The Canon EOS 40D is a full-sized digital
single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera. As such, it has the weight and bearing
of a film-camera. If you want to feel authority when you pick up your camera,
you'll feel it with this Canon model.
You may also want to pump some
iron if you intend to go on an extended shooting spree with 40D. The body
alone tips the scales at more than a pound and a half and with the Canon
EF Ultrasonic 28-135mm zoom included with my review unit, the package
weighed in at close to three pounds.
As might be expected, its physical dimensions are chunky, too. It measures
5.7-by-4.2-by-2.9 inches. Actually that 2.9 inch depth figure measures
the size from the back of the camera to front of the hand grip. From the
end of the eyecup on the viewfinder to the front of the flash is more
like 3.13 inches, and with the 28-135mm zoom, it's about six inches.
The front of the camera is dominated by the
lens mount. Lenses for the unit have a red bubble at their base. To connect
a lens to the DSC, you line up the bubble with the red dot on the lens mount,
or the "n" in Canon emblazoned at the front of viewfinder's housing,
and rotate clockwise. To remove a lens, you depress the lens release button
located on the left side of the lense mount while turning the lens counterclockwise
until the red bubble lines up with the "n" again. I found attaching
and detaching lenses to the camera a quick and smooth process.
Below the lens release button there is an
unlabeled depth-of-field preview button. Above that is the flash release
button. In most low light and backlit situations, the built-in flash will
automatically pop up. However, the flash can be deployed manually with
this button which is labeled with a lightning bolt.
To the right of the lens mount, there is an LED that is used to reduce
red-eye and as an alert mechanism when the self-timer is activated.
The hand grip is located on the right side of the camera. At the bottom
left side of the grip, there is a socket for an optional AC adapter. With
the adapter, the camera can run from a wall socket without batteries.
The camera's shutter release button
is located on a beveled area at the top of the handgrip. Behind the shutter
release is the unit's main dial. It's used to scroll through choices in
the viewfinder or on the small monochrome LCD located on the top of the
camera. For instance, if the camera is in Aperture Preferred mode, turning
the dial will increase or decrease the aperture setting for a shot.
Behind the main dial at the top of the camera
are four buttons and the aforementioned monochrome LCD.
There's an ISO button for adjusting the camera's light sensitivity settings.
The button is also used to adjust exposure compensation for the unit's
flash.
There's an AF-Drive button for choosing an autofocusing mode for a shot.
Modes are One Shot--for shooting still subjects; AI Focus--for shooting
moving subjects; and AI Servo--which automatically jogs the camera from
One Shot to AI Focus if a still subject suddenly starts moving.
There's a Metering/White Balance button, which allows you to choose a
metering mode--evaluative, partial, spot or center-weighted--or a white
balance setting--auto, daylight, shade, cloudy, tungsten light, white
fluorescent light, flash, custom or color temperature.
There's also an LCD illumination button for turning the monochrome LCD
on and off. The LCD is 1.4 inches long and 0.7 inches wide. It is divided
into a number of multipurpose zones. The information in the zones changes
based on operational conditions. For example, the shutter speed zone displays
the exposure time for a shot, but after the shot is taken, a "busy"
message may be displayed in the zone as the image is written to a memory
card or the flash recycles its charge in preparation for the next shot.
Information displayed on the monochrome LCD includes shutter speed, image
recording quality, white balance, battery charge, exposure compensation,
ISO speed, AF point selection, aperture, shots remaining, AF mode, metering
mode and drive mode.
To the left of the monochrome LCD is a dial for controlling the diopter
magnification for the viewfinder, a hotshoe for an external flash and
the mode dial.
Canon divides the mode dial options
into three categories, or zones.
In the Creative Zone, you can choose among these modes: Program AE, Shutter-priority
AE, Aperture-priority AE, Manual and A-DEP (automatic depth-of-field).
In the Basic Zone, you can choose from fully
automatic to a number of scene modes which automatically select the best
settings for certain photographic situations. Those situations are portraits,
landscapes, close-ups, sports, night portraits and suppressed flash shots.
In the User Settings Zone, you can define three groups of settings based
on your creative needs.
At the back of the 40D is its large three-inch LCD display. On the display
you can view the camera's various menus, review photos that you've taken
and in Live View, frame and capture images without looking through the
viewfinder.
Above the LCD is the optical viewfinder, which
is framed with a comfortable eyecup. In the viewfinder, you can see shutter
speed, aperture, exposure compensation, flash status, ISO and shots remaining.
When the viewfinder isn't being used to take pictures--as when Live View
is activated--the eyecup can be removed and the viewfinder's eyepiece masked
with a rubber cover that's attached to the camera's strap. I found that
arrangement awkward so I removed the cover from the strap and kept it in
my pocket until I had to use it. If the viewfinder's eyepiece isn't covered
while using Live View, light entering through the device may throw off the
exposure reading for a shot.
At the left of the viewfinder are
buttons for accessing the menu system of the camera and printing and sharing
photos from it. When photos are being printed or uploaded to a computer,
the print/share button blinks blue.
To the right of the viewfinder and just below
the monochrome LCD is another cluster of buttons. These controls allow you
to turn on auto focusing, lock an exposure setting and set an auto focusing
point. In playback mode, the exposure lock button is used to display photo
indices of four or nine photos on the display. If a single image is displayed
on the screen, the button can be used to reduce the size of photo, while
the auto focusing point button can be used to increase the size of the picture.
Abutting the right side of the
main display are two navigation controls.
The smaller of the two, a pivoting button called the Multi-controller,
can be used for selecting an autofocus point, correcting white balance,
selecting the focusing frame in Live View and scrolling images that have
been magnified on the main display.
The larger of the controls is a Quick Control Dial with a button at its
center. It duplicates some of the functions of the Multi-controller and
the Main Dial, as well as providing a means for navigating through menus.
After selecting an item with the dial, you can choose the selection by
pressing the "set" button at the center of the dial. The word
“set” in black lettering on the black button is very hard
to distinguish.
When working with multi-function buttons, the Main Dial is used to select one
set of values, the Quick Control Dial is used to select another set. For
example, take the metering mode/white balance button. When you press it
and rotate the Main Dial, you scroll through metering mode changes; if
you press it and you rotate the Quick Control Dial, you jump through white
balance selections.
Beside the Quick Control Dial, at about four o'clock, is an access lamp
that lights or blinks when images are being written to a memory card,
erased or data is being transferred from the camera.
Below the 40D's LCD are controls for playing back photos in the display,
erasing single images, jumping among photos stored in the camera, modifying
what's displayed on the LCD, quickly accessing picture styles and turning
the DSC on and off. I found the location of power switch awkward. Not
only is its placement obscure, but its operation is needlessly complicated
by having a third setting--on, off and on with Quick Control Dial activated.
On the left side of the unit are sockets
for an external flash connection and a wired remote control, as well as
ports for video out and making a USB connection.
On the right side of the 40D is the compartment
for the CompactFlash card.
And at the bottom of the unit is the battery
compartment, tripod socket and the extension system terminal for an optional
wireless transmitter (WFT-E3/E3A).
The ergonomics of the 40D
leave a lot of room for improvement. Control placement appears to be haphazard,
so does control labeling with its combination of words, abbreviations,
icons and in the case of the Multi-controller, no label at all. The combination
of a Quick Control Dial and Main Dial is confusing. The designers should
have found a way to make one dial suffice. I found the camera's overall
design less than friendly and intuitive.
Compare Prices for Canon EOS-40D 10.1MP Digital Camera Body Only
Ergonomics
