At about 3:47 I stated that a professional camera does not equal a good first camera, and then later I talked about how this is a good first camera because the controls and build quality feel like a professional camera. This video was recorded after about five minutes of thinking, but if I’d thought longer I would have said something more like this: there are some valid reasons to buy the nicest camera you can afford, things like solid build quality, controls that don’t get in your way, and 1/8000 max shutter speed are always a good idea if they fit the budget. There are things about a nicer camera that you should wait to get until after you know your way around a basic camera (like this one), things like bloated menus and complex auto focus systems can make the learning process much harder. This camera offers all the “nicer camera” features that you should want up front, with none of the “nice camera” features that a n00b isn’t ready to utilize yet. That’s ultimately what makes it the best “good first camera” and I think makes it a very fun camera to keep around for even experienced photographers.
I own 5D, 5DII, 5DIII, 1DIV and 7D as well. Never feel 40D is a mismatch beside them. Interestingly enough, 5D Classic and 40D are the two cameras that sit beside me in my car most of the time.
The 20D was my first serious camera, and I used it until it broke. (Developed the dreaded shutter lag, even motherboard replacement could not save it.) The 20D-30D-40D are essentially the same camera, with the 40D having a much nicer screen and just a little more pixels, but otherwise menu/functionality are all the same. Now I have a 5D classic, and it has the exact same button layout as the 20D. Grabbing for the camera bodies, I have to think a little about figuring out which one I'm holding, they are so similar to each other both in looks and in operation - and in picture quality as well! The 20D/30D/40D are the crop sensor versions of the 5D classic, with a little less megapixels and less low light capability, but otherwise very very close.. I never had the 30D/40D, so I can just guess about their picture quality. Based on the sensor measurements the 20D sensor appears to be the closest to the 5D. 30D behavior / color science is a little more different, and 40D even more so - but still much closer than any other Canon camera. (Not counting the 1Ds mark II, which seems to be closer to the 5D classic, with a little higher performance but similar tuning/voicing. - This is just a hunch looking at the measurements....)
This camera can be confidently used for professional work as well. Knowledgeable photographers are able to produce highest quality output with this even today.
Indeed as most work goes on the web, 40MP sensors are not the be all and end all, along with 3000 focus points. That 40MP image then gets reduced down to 800x800 pixels at 60% jpg compression...
Hi Andrew, I was hesitating between the Canon Eos 40D and the 50D. Thanks to your honest and though fully clever documented video I finally purchased mine ! An almost brand new semi pro DSLR for almost nothing, less than 100€, which is nothing when you carefully look at the beast, built like a tank, indestructible, fully reliable, so nice in the hand and the typical Canon first years color tone, love it ! And it looks so good aside my 5D2 and 6D ! But unfortunately, I won't be able to play with it for long because as you mention in your video, the 40D is the perfect first camera. And a person I really love wants to learn photography. So I mounted an EF 50mm f/1.8 II for 60€ and here we go, we have the perfect kit to start and learn and hopefully have lots of pleasure with that unbeatable combo. Thank you again and keep on posting videos like this, I really appreciate. Cheers man !
I used a 40D for years, great camera. I only got a 7D mainly for the 100% coverage viewfinder as I always shoot full frame as in I dont crop my images! Recently one of my old street portraits was chosen by the editors at Lensculture portraits awards 2024 to feature in their online gallery...I took it with my 40D and a Sigma standard zoom (f2.8 throught the zoom) lens. "The photographer is the instrument not the camera" - Eve Arnold. Btw, my first DSLR was a 6.3mp Canon 10D, then a 30D, then a 40D, now a 7D, soon to be a 6D too. Not interested in mirrorless cameras for a few reasons.
Congratulations for the portrait award! I much appreciate that you have hold on to your chosen cameras, and not jumped around with the newest and latest. I have noticed it that having the camera for a long time, the camera becoming your extension is much more important than having the latest and newest - when you want to create photos and portraits that have deep meaning. I have started with the 20D, and back then I really wanted to have a 7D.... I never got it, but last year I got a 5D classic. I love it very much. I had a very hard time deciding which one I shall get, the 5D or the 6D. Finally decided on the 5D. It's been a great choice, but I dearly missed the low light ability of the 6D. Even with the nifty fifty or EF 28mm F1.8 the 5D is not good in low light. The Sigma ART 35mm F1.4 was a game changer though, even poorly lit scenarios can be captured quite beautifully, and it focuses instantly and has much less noise than other lenses, making even ISO3200 very useful. Just in case if you were wondering about 5D/6D... I have a mirrorless as well, but got very disappointed in how the pictures look, so use it only for video..
