XSi/450D vs 40D
So, does the new Canon EOS XSi/450D make the EOS 40D a bad choice?
If you think megapixels and marketing buzzwords define the best camera then yes, the XSi is the camera for you.
If you are actually interested in handling, performance and image quality, you may want to wait for the independent reviewers to finish putting the new camera through its paces.
Canon have managed to cram more pixels onto the small APS-C sensor without increasing the price of the camera - it seems unlikely to me that the new sensor is going to win awards for high ISO image quality.
I spent a little bit of time on dpreview comparing the specs of the new camera and the 40D and put together this little table...
| Feature | XSi/450D | 40D |
| List Price | $799 | $1299 |
| Body Material | Plastic (stainless steel chassis) | Magnesium Alloy |
| Sensor | 12.2 effective megapixels | 10.1 effective megapixels |
| File formats | No sRAW | sRAW |
| AE Lock | Auto with One-shot focus in Evaluative metering | |
| ISO | 100-1600 in 1 stop increments Auto (100-400) | 100-1600 in 1/3 stop increments (or 1 stop) and 3200 Auto (100-800, depending on shooting mode). |
| Shutter | 30 - 1/4000 sec Flash sync 1/200 | 30 - 1/8000 sec Flash sync 1/250 |
| Viewfinder | Pentamirror Magnification: 0.87x Fixed focus screen | Pentaprism Magnification: 0.95x Interchangeable focus screen |
| Drive mode | Continuous 3.5fps | Continuous 6.5fps Low continuous 3fps |
| External Flash | In-camera flash configuration (currently only 580 EX II) Wireless multi-flash support PC Sync | |
| Custom functions | 13 custom functions with 34 settings | 24 custom functions in 4 groups |
| Storage | SD / SDHC card | CF Card |
| Dimensions | 129 x 98 x 62 mm (5.1 x 3.9 x 2.4 in) | 146 x 108 x 74 mm (5.7 x 4.2 x 2.9 in) |
| Weight | 475g (1.0 lb) | 740g (1.6 lb) |
| Wireless connectivity (with WFT-E3) | No | Yes |
| Buffer | 53 JPEG / 6 RAW frames | 75 JPEG / 17 RAW frames |
| Shooting modes | 3 user set modes |
And while I was doing that, dpreview posted what's changed with some more detail to their initial hands on.
Mark J M Wilson
Reader Comments (1)
Canon 40D is a beast of a camera !!The only i ever want and need