Canon EOS 40D

As anticipated Canon has today announced the successor to the hugely popular EOS 30D digital SLR. Enter the EOS 40D, headline improvements are a more robust build with weather-proofing, ten megapixel CMOS sensor, DIGIC III and 1D style menus, 6.5 fps continuous shooting, three custom user modes on mode dial, 3.0" LCD monitor, Live View with optional mirror-drop auto-focus, larger brighter viewfinder with interchangeable focusing screens, much shorter viewfinder blackout and a quieter mirror mechanism, a all new AF system with all nine points cross-type with F5.6 or faster lens and a new optional combo vertical / WiFi grip.

Canon EOS 40D brings new EOS platform toadvanced amateur market

Amstelveen, The Netherlands, 20 August, 2007: Canon today introduces its latest digital SLR for advanced amateurs and semi-professionals: the EOS 40D. With a 10.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor, 6.5 frames per second burst performance, a newly developed AF system and 3.0” LCD with Live View mode, the EOS 40D makes significant advances in both performance and versatility.

The camera benefits from the new EOS technology platform introduced earlier this year with the professional EOS‑1D Mark III. Canon’s DIGIC III processor delivers responsive operation, improved colour rendering and near-instant start-up time. The EOS Integrated Cleaning System combats sensor dust, while a strong magnesium alloy body with weather resistance ensures lasting durability.

“The EOS 40D represents an important step in the development of EOS for the advanced amateur market. It incorporates many of the technologies pioneered in our latest EOS-1 series cameras,” said Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging, Europe. “For digital photographers, the benefits of upgrading to the EOS 40D are real and significant. For analogue SLR users, there’s never been a more compelling reason to make the switch.”

Key features

10.1 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
6.5 fps continuous shooting, max. burst 75 JPEGs
New AF system with 9 cross-type sensors
DIGIC III processor
3.0” LCD with Live View mode
EOS Integrated Cleaning System
Clear and bright viewfinder
Customisable Picture Style processing parameters
Speed and image quality

Canon’s third generation CMOS sensor improves on its predecessor with redesigned pixels that keep noise to a minimum. The EOS 40D maintains high image quality up to ISO 1600, expandable to H:3200 for situations where flash use is not permitted or desired. Highlight Tone Priority mode gives wedding and landscape photographers the option to boost dynamic range for highlights when shooting above ISO 200 – reproducing more tonal detail from wedding dresses, clouds and other light coloured objects.

The DIGIC III processor powers a burst rate of 6.5 fps, working with the image buffer to handle up to 75 Large JPEGs (17 in RAW) without pause. Images are processed at 14-bits for a greatly expanded colour depth, providing smoother gradations and exceptionally accurate colour reproduction.

New cross-type AF system

A key advancement of the EOS 40D is its new 9-point cross-type AF system. All nine AF points can achieve focus on both horizontal and vertical planes. A central AF point is capable of accurate focusing up to aperture f/2.8, with eight outer points working up to f/5.6. In response to requests, the dedicated AF Start (AF-ON) button allows photographers to execute auto focus with their thumb.

LCD with Live View mode

The Live View mode simplifies shooting from awkward angles such as ground-level macro or mounted tripod shots. The 3.0” LCD displays a real-time image in Live View mode, including a selectable grid overlay and a live histogram that simulates image exposure. The AF-ON button can be configured to flip the camera mirror momentarily and engage auto focusing. For the studio environment, remote Live View lets the photographer compose, adjust settings and capture the shot from a PC using the supplied EOS utility software.

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