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New Canon 40D Predictions
By admin | May 16, 2007
The new advances in digital SLR’s revealed by Canon in the recent months (through the introduction of the new 1D mark III) makes me very excited about future offerings from Canon, including their replacement to the current 30D.
I am eagerly awaiting the time when I can invest in a new digital SLR camera. My first choice if I had to buy today would be the Canon 30D. However, I am in the same boat as many people - contemplating if it is worth it to purchase the 30D now or wait for the new and improved 40D. No one is sure that the replacement to the 30D will actually be called the 40D, but it is a natural guess. (20D, 30D, . . . )
I don’t expect the 30D’s replacement to be a groundbreaking camera, but I would expect a few improvements. Here are a few of my predictions (wishes) for the Canon 40D:
Sure things:
- Increased sensor capacity - probably up from the 30D’s 8.2 Megapixels to 10.1 Megapixels, to match the sensor density and size of the Rebel XTi.
- A vibrating, self-cleaning sensor feature, similar to what is offered on the Rebel XTi.
- Slightly increased buffer depth to allow more pictures to be taken in succession before a pause.
Wishful thinking:
- Auto ISO capability incorporated into most (if not all) of the modes (not just automatic).
- Fully programmable buttons or mode dial settings that a user can program to remember all of your critical settings for a particular type of shot.
- A button or dial dedicated to mirror lock-up.
- 14 bit analog to digital conversion (up from 12 bit processing in the Canon 30D)
- Better efforts to weather-proof the camera body.
I am not that concerned with the jump in resolution as I think the current 8.2 Megapixels is fine for most people’s needs. However, to be competitive in this market, you have to bump the resolution to keep up with the competition. This is a shame since upping the resolution could result in more noise. I hope they do a good job of keeping the image quality at the same level with the increase in resolution.Again, the self-cleaning sensor should be a given since they already have this incorporated into their Rebel body.
Better incorporation of Auto ISO features is big on my wish list. Digital camera design has not yet taken advantage of the ability to change ISO’s on the fly. For most of the modes that I would use for the 30D, (Aperture priority especially), the ISO is set by the user. I wish there was a way for me to set the aperture and have the camera take care of the shutter speed and ISO. It is a bit challenging to let the camera decide how low to go on the shutter speed, but they should be able to come up with an interface that works.
I actually just found a camera manufacturer that really does what I want to see in the 40D - the new Pentax K10D has a feature called “Shutter & Aperture Priority AE”. This lets you set the aperture and shutter speed and the camera selects the corresponding ISO for proper exposure. It’s tough to see how this could be incorporated with Canon’s current ergonomics. Yes, you could have the back wheel control aperture, the front wheel control shutter speed, but then how would you apply exposure compensation? Still, I wish they could work out more modes for making the ISO automatic.
Canon users always scream about the mirror lock-up feature being buried deep in the custom functions menu. It is not a deal breaker, but it will be interesting to see if Canon listens to this almost universal complaint and does something positive with the feedback they have received.
One item that other people dream of for the 40D is a move away from the 1.6 crop factor to a full frame sensor. I admit that I would love for the day to come where a truly affordable full frame camera is available. However, Canon has developed such great and unique lenses for cropped frame cameras. Two examples are the 10-22mm and the 17-55mm f2.8. The 17-55mm f2.8 especially add a great desirability to 1.6 crop factor cameras because there is not a lens quite like it for full frame. For a full frame sensor, the 24-105mm f4 is close, but the aperture is not as wide. The 24-70mm f2.8 is also a great fast lens, but does not offer image stabilization.
At any rate, I hope that the Canon 40D will have the same smooth, beautiful, noise free images that we have seen from other cameras in their lineup while making a few small jumps in performance and ergonomics.
Topics: Canon |