Great video, Andrew! Really enjoy your camera-related videos. I gotta be honest, I didn't know about the 40D before but now I could totally imagine recommending one to a friend looking to get started with photography. My first camera was a dirt cheap used 500D (from 2009), got the nifty fifty for it and it certainly got me hooked into photography as everything was simple enough to understand. I then moved onto 6D, which I'm using to this day and loving every minute of it!
THANK YOU for this review. I have a 40D that I purchased new in 2007ish... overtime, life got busy, and my hobby of photography got pushed to the side. Now, years later, I have dusted her off and was trying to decided whether or not to buy something new or learn what I already have. As a hobbyist- I will search for a new lens to marry and keep "dating" the body for a while!
Amazing Video! I am a begginer and I agree 100%. My grandma has an EOS 40D that I like to use sometimes and I love the fit and feel as well as the button layout.
Thank you! I kinda miss my EOS R, that thing was quirky but I think out of all the RF cameras I’ve owned (RP, R, R6) I liked the image quality out of it the best. Once they fall into dirt cheap used prices I’ll probably get another 😁
@@andrewdoeshairThank you for replying. What I like about the EOS R is that at its heart, it has a DSLR sensor (5D IV). And man, how my jaw dropped when the 5D IV first became available and I saw the image quality tests. At that time I didn't have the money to buy one. Last year I went with the R because of the sensor, and a few more things (mostly build quality, viewfinder, screen etc). My 6D will stay with me forever (it is my first full frame, coming from a Rebel XTi). I really dig your videos because of how sincere your opinion sounds. Keep on the good work.
I finally decided to pull the trigger and buy the 40D as my backup to 6D, since I didn’t have any backup camera. Excited to see how a 17-year-old camera looks and feels but I have no doubt I will get great results with the 40D as well. The build quality, as you mentioned, was a huge factor for me in addition to the super-low price of course
@@awprc should be a good one with plenty of life in it left. Have used mine for nearly three months now without issue and mind you I bought mine in “well-used” condition so it’s not mint but wear and tear on the outside is not a problem. It feels great in hand as it’s weighty due to the build quality. All of my EF lenses work as expected. The only problem I have is the screen’s low resolution. So the live view isn’t exactly phenomenal but it does allow you to zoom in to make sure you’ve got your image in focus at least. Best of luck with your 40D, you’ll love it!
Have to agree. While I love new gen gear after all these years, my original (fairly well maintained) 40D is still my “nostalgic yet effective” secondary go-to camera. And yes it was beyond a “beginner” camera when it debuted, but is a great option today for learning and more, especially considering all that you mentioned. Appreciate the vid!
Great video! I’ve been looking at getting my first real camera and pulled the trigger on a 50d for all the same reasons as the 40d but I wanted to put ML on it in the future so I chose the 50d over the 40d
I bought one about 7 years ago for not a lot of money to get back into photography and yes its a good no nonsense camera. I got a few cheap old EF USM lenses and had a blast with it. It worked amazingly with a Canon EF 70-210MM F3.5 USM lens that I got on Ebay for like £50.I used it at showjumping events and got great results. I sold it on a few years back as I got a 6D and a 7D. Yeah its a good start.
Slightly different, but one of the reasons I sold my full frame mirrorless gear and returned to a Lumix G9 is the ergonomics are so great, and being an older model their not too expensive, even new. Same for the lenses, for that matter. Edited to add: Having used Sony, I agree that the menus are bad. That said, I don't spend a lot of time in the menus once I have a camera set up. On my Lumix G9, I have a wheel for each of the exposure triangle parameters, a button to change AF mode, and a switch between single-continuous-manual. Also, I shoot raw, so although I have a WB button, too, I never touch it.
@@andrewdoeshair I've only used the micro 4/3 models, none of the newer, 'full frame' stuff, but I like them. The G7 is a great beginner camera, can be had brand new with a decent lens for $500, but it's very plastic and small for my hands. The G9 is essentially a FF body with a m4/3 sensor, for which some criticize it, but it's a bonus for me. The G9 mk 2 is the same basic body size/shape and the FF S5 mk 2 but I haven't had a chance to see/use one yet. An advantage of Canon and Nikon is that every camera store is going to carry them.
