bit of a disappointment.

The 40D is however an OUTSTANDING camera and I would gladly purchase it again. I love the larger view screen, the ease of use of functions...and of course THANK YOU Canon for putting the "film speed" (ISO Setting) right up with all the other information! Color is excellent and the idea it does a sensor cleaning each time it's powered is very nice. If you are currently using a 30D or 20D, you will enjoy the upgrades in this camera...especially if you shoot outside of the standard program modes.

** Update **
Just for clarification, I do not have "live view" on. A fellow photographer had me check that to see if it could be impacting the FPS I was getting. Since "live view" is off, it does not.

In one word – Fantastic. Very easy to operate and learn, perfect output. The main body is made of magnesium with high quality and attention of production gives very strong camera – will survive “survival” journey.
I purchased it at the beginning of January.

Improved quality compared to the older versions. Higher speed, getting focused on very low light conditions.
Line view ( through the screen ) was not available on the DSLR, is a nice option in some cases but using the auto focus option blank the screen while focusing.
Still many many new options – this paper is too short to describe.

Major Pros:

1. Very easy to operate.
2. Very clear and easy menu.
3. Automatic sensor clean.
4. Shoot using the screen.
5. High speed focus.
6. 6.5 FPS – fire machine.
7. High Priority Tune – compensate over exposure – very useful.

Major Cons:

1. Relatively cost a bit high.
2. Relatively heavier then competitors.
3. Filming through the screen KILLS the battery very fast, the sensor warming 4. causing disturbance to the image – WATCH OUT.

Found it useful ? please vote below.

Shlomi Uri

Great camera for a decent price.

Pros:

6.5 FPS burst mode for up to 75 frames
rugged build quality
Quieter Shutter mech
14bit raw for better shadow detail

Cons:

Size/weight

The 40D is a marvel. I have owned every version of Canon digitals since they came out and this 40D is incredible. It picks up all the features the others left out. 10.1mp is more than adequate if you have good glass (lenses). It makes up for not being a 12mp sensor with smaller pixel size 5.7. Prints are incredibly sharp with both my Canon L series lenses and SIgma and Tamron aftermarkets.

Please ignore the review by camario above. He or she totally missed the point of a CAMERA review. They rated the camera poorly because they had an issue with who ever sold it to them. If you read the description they gave the camera you would see that they loved it. This affects the rating unfairly.

i purchased my item "canon 40D" from "digitalcorp" and was totally disappointed and will never buy from them again,and yet they still advertise like they were offering good deals and their not! when i ordered my item,and had to wait the time that i did, they stated that it would be "overnited" to me to rush my order, it did not arrive to me until about 5 days later,and they did'nt even inform me that it would not have a "warranty book" or a "original" instruction book, the sloppy thing look like it had been printed out from the original(such sloppy work). After they read my "feedback" on this, they became irate and upset and called my and said that they were going to "refund" my money and i would not be getting my order until i "deleted" my negative feedback or i would not recieve my camera,(how unprofessional)and he said that "by reading my negative feedback,his job was on the line with the company" and not until i did this,i would get my camera.I consider this rude,and will gladly tell people of this company.Just because they're from new york and i'm from texas, that gives them no right to speak to me this way.I'm telling u about this now because i already have my equipment,but only because i removed my feedback from online. Just thought i would let u know. this is about "digital corp" out of New York. Look them up, they're all over the "e-bay sight" under the "camera" section. thank you.........stephen longoria

be very careful from buying from these people. Check them out first.
The camerae 40d is very good. I like the weatherproof feature, the 6.5 fps, and all those wonderful things that you are able to get for this camera. There are a host of options you can get for the 40D.
And talk about the pictures. what a marvel. I had a 30D, but I am glad that I havce sold the camera and upgraded to this jewel

Hello, I am a frequent user of the Canon 40d. I however did purchase mine from a local Canon dealer. I thought id share my likes and dislikes. So lets start of with the positives.

Likes:
* Very good all around camera
* For the price it's good with low light situations. However it also depends on the lens. In this case I am referring to stock lens that came with the camera (18 - 200mm).
*Built in flash. Not the best but it does do its purpose.
* Durable

Dislikes:
* Absolutely nothing

Notes on Buying Cameras off of Ebay:
* Do not go for bundled packages. They tend to give you low quality and knock off lenses. This isn't everyone but there are sellers out there that do that.
* Really understand what you are buying and understand what equipment will fit your needs.
* if the 40d is going to be your first SLR you might want to go for a lenses that is pretty universal. I think the 18-200mm is great for starters. Gives you the ability to get up close with the 18 focal length and then if you want to do some distance shots the 200mm really will take you there.
* Do your homework before you purchase.
* A 2GB card I think is more than enough for beginners. I started with one and for 2 years never filled it up, except when I ?shoot raw then it fills fast cause of the high density of information you are storing.

