Considering a Canon 40D, some questions

Hi, I'm a new user on this forum but after reading back a few pages I realized that it provides a depth of knowledge. I apologize for the length of my initial post. I've spent the last week reading multiple forums and can say that I've picked up a lot of knowledge so far. I still consider myself a novice photographer but realized that I caught a bug to take solid pictures after returning from my 3 week trip overseas. I just recently bought a HD camcorder (Sony HDR-SR12) which I love and ended up taking over 2,000 digital stills with it. I was not expecting much and good thing because while it's certainly not terrible, the quality was lackluster.

I do have experience with dSLR's and Canon's in particular. I purchased the original Digital Rebel in 2003 (300D), used that for roughly 1.5 years or so then upgraded to the XTi. While I'm not a complete newbie and understand some of the basic terms, for the most part though with the original Digital Rebel I treated it much like a P&S and shot mostly in Auto. Only with the XTi did I start to dabble with using manual settings. I ended up giving the XTi to my sister who's expecting her first child next month to take some nice pictures of her firstborn. After seeing some of the quality pictures that others have taken I'm interested in investing in a solid body.

I know that the body is secondary to the glass but I want a body that I can grow into and use for 3-5 years. I suffer from the alpha male tendency of being drawn into the newer and flashier tech goods as I'm sure some of you do but to remain cost effective I want this body to last. I know that I didn't tap the full potential of the Digital Rebel, let alone the XTi. I considered going the Nikon route to try something new but realized that my best interest would to stay with Canon to share glass with my sister's camera. Some questions.

1. I fully expect the 40D to have a sharp learning curve. I have invested in the book 'Understanding Exposure' as a starting point and plan on taking a class or two this fall. Would the 40D still be too much camera for me to learn and grow on?

2. I'm not working on any fixed budget but on the other hand I do not want to pay for something that I will not use. Therefore I'm looking at the 40D instead of the 5D. I may skip the kit with the 28-135 as I've been told that while it's a solid overall lens, it's not wide enough nor is the reach long enough. I may end up with the kits with the intention to sell the lens. The primary lens I'm looking at is the 17-55 f/2.8 as my walkaround lens. Good choice?

3. My primary interests are architecture (Buildings, bridges, towers, etc), landscapes (beach scenes), sports (golf in particular), and portraits. Therefore I have the lenses that I eventually want to get as I learn as the 10-22, the 60, and the 55-250. I'm thinking with those 3 in addition to the 17-55 I'll have a wide enough range with little to no overlap and enough variety. Ok selection?

4. While I've seen the 40D in person, I've yet to hold one. My cousin keeps telling me not to get it since it's a heavy camera and that holding it will be a chore. I realize that it's noticeably heavier then the two that I've used in the past and being an Asian male I don't have the largest hands in the world, but for those of you that have it, does it bother you? I travel more these days and I plan on taking 200-300 shots per photographing session, probably no more then 2x a month. So I'm not going to be a frequent user like some of you, I would venture to say no more then 10,000-15,000 actuations a year.

5. In addition to the body, the 17-55 and the 3 lenses that I am interested in, what else should I take note of in terms of accessories to add? I would say I'm at 3/10 in terms of using Photoshop but have the full intention of learning how to use it better.

Thank you all for any insight you can provide me in terms of the 40D and general observations I should follow and I'll be sure to check this thread frequently and add any additional questions as I go along.

First let me welcome you to the forums. You will enjoy it here.

1) The 40D can be as simple or complex as you want it to me. The basic zones are excellent, you can learn at your own pace, but, if you need to shoot some sports photos, you can slap it on the sports setting and shoot away, without worrying about the details.
Once you learn the 40D, you are ready for any camera Canon may throw your way in the future.

2) The 17-55 is a great choice as a starter lens. Another is the 28 - 135mm IS. This lens sees use by pros. The important thing is never to skimp on glass. You can't photoshop out poor glass.

3) No budget? Think L glass. It makes a ton of difference. For you, a 10-22mm (near L quality) and the 24-105 f/4 would be a great combo.

4) No. There is a lot going on back there, and you need a lot of real estate for the controls. You won't notice the weight. I have very small hands, yet have shot 500 pics handholding a gripped 40D with a 70-200 2.8 in a 2 hour time frame. No problem.

5) First accessories. CP filter. Tripod. Shutter release cable. With those, you will take richly colored photos, tack sharp. Portraits will require some light, so a 580EX II would be in the mix eventually.

I love my 40D.

Good luck!!!

1. For all intents the 40D is a XTi but bigger and heavier with a few beefed up specs. There really is nothing that the 40D does that you can not do with the XTi. I don’t consider a XTi to 40D an upgrade unless you want one feature, live view.
2. The 17-55 is the finest lens in that focal length that you can put on a crop body. It is simply outstanding. I strongly recommend it.
3. The selection of lenses is fine.
4. The 40D is heavier and if you carry it all day, you feel the extra weight, but it is not all that heavy. Maybe it’s time to dig in a really question what your looking in the upgrade. The 40D is better built, faster features, nicer user ergonomics, but the image that it captures will be identical to that of the XTi.
5. Think about getting a good external flash. Both the XTi and the 40D have a usable but not stellar flash. A 430EX would do you nicely.

I think the 40d would be fine for learning. I wouldn't disagree that there is a learning curve, but I think that applies to photography in general, and not specifically to a body. Whether you get an XTI/XSI/40D/5D/1dxxx the learning curve is going to be there regardless. I think the 40d would be a fine starting point.

I would personally avoid the 55-250 lense, and try to pick up a used 70-200 f4 L. I think you will notice a huge increase in IQ over the 55-250, worth the little bit more money you would be spending on it.

The 17-55 f2.8 is great, and it's what I use as my walkaround lense.

