Handling & ease of use:
As you'd expect of a mid-range DSLR, the EOS 40D is built to a very high standard. It's larger, heavier and more solid than the EOS 400D, which is a clear indication of its intentions for more serious usage. The large, rubberised handgrip provides a very secure hold and you'll discover that controls are neatly arranged, clearly-marked and well-sized. The result is that the general handling is excellent and finding your way around the various controls and settings of the EOS 40D is fairly intuitive. You'll discover that the majority of buttons are found on the top-plate, or surrounding the 3in LCD monitor on the rear. The viewfinder is a decent size and provides a bright, clear display, with exposure information displayed along the base. The on-screen menu system is comprehensive and nicely laid out, allowing for fast navigation using the top input dial and rear control dial. While its feature-packed specification means it's probably a little daunting as a first DSLR for the newcomer, anyone who has used a DSLR before, in particular another Canon, will find themselves quickly at home with the EOS 40D.

Features:
Canon has brought its mid-range DSLR offering up to date in terms of megapixels, with the EOS 40D boasting a 10.1-million pixel resolution. This is important, as the 8.2-megapixels on offer on the EOS 30D was, for quite a while, lower than all its rivals. In fact, many will feel that the EOS 40D should perhaps have raised the bar by offering 12 or 13-million pixels (something Nikon has achieved with the D300). The debate will continue as to whether these extra pixels will deliver a noticeable jump in quality, but as any salesperson in a photo store will admit, the number of megapixels remains the biggest selling point of any digital camera.

The EOS 40D sees a number of enhancements over the EOS 30D – see the panel on this page for a list of the main improvements. It is a very well-specified SLR, offering an array of features suitable for photographers of all levels, from beginner to semi-professional. The main dial offers a full range of exposure modes, so the camera can be left to work fully- or semi-automatically, or you can have total manual control. There are also three custom modes, allowing you to set up the camera's main functions to suit particular ways of working. The exposure system is extremely comprehensive, boasting 35-zone Evaluative, spot (3.8%), Partial (9%) and centre-weighted average metering. This is backed up by a number of overrides, including AE-Lock, exposure compensation and Autoexposure bracketing.

The autofocus system has seen big improvements over the previous model. While the number of AF sensors hasn't increased in number, all nine AF points now boast cross-type sensors, which are far more accurate and responsive than the more common type, which helps the AF lock on better in low-light and with moving subjects. You can leave all nine points active or select to focus with only an individual sensor, have the AF focus-lock or continually track a moving subject, and in low light you can raise the built-in flash to allow the strobed AF-assist beam to fire when required.

 Another area that has seen major enhancements is the
LCD monitor. As well as being larger at three inches, the menu system has been updated to follow the template of the latest models in the pro  EOS-1D series. What's more, the LCD offers a Live View facility that allows you to compose the scene in real-time. This facility allows you to zoom into the image to check focus, which must be done manually, and used with the supplied Canon software, you're able to control the camera remotely from a computer.

As mentioned earlier, the EOS 40D is laden with features, in particular many that the more advanced photographer will find useful. These include a depth-of-field preview, a PC socket for synching with studio-flash, Raw+JPEG shooting, a fast continuous shooting of 6.5 frames-per-second, flash sync up to 1/250sec, mirror lock-up and 24 Custom Functions.

It also sports the Highlight tone priority mode, which is passed down from the flagship EOS-1DS MkIII. This facility allows you to expand the dynamic range and boost the amount of highlight detail that is recorded by around 18%.

Other features worth mentioning are the sensor cleaning system, which is activated every time you switch the camera on, an ISO range of 100-1600 (plus Hi: ISO 3200) and digital filters (Canon call it Picture Styles) for adjusting how the EOS records images, for instance in monchrome or with a sepia tone. In summary, the enthusiast will find there is very little lacking on the EOS 40D. Considering its £900 price tag (you'll find it for much less if you check the ads in this issue), its specification is very impressive.

Performance:
There is plenty to like and very little to criticise on the Canon EOS 40D. I found it to be a very enjoyable camera to operate and much of this stems from the fact that it is very easy to use. The new layout of buttons works a treat and the large LCD monitor really does enhance the picture-taking experience. Using the menu system is fast and simple and the larger screen makes reviewing/magnifying images a far easier experience.

I also found that the EOS 40D is very fast and quiet in use.
It starts up near-instantaneously and the whole picture-taking process is very slick. The autofocus system is very responsive whether set to multi- or single-point AF and proves good in low-light too, even without the aid of the AF illuminator. The continuous AF works well with moving subjects, so long as they're not travelling too quickly. The Evaluative meter delivers a consistent set of results and you'll find yourself coming to trust its performance with ambient and flash exposures. Very bright backdrops and backlit subjects pose it problems (as they do with all metering patterns), but unless you're shooting in tricky lighting conditions, you'll be safe leaving the metering in multi-zone. The 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor deliver images that exhibit excellent colour reproduction with nicely saturated reds, greens and blues and smooth skin tones. Noise is very well controlled and you can feel confident of shooting at ISOs up to 800 without any major drop in quality. Image sharpness is very good and with file sizes of 28.8Mb, it's possible to produce good quality A3 prints. Overall, it delivers in every major department.

TEST VERDICT

Canon needed the EOS 40D in its range as the 30D was seriously showing its age. The two megapixel increase could be seen by some as not good enough, especially with the imminent arrival of the Nikon D300, but 10.1-million pixels is more than good enough for the needs of the majority of photographers. The fact is that the EOS 40D offers several major improvements over the 30D that brings it right up to date. What's more, it also outperforms its rivals in several areas. The autofocus and exposure systems offer depth and a very high performance, while general handling and build quality are also excellent. Add to this the level of features, the range of lenses and accessories on offer, its reasonable price tag and its general performance and you can see this being the camera of choice for many enthusiasts.

Handling & Ease Of Use: 22/25

Features: 23/25

Performance: 23/25

Value for money: 23/25

FINAL SCORE: 91/100