@@BrentODell that advantage is why I picked up a canon on day one 😋. I walked into the camera store and saw a massive canon section, slightly smaller Nikon section, Sony wasn’t even a thing back then, then they stuck Fuji, Olympus, Panasonic, all together in a small corner 😂 but that’s also part of the reason I tend to recommend canon to new shooters, when they need a spare battery or when they decide to ditch the kit lens for a nifty fifty they can do it at any Best Buy. My friends who shoot m43 LOVE it, and I can appreciate the appeal for most kinds of photography, but since I focus on portraiture I got sucked into the full frame fanboy club 😂 I don’t want to have to buy an $800 giant 24mm lens for M43 to get the look of a $100 tiny 50mm lens 🤓 I’ll admit though that after falling for the 40D I gained a huge appreciation for the reach I can get out of a crop sensor camera using much tinier cheaper lenses than full frame- like when I put a $200 crusty old 100mm F2 on the 40D I feel like a budget wildlife photographer with that relatively tiny kit.
@@andrewdoeshair yeah, if you want shallow depth of field, it's much easier on a larger sensor. My main lens for people is the Pana/Leica 25/1.4 mk ii, which I think costs about $550, but for the brief time I was using Canon RF I did enjoy the RF 50/1.8, and a used Tamron 35/1.8 I adapted. Since I shoot mostly wildlife, though, it's hard to beat the results from my Pana/Leica 100-400, which not only gives me 200-800 equivalent reach, but even taken on it's actual specs, it's the second smallest/lightest 100-400 I know of, with only the RF 100-400 beating it(but with a slower aperture and no weather sealing).
Absolutely agree with everything you said...I've got one and the image quality is superb...over saturated...well maybe a touch compared to my other eos crop frame cameras....but hey...it's superb....and for the price and spec (magnesium alloy body...built like a brick outhouse!) live view, 6 FPS motordrive...well you can stick your iPhone where the monkey stuck it's nuts.....the 40D....I love it!❤❤❤
The points about Canon colour and the build quality of the 40D even apply to the entry level Canon of the time, the 400D (aka Rebel XTi). I still have the 400D I bought new and although it's not my first shooter any more, every time I pick it up I love it. If you want to "benchmark" build quality, consider that I was able to get a Canon-built battery grip for my 400D, and the hand feel is awesome. You are in the $2500+ price range in today's Canon lineup before a battery grip is even an option. Of course, newer cameras have much better ISO and shutter speed performance. You should expect that 20 years of evolution provide technical improvement. But the complexity of new cameras like my Canon R8 is potentially overwhelming. I'm not a beginner any more but I'd still like to be able to hide menu items I know I don't care about (collecting "most used" menu items into more menus isn't the same thing).
Great points! This is a video I've thought more about since posting than I did before posting, and hopefully a lesson to myself about recording something half thought-out. I very briefly owned a Rebel T1i ( I think it's called a 500D elsewhere) and I recall being surprised by the build quality and colors, but I never used it for more than an afternoon before gifting it to a budding photographer... I should have looked into other models from the era with similar build quality to expand on that point. I also wish I would have compared the 40D to the XXXD or rebel range as far as the controls go, and that I would have spoken on the value of the top screen as a selling point over a Rebel. I've realized since recording this that the straight row of dual function buttons on top are invaluable, as well as being able to glance a the top screen. I was shooting with my R6 for the first time in a long time the other day and realized that I didn't want the back screen to be turned on because the battery life was just MELTING away, and while shooting in aperture priority it was faster and easier to just exposure bracket every shot (new appreciation for fast burst rate) than it was to find the meter in the viewfinder and make any exposure compensation adjustments in the moment. I realized that with my 5D bodies, my 6D, and my 40D I glance at the meter almost subconsciously on that top screen, like I do it without knowing I'm doing it, and it's that reflex which made the 40D feel surprisingly comfortable and familiar on day one...
@@andrewdoeshair I think the physical controls are the primary difference between the 40D and the Rebel line. My cameras are 400D, T7i, and R8. None of these have the top screen or back wheel, so I don't really know what I'm missing in usability from those physical features.
Got one last year after comparing models and I love it. If you like old prime lenses, keep one your bag. A mere Pentacon 50mm on it will render beautiful flowers. Insdustar 50-2 will give a nostalgic mood etc. That's cheap. Just try ! I did same for MFT : kept an old model, the 2012's DMC-G5, and sold the rest. If what counts is having a good moment playing outside, then sharing photos with friends and family, there's no need for high-end stuff.
