The Best Canon Digital SLR Camera |
Page updated: December 2007 |
If you want top-of-the-line, then here's the best Canon digital SLR you can buy: the Canon EOS 40D (Release Date: September 2007).
The 40D features a slew of upgrades over the previous top-end Canon, the EOS 30D and it is faster, tougher and more versatile than any other Canon digital SLR you can buy - with the exception of the incredibly expensive professional cameras.
It also comes with a price to match its extensive feature list - but if price is no issue and you only care about getting the best, then the D40 might just be the right camera for you.
Let's take a closer look at what makes the 40D the best Canon digital SLR.
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Blazing Speed and Zero Wait Time
One of the features that sets the 40D apart from other Canon cameras is its sheer speed: the 40D can take photos at 6.5 photos per second.
Put into film terms (film - remember that?) you could blaze through a standard 24 exposure roll in less than 4 seconds.
This continuous photo speed would be of little use if the camera slowed down after only 5 shots.
All digital SLR cameras have a temporary storage bin called a buffer: it's where the camera saves photos before writing them to the memory card.
Buffers have a finite amount of space, and once they fill up, the camera's performance suffers. Older digital SLR cameras have fairly small buffers - anywhere between 5 and 20 standard photos.
The buffer on the 40D is 75 standard photos.
While you may not ever find the need to take 75 consecutive photos at 6.5 photos per second, all of this speed is there to ensure that the camera NEVER slows down and that its always ready to take the next shot.
This is a requirement for anyone who photographs fast-moving subjects, since you may only have a few seconds to capture an incredible image.
Dust Control
This is one of my favorite new features that's been recently added to a wider range of digital SLR cameras - Olympus digital SLRs included dust control from the very first camera.
Simply put, dust can collect on a digital SLR sensor when the sensor is exposed to air as you change the lens. Dust is never a problem with compact digital cameras since the lenses are permanently attached.
Dust shows up as nasty black spots in your digital photos, and it's visible in every photo that you take (once it's there, it's permanent).
There are two ways to clean a sensor:
- Clean it yourself with a special sterile swab
- Send it in to have it professionally cleaned
With the first option, there's a remote possibility that you will irreparably damage the sensor, and with the second you're going to have to pay up and will be without a camera while it gets cleaned.
Better not to have to worry about sensor cleaning at all - that's when the dust control system comes into play.
Dust control systems not only magnetically repel dust away from the sensor (so it never attaches in the first place), they also "vibrate" the sensor to shake off any dust that might have attached itself.
These systems "clean" the sensor every time you turn the camera on, effectively ensuring that no matter how many times you change lenses, dust will never be a problem.
The only other consumer Canon digital SLR besides the 40D that includes dust control - as of September 2007 - is the EOS Rebel xTi.
Live View LCD
A recent innovation for digital SLR cameras - also pioneered by Olympus - is the live view LCD.
With old digital SLR cameras you cannot use the LCD to compose a photo the same way you can use it on a compact digital camera.
This came as a bit of a shock to many early digital SLR adopters, who'd ask questions like "why doesn't my LCD work?"
Without plunging into the details, the good news is that live view LCDs are becoming common features on digital SLRs - in a year or two, they probably won't be considered extraordinary or unusual anymore.
The only other Canon SLR that has a live view LCD is the professional Canon EOS 1D Mark III.
Durable
I own a Canon 20D, which preceeds the 40D by two generations (the 30D is in the middle).
Over the years that I've owned it, I've completely lost count of the number of photos I've taken with it. It's safe for me to guess that the number is in the TENS of thousands.
Despite heavy use, the camera has never slowed down, has never malfunctioned and has never let me down when I really needed it (except for those occasional times when I've let the battery run too low).
The 40D is built on the form of the 20D, but has been stress-tested for even more rigorous use, so expect this camera to last for years.
In Summary
Part of the price you pay to own the best Canon digital SLR camera is obviously due to its specifications: fast consecutive photo speed, 10.2 megapixels, dust control, live view, and compatibility with a wide range of accessories.
But the other part of the price is the peace of mind that:
- This camera will last and take thousands of photos for many years to come
- The features of this digital SLR won't be obsolete come next week
Please note: just because it's the best doesn't mean that it's the best SLR for you.
There are many other digital SLR cameras that you can choose from, and if you don't see yourself leveraging the speed, performance and rugged durability that the 40D offers, then there's no reason to spend a lot of money on it.
Save yourself the dough, and find an SLR that is more suited for your style of photography.
Price
| CAMERA / ACCESSORY | U.S. PRICE |
| 40D Body WITHOUT lens | $ 1,250.00 |
| 40D Body with 28-135mm IS lens | $ 1,490.00 |
| BG-E2N Battery Grip | $ 170.00 |
| WFT-E3A Wireless Transmitter | $ 800.00 |
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