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    Counting down my five favorite Canon digital cameras ever. Coming in at #2…..

    By Updated:58 Comments2 Mins Read Canon DSLR News
    eos40d - Counting down my five favorite Canon digital cameras ever. Coming in at #2…..

    ….. The Canon EOS 40D

    This was my main camera when I became “serious” about photography. I shot with the EOS Rebel 300D and EOS 30D in relatively quick succession and then landed on the EOS 40D. I hadn't yet used a camera with professional autofocus capabilities, so that didn't matter to me at the time. Though my move to the EOS-1D Mark III came about a year after shooting tens of thousands of images with the EOS 40D.

    I ended up doing some professional work with this camera, and shot mainly with the EF-S 10-22 f/3.5-4.5 USM, EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM and an EF 24mm f/1.4L USM.

    The EOS 50D and EOS 60D that followed the EOS 40D were less than stellar upgrades in my eyes. Until the EOS 70D was launched, I would tell people to save their money and just grab the 40D unless they could afford to move to the EOS 7D.

    My love for this camera, which I still own is likely one based on nostalgia, but I'm ok with that. I don't honestly shoot with it anymore.

    Canon EOS 40D Specifications:

    • 10.1mp APS-C CMOS Sensor
    • ISO 100 – 1600
    • 6.5fps
    • 9 Autofocus Points
    • 14bit RAW
    • DIGIC III Processor
    • CF Card Slot
    • Launched in 2007
    • Launch price: $1499usd

    The countdown:

    1. Coming Soon
    2. Canon EOS 40D
    3. Canon EOS 5D Mark III
    4. Canon EOS 5D
    5. Canon EOS Rebel 300D
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    58 comments

    1. I started with the Canon XT (350D I think was the other name) and while I had great fun getting back into photography with it, the 40D was my next camera, and the camera that got me into a more serious commitment to shooting. Super reliable, and an easy camera to use that seemed to strike a great balance between ease of use and allowing creative control. And having live view was a big deal too. I shot both scenic and started out my astrophotography hobby using this camera and had a blast using it. It was my last crop body (migrated to a used 5D MK II eventually) but I have VERY fond memories of this camera! It pretty much locked me into the Canon world and I have not regretted that going forward. Great camera for me.

      ML
    2. hehe, we overlap quite a bit re. favorite Canon digital cameras - just not in same sequence.

      #2 - EOS 5D III
      #3 - EOS 7D
      #4 - EOS 40D [also used mainly with 17-55, as well as 10-22, 70-200/4 L, 60 Macro]
      #5 - EOS 350D
    3. Interesting. It's usually the 50D I hear people raving about and how the 60D was actually a downgrade in many ways and it wasn't until the 80D that we had something there again.
    4. 50D was a total disappointment as well as 60D. Nikon D300 totally wiped the floor with both of them. I was extremely tempted, but did not switch because of EF-S 17-55/2.8 IS, my mainly used lens. Nikon had no comparable standard zoom. Their 17-55/2.8 was heavy, old, without stabilizer and almost twice the price. Luckily for Canon, they launched 7D eventually. So I stayed. ;-)
    5. I am 4 for 4! I have owned all of these so far. But I won't go 5/5 because i don't and haven't had any other cameras. :)

      We upgraded from the Digital Rebel to the 40D, and used the heck out of it. Its the only camera in which i've ever worn out a shutter and had to have it serviced. We still have it, but don't use it that much with a 5D and 5DIII around. Just this weekend though I charged up the battery, slapped the 40 pancake on there and let my 11 year old start to mess with it. If she takes an interest I'll let it be hers to take care of.

      -Brian
    6. I had a 40d, 24-70L 2.8, 70-200L 2.8, and 50mm 1.8 for 11 years until it stopped reading the CF cards on vacation last year. I loved it. A friend sold me a 60d but I am not happy with it coming from the 40d. I am casual hobby shooter.

      I am impatiently waiting to see what the upcoming R6 and M cameras bring to the table. I don't think I will be able to afford a R5.
    9. To me it looks like EOS 6D is going to be the winner. Interestingly, I've never had the xxD camera in my possession, jumping directly to FF, and never regretted that.
    11. Wow, I also have a lot of overlap with these body choices. I started with the 300D, then moved to a 40D, which I used for a long time , until I dropped on concrete floor. I still have it and it's still working, though the mirror gets jammed every few shots. I used that body mostly with a 10-22 and the 17-85. After that I got a 1D mark III and the 24-70 2.8 (the one with the large hood and the reverse zoom mechanism). Finally, after that kit was stolen I went back to use the 300D for a while, then a SL1 with the 15-85, until I got a 1Ds mark III with a 24-105 (ver. I) which I'm still using.
    12. To me it looks like EOS 6D is going to be the winner. Interestingly, I've never had the xxD camera in my possession, jumping directly to FF, and never regretted that.
      I would venture to guess that it'll be the 1D4...APS-H wins!

      While the 1D3 introduced a ton of new features (Live view, double digit fps for the first time, improved ergonomics) - the 1D4 didn't suffer from the AF issues and was a more reliable camera.
    13. 1) 1DX Mark II
      2) 1DX
      3) 5D Mark III
      4) 7D
      5) AE-1 Program (first camera ever)

      Ok, I've only owned 5 Canon cameras haha so that's my list. But if I include other brands my Calumet Monorail 4x5 and Yashica Mat 124G would change the list.
    17. I started my digital SLR revolution with a 300D too. Then a 20D, followed by a 5D and a 40D. Then I traded for a pair of 5DmkII's. Currently I'm still rocking a pair of 5DmkIII and love them.
      The 40D was revolutionary at the time, not just for it's 10mp sensor and relatively high frame rate...it was the first DSLR to have live view. It was this tech that opened the door to video on DSLR's on the 5DmkII (which was effectively a full frame 40D). Live view was a revolution for landscape work...you could finally see depth of field properly, examine ghosting and flare without the view finder changing it. You could also gauge ND grads and CPL's far more precisely.
    18. My first DSLR was a refurbished 40D with a kit lens. I absolutely loved that camera. I eventually bought the wonderful 17-55 2.8 (used) to pair with it - what a lens. After that, I went to a refurb 7D which also was great with that 17-55...it was the only lens I ever even used on it.

      13 months ago, I traded all of that in at an event at my local camera store for an EOS R Kit, and I have now seen the light of the L lenses...ull boy...and my wallet is not a fan.

      Loved that 40d.

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