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canon 40d

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Old 02-19-2008, 09:02 PM
  #1  
bbike
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Default canon 40d

hey just wondering on your guys opinions of the 40d? Iv decided that its something that I would consider for a job in the future and am planning on going to the ny institute and getting a double major in photography. this is what i was gonna order:

40d
17-85 is canon
70-200 f4L canon
100mm 2.8 canon macro
tamron 1.4 teleconverter
canon 580 exII flash

along with all the other do dads... polorizers, bags, ect.... Any suggestions steering me towards other products? thanks.
Old 02-20-2008, 02:26 PM
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sentimental_fool65
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Default RE: canon 40d

BBike,
Thats not too bad of a starting line-up, many seem to prefer Nikon because it's less expensive and can be outfit cheaper. But the true matter of the whole system is the glass you use, and canon without a doubt has the best on the market. Although it is quite pricey for some lenses.
Depending on your budget and really what you plan on doing with your photography would be what would be a guide to the camera you wanted to get. Canon's professional models are fantastic, but unless you are really sure you are going to make a career out of it, they are very high in price.
The 40d though is a good system, it's actually the first true update since the 20d which is/was a fantastic camera.
Myself I don't really mess with a lot of different lens filters, I use a clear on EVERY lens to protect your investment, polarizers serve some purpose, but I've found I use them very little, a soft focus filter can be really useful if you are planning to do portraits. Although I just use a regular clear uv filter and put some petroleum jelly on it and get the same effect just BE SURE NOT to get it on you regular lens.
Being in photography for the number of years I've been I've found if you can fight the temptation to purchase a bunch of lenses right off the bat, you are a lot better off, saving and getting a few lenses with a good low F# which will make your life a lot easier for action and low light situations. Especially if you are going to use 2x or greater converters, remember you loose 2 f/stops with each one you loose.
As a sub for canon lenses I've found that Sigma products have held up well and been a good cheaper alternative when I couldn't afford to get the same Canon lens at that time.
Flashes are a real matter of preference, I have a few of them, but honestly depending on what you are photographing, you can get a set of studio lights fairly cheap, plus a wireless trigger I've found to have been one of my best investments. Also a strobo-frame is a great investment if you are going to use a camera mount flash. It gives you a lot more control of your lighting direction.

Hope this helps some. If not I'd be happy to help if I can just shoot me a Pm here
Old 02-22-2008, 09:37 PM
  #3  
Justaddwata
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Default RE: canon 40d

I just recently picked up a 40D with the 28-135 lens. Best deal I found was on Buydig. They also have a great offer for the 8gb and 16gb memory cards (a very good rebate) through 3/30. They also have a good price for the 70-200 "L". Free shipping too.

I have had a number of digitals and some 140,000 pictures under my belt - but this is my first step into the DSLR. My last camera was a fuji S9000 which was no slouch but against the canon it is a toy. To my surprise the crop factor (1.6 magnification) was a real problem compared to my past cameras. This is similar for all other dslr's in the price range. If you were to step up to the 5D you get a 1:1 but that is near twice the price and not what I consider a lot more performance for the $$

The 40D has outstanding processing speed and performance. It takes pictures quicker than you realize and I find the 16gb 20mb/sec card a good fit. It will hold around 3000 pictures at Max res and around 800 pictures at Max res with a full RAW file.

I added a 17-40mm f/4 L lens so I can now shoot down to the 28mm I am used to (17mm x 1.6 magnification = 27.2mm). The lens does not have IS but I have not found it necessary for the shooting I have done.

I also picked up a lightly used 35-350 L lens off e-bay and am very impressed at the performance. From close up shots to distance shooting it is very impressive. I found the best deals on filters to be Amazon. Check out the reviews - I was sold on Hoya but find that there are so many quality levels that I ended up picking Canon and Nikon filters instead.

I added the 430 flash since I dont see myself doing so much flash work and will not likely be needing as many features. The flash works very well and is needed with the bigger lenses to avoid lens shadowing.

I added a pair of aftermarket batteries since the factory canon battery was insufficient for a days shooting. I have found a better performance from the after market batteries and only paid around $40 for the pair (made by digital concepts). They are rated at 1900 mah.

Since buying the "L" glass I have not used the 28-135mm lens (that really is 55-215mm). It worked fine but just not the proportions I am used to.

I will likely add another 16gb card (the 32gb cards were not out when I picked up the camera though Tigerdirect have the 32gb 20 mb/s cards for $179). I always prefer more room than less.

One of the bigger selling features was the 6.5 frames/second shooting speed. I trend toward speed hobbies and theres not a lot you will miss with that rate.

I am sold on the Canon. It is well worthy of the reviews it sees and I can imagine it a good step (for the price) for someone semi pro/pro.

If you have not found it already - I strongly recommend checking out http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ which has a wealth of great info on canon cameras and lenses
Old 03-20-2008, 11:39 PM
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shaunrbell
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Default RE: canon 40d


ORIGINAL: sentimental_fool65

BBike,
Thats not too bad of a starting line-up, many seem to prefer Nikon because it's less expensive and can be outfit cheaper. But the true matter of the whole system is the glass you use, and canon without a doubt has the best on the market. Although it is quite pricey for some lenses.
It's pretty hard to generalize the two top pro DSLR manufactures saying Nikon's cheaper and Canon has better glass. The D3 is cheaper than the 1DsMIII, but if it's better is up for discussion. As for lenses, again it's lens by lens...not the whole system. Canon has an amazing 1.2 85mm, but the 1.4 85 Nikon is a legend as well. Consider the new 14-24 2.8, better than maybe any prime in that range. Canon has nothing like it. Now both have great tilt and shift lenses and just wait....there's more to come. Tell you one thing, it's a good thing Canon has been kicking Nikon's butt the last few years. Otherwise I would be still shooting below 800 iso lol (old D2X)!

Shaun
Old 05-28-2008, 10:56 PM
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astroboycp
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Default RE: canon 40d

The 40d is sure a good buy.
Old 07-02-2008, 04:18 PM
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McNeese72
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Default RE: canon 40d

I have the Canon 40D and, since I do some sport photography, I have have the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS Image Stabilizer USM AF Telephoto Lens. The lens is a little pricey but it is a great lens.

Doc

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