450d or 40d

[davidd]

I wondered if anyone had anything to add...

2 years ago I bought a canon 350d 2 lens and grip kit, I also have the 50mm 1.8 lens.

It is great and I have taken a lot of pictures with it that I am really pleased with. There are a couple of areas that I find a little lacking..
Firstly is my inability to keep the camera steady, so I am looking at spending a couple of hundred on a 28-136 is. The others are that I would like a bigger screen, faster and more acccurate auto focus and better low light (I take a lot in the house with no flash).

So I was thinking instead of the 28-135 I could flog my current kit for £250- £300 (any ideas) and then pick up a 450 twin lens kit for £650ish. The new is kit lens seems to get decent reviews.

But for the same money I could get a 40d..... Which is better at low light a bit faster, heavier, better view finder...

I would still need lens.

When I look at a 40d I then wonder what the upgrade path will be, should I hold fire for a few months and see if canon upgrade it....?

How confusing...

I have read any number of comparisons between the 450d and 40d none of which is overly conclusive.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

D

[Mrs NucSquash]

davidd said:

I wondered if anyone had anything to add...

2 years ago I bought a canon 350d 2 lens and grip kit, I also have the 50mm 1.8 lens.

It is great and I have taken a lot of pictures with it that I am really pleased with. There are a couple of areas that I find a little lacking..
Firstly is my inability to keep the camera steady, so I am looking at spending a couple of hundred on a 28-136 is. The others are that I would like a bigger screen, faster and more acccurate auto focus and better low light (I take a lot in the house with no flash).

So I was thinking instead of the 28-135 I could flog my current kit for £250- £300 (any ideas) and then pick up a 450 twin lens kit for £650ish. The new is kit lens seems to get decent reviews.

But for the same money I could get a 40d..... Which is better at low light a bit faster, heavier, better view finder...

I would still need lens.

When I look at a 40d I then wonder what the upgrade path will be, should I hold fire for a few months and see if canon upgrade it....?

How confusing...

I have read any number of comparisons between the 450d and 40d none of which is overly conclusive.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

D

Hi David,

I have the same problem. I dont have a clue which camera to get. First off I decide on the Alpha 300 then i see bad reviews and people say it is a bit soft on the jpegs. Then I decide on the D40 and all seems good, the reviews etc.. but then people question whether I would want AF in the body as I would be restricted to getting lenses with AF in the them. Then someone throws up the Olympus E-510. Again, some reviews are really good others say that the noise is bad over ISO 400.

Its hard trying to pick the right camera for you. I was set on the nikon D40 and now i just dont know!!! I am very much into sports and wildlife - though I do enjoy landscapes so ideally I need an all round good camera with a fast shutter speed, good sharp images and can handle most light conditions. Again, the D40 does, apparently, take good sharp photos in most levels of light although the shutter speed isnt great. Its tricky!

So, although I can offer no sound advice, all i will say is good luck!!!

[Bob_Defly]

Nikki, the D40 is a great starter camera, get it, you won't be disappointed.

[RobDickinson]

davidd said:

I have read any number of comparisons between the 450d and 40d none of which is overly conclusive.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

D

40D is faster shooting, faster AF and better AF in low light , probably better high ISO noise too (than the 450d).

IMO I'd avoid the 28-135IS, I dont rate it at all,soft and slow, and its the wrong focal lenth for a crop camera.

Get the new IS kit lens with the 40D , its realy a decent lens and has IS. Then look at adding something longer, the 55-250IS is good and cheap.

Unless you want a faster zoom....

[Mrs NucSquash]

Bob_Defly said:

Nikki, the D40 is a great starter camera, get it, you won't be disappointed.

On my other post - 'thoughts on the sony alpha 300' could you post some example shots you have taken with the d40 (i assume you have it).

What kind of bundle would you suggest to get..? I was looking at:

http://www.jessops.com/Store/s73881/0/Digital-SLRs...

or

http://www.jessops.com/Store/s47074/0/Digital-SLRs...

just to start off with. I already have a memory card and a bag so dont need that.

[davidd]

RobDickinson said:

40D is faster shooting, faster AF and better AF in low light , probably better high ISO noise too (than the 450d).

IMO I'd avoid the 28-135IS, I dont rate it at all,soft and slow, and its the wrong focal lenth for a crop camera.

Get the new IS kit lens with the 40D , its realy a decent lens and has IS. Then look at adding something longer, the 55-250IS is good and cheap.

Unless you want a faster zoom....

Cheers Rob, good info. Re the faster AF, I know the 450 centre point has the same af as the 40, I generally always set to the centre point so will it not be the same?

If the 28-135 lens is not so good then it makes the 450 twin lens kit look pretty tempting as I can pick it up for £650 which is what I would pay for a 40d body..

If only this was straightforward

D

[havoc]

RobDickinson said:

IMO I'd avoid the 28-135IS, I dont rate it at all,soft and slow, and its the wrong focal lenth for a crop camera.

