thoughts on my new Canon 40D

[conraderb]

hi folks. I thought that some folks might appreciate hearing some feedback on some of the less talked-

about features of the 40D from the perspective of someone who is upgrading from two 20D bodies.

 

overall, operation is noticeably faster than the 20D - it does not keep me waiting at all. I can take a

burst of raw images and immediately scroll through them, even if they are still being saved to the

memory card. there is no waiting to review with this camer.

 

the shutter lag and viewfinder blackout is noticeably faster (shorter) than the 20D. it?s not like a mark

2, but it is definitely faster than a 20D.

 

AF is definitely better with slow to focus lenses like the 85mm 1.2 L. having all AF points focus quickly

was great for the reception - I normally only used the center focus point on my 20D and I can use any

point on the 40D.

 

the top right dial (under the right hand index finger) can be used to advance 1 frame, 10 frames or 100

frames at a time. very handy for flipping through images quickly.

 

when reviewing images, the camera will remember where you were and return you to that point if you

stop reviewing and then review again (provided that you do not take a picture). helpful for when you do

image review, stop, and then review again.

 

one complaint - if you put the highlight blinking ON, it is always on for all screens. unlike the 20D, you

can?t see the image normal view AND then switch to the histogram view with highlights blinking. it is

either always on, or always off.

 

LCD screen - I enjoy having such a big screen, but since it is not much higher resolution than the 20D,

it is not easier, IMHO, to check focus. the LCD screen also seems to exaggerate color saturation,

particularly on orange tones. I now have to shoot on ?neutral? in order to get a sense of how the colors

are coming out.

 

the shutter is noticeably quieter than the 20D - I feel much more confident shooting during a quiet

ceremony now and taking some very low light 'spray and pray' ISO 1600, 1/40th at 1.2 dancing shots.

 

grip rubber - a bit more texturized and a bit easier to grip. the groove under the right index finger fits

my hand better than the 20D.

 

ISO has now been moved to the right-most button on the top panel instead of the middle button. a

minor adjustment, but I think that it feels a bit more awkward to change the ISO than before.

 

no idea what the print button is for.

 

noticeably bigger and brighter viewfinder.

 

complaint - the mode dial is not as stiff and is easier to move. this is not good, b/c it would sometimes

move to C1, which I hadn?t customized yet, and was set for standard JPG capture!

 

I found my dial moving a lot during yesterday?s wedding - so much that I had to pull some gaffer?s tape

from my logos (I tape over my logos) and put it on the mode dial. I will probably tape down this dial for

most future use.

 

overall, the 40D is a great upgrade to my 20D, and I recommend it. I already replaced both of my 20D

bodies (with replaced shutters due to high mileage) with two 40D bodies and I don?t regret it a minute.

the 40D was a joy to use for a wedding yesterday - I enjoyed it much more than with my 20Ds. The

operation was starting to approach a 1d mark 2 level - without the weight. Great camera.

[jeffreyc]

I just purchased a 40D so we each have a dedicated backup. Having also come from a 20D, I agree with many of your points. One I would like to add:

 

1/3-Stop increments ISO control: It's very handy to have that extra latitude to fine tune exposure, but I found myself trying to go from 400-800 in one-click. On a good point, being able to see the chosen ISO in the viewfinder, kept me from making the wrong selection.

 

I didn't have any issues with my mode dial shifting during the wedding. I did notice it shifted once when I took it out of my bag this morning.

[conraderb]

I forgot to add that the 'weathersealing' on the 40D is a joke. it's a small piece of rubberized foam! nothing more.

[jim_larson1]

Is the 1/3 ISO adjustment a true amplifier sensitivity adjustment, or is a software manipulation (push/pull from full stop setting) like it was on the 30D and 5D?

[my website1]

How sharp do your images appear?

[robin_sibson1]

Conrad, following our email correspondence I am glad to know you're happy with your decision. Your initial experience with the 40D is very much in line with my own, except that I haven't found any problem over the mode dial staying where I put it. Perhaps it depends on exactly how you handle the camera - the 20D and the 40D are a slightly differnt size, and differnt sized hands can play a part too.

 

What's the Print button for? Good question. Those of us who shoot RAW couldn't use it for printing even in the unlikely event that we wanted to, and if you have a card reader there's little occasion to use it for transferring images to the computer. On the 5D it also serves the function of a "shift key" to allow magnify/reduce to operate when certain combinations of CF are in use, but on the 40D the extra AF-ON button makes that unnecessary. Can't say that the Picture Style button thrills me greatly either.

 

Jeff, CF-I-2 allows you to choose between third-stop and whole-stop ISO increments. Jim, it is my belief that the 40D works like the 30D and 5D in not having true amplifier adjustment as the means of implementing the third-stop ISO settings - I'd be happy to be proved wrong. In any event, my own shooting style fits quite comfortably with the use of whole-stop increments.

[robin_sibson1]

PS For "differnt" read "different" throughout. Conrad, it's worth upgrading DPP to 3.2 if you've not already done so, because with the 40D you can take full advantage of the new correction capabilities.