A true jack of all trades! Whether you prefer sports, landscapes, architecture or Streetlife as a photograph area. It shows its strength from sovereign, because it combines all the necessary technical features in its class. And those who have inherited many novelties from the Canon EOS 1D Mark III the superclass. She raises more than clear from the entry-level 400D / 450D from, but also of its predecessor 30D.
I will not enumerate all the technical details in this review, which can Canon on the product page much better. I want to show you how the camera is positioned, the opportunity presented by the effective use of the camera and how they can make their own kind of photography with this camera.
18 months had Canon, time to create a new post-marketing surveillance of the EOS 30D. Those who know Canon will expect any revolutionary things but steady inexorable conservative improvements. And that's also occurred; of course, new technologies have been added.
As a successor to the 30D, the 40D is again in massive housing, made of magnesium alloy and an inner stainless steel chassis is. Canon has now also started to provide the camera with seals. In contrast to the 1D models that offer 100% protection, the 40D has only protected the area of CF card / battery safety and the flap of the battery. The additionally attachable battery grip is also protected, only the small office for the DC Coupler is not sealed. Nevertheless, this means a visible extension of the use of spectrum. Even in light rain shots are now possible that were previously at risk. A guarantee does not exist yet.
The 3 inch screen now allows a rational consideration of the pictures and also up to 10 times magnification. Although one would at the sharpness of the screen can make improvements, such. As increase the number of pixels, but it is enough for a first impression all times.
With this screen, the Live View is carried viewing. Actually, uncommon for digital SLR cameras, this feature has now also been introduced in this class. While it does not allow use as is the case with the compact digital cameras, but just macro photographers this is a welcome treat. This should not go unmentioned, is that you can select three different modes of trigger noise, here different possibilities of recycling mirror and shutter release are exploited. For the first time in the 40D find two engines use. One just for the mirror and for the closure. So can also take place an almost noiseless recording in Live View mode. Unlike the current 1D Mark III but not in 'normal' recording mode. An expandable lattice structure and the ability to activate the autofocus, expand the benefits. Activates the autofocus z. B. on the programmable AF-ON button that in turn restricts the free pictures. The Live View mode is very useful especially when using a tripod. An additional up to 10x magnification function supplements the Live View function.
From the macro photography for Action. There is no magic. With 6.5 frames per second, it is the fastest camera in its class at all! It is often at this point that's what the D300 is faster. But that's not true, because in order to compare these two cameras in this respect, at the D300 to turn on the 14-bit mode is required and then reduces the continuous shooting speed of D300 at about 2 frames per second. In addition, it reaches the speed of about 6 pictures only with attached battery grip, while this is not necessary in the 40D.
Here is a small practical test of the continuous shooting mode:
RAW (3888x2592):
17 pictures in a row to ISO 500
16 pictures in a row to ISO 1600
14 pictures in a row at ISO 3200
6 pictures in a row in all ISO levels with activated High ISO speed noise reduction (noise reduction is applied at all ISO levels)
JPEG (highest resolution 3888x2592):
Unlimited frame rate up to ISO 800!
Except ISO 1600 60 pictures in a row
Exceptional high ISO 3200 16 pictures in a row
6 pictures in a row in all ISO levels with activated High ISO speed noise reduction (noise reduction is applied at all ISO levels)
All values of this test are absolutely dependent on the size of each individual image. This can vary greatly in different lights and other motifs. Therefore applies to the values that they have only limited transferable.
All levels have been tested with the SanDisk Extreme Ducati 4GB. She is currently one of the fastest CF card in the world and thus ensures that the CF card is not a bottleneck in the camera.
A total of 20 different picture modes available (sizes) available, 6 stages JPEG, RAW 2 stages and 12 mixed JPEG RAW stages; of 1936x1288, 2816x1880 and 3888x2592 pixel size.
And all at the highest quality. All 20 levels of image quality are added with 14 bits per color channel tonal range, instead of the usual 12 bits. A tonal range of 16,384 colors rather than 4096. This is first not visible on the monitor. But at least if you want to process your RAW images, they will appreciate the massively increased tonal range. Here are now significantly more reserves.
Another new feature is now Auto ISO. Thus, they are now able to more quickly and ultimately make better quality recordings, not to shake again in the name. The ISO range is elected but only up to a maximum of ISO 800. Up to this field noise is not critical and still provides good image values.
Better pictures are always an incentive also to let the technology involved here. So there is just where an exact alignment of the camera to the subject is very important for architectural photography or for shooting, grid focusing screens. For the EOS 40D, there are three. The Ef-A standard focusing screen as that Ef-D with a grid and the EF-S for manual focusing. These focusing screens have new opportunities, allowing you to focus their camera on the edges or lines of motifs exact eg with the Ef-D grid matte screen. that is gladly seen in architectural photography. . In the EF-S is, for example, pleased that macro photographers, it is indeed from aperture f: 2.8 per se darker, but the advantage is the improved visibility when the subject is in focus. The autofocus is in fact not always used with the macro photographers.
Popular New and wedding photographs but also with strong chiaroscuro contrasts is the Tonwertpriorität. It causes the white areas usually do not erode and still have a balance of design and structure. Now you could always leave this feature turned on, but which is an advantage, can often be a disadvantage. The dark areas tend to have with activated Tonwertpriorität more noise. This is very limited and is usually not critical, but you should know why.
So you see that the new and revised features and properties have significantly helped to expand the range of applications.
Finally, I want to emphasize that the value for money for this camera is quite excellent. The body is now getting many for less than 1,000. Semi-professional cameras but are also effective, or else to have a lot more expensive.
I thank you - you have found mistakes? If you have something unclear? Know more facts? If so, please take this opportunity to write to me.