Oldies But Goldies: The Canon EOS 40D (build like a tank and great ergonomics)

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What a great camera that was the Canon EOS 40D. I liked it so much I never sold mine. True, it has “only” 10MP, it was released in 2007, but still…

Carl Garrard posted a review about the mighty Canon EOS 40D, and he seems to be as fond about the 40D as I am. It’s simply a great camera, with great build quality and ergonomics. Indeed, it’s build like a tank and no xxD camera after the EOS 40D ever had the same build quality.

canon eos 40d

Carl writes:

In addition to the 40D being just a lovely wonderful experience to use, I’m very happy with the image quality that I see on my computer, especially when using raw and jpeg. Canon has excellent jpeg quality and it allows you to customize the output from the camera. If you’re the type of person that doesn’t want to use Raw processing in your workflow, this will benefit you.

However I must suggest, highly suggest in fact, that you also record a raw image every time you take a picture. Even if you never intend to process a raw file, later in life you’ll appreciate that you did. By saving a raw file now, you’ve ensured that in the future you can manipulate those images, and create new Jpegs with it that degrade in quality over time.

Memory and storage are so cheap that is completely unwise to not shoot in Raw. Think of raw as the negatives that you get back from film processing. You save them for later and you never know when one day when you’ll need to redevelop an image from the negative. Raw images and film negatives are future-proof insurance that will preserve your images forever.

Lastly, when I think of the EOS 40D compared to all of my current or previous Canon cameras, I feel its a sort of a perfect compromise between a few bodies.

– Perfect handling and feel, like the 50D 

– Large pixels and similar color profile, like the original 5D

– Great low ISO IQ like my 6D (similar DR too)

– Fast continuous shooting (6.5fps) and excellent locking continuous AF system like most Canon’s

canon eos 40d
Build like a tank!

There is nothing wrong with the EOS 40D’s image quality, as you can see below.

Canon EOS 40D
Image © Carl Garrard – https://photographic-central.blogspot.com
Canon EOS 40D
Image © Carl Garrard – https://photographic-central.blogspot.com

Be sure to check Carl’s review, there is more to discover about the Canon EOS 40D.

The Canon EOS 40D can still be found for around $100 for the body on Amazon and eBay.

The Canon EOS RP Is “Bland and Cheap”, Claims This Youtuber

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At a glance:

  • 26.2MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
  • DIGIC 8 Image Processor
  • UHD 4K and Full HD 1080 Video
  • 2.36m-Dot OLED Electronic Viewfinder
  • 3″ 1.04m-Dot Vari-Angle Touchscreen LCD
  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF, 4779 AF Points
  • ISO 100-40000, Up to 5 fps Shooting
  • Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Connectivity

Watch Kai W while he throws mud on the Canon EOS RP, for the sole purpose of doing it I guess.

Pre-order the EOS RP in USA:

Pre-order the EOS RP in UK: Park Cameras

Pre-order the EOS RP in Germany: Amazon DE | Canon Germany

World-wide pre-order links: [shoplist 54789]

This Photographer Switched From Sony To The Canon EOS R, Here Is Why

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Photographer Tyson Robichaud switched to the Canon EOS R after years using Sony cameras (and other brands too). In a recent post he reviews the Canon EOS R, compares the EOS R to the Sony a7R II, and explains why he switched to Canon.

Tyson’s review is a real world review, with many sample photos, ISO test charts and more useful insights. As you can see below, Canon’s sensor is still behind Sony’s when it comes to high ISO performance.

ISO 12800 – Sony a7R II on the left, Canon EOS R on the right (image © tysonrobichaudphotography.wordpress.com)
ISO 25600 – Sony a7R II on the left, Canon EOS R on the right image © tysonrobichaudphotography.wordpress.com)
ISO 51200 – Sony a7R II on the left, Canon EOS R on the right image © tysonrobichaudphotography.wordpress.com)

In his conclusion he writes:

The EOS R has a lot going for it, and a few bizarre omissions/inclusions in my personal opinion.  How those sit with any given shooter will certainly come down to personal needs and expectations for the cost.

Short and sweet, the image quality is still behind the better performing, comparably priced full frame cameras right now.  That, in and of itself may be enough for many to steer clear and go elsewhere with their hard earned money.  The tradeoff for that IQ, in my experience, has been a much better and more solidly operating tool in most every regard.  Less the omission of in body stabilization, and some of the odd and arguably excusable/ignorable design choices, I find the EOS R to be provide a better shooting experience for me, compared to my Sony cameras.  Canon, for their faults, have always been great at building a camera that integrates well with the shooter, and photographic task at hand.

If you want to learn about the Canon EOS R we highly recommend Tyson’s review. It’s the kind of camera review I read before deciding which camera to buy.

Yesterday Canon announced their second full frame mirrorless camera, the Canon EOS RP.

Canon RF 24-105mm F/4L IS Review (D. Abbott)

Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS Review Canon EOS R
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Photographer Dustin Abbott posted his final verdict on what is the kit lens for the EOS R system, the Canon RF 24-105mm F/4L IS.

From Abbott’s conclusion:

I don’t get overly excited about lenses with a maximum aperture of only F4, but there’s no question that this is a very useful lens.  You can do about 80% of your photography (or maybe 100%, depending on your needs) without the Canon RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM ever leaving your camera. 

I would recommend a good telephoto lens and perhaps a wide aperture prime lens to compliment this lens.  At the time of this review, the only camera that it can be used on is the Canon EOS R, but that will undoubtedly change as Canon introduces more cameras supporting the RF mount moving into the future.  I noted in my EOS R review that the EOS R (at present) seems to be more a delivery system for the excellent new lenses that the RF mount has unlocked.  The RF 24-105L is a great place to start in building your new lens kit, though, as it manages to avoid many of the common pitfalls from such lenses and delivers above-average image quality and truly excellent autofocus performance.

Dustin Abbott’s review comes with a huge set of sample photos and all kinds of insights. If you prefer, you can watch his review in the video below.

Abbott’s Canon EOS R review is here.

Canon EOS R world-wide order links:

[shoplist 52287]

Canon RF mount lenses world-wide order links:

[shoplist 52325]