Canon 30D vs 40D

[SpeedyManiac]

Hi guys,
I'm going to pull the trigger soon on a DSLR and am just looking for some opinions. Background: I primarily take sports photos (I work part time for a snowcat skiing operation in the winter, plus I do a little moto photography) but also do some landscape photography. I like that the 40D has 6.5 frames per second burst rate compared to 5 fps for the 30D, but I'm wondering if it's worth the increased price. Right now there's a $300 price difference in the bodies, $450 difference if the kit lens is included.

So, is the 40D worth the extra cash? I'm sure I'd be happy with the 30D, but I don't want to get it then kick myself down the road for cheaping out. Regardless of which body I get, I'm looking at getting the EF 70-200 f4.0L IS USM lens, and something for wide angles (not sure which one yet). Thanks everyone.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Phil Askey did a very thorough review of the 40d on dpreview.com

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos40d/

 

[Chili]

I can't say that I've spent any amount of time looking at the specs for either the 30D or the 40D as I went from the 20D to the 1DmkII. I would not spend a bunch of extra cash to go from 5 to 6.5 fps as you'll rarely ever use it. Not sure what other upgrades you get between the 30 and 40D though.

 

[SpeedyManiac]

The only other feature I like on the 40D is the live view function. Comes in handy for night/evening shots when a tripod isn't available, but setting the camera on a ledge or stair is possible. That, and the dust removal function on the 40D (absent on the 30D). Thanks for the help guys.

 

[slickpuss]

The 40d has the larger lcd viewer screen doesnt it and can use a reflector to view the picture live. Which can be nice for hands free tripod shots. Prolly not much use for action photos though.

 

[SpDyKen]

We are very happy with our D40, which we have had since June. I am the most impressed with it's low-light capabilities.

Recently, I had a friend take some shots with our D40, while we were on stage for a Nutcracker performance. He was also shooting with his own D70. After using our camera, he quit shooting with his camera and used ours for the rest of the performance.

I'll post some shots later. Ken W.

 

[Chili]

I really wish Canon and Nikon would have got together for naming conventions so we didn't have this D40-40D crossover.

 

[SpDyKen]

OOPS! My bad! :ohmy: :bang: :whoa: :think:

 

[SpeedyManiac]

Well, I decided on the 30D. I got a great deal (gotta love boxing day sales) and should get the camera with the EF28-135 f3.5-5.6 USM lens. Now I just need to save up for a couple more lenses (EF-S 10-22 and EF 70-200 f2.8).

 

[Chili]

Congrats!

 

[SpeedyManiac]

After using my camera for the last month, I'm impressed. The AF is fast and accurate and the 5fps burst is awesome for ski photos. I can see the live view would be handy in some situations, most notably for nightime landscapes. Once I start building my lens collection I think I might also look into a camera with a full frame sensor (5D, or whatever the next model in that line is).