I wouldn't worry about the weight for what you are describing, I personally don't find it noticeably heavy, although that can change as well depending on what lense you are using.

I'd go for it, but I'm biased as that's what I have and it's my first DSLR! You'll LOVE it!

TMaG82 wrote in post #5738272
Thank you all for any insight you can provide me in terms of the 40D and general observations...

The 40D has Canon's best focusing system short of the 1D series. You will need f2.8 aperture lenses or better to take advantage of this.

pcunite wrote in post #5738564
The 40D has Canon's best focusing system short of the 1D series. You will need f2.8 aperture lenses or better to take advantage of this.

+1 The AF system in the best on the market, dollar for dollar. Shooting soccer, my keeper rate went up to about 80%, when shooting a 2.8 lens.
The next closest competitor would be a D300, at almost twice the price.

A previous poster had indicated that the 40D is a beefed up XTi. One feature no rebel has (nor a nikon) is the quick control dial. The quick control dial is a godsend, and makes a huge difference in my photos. It makes shooting in manual ALMOST as easy as shooting in Av or Tv.

Welcome to the forum. I, too, started with the original Rebel, moved to the XTi and then "graduated" to the 40D after which I started shooting more seriously in manual modes.

I also discovered shooting macro with Live View and now constantly buy flowers for my wife so I have something to photograph! I love my 17-55mm as a walk-around lens and the 10-22mm has been a great wide angle lens for me with this camera. I also enjoy taking pictures of structures, beach scenes, and have taken many pictures on the golf course with the 40D.

With the 1.6 crop factor, the 70-200L f/2.8 is a great lens with this camera that I have really enjoyed using.

I agree with the suggestion of a good tripod, remote cable, CP filter, and external flash.

Pretty much concur with everyone ...

1. No. 40D is great to learn on - I think its a great camera to learn on because it is easy to set the various settings. I love the user customizable settings (I am not familiar with the xti at all).

2. Yes. Great choice. Fast, wide, IS.

3. You may want another prime - esp for indoor/no flash work. I have no idea how the 60mm handles that.

4. Its a great size. It seemed a little big for me at first (coming from P&S), but after a day or two - its size seems like a plus now - a lot easier to handle.

5. CF cards, Lens hoods (and use them), tripod, flash to start off. Then filters (CP, ND) and shutter release.

6. Practice, practice, practice. Enjoy!

I just bought mine a week ago and haven't picked up the XTi since. I have what I would call small hands and the 40D feels very comfortable to me. The XTi now feels tiny. It is a much more balanced camera and an awesome AF system. Very fast.

Re: "Sharp learning curve", the 40D can be as simple or as involved as you want it to be. Program mode is as good a place to start as it gives you some control over the operational parameters of the camera .

Glass is the real eye of the body, don't skimp in this area, your choices seem to cover this area very well.

The size and weight of the 40D are to me a comfortable fit, I too am small in stature and don't have large hands. My walk around lense at the zoo's I visit is a 3lb 100-400 l IS. given that and the fact that my 40D is gripped for dual batteries it weighs in at just over six lbs, but it is still a comfortable camera to carry and use.
I hope I've been of some help to you.
BTW, don't forget the fact that the 40D has enhanced microlenses over each pixel on the CMOS substrate.

Best of luck,
Pat

gjl711 wrote in post #5738408
1. For all intents the 40D is a XTi but bigger and heavier with a few beefed up specs. There really is nothing that the 40D does that you can not do with the XTi. I don’t consider a XTi to 40D an upgrade unless you want one feature, live view.

Puh! The difference between the 400D and the 40D is tremendous. The 40D, with a BG-E2N mounted, is much more a 1D Mark III "light" than it's a beefed up 400D. Virtually everything the 400D can do, the 40D does twice as good. Especially now, when Canon has felt the competition from the Nikon D300, and thus the cost of the 40D has been reduced to levels where you get very much camera for your money, it's an excellent choice.
There are more features on the D300, but for fast action photography the 40D is the best camera today, south of models in the range of the 1D Mark III.

The EF-S 55-250 mm f/4-5,6 IS is an excellent lens for the money. Which doesn't say that the EF 70-200 mm f/4L IS USM isn't better, as that's one of the best telezoom lenses money can buy, but you get a few 55-250 for the same money.

The others have pretty much summed it up and like them I'd advise you to just go for it. I've had my 40D for about 3 months now and just want to go out shooting every day.

Here in the UK the kit lens that's offered is the EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM so I got that and the EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM lens, so I've pretty much got from fairly wide angle right up to "gosh, you can see their nose hairs" with just two lenses. If you can afford those, they're pretty good lenses to start with.

If you do go for the 40D, I predict that you'll look back on your "I plan on taking 200-300 shots per photographing session, probably no more then 2x a month" and laugh. I predict that you'll at least double that. But I could be wrong. I was once before, a very long time ago...

I have no doubt that if I catch the bug, I'll be going out and photographing everything in sight. At this point in time it seems like my interests are somewhat restrictive in terms of finding source material. I do live 25 minutes from Manhattan but I would want to avoid looking too tourist-y and I'm not a huge fan of NYC to begin with. And to reach any beaches or forests would entail me driving 45-1 hour and with gas prices being what they are I'd be bringing my camera along with me when and if I venture to these places rather then driving with the sole intention of capturing these moments, but I could be wrong.

I'm thinking of adding a 430EX flash or waiting for the new version. While I'm sure the 580 is a great flash it may be more then I need at this moment.

What filters do you guys recommend? And what advantages are there to using lens hoods and should I get them for every lenses in my list if available? Protection for the glass? Isn't that what the filter is there for (in addition to filtering that is).

The lens hood protects from unwanted sunrays, rain, snow and physical damage. I have it on every lens.