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help with replacing my broken 40D

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Karl W

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I need to replace my venerable 40D and I would like some thoughts as to which Canon model I should get. I shoot nature, landscapes and travel and have a collection of lenses ranging from the 10-22 mm to the 300L f/4. My concern is these days is weight and size - I am lately doing lots of travel.

Should I get the 70D or something "smaller" or ditch the Canon and go for one of the mirrorless (e.g. Olympus OMD EM1 or Fuji XT1)?

I would appreciate some advice.

--

DigitalKarl
 
I've come the other way, m4/3 to Canon 70d. best move i made, the image quality and quick lock on focus are much better. Don;t get me wrong, the m4/3 are good, but i was struggling with action shots and focus lock in anything other than bright light.

I would trey and get hold of the Cameras you are looking at and get a feel for them and see how the sit in your hands.

the 70d is heavier than i was used to, but after a little while i didn't notice it all

good look with your Camera choice
 
The 70D is a little smaller and lighter than the 40D and in my opinion would be your best choice to replace your 40D.
 
Well a micro 4/3 would imply ditching those great lenses; you should try everything from the Sl1 to the latest rebel, the 60D and the 70D, some might be smaller but the ergonomics won't be the same. The 60D would be an improvement in a slightly smaller package. If the focal length works for you why not try the 40mm 2.8, the overall package would be much smaller.
 
Thanks for the responses. Would anyone know how the SL1 compares to the 40D. Would that be a step up for me or not worth it. I am trying to balance weight/size with performance and not give up my great Canon glass.
 
Karl W said:
Thanks for the responses. Would anyone know how the SL1 compares to the 40D. Would that be a step up for me or not worth it. I am trying to balance weight/size with performance and not give up my great Canon glass.
Click to expand...
 
Just a warning from a fellow XXD user, the 60D and 70D do not have the "joystick" that you may be used to for setting your focus point.
 
Karl W said:
Thanks for the responses. Would anyone know how the SL1 compares to the 40D. Would that be a step up for me or not worth it. I am trying to balance weight/size with performance and not give up my great Canon glass.
Click to expand...
 
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whvick said:
The SL1 is tiny, light and a definite upgrade to the 40D in everything except I would expect the focusing screen to be a little smaller, and maybe a touch less bright.
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The SL1 is a massive downgrade in usability, it's too tiny to hold and is lacking a lot of the controls the 40D offers...
 
Karl Gnter Wnsch said:
whvick said:
The SL1 is tiny, light and a definite upgrade to the 40D in everything except I would expect the focusing screen to be a little smaller, and maybe a touch less bright.
Click to expand...
The SL1 is a massive downgrade in usability, it's too tiny to hold and is lacking a lot of the controls the 40D offers...
Click to expand...
 
Karl W said:
I need to replace my venerable 40D and I would like some thoughts as to which Canon model I should get. I shoot nature, landscapes and travel and have a collection of lenses ranging from the 10-22 mm to the 300L f/4. My concern is these days is weight and size - I am lately doing lots of travel.

Should I get the 70D or something "smaller" or ditch the Canon and go for one of the mirrorless (e.g. Olympus OMD EM1 or Fuji XT1)?

I would appreciate some advice.

--

DigitalKarl
Click to expand...
Just get another 40D on the used market for a couple hundred, invest the rest in glass. :)

yes, I'm biased as I just picked up a used 40D, sold my OMD EM5, I just never could get used to the smaller sensor, the ergonomics and the lighter weight just wasn't as advantageous as I thought it would be...very happy with the 40D. It's older tech, but for the money I can't complain. I don't shoot above iso 800 anyway...YMMV
 
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Karl Gnter Wnsch said:
whvick said:
Karl Gnter Wnsch said:
whvick said:
The SL1 is tiny, light and a definite upgrade to the 40D in everything except I would expect the focusing screen to be a little smaller, and maybe a touch less bright.
Click to expand...
The SL1 is a massive downgrade in usability, it's too tiny to hold and is lacking a lot of the controls the 40D offers...

--
regards
Karl Günter Wünsch
Click to expand...
Carl, are you the OP?
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Nope. Just coincidence...
Karl Gnter Wnsch said:
So if the question is wt/size/performance the SL1 is a good choice. IF ergonomics either the 50D or maybe the 70D would be a better choice, with the 70 being a little smaller lighter I believe.
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I would even go so far as to recommend the 7D (to have at least take a look at), which is the closest in ergonomics to the 40D but comes with a big host of worthwhile upgrades (AF, viewfinder, performance left, right and center)... It may be a few grams more heavy but the benefits for me far outweigh that small disadvantage. I still have a 40D and 50D lying around here, gathering dust, funnily they feel heavier than the 7D does...
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The 7D weighs about 100g more than the 40D, hardly just 'a few grams'.

The 70D and 40D are within 15g.
 
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Karl Gnter Wnsch said:
Mr Ed M said:
The 7D weighs about 100g more than the 40D, hardly just 'a few grams'.
Click to expand...
Do keep it in perspective. That's as much as a few slices of toast, or half the weight of a typical burger...
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It is closer to the weight of 1/4 loaf of bread than a few slices of toast.

It would be awfully sloppy trying to hold a burger and take a picture.

You must have missed that the OP wanted to down size, not up size.
 
Mr Ed M said:
You must have missed that the OP wanted to down size, not up size.
Click to expand...
Yet he also didn't want to lose performance and ergonomics - so he should at least take a look. Often the wish to downsize is easier said than done if the result are bad compromises in other areas...
 
I think you would be happist with the 70D. Its a nice upgrade. I have repetive stress injury to both my hands and left handed. With a good after market strap system. I carry around a 7D and white lens for hours at a time with no problems. The only knock on the 70D would be build quality. But at least Canon put the right parts in it this time. R.J
 
I appreciate all the comments so far in trying to assist me in replacing my 40D. I had considered just getting the 70D to go along with my Canon lenses since I do a good deal of bird photography. The problem is (as stated in the original post), I have been doing mostly travel photography lately and I really wanted something much lighter and smaller.

While the Canon DSLRs are great ergonomically (and IQ, obviously), I also took my Canon G12 as a backup when going to Europe. When the 40D shutter gave up the ghost while in Prague in May, I found myself loving the light weight and small size of the G12.

So on to my quest for a good quality mirrorless system. I have found that simply small size is not the critical factor in usability as far as holding the camera. The Olympus OMD EM10 is not particularly comfortable for me to hold while the better designed OMD EM1 feels and works great. Likewise the Fuji XT1 fits in the hand just fine.

So, if I decide to just replace the 40D, I would go for the 70D. The 7D is just not right for me specially considering the expense and weight of the camera. The SL1 might be an option. I have handled the body - but not actually shot with it. Ergonomically it seems fine and it might be worth it for travel. But for nature work, I am not so sure.

What I really want now are some decision points on going to mirrorless. and, perhaps also on using Canon lens with adapters. I have been looking at the Oly EM1, the Fuji XT1 and even the Sony A6000. Anyone out there have any experience with these?

Thanks.
 
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