Upgrading to 40D....
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I am considering either a new lens or upgrading the camera body. I have a 350d now (Rebel XT), and considering moving to a 40D. Anyone with experiences with this? Has it been a big improvement? Anything in particular that you like better, or miss? I know the stats, just wondering about the reality of living with the new body.
The size and build of the 40D are nice, but I don't mind the compact size of the XT honestly. I am fairly happy with what I have, so am debating whether I should upgrade to 40D or just get a new lens, like say a 24-105L....
I am considering either a new lens or upgrading the camera body. I have a 350d now (Rebel XT), and considering moving to a 40D. Anyone with experiences with this? Has it been a big improvement? Anything in particular that you like better, or miss? I know the stats, just wondering about the reality of living with the new body.
The size and build of the 40D are nice, but I don't mind the compact size of the XT honestly. I am fairly happy with what I have, so am debating whether I should upgrade to 40D or just get a new lens, like say a 24-105L....
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www.ivarborst.nl & smugmug
Responsiveness: The 40D has faster shooting rate, faster autofocus, more accurate autofocus, deeper buffer and faster card write speeds.
Live View: Surprisingly useful for critical focus confirmation and manual focus adjustment.
Larger viewfinder.
Spot metering.
ISO 3200 (and better high-ISO noise reduction available.)
Battery life is much improved.
Two wheels plus joystick for user setup and interface.
Larger LCD with twice the detail. Up to 10X even in Live View.
ISO displays in top information LCD ("Control Panel" display) as well as in the viewfinder.
Self cleaning filter.
In addition you get a more durable chassis and a much more durable shutter. Minor improvements in body seals.
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Not especially. When I have some larger lenses on it, it feels, well, inadequate or overwhelmed. I have tested a 40D and love the viewfinder and the focusing, which is much better than my 350.
Spot metering seems as if it would be extremely handy. Larger screen is nice, but not necessary. Since I have begun buying studio lights, a PC sync connector will be come more relevant. And the controls seem much more user friendly.
Plus, well its an upgrade, who doesn't like a new camera
I honestly haven't checked to see it it's doing the cleaning job or not.
So far in 2008 I bought my first new dSLR camera ever, the 40D, and the Canon EF-S 17-55mm, f2.8 IS.
I did buy the camera first but mostly because the lens had become hard to find. I do think this combination of glass and camera is just about perfectly balanced in terms of utility versus quality.
I also picked up a B+W filter to protect the lens and a hood for the lens. (Shame on Canon for not including the hood with that lens in particular.)
I always recommend glass before body, but you get to decide your own priorities.
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
dak.smugmug.com
Hi Gang,
This is too funny... 1st time to this site, 1st thread read, 40D or 24-105mm f4 L quandry... I had a Rebel XT, loved it, but the dust problem was enough of an excuse to "upgrade" to an XTi... like it, but... more later... but after trying out one of my Bud's 40D's I had to get one... so last week I got a new 40D from B+H and had some $$$ left over and bought a 24-105mm f4 L used from a different friend... love 'em, love 'em, love 'em...
The finder in the 40D is worth the price of admission alone; well, almost... the 6.5 fps is great (I shoot surf) and the feel of the build seems to be way better than the Rebels for my long lenses... and the dust vibration thing works... it just works, as it does in the XTi.
My main complaint re: the XTi is that the ISO settings are so easily changed that it was almost impossible to just shoot and forget about the camera. Even after taking off my Hoodman screen cover (it covered the ISO settings) I still found I was shooting @ ISO 1600 all the time... if your thumb slides over just a taste it can change the ISO from say 400 to 1600 inadvertantly, and the heavier the lens the more the XTi was prone to do it, as you have to grip the camera more tightly... it's kinda hard to describe, but if you have an XTi maybe this has happened to you, too. Of course it could be that there is an "ISO Setting Lock" that I don't know about, but... ARGGGH!!! Anyway, this looks like a really fun place, and I hope to get some cool tips from one and all!
BTW, both the XT and the XTi take spot on pics... the 40D seems better... somehow more vivid...
It'll probably make a bigger difference to your images.