I bought this camera new and I am still shooting with it. Recently a bought an other copy just to be sure. Will buying a new set of pans make you a better cook? Will buying a new computer make you a better writer. Come on.... all the great photos are not made by the camera. This is NOT a beginner's camera. A beginner's camera would be some kind of powershot. Don't upgrade, don't buy new lenses...
Money well spent. Each so called upgrade will be a downgrade in colours, ergonomics and so on. Solid but not overheavy. Marvellous colours.....@@quazisanjeed6395
However, the entry-level and semipro bodies tend to fail much earlier than their rated shutter life. Various components start giving trouble. The shutter button and top wheel are prone to early breakdown and need replacement as per my experience. It happened to my 40D and 50D. The 70D had other issues mainly; it ceases to function if the video option is used frequently . These issues are non-existent on my pro bodies i.e., 1DIV, 5DII, 5DIII and 7D.
The most honest review that I watched. I still have the 50D which is a joy to use. The 50D is the same with 40D only that the first have a 15MP sensor instead of 10MP with the latter. 60D is the complete plastic one.
Thank you! I did learn after making this video that it was the 60D which marked the move to plastic. I was also corrected about how I said “all cameras are plastic now” because as I was saying that I wasn’t thinking about Sony, Nikon, Fuji, or obviously like, Leica or hasselblad. Just today I was shooting with my 6D and I kept stopping to rub the body and think “whyyy?” 😂
Hey Andrew, your videos are rad and I do so enjoy what you do! I heard that back in the day before things got to where they are now (with the kind of thoughtless reverence average camera consumers have developed in regard to high iso and high resolution in digital photography) these digital bodies used more substantial colour filtering and so had better colour accuracy and less tendency toward colour casts and what-have-you. I would conclude also that perhaps the engineers had more scope to manipulate the colour science with these better colour arrays. So it's kind of this physical limit where if you want to prioritise the best filtering for your colours you won't get the absolute highest sensitivity/efficiency from your sensor as fewer photons can pass the array. This may be completely wrong but was interesting to me. 5D classic club represent 🖖
My first camera was a pentax k200d. 10 megapixel ccd. Later I got a 6D and it was a world different. Then I got a 5D classic and not 5D2.. and now an RP. Sounds like a lot of cameras, but the two 5D's cost me all of 350 bucks, Pentax was free. 6D also cost 350 but the screen died and it had 145k on the shutter. The lenses are really what matter, one really good sigma art prime second hand cost more than those camera bodies do, and it's worth it. A reminder that these were professional cameras, and people bought professional lenses back then for them, don't pair pro body and cheap zoom, because you'll be limiting your image quality long before it gets to that sensor, even at 12mp like the old 5D.
EOS 40D = $40!! Love it! I got a 30D for $35 off KEH! I love the older DSLR for learning since the menu is super simple and no extra bells and whistle (mine doesn't even have video or live view) but I love the look of the images from the measly 8.2mp sensor especially paired with the 50mm f1.8 or 17-50mm f2.8. Saving up for some L glass, but aren't we all! So much great information!! I love your videos and your message to hairdressers (and novice photographers) everywhere! Thanks for all you do!!
I bought a used 40D at the beginning of 2014, which I only kept for a few months. Compared to the 30D I had before it, I was disappointed with the file, mainly due to the lack of sharpness that was impossible to achieve even with high-end L lenses. There were also peculiar colors (which I must admit I found charming) and high ISO files that looked more like pastel paintings than photographs. Additionally, the autofocus with certain lenses, which worked perfectly on the 30D, was useless. It's a shame because the build quality was excellent, the camera felt good in hand, and it had some advanced features for its time like Live View, which was useful for those of us using Pentax/m42 lenses. Of all the cameras I've used, the 40D is perhaps the worst in terms of the file itself. I soon sold it and switched to the 5D Classic, which for me is still the number one DSLR in terms of color and the feel of the photographs themselves...