To be honest, if I had to do it again, I would jusy buy the body + lens from a store. The lenses that came with the kit are all cheap lenses. I had to go out and purchase a few good ones.

The tripod/monopod was cheap as well. I'm not trusting a $1000+ camera and lens on a cheap tripod like that.

The bag is small. Fits the body, 1 lens and the miscellaneous stuff that we put in the bag.

What I did like was the camera body, 8 GB Compact Flash, speed charger and UV Filter.

Overall, I'd stay away from these kits that include sub-par lenses.

First some background... I've used many Nikons and Canons, as well as a few Sony cameras (including the Alpha a100). Canon and Nikon still understand photographers better than anyone else making DSLRs. I shoot photos for a living.

The Canon 40D is an extraordinarily competent Prosumer DLSR. Canon leads Nikon in terms of image quality per-pixel, thanks to their head-start in using CMOS sensors. The 40D is no exception, and despite being 10 megapixels the 40D is able to take maximum advantage of most lenses. What this means is even a good photographer would be hard-pressed to take maximum advantage of all the detail the 40D is capable of capturing.

Canon's 40D is just the right size for many photographers, including women with smaller hands. Operation is extremely simple and intuitive, thanks to the thumb wheel and joystick controls. The viewfinder is super-bright and as large and clear as any you'll find, even on full-frame DSLRs like the Nikon D3 and Canons 1Ds & 5D. This is a big deal and sets the 40D apart from Olympus and Sony as well as Nikon's less expensive offerings. The LCD screen is also large and bright, and easily viewed in daylight... definitely the brightest screen I've seen on a Canon.

Battery life has been good, around 600-1000 shots unless you use the built-in flash or have live-view on all the time. The built-in flash is actually quite powerful and works very well.

The 40D is the second Canon to offer live view, and by far the least expensive Canon with this feature. Live view alllows the 40D to function like a compact digital camera, showing the scene on the LCD. This is great for many uses, including manual focusing, checking exposure, shooting over your head, the list goes on and on.

One fantastic "feature" of Canon DSLRs is that there is a software program called DSLR Remote Pro (purchesd seperately) which allows enhanced tethered shooting. Unlike the applications provided by Canon and Nikon, DLSR remote pro allows complete control of the camera, and then some. With DSLR Remote Pro, you can actually have the computer perform auto-focus using live view, and choose the exact spot where the camera should foucus. This is as easy and error-proof a way to focus as I've ever seen.

There is so much more to discuss with the 40D, but not enough room here. I am extremely impressed with this Canon, it is a rock-solid, reliable camera that produces images of uncompromising quality, all at a very reasonable price. Speaking of price, look for a sale on the kit which includes the 28-135mm IS lens. That is a great lens at an amazing price (only $200 more than the body alone) and ususally the lens sells for around $500.

My advice, stop worrying about megapixel count. Total Image Quality is now the key to a great camera. Canon's 40D has it, no matter which setting you use.

This is an important note... Shoot RAW files (not JPEG) and then develop you images with Canon's Digital Photo Pro software (included with the 40D) to get the most quality. DPP is amazing in that it can eliminate all distortion from a whole bunch of different Canon lenses (including the 28-135) which is very important because it makes the 40D kit which includes that lens an even better deal. Processed through DPP, images from the 40D and the 38-135 IS lens look exactly as sharp and perfect as pictures from a $5000 camera and a $1500 lens.

The 40D is truly a tour-de-force accomplishment by Canon. The DSLR has truly come of age.

I bought the 40D to replace my 20D that had seen loyal, rugged and successful service world wide. I replaced it because I wanted the extra speed (6.5 FPS) a bigger LCD screen (3") and figured a couple more megapixels wouldn't hurt either. Besides, my son in law needed my 20D to photograph the grandchildren so how could I resist trading the missed moment point and shoot pix for some good ones? My first experience with the 40D was nice. It's a little lighter than the 20, makes less shutter noise and the LCD is impressive. After shooting for a little while I found that the camera, at factory settings was giving me softer, warmer pictures that seemed underexposed. It was necessary to learn about the new picture styles the camera offers and how to alter them. After some tweaking I think I've got it right but I'm not sure it's yet up to the 20D standards that I'm used to. The 9 point AI servo autofocus combined with the 6.5 FPS works flawlessly and I've gotten some of the best action photos I've ever taken. Since almost all of my work gets post produced in Photoshop the tweaking is not a problem. I wonder though if someone starting out with the 40D as their first quality camera will be able to get the most out of it. Canon's documentation is adequate but sparse. The first thing to do is take the manual to Kinkos and get it spiral bound so it lays open flat and you won't have to hold it in your teeth while you use both hands to adjust the camera. I have asked Canon to do this on several occasions but they don't seem disposed to listen.
The 18-55 mm kit lens that came with my 40D is excellent. I tested it against my pro L glass lens. Though the lens lacks the build, weight and sealing features of the more expensive lens it holds up well in resolution and image quality.
All in all I would recommend the Canon 40D to serious shooters who don't mind really learning a complicated camera. I honestly believe Canon has the best product line on the market. Point and shoot in full automatic or P modes right out of the box is good but can be better. If you're a point and shooter looking for simplicity but the immediacy and flexibility of a DSLR test this camera out against a Nikon D200 or the new Sony products. Then you can decide for yourself.
UPDATE: The soft and underexposed pictures persisted so I sent it back to Canon. They got it back to me in about a week perfectly adjusted and the photos are flawless.

