Canon's Photo Cannon

Updated: July 27, 2008
Reason: Camera Failed with "Err 99" after 10,000 photos. See below for more.

September, 2007, I had the luxury of a trip through the Eastern Sierras with a professional photographer(Kip Evans). During that time he allowed me to use his Canon 1Ds Mk II camera as part of the class. I was hooked. In my 20s I had a Minolta SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera. When it stopped working properly I switched to digital point and shoot cameras (6 different ones so far). But I was missing the versatility of the SLR as none of the point and shoot cameras had the features I wanted: variable exposure, more powerful and versatile flash, control over depth of field...

I will take a brief detour and explain what "Single Lens Reflex" means. It means when you look through the viewfinder, you are seeing almost exactly what the image will be. An SLR uses a mirror and a prism to direct the light coming through the lens up into the view finder. When the picture is taken, the mirror snaps out of the way and the shutter opens to allow the light to strike the "sensor" where digital magic happens. You probably already know this or you would not be reading about this camera, so my apologies. But let me get to the point.

It is a quite natural to choose a "point and shoot" camera based on specifications. Choosing a DSLR (Digital SLR) seriously ups the complexity of the choices. Despite the similarity of the medium (digital) these are two different "worlds" of photography. Even though I knew that, I was still bewildered in my quest.

Currently the two leading camps are Nikon and Canon. That is not to say that Olympus, and Sony are not strong contenders - they are. I chose the Nikon D40X for my son - he wanted it and it was less expensive than the Canon 40D I had my eye on. In the end, his camera is probably the better deal from a pure cost and practicality standpoint. It's lighter, easy to use, produces good quality images with few hassles and Nikon lenses are good quality and a bit less expensive than comparable Canon lenses. On the other hand, the Nikon D40X is made of less sturdy components and is better compared to the Canon Rebel XTi or XSi. Canon purists will say that Canon lenses are better - and they may be right - but they are also more expensive. This creates a bit of a quandary: go for features of the camera where Canon has a lead, or go for cheaper total cost where I think Nikon has a lead. Once you make your decision, you're probably going to have to stick with it... more on why in a minute.

After lots of reviewing of tech specs. I choose the Canon 40D with the 28-135 IS lens. But this was a long process. Now seven months later I've shot almost 10,000 photos with this camera and can talk to all aspects of it and can compare it with the Nikon D40X and the cameras my friends own.

Let me start with the sad truth about DSLR cameras. If you're going to spend a bundle (this one will cost you about $1500 or more for accessories you'll need) you're going to have to learn "camera speak". The literature is full of terms like IQ (Image Quality), ISO, HDR (High dynamic range), and many manufacturer specific terms like IS (Image Stability), EF-S, APS-C and *MANY* more. Unfortunately much of the language is different for each vendor.

For example the feature that a camera system may have to improve picture clarity by dampening the vibration that comes from human "shakiness" goes by many names:
Canon calls it IS (image stabilization); Nikon calls it VR (Vibration Reduction) while Sigma and Tamron - makers of third party lenses - call this feature OS (Optical Stabilization) and VC (Vibration control) respectively. A different method used by Sony high-end cameras calls the feature "Super SteadyShot". And to make matters more complicated, the technologies are all different. Sony builds the vibration reduction into the camera body while Canon and Nikon build this into their (more expensive) lenses.

The kit lens with this camera (EF 28-135 IS) comes with Image Stabilization and it is quite helpful for getting better pictures. The lens is pretty good over all and its wide range of "zoom" makes it a good all around lens. It is not the sharpest of lenses, of course, but you should not expect that since the lens is in the $450 range where most "quality" Canon lenses are in the $800 and more category. Coming from the point and shoot world it is a little shocking to discover that you will be paying more for a single lens than you would have paid for a quite functional point and shoot camera!

The 40D supports two types of physical and electronic couplings for a lens: EF and EF-S. EF describes the mechanical and electronic connection between the lens and the camera. EF-S describes a similar version that only appears on its consumer lines of cameras like the XT and XTi. The 40D is the "cross over" point between the high end and the "entry level" Canon camera system. The EF-S lenses are designed for cameras that have a smaller "sensor", that is the chip that captures the image.