Very good points overall about what the first camera should be and what are the most common misconceptions people have when looking into getting one. I didn't particularly like the 40D back some 10 years ago but I did buy it as a backup for a 5D, and it simply couldn't keep in regards to IQ. But for a first time camera, why not. As for the build quality, Canon switched to "plastic" (polycarbonate, so high quality plastic) in the 60D model. Up to 50D the models had magnesium alloy as the outside layer (though they were never completely magnesium, there are plastic bits as well, even on the 5D). Overall, not a very important bit, since all these cameras have an aluminium chassis underneath, the outer "walls" of the camera aren't structural, and the polycarbonate bodies have even a slight advantage because they don't scratch and have their pain peel of like the magnesium alloy bodies do. Polycarbonates are also more "bouncy" so in case of a fall that serves as a shock absorber, rather than transferring all the kinetic energy to the internals. Plastic cameras aren't really less durable. In case of a really nasty hit/fall, it's more likely that the camera suffers due to the shock itself and some internals going bonkers rather than the hit to the outer casing being the primary concern.
Hey Andrew. What camera would you suggest if im looking to shoot both picture and video with it? Almost went with the 40D but i want to do video sometimes.
Really it depends on the kind of video work you want to do- for what I do (haircut videos for social media) I don’t need auto focus (haircuts sit still) I don’t need in body stabilization (camera sits on a tripod) and I don’t need 4K or 60FPS (all of my content winds up on Instagram which maxes out at 1080p 30fps) so for me the perfect “portraits and videos” camera with everything I need and nothing I don’t is the canon 6D with an Osee T5+ on it. However, if you want a flippy touch screen and focus tracking, I’d look into some of the newer cameras from this same series as the 40D. I know that by the 60D they added a flippy screen but I don’t know how good the video specs are, maybe the 70D or 80D has what you seek at a good price point. What I like about these cameras vs something like a Rebel SL2 (which is great for video) is that these have the kind of build quality and control layout that make them stand out from an entry level camera. Like the Rebel SL2 or the M50 is worth looking into for photo and video, but with both of those the control layout for photo is a little bit less intuitive and flexible compared to something like the 40D or 5Dii. Ultimately though, I’m not really a video guy, what I value in video is good straight out of camera colors, and I shoot almost everything in 1080 at 24fps, so my video needs are super basic. I like the video that Potato Jet did about the SL2 a few years ago, he kind of sums up a great approach to entry level video gear in that video. Also he did the video like 5 years ago so since then the prices he’s quoting have halved but the gear still performs amazingly.
19:18 you actually are :) It's interesting that you're only talking about Sony and Canon cameras when there are so many great brands out there, especially used and for a beginner. Also, not all cameras feel like plastic nowadays, Canon cameras do though.
Yeah I should start with that disclaimer 😂 I used a fuji one time, somewhat recently (I’ve got a video about it on my channel), and the whole experience was surprisingly good, I left with a new respect for fooj, but ultimately I felt like I could get just as much or more camera (granted, with less “cool” points) for less money from canon. Then a few months ago an acquaintance brought me his Olympus he’d just bought, asking me to show him some basics, and I spent an hour trying to figure out how to use that thing. I felt so dumb, but it was stuck in a square crop mode and I couldn’t figure out how to change that, I couldn’t even get the basic navigation down- it was humbling. I don’t have any experience with Nikon because I’ve seen like, two in real life, nobody shoots Nikon. But that’s actually a part of the reason I double down on canon- my average viewer/follower/subscriber isn’t a camera connoisseur who wants to dig up a rare body through a camera forum, it’s barbers and hairstylists who might walk into a Best Buy and say “I bought a Canon 40D because of a guy on RU-vid- will this lens fit it?” And if I did a video about how great bargain old Sigma camera or a forgotten Sony DSLR, my average viewer will never find lenses for it. Back to Sony, in particular, aside from the points I made in this video, you won’t find a Sony kit for under a hundred bucks (like the kit in this video was $75), probably not even under three hundred (maybe the original A7 for around $300-$400), but at about the $300 mark canon has got a couple legendary bodies still respected for portraiture (like the 5Dii or 6D). Actually when people tell me they want a “do everything” camera I tell them to shop Sony, but 99% of the inquiries I get are “I want pictures of people for cheap” and, you know, I’ll take the canon fanboy title with pride by saying again that nobody will do this as cheaply or as easily as an older canon 🤓
Mind you that Canon is one of the last cameras of which the majority is still made in Japan. You can check this out for yourself. But I agree with the statement about less quality throughout the industrry for cameras, cars, bikes and so on Therefore don't upgrade to camera made for 100 dollars and sold to you for 1200 dollars. Mirrorless is only to save money. Each channel is supported by amazon and so on. Don't upgrade but improve!
100% right! My first camera was a Canon 1000D, but my first "REAL" camera was the 40D. It was around 2012, i paid around 400€ and i had a 15-30 and a 28-135 is. I learned so much from it!