I agree with you here! I have had this happen with my 100-400mm a few times. Its annoying.
If I knew then what I know now I would not have waited so long for the body upgrade. The 40d is like night and day from the xt, just the sound of the shutter is so much different, like butter.
well I have considered that approach, but that will require far too many honey-dos and brownie pts with the better half.
The whole reason for my thread in the first place is statements like yours "The 40d is like night and day from the xt", statements that are difficult to quantify, and must come down to overall satisfaction and appreciation of all the 'little things' that are different and more focused on getting a photo vs a snapshot.
Seems there's an awful lot of XT users who picked the 40D as that "just right" time to move up.
The grip on the XT definitely helps, I will say, but if I'd had it to do over, I'd probably have put the money for the grip towards a quicker switch to 40D, as it is, I'm still on a high from pulling the trigger on a 10-22, and waiting for it to arrive...
In terms of robustness, features, ease of use would be where you would gain things though.
However, I still think a lens would make more of a difference.
Agree here, in fact, one could argue (can of worms) that the 20D/30D may have better IQ than the 40D, since the pixel resolution is less on an unchanged sensor size, meaning more light per pixel, potentially. But with the Digic III, and other improvements, it is hopefully a wash. I would hope there is some internal, electronic difference between an XTi or XSi than a 40D, but perhaps not.
The real dilema, which I will NOT be considering, is the XSi or the 40D. Technically, the XSi is as much an improvement, on paper, as the 40D over my XT. In fact, the size of the XT to me is a bonus, since I have small hands, and the size allows me to toss it in my briefcase on business trips. But, I am not selling the XT, since I do not feel it is worth the effort for the selling price any longer, so I will still have the XT for when a business trip affords a bit of sightseeing.
Doggone it, thought I had made up my mind, then you go and say that. The lens upgrade will be in the standard range, where I have my Tamron 28-75 now. It is a great lens, and I often remark at how sharp it is. But the 24-105L is my dream lens, even though it may not be the perfect solution for 1.6x crop camera.
Either way, once I get one, I will start justifying the other
www.ivarborst.nl & smugmug
I also find that the 40D is more capable of auto-focusing my 70-300 DO IS lens. On the XT I was more likely to (need to) use that lens on manual focus. On the 40D I am much happier with the auto focus.
Either way - whether you decide to go with the lens now and camera later, or switch the order - I suspect that you'll be pleased. (And I do understand having a problem making the decision. I kept telling myself I didn't need the camera, but now that I have it I know that I did!).
--- Denise
Musings & ramblings at https://denisegoldberg.blogspot.com
I'll keep it simple...I've had the 10D...20D...30D...and have the 1DMKIIN and the 40D.
I enjoy the 40D more than any of them.
I got a 40D recently and besides some slight improvements I really haven't felt it was a major upgrade from the 20D. The extra 1.5 fps is nice for action sports. I guess I am comparing the major difference I noticed when I went from the 10D to the 20D. Hopefully the sensor cleaning will eliminate dust bunnies. I haven't seen any yet, but then again I shoot a good bit at 2.8 - 4.0 f's.
Larger viewfinder
Better autofocus
Intermediate ISO stops
Things that took a lot of getting used to:
the back wheel (I still often turn the wrong wheel)
the "joystick"
the weight - the 40d is a monster compared to the 350d
Something that is totally useless for me is the top settings panel (I use the camera on a tripod or monopod most of the time so can't see it), however, a great feature is that all that info can now be displayed on the main LCD (much bigger too).
In hindsight, if I'd waited I would probably have gone for the 450d, just for the weight.
Here a pic showing how good the AF is. The 350d would have focussed on the plants and missed the bird:
Bugs
Spiders
Flowers
Al,
I also did some tests to see how well the new AF can discriminate objects "masked" behind foreground objects and was amazed at the accuracy of the center AF dot.
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
I recently bought the 40D to augment my gear. I had only the XTi before that. My initial impressions were as follows:
1. The 40D is significantly bigger than the XTi. Not huge, but noticably bigger.
2. The controls don't seem as intuitive as on the XTi. Perhaps I just haven't been using it long enough (and it seems as if it's getting easier) but it takes me a bit longer to get the camera "dialed in" on manual settings than it did with the XTi. Not a big issue though.
