Canon has remained true to one of the principles of its marketing policy, involving the production of two DSLR cameras on the basis of the same matrix, firstly a budget option with a lightweight body and a cut-down set of features, and secondly a semi-professional camera. The interval between the two cameras’ release is from six months to a year.
One more tandem was made up by the Canon EOS 400D and the Canon EOS 40D. This was the case with the EOS 300D / the 20D and the EOS 350D / the 30D couples. Naturally, after the birth of the budget 10-megapixel camera EOS 400D in August 2006 the Canon community was looking forward to the release of a higher model. Exactly one year later the Canon EOS 40D appeared in the market.
The 40D is a Digital SLR camera of medium sizes and very solid construction. Its frame is stainless steel and magnesium alloys, outside is high quality plastic and excellent rubber. The camera is safe and comfortable in hand. The 40D has a lot of buttons, but the purpose of most of them is clear even without looking in the manual. Similar to the previous the 30D device, the 40D supports EF, and EF-S lenses, and the conversion factor for focal length is 1.6. There is a three-stage dust-cleaning system, including dust-repelling coating, the protective plate’s vibrations with supersonic speed, and digital "dust map", with the help of which you can remove traces of dust from pictures.
On the back of the camera there is a large 3-inch LCD display. Even though it is bright and sharp, but there are even better like on the Nikon D300 and the Sony DSLR-A700 cameras, which have amazing screens.
One of the most interesting new features of the 40D is Live View, which allows you to compose images on the LCD in real time. Although the camera is designed for manual focusing (with a handy zoom function), if you press the AF-ON button on the back of the camera, you can turn on autofocus. The picture on the LCD screen is bright and dynamic. In low-light conditions the readability of the screen is good. In the Live View mode shutter sound is quieter as it employs an electronic shutter, rather than mechanical. Furthermore, you do not have to sit near the camera for composing images with the Live View function, as this can be done on a computer by connecting the EOS 40D via USB, or communicating by radio with the help of Wireless File Transmitter block.
The 40D optical viewfinder is larger than the 30D one. The magnification ratio is 0.95X. Covers of memory card slots and the battery, as well as covers of electrical connectors are sealed against dust and moisture. The 40D supports the BG-E2N battery grip of new design, the covers of which also have sealing.
Although the EOS-40D features both automatic and scene modes, it is more intended for photographers-enthusiasts. There is a full set of manual settings, including exposure settings, white balance, and (of course) focus. The white balance setting allows you to set the color temperature, fine-tuning and take photos with bracketing.
The 40D has quite a lot of picture styles, for each of which you can set such parameters as color, contrast and sharpness. You can adjust existing styles or create your owns. As expected, the 40D supports the RAW format, and even in two resolutions (normal and low). You can record only the RAW picture, and also with the JPEG copy.
The 40D has excellent speed performance. If the dust extraction is turned off, the camera is ready to shoot immediately after the power is on, if the dust extraction is on, in approximately 1.5 seconds. AF speed is much higher than that of the 20D and the 30D, which is provided by a completely new autofocus system. The time range of focusing is from almost instantaneous to about 1 second in the most difficult cases. With the Live View off, there is no shutter lag, and there is a barely noticeable delay with the Live View on. The delay before the next shot is minimal. Continuous shooting of the 40D is one of the best. In the shooting mode at high speed it is possible to take in sequence 22 RAW or 184 JPEG shots at a rate of 6.2 frames per second. If you wish to reduce the rate of capture, there is a mode with a normal speed - 3 frames per second.
The EOS-40D can shoot photos of excellent quality, particularly with high-quality lens. Photos are pleasant to look at (not blurred), with nice natural colors and minimal purple fringing (however, it is more dependent on the lens).
You cannot but like the Canon EOS-40D. This digital SLR camera can do almost anything you want, and does it well. The 40D is still good enough and deserves unquestioning recommendation.