Compared to what? L-series?!?

[RobDickinson]

Yes.

And say the tamron 18-50f2.8, sigma 17-70, canons own crop zooms & even the new IS kit lens.

Mainly though I thinkt he focal length is wrong for a walkabout.

[havoc]

RobDickinson said:

Yes.

And say the tamron 18-50f2.8, sigma 17-70, canons own crop zooms & even the new IS kit lens.

Mainly though I think the focal length is wrong for a walkabout.

It can be. But the extra length is handy sometimes. Depends what the OP wants from it. Not the best landscape lens, certainly.

As for the other two - isn't that a bit apples and oranges?!? They're half the length of the 28-135, and don't have IS. And the 28-135 is superior to both the 17-85IS and the 18-55IS, if we're sticking with Canons.

[Podie]

450D is pretty much more of the same. I'd go with the 40D.

[davidd]

Podie said:

450D is pretty much more of the same. I'd go with the 40D.

What do you mean more of the same ?

[Podie]

davidd said:

Podie said:

450D is pretty much more of the same. I'd go with the 40D.

What do you mean more of the same ?

The 450 is effectively an evolution of the 350 - whereas the 40 is the model range above.

The 350/400/450 are marketed as beginner SLRs, so why go for the same again, when you can have just a bit more control with the 40D...?

[davidd]

Podie said:

davidd said:

Podie said:

450D is pretty much more of the same. I'd go with the 40D.

What do you mean more of the same ?

The 450 is effectively an evolution of the 350 - whereas the 40 is the model range above.

The 350/400/450 are marketed as beginner SLRs, so why go for the same again, when you can have just a bit more control with the 40D...?

I agree it is the model range above, however it has the same processor..

I know the controls will make life a little easier but I do wonder if I need a better case the 350d has managed to survive the last two years with no huge issues..

I think my heart is saying 40d, my head is saying 450d twin lens kit and save a couple of hundred quid..

D

[leightonjames]

Would say 40d but considering it only lasted 6 weeks, id say nikon.

[davidd]

leightonjames said:

Would say 40d but considering it only lasted 6 weeks, id say nikon.

Oh dear, what happened?

[leightonjames]

it just went caput, on about Oooh six thousand photos? Luckily under guarantee but no good cos i need it next week for the motorshow. right pain in the ass. I guess im just unlucky, my xbox 360 also got 3 red lights twice.

I feel like a technologically destroying king midas

[filski666]

I am kinda new to digital SLRs- had 35mm SLRs and looking to finally make the shift - how does the fact the 40d is 10 megapixels and the 450d has 12megapixels actualy affect the quality of the picture? - presumably there is a lot more to the picture quality than the number of pixels - but how come the higher spec camera has lower number of pixels?

(or should I wait for a 45d to come out?)

[Pierscoe1]

what about the 350 was it that made you feel like you needed to upgrade??

(asking as I'm a 350d owner too... and haven't reached it's limits yet )

[filski666]

Quinny said:

filski666 said:

I am kinda new to digital SLRs- had 35mm SLRs and looking to finally make the shift - how does the fact the 40d is 10 megapixels and the 450d has 12megapixels actualy affect the quality of the picture? - presumably there is a lot more to the picture quality than the number of pixels - but how come the higher spec camera has lower number of pixels?

(or should I wait for a 45d to come out?)

Don't get to hung up with the Pixel race.

10 megapixel pictures are massive. The main difference between the 2 above is in the chassis build.

The 40D is magnesium chissied whereas the 450D is ABS Plastic.

Also as far as I'm aware, the 40D does have a few more features. Whether the likes of me would ever understand or get to use em is a different matter

I went from a 350D to my 40D and it was a big step up for me. In all honesty I don't see that I'll ever need another camera.

Whereas when I bought my 350D, I soon realised that fantastic as it was, I soon felt the need for an upgrade.

thanks, I had better save up a few more pennies then!

another question (sorry for thread hijack) - should I keep my old lenses or sell them and buy new IS version? - How good are they? -do they make big difference?

[havoc]

filski666 said:

another question (sorry for thread hijack) - should I keep my old lenses or sell them and buy new IS version? - How good are they? -do they make big difference?

Depends on the age and quality of your current lenses. If they're recent enough they'll probably be compatible with the body's auto-focus system (someone more tech-y than me will be along to tell you exactly what you're looking for - "EF-S" I think - do a google on e.g. canon lens compatability), which is the main thing.

And you're better off with a good older lens than a cheap D-SLR optimised one, although both the 450D and the 40D have a 1.6 crop on the sensor, meaning that you need to multiply stated focal-lengths by 1.6 to get the 35mm equivalent (a 28mm lens on a D-SLR will be the same as a 44mm on your old film-SLR, turning a wide-angle into a barely-adequate)

IS is useful but far from essential - it'll help in low-light (but then so does a wider aperture to start with), it'll help you get better 'panning' shots in motorsport, but that's about it.