3. The continuous shooting speed is more than twice as fast as the XTi. The 40D is like a machine gun. Bam! Bam! Bam!
4. The incremental ISO settings are great and allow me to "fine-tune" my exposure much more than I could on the XTi.
5. As I'm getting more into portraits and studio work, the PC sync cable is a big deal BUT I just bought a wireless transmitter that works via the hotshoe; thus it will work with both the XTi and the 40D. So the PC sync port is no longer that big a deal.
6. The Liveview and Liveview-to-PC features are awesome and will allow for a lot of neat, creative shots that wouldn't be possible (or at least not as easy) with the XTi.
The main reason I bought the 40D was as a backup camera for my friend's wedding that she asked me to shoot for her (thanks Ziggy and Scott for all your pointers and great advice!). However, I have found it to be a fabulous body that feels much more solid than the XTi. Right now it has a lot more capability than I need but that will be available for me when I "grow into it". I absolutely love my 40D, and I'm sure I'll have it for many years.
I was debating getting the 17-55 f/2.8 IS (since so many wedding photogs recommend it) rather than the 40D. I opted for the 40D over the lens for the following reasons:
1. I already have the 17-40 f/4 L and the 24-105 f/4 L lenses
2. The wedding is going to be entirely outdoors, mitigating the need for a lens as fast as the 17-55.
I hope this helps; good luck and best wishes to you!
haha same here!!
www.tednghiem.com
BBriggs & Tee Why - It's not the small size of the of the XTi that's causing me grief w/ the accidental ISO changes, it's the design of the back side of the camera; the ISO values are so easily changed w/ any lens on board, but w/ a heavy lens, like BBriggs 100-400mm bruiser or my 70 - 200mm f2.8 L IS or 300mm f4 L IS it's almost impossible to avoid it. And Tee Why, if you mean adding a Battery Grip BG-E3, I tried that right off the bat; while it helped stabilize the small XTi weight-wise, it actually exacerbated the ISO prob...
To give you all an idea how frustrating the ISO problem is for me, I gave my adult daughter my original XT when I got the XTi; now I'm considering swaping out cameras w/ her... the auto dust cleaning works like a champ, but it's not that much of a hassle to lock up the mirror on the XT and blow off the sensor, thereby blowing off the problems I've encountered w/ the XTi (slight bad pun intended)
BUT!!! I'm thinking that if I keep the XTi as a back-up, I'll get the new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens ($175 Street). It's gotten great reviews, both online and from a guy I know who lives and breathes photo gear... and it is so light it should mitigate some of the ISO problem and be a good walk-around combo w/ the XTi...
So thanks for the feedback, as I said I'm a total newbie here... this place seems friendly; I'll strive to not rattle any chains!
Tom
These are my favorite features :
Not to be underestimated!
The 1st tip won't work, since I almost always shoot using only the center focus point, but the 2nd one sounds like a winner... I'm actually surprised that this issue has not come up more often in various forums; it is a total mess up on Canon's part IMHO, anyway...
But now that I have my boss new 40D, and using this tip feel that the XTi won't fail me as a back-up when I shoot my infrequent wedding assignments, I'm stoked... I'm a cross between a Pro and an advanced (?) amateur... someday I hope to be up to the level of my equipment
Thank's again, cmason
PS I have some gear that I'd like to tell you guys about here @ the bottom of the post (Brag?:)) but I don't know how to make a template for these posts so's I don't have to re-type the info every time... you know, 'Canon 40D, Canon G9, Canon 300mm f4 L IS', etc. Do you make a template in Word and copy/paste to here?!?!?! As a matter of fact, just to make the 'L' in the lens discription red, I'll try that if'n I don't hear from anyone... after paying all that $$$ for my red line lenses, it better show up red in these forums!!!
mendocino:
Click 'You' near the Digital Grin Forum breadcrumb (look under the photo banner). Choose "Edit Signature", put whatever you like...experiment!