Some thoughts on a new 40d...

zan · #1 (**permalink**) 28-03-2008, 10:25 PM

Hello everyone,
I bought a new Canon 40D last weekend as an upgrade to my 400d, and thought I'd share my initial thoughts on it. I took it out on a fishing trawler today on the Clyde in pretty dull and overcast conditions (generally a low-contrast place!), and I must say I was very impressed. I was using the centre focus point, spot metering (Av +1 stop), and had the 'rapid fire' mode set to on. The lens was the Canon 70-200 F4 IS.

By comparison to the 400D, the AF is a huge step up and really grabbed the subjects I wanted. It's not 1D standard, but it was an awful lot closer than I've been used to! 6 frames per second is also an incredibly useful tool for action shots. I can now take two photos for every one I used to take, and that can make all the difference between clipping a bird's wing out the frame or not, or getting the wing posture perfect. It also makes it much easier to shoot feeding gannets!

It's a fair bit chunkier and heavier than the 400d, which is good. I am a small-handed person, but it feels much more comfortable than the 400d already. It also feels much more rugged, but my 400d has been hit (and occasionally swamped) by more than it's share of waves in its time and has survived perfectly

.

Those are the main things I noticed today. I daresay I'll be able to add more thoughts to this list as I get more used to using it, but I love it! It's a great piece of kit, and thoroughly recommend it if anyone's looking for a wildlife DSLR.

Zan

zan · #2 (**permalink**) 28-03-2008, 10:30 PM

PS - These are a couple of shots from today's trip:

Shag Landing

Shag in Flight

Aerial Acrobatics

Words · #3 (**permalink**) 28-03-2008, 11:16 PM

Smashing shots Zan. What lens did you have on the front of the 40D? I'm hankering after a similar upgrade.

jennyb · #4 (**permalink**) 28-03-2008, 11:18 PM

Wow! That aerial acrobatics photo is especially good. Glad to hear that you like your new purchase.

Jenny

glsammy · #5 (**permalink**) 28-03-2008, 11:43 PM

That Gannet shot is a cracker, I sincerely hope you upload it into the Gallery.

I agree with you about the 40D, although I've switched mine off the high speed mode, I took was too many shots the first day out with it!
I can see a real difference in the quality over my 20D, there's far more detail and the high ISO settings are really good. ISO 1000 is very good, way better than the ISO 800 of the 20D, plus the Shutter is so much quieter. Many other advantages but altogether well worth the upgrade.

GerryNick2 · #6 (**permalink**) 29-03-2008, 07:04 AM

I upgraded from the 30D and the two things that impress me the most on the 40D are the sensor cleaning and AF. I was a bit sceptical about the sensor cleaning but after 1500 shots not a speck of visible dust. As for the speed of the AF I still cannot get over just how fast it is to lock onto the subject no matter which lens I put on it. Live view was a bit of a novelty at first but can't say that I have really found a use for it.

The only thing I am struggling with at the moment is getting the amount of exposure compensation right. Compared to the 30D the sensor seems to be extra sensitive to light and I find avoiding burnt out highlights quite tricky. Never had this problem with the 30D, I understand the 40D sensor is the same one as used in the 400D.

Gerry

matt_xyz · #7 (**permalink**) 29-03-2008, 08:47 AM

I don't have a 40D, I have a 30D and a 400D, but I can vouch for the performance of the dust removal system on the 400D (which I imagine is the same as that on the 40D). The sensor on my 30D is covered in muck, I cleaned it with swabs 3 times yesterday and it is still mucky when I shoot something light at a very small aperture. This has never been a major problem but now that I have a MPE-65 macro lens this shows absolutely everything because at high levels of magnification the effective aperture is much smaller than the actual aperture. The bottom line is I can't currently use my 30D with this lens and I'm having to use my 400D. There is a bit of muck on the 400D's sensor but nothing like the same amount even though I've had it a year longer.

So the dust removal on the 40D is becoming ever more tempting. Plus I find the shutter noise on the 30D sometimes disturbs the subject when at close range. Again, I've had to use my 400D when shooting goldfinches at close range in my garden. So, to me, these 2 aspects of the 40D sound a big improvement over the 30D.

Zan, I think that Gannet shot is superb by the way. A real beauty.

Matt

zan · #8 (**permalink**) 29-03-2008, 11:11 AM

I was using the Canon 70-200mm F4 IS with it. It's been the lens I've been using most often recently, so I thought it would make a decent comparison with the 400D. If you are interested in action shots, I think this is about as good a (Canon) camera as you'll get without shelling out for a 1d of some sort. I guess you could get a second hand 1D mk iiN for about £1000 ish, but the 40d is currently half that with the rebate.

Matt: looking at the specs, it seems that the 40D is a real improvement on the 30D (unlike the 450D compared to the 400D...). I haven't used a 30D, but if you're already using your 400d by preference, I don't think you could go too far wrong with the 40.