While you may be quite happy with the lens that comes with the package (the "kit lens"), you'll probably want something else sooner or later and the REAL money you're going to spend is in the cost of the lenses. Now would also be a good time to remind you that Nikon lenses do not work on Canon cameras and vice versa. The Canon 16-35mm 2.0L lens, for example, costs MORE than the 40D with any current kit lens.

The 40D camera is so loaded with features as to be scary - unless you are a camera nut, that is. Even then you may still be overwhelmed. Of course Canon thought about you - so they built a fully automatic mode. You twist the dial on the top to the green rectangle, point and shoot. It will pop-up the onboard flash if it thinks you need it, it will set the shutter speed, aperture, ISO and even focus for you on what ever it is able to focus on. And it will refuse to take a picture if your subject is too close or if there is too little light and the flash can't pop all the way up (as may happen if you are wearing a baseball cap).

If you are reading this and thinking, yeah, but I know all that stuff, you probably will NOT be disappointed in this camera. If you do not know the difference between aperture, and ISO or depth of field and white balance then you may find this camera heavy, expensive and difficult to use.

If you are a feature junkie, well you will be in camera heaven after you spend some serious effort reading the manual(s) and trying out those features in the real world.

The features I have found the most useful are:

LiveView - This means that you can see on the large LCD on the back what you are taking a picture of. If you have a point and shoot you are slapping yourself on the forehead and exclaiming DUH! Because of the mechanics of a DSLR this is actually a bit of a new feature that has some really great uses. One great feature of LiveView is that you can use it together with the x5 and x10 magnification modes to do fine adjustment of the focus. Normally you would do this while the camera is mounted on a tripod, but I have used it in hand before. And why would you be manually focussing? Well, as good as they are, no camera is too great at focusing on things that are not crisp or when there is too little light. Another handy use for LiveView is to frame your shot without having to peer into the view finder. The downsides to live view are: it does not auto focus in this mode, it drains more battery life, and it may, if used for a long while, cause the sensor to heat up enough to degrade the image quality (it gets "noisy"). One other nice component of LiveView is it will display a grid (if you turn the option on). This helps to frame your shot and get a level horizon.

6.5 Frames Per Second This means the camera in "high speed auto" mode can shoot as many as 180 pictures in a minute. In reality this depends on the speed of your Compact Flash card and the "mode" you shoot in. It will keep up for at least 25 pictures. This is fast enough to catch a flying bird with its wings in the position that makes them most appealing. Obviously there are advantages when shooting sporting events with this kind of speed, too.

Autofocus selection There are two components to this: you can select which of the 9 points in the view to focus on, and you can select whether the camera should continuously focus, or just focus when you first depress the shutter button half way. I have found many scenarios where I do not want the subject dead center (makes for boring shots usually), so I will want to put the subject to the left or right. I want the camera to focus on the beauty 5 feet away on the left, not the branch hanging 3 feet away near the top (and if I wanted that behavior, I can change the focus to be at the top).

Two Dials There are two easy to use dials for customizing your shot. A large vertical jog dial that is easy to operate with your thumb at the back of the camera, and a horizontal "gear" dial that is easy to turn with your index finger. Exactly what these two dials do depends on the mode the camera is in, and if you want, you can go into the menu and change the behavior of these dials. For example, in aperture priority mode, the dial at the back will change the exposure compensation while the dial in the front changes the aperture.

Self Cleaning Sensor One big difference between DSLRs and point and shoot cameras is that the lens on the front can be removed and replaced with another one. Every time you do this (and sometimes even if you do not) dust can blow in and get on the sensor. When you get even a tiny speck of dust on the sensor, you get a dot on the image that is painful to see. In fact, you may get so many specks you will curse. The ultrasonic cleaner does seem to reduce the amount of dust that hangs around on the sensor. I very rarely have needed to clean my sensor. My son's Nikon D40x does not have this feature and he has had more than one session of degraded pictures as a result.

What do I NOT like about the 40D?

There are a few things. For one, the menu of settings is large. Finding mirror lock up, for example, took me a long time. I finally set this up as a "user option" and that simplified matters. Another pain is that the mode selector seems to turn too easily. I have wasted a couple of good opportunities when I discovered that my camera was actually in manual mode when I thought it was in aperture priority.

