(Canon 40D v Sony A700)

chrism_scotland

chrism_scotland

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Chris
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Hi everyone,

I've been looking to pickup another DSLR and get back into photography now I have more time to actually take shots!

I've considered Pentax and also a move back to Sony as I loved all the old lenses (Beercan, Minolta 50 f1.7) but I've been looking at the classifieds here and elsewhere and noticed the Canon 40D at a good price, now I know this is a similar age to the A700 I had before and I seem to remember them being really well regarded at the time albeit too expensive for me at the time!

My question now is how do the two compare?
I know that a lot of the Kit Lenses for the Canon would be IS lenses anyway but am I likely to notice a massive difference using something that doesn't have IS built in v the Sony which has in-body stabilisation?

Also I know that there is probably a wider range of Canon lenses available and perhaps a wider selection of used lenses due to the larger userbase, but what cheapish lenses would people reccomend if I was looking for a General Walkaround Lens, a Wide Angle and maybe a budget zoom, I know a nifty fifty is cheap even new so I would probably pick one of those up.

If I was getting another Sony I'd likely pickup a Sigma 17-70, Sigma 10-20, Sony or Minolta 50mm and a Tamron 55-200 or Minolta Beercan, just wondering if there are equivalent or better lenses for the Canon,

Cheers,

Chris
 
I missed IS when first shifting from Sony (A700) to Canon (1Ds and briefly a 40D) but once I realised the limitations of no-IS it wasn't too hard to boost iso a little, open the aperture a bit to compensate. Maybe my handholding technique improved a bit too. Now I don't notice no IS.

The AF on the canons was much better (and the reason I changed brands).

I don't think you can match the colours from a beercan with Canon gear but the 70-200/4 is very sharp. I would think canon's 50/1.8 a close match for minolta/sony.
 
The same lenses you want to get on the Sony are available for Canon. I would personally go for the canon only because of the Magnesium Alloy body. And it would just last you longer-shutter life wise- than the Sony.
 
The A700 is also mag alloy so no advantage there. Is there any proof the shutter life on the Canon is longer?. Nope, didnt think so. Both cameras are excellent for their time and still are worth owning, really depends on which system you'd like to be still using 5 yrs and beyond from now.
 
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I've heard that the low light capabilities of the 40D are meant to be really good, is this true?
Also in regards to which system I'd want to be using, I'm not really sure at the moment, my concern over Sony is that they seem more interested in low end DSLR's and competing with the Olympus Pen than releasing any mid to top end DSLR's whereas at least Canon/Nikon have existing high end cameras and will have new ones out.
 
I don't know any inside info but I do believe that Sony are in it for the long term, so I wouldn't worry too much on that count. Plus, that in body IS would be very nice with some fast primes and wide to medium zooms that simply are not available with IS.

If I was just getting into DSLR's now Sony would be very high on my list.
 
I have had my 40D for about 3 years and am very happy with it! I do quite a bit of gig photography and regularly have to shoot at ISO1600 or 3200. I always shoot in RAW, and with some careful processing, I am very happy with the results (see my Flickr, if you want any full sized examples just let me know).

None of my lenses have stabilisation and to be honest I don't find it an issue. I have a battery grip on my camera, which maybe helps balance it a bit better (especially with a 70-200mm f2.8).

My first DSLR was actually a Sony A200, but I sold it after 3 months due to the wider range and availability of Canon lenses, 3rd party accessories and also finding the 40D much nicer to hold and use.
 
EF lenses are designed to work with both full frame (5D/1Ds) and crop DSLRs (everything else from Canon). EF-S lenses only work with 1.6x crop Canons (7D, xxD, xxxD, xxxxD).

USM is Canon's ultrasonic motor which is faster and quieter at focussing than a non-USM lens. Other brands call it things like HSM.

L series lenses are Canon's professional series and generally offer fast apertures, weather sealing (when used with a weather sealed body) and are very expensive!
 
Unless you want stabilisation on lenses that canon don't offer stabilisation on (e.g, primes like the 50mm f/1.8). Body stabilisation has the advantage that it's applied to all lenses, but lens stabilisation has the advantage of a steadied viewfinder. I love the way the viewfinder goes smooth with my 100-400, make more precise framing much easier.
 
chrism_scotland said:
Thanks everyone, I think I've managed to source a Canon 40D at a good price which I'm going to give a try,
Can someone tell me what all the codes are in Lens Names i.e USM, L, etc.

Also whats the difference between EF and EF-S lenses?

Cheers,

Chris
Click to expand...

Great Camera Chris

I'm sure you'll enjoy it and love the new learning process.

Father-in-law has the A700 now and I must admit it is great to have the IS in the body, rather than only on a lens you purchase.

Good luck with it (y)
 
chrism_scotland said:
Thanks everyone, I think I've managed to source a Canon 40D at a good price which I'm going to give a try,
Can someone tell me what all the codes are in Lens Names i.e USM, L, etc.

Also whats the difference between EF and EF-S lenses?

Cheers,

Chris
Click to expand...

Chris, translated to Sony equiv

USM=SSM
L=G/Zeiss
EF-S=DT
EF=none! (Full frame compatible)
 
evo456 said:
Chris, translated to Sony equiv

USM=SSM
L=G/Zeiss
EF-S=DT
EF=none! (Full frame compatible)
Click to expand...

Surely there is some sort of EF equivalent? Sony has 35mm format lenses for the A900.
 
squishy said:
Surely there is some sort of EF equivalent? Sony has 35mm format lenses for the A900.
Click to expand...

Yes they do, but they don't have a designation marking them as being FF. Only the crop lenses have a specific designation "DT". If a Sony lens lacks that then it is FF.

So from the current Sony lineup:

"DT 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA Vario-Sonnar T*" is a crop only lens
"135mm F1.8 ZA Sonnar T*" is full frame (and looooverly :D )
 
Ah, I see, the equivalent is just when it's missing the DT designation.
 
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