Canon 40D Comparison Review

The Canon EOS 40D is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was revealed to the public in August 2007 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 10.1 megapixel.

Is the Canon 40D a good camera? The 40D has a Camera Elo of 1320. This rating puts the 40D below average of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the 40D also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 2.5-star performance rating. – Well, the Canon 40D is more than 16 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2007.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The physical dimensions of the Canon 40D relative to a credit card are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Canon 40D alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Canon 40D	146 mm	108 mm	74 mm	822 g	750	n	Aug 2007	1,299	ebay.com
2.		Canon 70D	139 mm	104 mm	79 mm	755 g	920	Y	Jul 2013	1,199	ebay.com
3.		Canon 60D	145 mm	106 mm	79 mm	755 g	1100	Y	Aug 2010	1,399	ebay.com
4.		Canon 50D	146 mm	108 mm	74 mm	822 g	800	Y	Aug 2008	1,299	ebay.com
5.		Canon 450D	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	524 g	500	n	Jan 2008	799	ebay.com
6.		Canon 1000D	126 mm	98 mm	65 mm	502 g	500	n	Jun 2008	449	ebay.com
7.		Canon 30D	144 mm	106 mm	74 mm	785 g	750	n	Feb 2006	1,399	ebay.com
8.		Canon 400D	127 mm	84 mm	65 mm	556 g	370	n	Aug 2006	799	ebay.com
9.		Canon 20D	144 mm	106 mm	72 mm	770 g	700	n	Aug 2004	1,499	ebay.com
10.		Nikon D90	132 mm	103 mm	77 mm	703 g	850	n	Aug 2008	1,299	ebay.com
11.		Olympus E-30	142 mm	108 mm	75 mm	701 g	750	n	Nov 2008	1,299	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Canon 40D was launched in the US market at a price of $1,299. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check 40D offers at
ebay.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Canon 40D features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.6. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Canon 40D among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Canon 40D	APS-C	10.1	3888	2592	none	22.1	11.3	703	64
2.		Canon 70D	APS-C	20.0	5472	3648	1080/30p	22.5	11.6	926	68
3.		Canon 60D	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.2	11.5	813	66
4.		Canon 50D	APS-C	15.1	4752	3168	none	21.8	11.4	696	63
5.		Canon 450D	APS-C	12.2	4272	2848	none	21.9	10.8	692	61
6.		Canon 1000D	APS-C	10.1	3888	2592	none	22.0	10.9	719	62
7.		Canon 30D	APS-C	8.2	3504	2336	none	21.5	10.8	736	59
8.		Canon 400D	APS-C	10.1	3888	2592	none	22.1	11.0	664	62
9.		Canon 20D	APS-C	8.2	3504	2336	none	21.9	11.0	721	62
10.		Nikon D90	APS-C	12.2	4288	2848	720/24p	22.7	12.5	977	73
11.		Olympus E-30	Four Thirds	12.2	4032	3024	none	21.3	10.4	530	55

It should be noted that unlike many modern cameras, the 40D does not provide the possibility to capture videos.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the 40D has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 95% and a magnification of 0.59x. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Canon 40D and comparable cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Canon 40D	optical	Y	3.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/8000s	6.5/s	Y	n
2.		Canon 70D	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/8000s	7.0/s	Y	n
3.		Canon 60D	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	n	1/8000s	5.3/s	Y	n
4.		Canon 50D	optical	Y	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/8000s	6.3/s	Y	n
5.		Canon 450D	optical	n	3.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.5/s	Y	n
6.		Canon 1000D	optical	n	2.5 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
7.		Canon 30D	optical	Y	2.5 / 230	fixed	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	Y	n
8.		Canon 400D	optical	n	2.5 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
9.		Canon 20D	optical	Y	1.8 / 118	fixed	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	Y	n
10.		Nikon D90	optical	Y	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/4000s	4.5/s	Y	n
11.		Olympus E-30	optical	Y	2.7 / 230	swivel	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	Y	Y
Notes: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One convenient feature of the 40D is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Canon EOS 40D and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Canon 40D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Canon 70D	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
3.		Canon 60D	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
4.		Canon 50D	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Canon 450D	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Canon 1000D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Canon 30D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
8.		Canon 400D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Canon 20D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	1.1	-	-	-
10.		Nikon D90	Y	mono / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Olympus E-30	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-

Further information on the features and operation of the 40D can be found in the free online Canon 40D Manual or on the Canon support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the 40D. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The table below summarizes the assessments of some of the best known camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Canon 40D	..	+ +	..	+ +	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2007	1,299	ebay.com
2.		Canon 70D	5/5	+ +	..	83/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jul 2013	1,199	ebay.com
3.		Canon 60D	5/5	+	..	79/100	4/5	4.5/5	Aug 2010	1,399	ebay.com
4.		Canon 50D	..	+ +	..	+ +	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2008	1,299	ebay.com
5.		Canon 450D	..	+ +	..	+ +	4/5	4.5/5	Jan 2008	799	ebay.com
6.		Canon 1000D	..	82/100	..	+ +	3.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2008	449	ebay.com
7.		Canon 30D	..	+ +	..	+ +	o	..	Feb 2006	1,399	ebay.com
8.		Canon 400D	..	+ +	..	+ +	o	4/5	Aug 2006	799	ebay.com
9.		Canon 20D	..	..	..	+ +	..	..	Aug 2004	1,499	ebay.com
10.		Nikon D90	..	+ +	..	+ +	4/5	4.5/5	Aug 2008	1,299	ebay.com
11.		Olympus E-30	..	..	..	71/100	4.5/5	4/5	Nov 2008	1,299	ebay.com
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Check 40D offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just make your choice using the following search menu. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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