Just opening the box of th Canon 40D and then touching the camera body - you immediately feel the quality and the professionalism that comes with this product. The camera body itself is quite heavy and it gets even heavier when you attach the lens. That is why the IS (Image Stabalization) of the lens comes in so handy. Right out of the box you can take great pictures in fully automatic mode and the manual modes are easy to understand.

Read The Manual! Even if you are a professional / experienced photographer you should read the manual. This helps you get to know the new technologies available in this camera, the options you now have and how to get those options executed.

This kit lens takes great pictures. The high aperture doesn't let you get extremely blurred backgrounds easily or parts of a face unfocused when doing a headshot but it seems really good quality. The lens feels good build material. Overall the advantage of this lens as walk around is the IS (Image Stabalization).

The batteries last a long time but you should have a couple more just in case. The battery charger is really good, easy to understand when the batteries are ready. The software discs give you everything you could need if you don't already have similar software that does the same functions purchased.

The memory card (CF) should be appropriate. Most people say to worry about the speed (133x/150x/200x) which is good, but also look into buying a huge CF Card so you don't have to stop enjoying the camera ever. My opinion is: Stack of Batteries, and HUGE CF Card!

So... This camera is great quality (ofcourse, its a canon dslr), easy to use for beginners and great to use for experienced photographers.

The EOS 40D is an amazing piece of equipment. It's reviews have been nothing less than outstanding. For this reason and this reason alone I decided to purchase this camera which in turn, led me to ebay.

The prices on these 'mega kits' were too good to be true. The street price on the EOS 40D (body only) is around $1200 give or take. The kit was offering everything for roughly $1000. At this point the quality of the rest of the equipment wasn't a concern. Just getting the body for $200-$400 less than street was worth the buy.

Upon recieving the equipment, I wasn't surprised to find subpar lenses, tripods, etc. The camera however is GOLD! This made the whole experience worth every penny. I will upgrade the rest of the equipment in the near future. The equipment is cheap and flimsy at best, but is painstakingly serving it's purpose.

Overall, due to the excellence of the EOS 40D, I have to rate this particular piece as well above average. As for the rest..... 'poor' is the best I can do.

Thankyou for your time.

This camera was money well spent. The photos I have taken are incredible, the camera is easy to use for the novice photographer with professional results. You will not be disapointed should you decide on the Canon EOS 40D. I would suggest not buying the 3 or 4 lens kits, instead go for the single lens kit. I like the 28-135mm zoom it's a very good all around lens that has auto focus and image stabl. Great software comes with the easy to use camera. Buy one and you will not be sorry.

First of all, I do love the camera body. It was made for the UK market, so I imagine that's why they can sell it for such a low price--however, all of the functions appear to be the same as in the U.S. product. $825 is a good price for the camera body.

HOWEVER--this company makes claims that is is providing THREE lenses. This is a blatant untruth. There is only one lens--a 58mm Tamron aftermarket lens--and the other two are actually lens extenders, not full lenses. A lens extender reduces the amount of light, losing you an f-stop or two.

I wouldn't have a problem with the lens extenders--except for two things: ONE--the ad claimed three lenses--and, more importantly, TWO: The OPTICS in the lens extenders are HORRIBLE.

The quality on those photos is so poor, even when shooting in RAW, that I deleted all of them. I was taking photos of waterfalls in Colorado, and of Mesa Verde. All of the photos taken with the extenders looked like garbage. They were grainy, blurry, and had an odd double-image effect.

ALSO: It is claimed that a case is provided. This company does send a case--but it is TOO SMALL FOR THE CAMERA. You can fit the camera BODY in it--but only with the lens removed. The problem? The case will NOT fit the lens, even separate from the camera. The tag on the case says it was made for a digital CAMCORDER.