In addition, there are a few modes and behaviors that are hard to pin down - they have subtle effects. For example in image view mode (play) there is a zoom in and a zoom out button. Somewhere there is a setting to change the zoom out to be something else... and of course my camera ends up in this mode unexpectedly. There is also a "highlight priority" mode which basically refuses to let you take the picture you are trying to take because the camera "knows" that something is wrong with your settings. It will substitute what it thinks is the correct setting. While it may be right it leaves you scratching your head wondering why it is behaving like that. In some modes it wants to be helpful and not take a picture if it thinks there is nothing in focus.

This is not a "small" camera. You cannot slip it in your pocket. The camera with the lens and some important bits of gear is going to be at least 5 pounds. Also because of its size, do not expect to be "inconspicuous" when you tote it around.

One item that bugs me is that the Auto focus switch is on the LENS not on the camera. More than once I have finely tuned the focus only to have the camera refocus because I forgot to set AF (auto focus) off. I am sure there is a mode to cause the camera to behave differently, but I am just as sure that if I figure out how to make it behave like that I will want it to work differently.

Reliability:
As I noted at the top this camera failed to operate with "Err 99" after about 10,000 photos in 6 months. All attempts to clear the problem (power off/on, replace batteries, clean lens contacts, switch lenses, etc.) failed to resolve the issue. It turns out "Err 99" means "camera is non-working for no apparent reason" and the forums talk about this frequently. Thankfully this failure did NOT occur while I was hiking in the Desolation Wilderness, or it would now be in pieces! This is probably the first time in my history that I consented to pay extra for a 4 year warranty when I bought the camera at Best Buy. I took it back the day of the failure and they replaced it with a new one. Extra, extra bonus points for Best Buy! I shudder to think what I'd do if I had to go 2+ weeks without my companion while it was fixed. I also have a friend who is a professional who had a bad experience with his 1Dx Mark III servicing.

I had seen a previous failure with the camera when using it with low cost compact flash cards. This one was a different code.

Final Comments:

I DO enjoy the 40D despite its oddities. It is actually easier to master than I expected. The automation makes photography a more pleasant experience most of the time. The 28-135 lens has proved to be a versatile all-around lens. I have some "professional" quality images that I am very proud of with this lens.

My only regret, really, is in not understanding that the lenses are where the bulk of the money should be spent. Had I realized that to be the case sooner, I probably would have considered getting the 40D body only and a higher end lens. This would have put my total outlay somewhere around 2500 dollars. Come to think of it, that it about what I have spent on my system so far.

If you want to see what I have been able to do with this camera and lens, take a look at www.flickr.com/steventheamusing or look at Flickr in general there is a great group "40d" with lots and lots of images and discussion about the camera. And there are also more thorough reviews of the image quality and features.

Do not just take my word on it. Read some more yourself. You will be spending quite a bit and it is, in my opinion, worth it to get all the details you can unless you are flat out loaded with cash. If that is the case, get the Canon 1Ds Mark III and all the "L" lenses and remember to send me one or two!

In summary, I sometimes wish I had taken the approach of body only plus the EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM and perhaps a Canon 17-40mm f4.0L. And now that I've had at least one frustrating failure of my camera in 6 months, I'm hesitant to recommend it highly.

Quick Glossary
USM Ultrasonic Stepping Motor (method of autofocusing that is quick and quiet)
IS Image stabilization. Gyroscopes remove the shake cause by camera motion to get a clearer picture.
L This is the designation of "Luxury" for Canon's line of lenses. These lenses are usually heavy (because they have lots of quality glass), well built, and are sealed against weather and dust infiltration.
EF and EF-S Electro-Focus lens connection system (-S) means "short back focus".
APS and APS-C Advanced Photo System (think Advantix film) and can also mean "Active Pixel Sensor". The "C" in APS-C means "compact". Refers to an image area about 56% of the size of 35mm film - this is the size of the sensor in the 40D and most other cameras. High end cameras have a sensor as large as a 35mm camera. EF-S lenses assume that the sensor is APS-C size and do not provide enough light to illuminate a full size sensor. EF-S lenses cannot physically fit on cameras that do not support this mounting format - and if you try, you'll damage the mirror or shutter.

[change history]
6/2/2008: Added short Glossary. Fixed some typos.
7/26/2008: Added "Reliability section" noting camera failure after 6 months use.