THE CANON 40D HAS TAKEN THE BATON from its hugely popular predecessor, the 30D, but if the mid-range digital SLR camera market was a relay, the Canons really would have a race on their hands.

Canon’s digital cameras have a very large following. Since their days in the 35mm film market, they have built 30 million SLRs, and this one is sure to be a hit with the droves that have already bought into their lens and flash system, but for the many more that have yet to take the plunge into the digital SLR camera market, there are some tasty competitors waiting in the wings.

The 10 Megapixel market is a hugely competitive one, with everybody from the colossal Nikon D80 to the reasonably priced Olympus E400.

The Canon is, however, slightly more upmarket than either of these other two cameras, and its real competition as the camera serious amateurs will drool over, comes from the newly released Nikon D300.

The D300 may be a more expensive camera, but it also packs a great deal more punch, and with internet prices dropping all the time, it could soon be in a bracket that would temp users away from the smaller 40D.

Canon EOS 40D - Top Features

That being said, the camera has a lot to offer, and some seriously good specs, which will satisfy the most demanding of users.

The best thing about this camera is the huge LCD monitor, at 3” it is half an inch bigger than the one on its predecessor. This massive screen dominates the back of the camera, and makes reviewing images a joy. It does mean that some of the functional buttons on the back are more cramped, but this is a small price and one I would be more than happy to pay in order to review images on what feels like a cinema screen.

Photographers upgrading from the 30D will be glad to hear that the customizable settings on the exposure control modes, where the user can program a preset function which will manipulate how the camera sets the shutter speed and aperture in auto mode are still present.

The camera uses a 35-zone metering system to measure exposures, but early tests show that the camera, like its predecessor, tends to error on the side of under exposure. This is not too alarming, and is much better than over exposure, as images can still be rescued in the post capture stage, but it does mean that photographs printed straight out of the camera lacks a bit of contrast.

Interestingly, the camera does not power down when the memory card door is opened. This is a unique feature of the Canon and means that you will not lose any images should you accidentally open this latch while they are still being downloaded to the card.

The body is quite heavy, and it feels like a sturdy camera. The interior shell is made of a magnesium alloy and the camera features enhanced weather and splash resistance.

The camera can shoot at 6.5 frames per second and the buffer can hold an adequate 75 jpeg images, though this drops down to 17 in RAW mode.

The EOS 40D has learned a lot from its bigger brothers and now employs the Digic III processor. It also borrows the Live View feature, which means that the photographer can use the LCD screen on the back of the camera to compose images instead of using the view finder. This is a nifty feature, especially if you are trying to get pictures with odd points of view, such as with the camera held above your head or at floor level.

Final Verdict

The EOS 40D has a lot going for it, but nothing takes away from the fact that this is a seriously expensive camera for the specs it offers. There will no doubt be many out with more money than time, who will buy the camera because they trust the name. But those who have done their research will almost surely opt for one of the smaller, lighter and cheaper cameras that pack very nearly the same punch.

If money is tight, you are better off buying the Olympus E400, if it is no object, buy the Nikon D300 and if you have your heart set on a Canon, get the EOS 400D at half the price and half the weight, but the 40D is just simply too much money for too few pixels.