The overall effect here is that this company somehow has a bunch of random, low-quality stuff sitting around that they use to sweeten the deal--but this stuff actually is very low quality, or is not at all related to the camera.

The tripod, mini-tripod and memory card all seem pretty good.

All in all--a good price for the camera itself, but the lenses and case are a rip-off. Don't buy this package for the extras.

Everything I like about the 20D is improved upon in the 40D:

1. 10MP has cleaner files, even in shadows at ISO 200. Nice to get more resolution AND lower noise, without losing detail.
2. Bigger viewfinder, includes ISO.
3. Nicer LCD, with 3 color histogram.
4. Faster response. Frame shooting speed is faster, but there is a noticeable improvement in the overall response of the camera during image review, menu operations.
5. Option to shoot at 3 fps. Sometimes 6fps is just too fast.
6. 9 cross type AF points. All focus points are now useful all the time.
7. Live view is moderately useful, once in a while.
8. My menu is very useful, bringing a bunch of commonly used features to one menu.
9. Custom settings on the mode dial mean you can setup a preferred operational setup and store it for later. I find it extremely useful to be able to just to 'C3' and have my camera ready for high speed shooting, continuous focus, etc. without having to change multiple settings.

I don't have any complaints for the price.

This camera has excellent build quality and the menu system of newer canon's. You can control the remote flashes thru the camera's menu. (Still no commander with built in like nikon) Becasue of the 50d this camera is a bargain and supierior to any new rebel. I bought it as a backup to my 5D and, because I have no EF-S lenses I use it for telephoto work and portraits. High ISO is decent in fact 1600 is very good but only with a perfect exposure and even light. 1250 is more reliable. If you are using flash it gets great exposure and I use it at 500-800 iso at events in low light. To use at higher ISO with flash you have to be very carelfull with exposure. Best feature of the camera is it's usability. In this respect it is much better than my much older 5d. However for the ultimate digital camera bargain get a 5d. I got mine for 1100 on ebay and it rocks. Great skin tones and 3200 is very clean with proper exposure. In fact the 5d is very close to the D3 at 3200.

I have owned a D70 and an XSi, and this is truly one of the great DSLRs. It really is a step up from the entry level Canons. If you purchase one, you will love it and never look back.

I had started with canon with the A2E and upgraded to the 20D. digital photography is so much easier than film because instead of 24-36 pictures where you get maybe 5-7 great shots and the rest are ok, you now get a few hundred great shots because you just delete the bad pictures. I upgraded to the 30D when it came out and saw a slight difference in the quality in pictures. so when the 40D came out i was hesitant to purchase this camera because for one thing it was more money and the second thing was my wife was having a fit and couldnt understand why i was buying almost the same camera. I bought it anyway even though i knew i was in the dog house and I never regretted buying it. it is so much better than the 30D the feel of the camera from the weather proofing almost makes you feel like you bought the eos1 it is a little heavier but it fits in your hands better. the screen is larger and is 3 inches instead of the 2 and a half on the 30D. The best thing is the color saturation the colors are so much more vibrant than both the 20D and 30D the pictures are amazing. My wife loves the camera it is almost fool proof and she takes pictures that are as good as what I take and i have been into photography for 27 years. Its an amazing camera it is quieter than both the others and it is overall a better camera. I would recommend this camera to anyone.

never got the item, never buy from marcomena hes a scammer. The fact I was not able to get my entire money back shows theres something wrong with this ebay system where scammers are allowed to get away with taking someones money. :(

Choose 40d over the 450/XSI for the superior build quality, higher FPS (6.5 VS 3.5), grip, adverse weather durability, larger buffer and a few more reasons.
Have had it for 3 weeks. The weather here in Sacto. CA has been pretty gloomy as of late an have not had to many good day's to shoot w/ it. The 28-135 IS USM lens has been adequate so far but hope to add a L series IS USM Canon lens in the future. Preferably the 100-400 zoom.
The 580EX II flash is also in the plans to add to my gear. Picked up a Lowepro 300AW Slingshot bag. Great all around bag.
Many settings on this camera to get accumstomed to. Have a way's to go to get comfortable.
So far, so good, just need some decent weather to work with.

I love this camera, it is fast, great crisp pictures, and the lens really make a difference in the picture quality and angles. I would recomend this camera to an amuteur photographer

My grandson wanted a Canon 40d or 50d and saved most of the money. We kept looking on ebay and found this new camera. Our paypal buyers credit account was available for this purchase so we ordered it for him from nyagent. It was in perfect condition when we received it and purchased a warranty from square trade warranty offered on ebay. We are very pleased with this purchase and would use ebay for other high end O.E.M. purchases.