Suggest a upgrade canon 40d

gothgirl

gothgirl

Messages
1,589
Edit My Images
Yes
Suggest a upgrade to the canon 40d?

Doesn't need to be a big jump up, and I'm not looking to spend huge amounts on a used body...I'm mostly happy with how my 40d performs , just would like something that performs a bit better in low light.

Sticking with canon please.
 
RichardTaylor said:
Canon 70D (I own one) or a 6D, If your budget will stretch that far - however you may need to upgrade your lenses (I don't own a 6D).
A Canon 70D has better low light performance than a 5D (which I also own).
Click to expand...

70d is not a budget body... As much as I'd love one

A 60d is out of my price range !
 
gothgirl said:
Budget , I just wanted to get something to cope with low light better

Doesn't need to be a huge improvement , but don't want to step back either
Click to expand...

I meant what is your budget, no point us telling you bodies you can't afford
 
you can look at dxomark too, thatll give you a decent ballpark figure of improvement

other options are faster lenses 2.8 or faster like 1.8 1.4, and dxo software with prime or similer, which gains you about 1 stop of performance, and was the best noise reduction last i heard
 
i wouldn't be looking at the entry level xxxD bodies there not going to give you enough to make it worthwhile upgrading from the 40d i think the best for your money has already been mentioned with the 70d
i was thinking about the 7d, they are better but are not really known for their low light capabilities
how much a 7d would offer over the 40d where low light is concerned i'm not sure, i know somebody who did go from a 40d to a 7d and they were happy with the change but he doesn't really do much in low light
i wouldn't bother with the 50d apart from the pixel count it's pretty much the same as you already have

being on such a tight budget your gonna struggle the 40d is a good camera and it's not going to easy to replace without spending
 
gothgirl said:
I'm mostly happy with how my 40d performs , just would like something that performs a bit better in low light.
Click to expand...
gothgirl said:
Doesn't need to be a huge improvement , but don't want to step back either
Click to expand...
gothgirl said:
£150-£200 (maybe a smudge more)
Pre-owned
Body only
Click to expand...
OK, that's a big ask. I have a 40D as my old workhorse and part of the reason for that is that I haven't identified an easy and cheap upgrade.

When you say you don't want to step back:
* Do you want to retain the LCD top plate display? If so, that rules out all 4-digit models such as the 1200D, and all 3-digit models up to the 750D. It leaves the 760D as an option, but that's out of your budget.
* Do you want to retain the quick control dial on the rear? Again, that rules out all 4-digit models and all 3-digit models except the 760D.
* Do you want to retain a proper pentaprism viewfinder? That would rule out all 4-digit and 3-digit models.
* Do you want to retain a top shutter speed of 1/800th? That would rule out all 4-digit and 3-digit models.
* Do you want to be able to shoot at 6½ frames per second? That would rule out all 4-digit and 3-digit models.

But if you're in the market for a 2-digit model - and assuming you sell the 40D to fund it - the 50D is probably the only one within your budget. I don't think your funds would stretch to a 60D.

Now, you'll read many comments on the internet that say the 50D noise performance is no better than the 40D. That's probably true, but only up to a point, and you need to understand what people mean by that. You see, most people look at noise by looking at images at 100% magnification. That's fair enough, but the 50D has 15 megapixels and the 40D has 10 megapixels. If you downsample the files to the same size (eg 2 megapixels for on-screen display, or 8 megapixels for a 12"x8" print), you'll be downsampling the 50D image to a greater extent and that will reduce the noise accordingly. Unfortunately I haven't seen any comparisons which look at noise this way so I don't know how much better it would be.

Hope this helps. The other upgrade you might look at would be a faster lens. What are you currently using?
 
Last edited:
gothgirl said:
£150-£200 (maybe a smudge more)
Click to expand...
Realistically you're not going to get anything significantly better than the 40D for that budget and compatible with your lenses.

The 50D isn't much of an improvement over the 40D, the 60D is already out of budget and the really significant improvement isn't until the 70D. You don't really want to step back from a ##D to a ###D or ####D or you'll notice the massive step backwards in camera layout and ergonomics.

A used 5D is within budget, but would mean replacing your zoom lenses. And once you think about doing that you should also look at a complete change of system as that's effectively what such a step involves.
 
I agree with Stewart, after looking at MPB and Snapsort I am not convinced you will get something significantly better in low light for the budget. I would perhaps suggest quicker glass or to save up more money, I recently purchased the EF-S 24mm STM Pancake (reviewed here) that I have been impressed with. Though not quite as fast as the 50mm the shorter focal length compensates this well. If you wanted something longer the 85mm 1.8 comes highly recommended as well (though I don't own one) these can be picked up used for about £170-200 depending on condition.

I guess all the above really depends on what exactly you are shooting that requires the better low light performance.
 
gothgirl said:
I have the 18-55is
55-250is
And 50 1.8
Click to expand...
Do you find the 50mm f1.8 good enough in low light? If you want better low light performance you'll probably get more stops improvement for your money by buying a wider aperture lens than a newer camera body. Then as has been mentioned you can't get at least another stop of improvement by using better noise reducing software. Finally there's shutter speed. For relatively static subjects you can easily get another few more stops improvement by using a tripod and lower shutter speeds.

Generally speaking buying a new camera body to get better low light performance is the most expensive way of doing it.
 
chris malcolm said:
Generally speaking buying a new camera body to get better low light performance is the most expensive way of doing it.
Click to expand...
I owned a 40D for many years and upgraded about two years ago for better low light - there's only so far you can take it with faster lenses and software. It's got an excellent sensor, but above ISO 400 it starts to suffer and it taps out at 1600 unless you want to go into extended ISO range and that only gains you one more stop of very poor performance.

But.. it's a very good value workhorse body, there is no obvious cheap upgrade that retains the build quality and image quality. I ended up jumping ship to Fuji to get the improvements I was looking for.
 
I'm not yet willing to jump ship from canon

I'll look into a monopod and maybe one of the flash mountable continuous LEDs

And work on my panning , and get more friendly with my nifty fifty

Maybe invest in the 24mm 1.8 pancake
 
If they dont let you use flash, would they let you use a constant light source.
 
dizidav said:
If they dont let you use flash, would they let you use a constant light source.
Click to expand...

I can't imagine it being a problem ... A small on camera one

It's the pop of the flash that's distracting usually
 
550d might suit, my daughter had one and it was an improvement on my 40d at higher iso and at least as good as my 7d.

Cheap enough s/hand, would work with your lenses and handle well too, saw one in the classifieds the other day for under 150 quid
 
For someone like my daughter who has smaller than average hands the xxxd series are a better fit, not sure what you mean about economics though?
 
tijuana taxi said:
not sure what you mean about economics though?
Click to expand...
I think he means ergonomics.

The 40D has separate controls for aperture and shutter, none of the push-this-then-twist that you get on the more basic bodies.
 
That makes more sense, I had two 40d's and although they suited me, they're not right for everyone
 
Maybe save a little more - any chance of some Christmas donations from anywhere? Aim for the 70d in the longer term...
 
gothgirl said:
1100d ...

Would that be An improvement ?
Click to expand...
Not really. And the body would be a jump downwards.

If you want worthwhile advancements in high ISO, it always involves spending a decent chunk of money.
 
Last edited:
StewartR said:
The joys of auto-correct! Thanks Alastair.
Click to expand...
It could be worse, someone on Facebook has been asking about how to get "allergy testes" from her GP.
 
gothgirl said:
I'm not yet willing to jump ship from canon

I'll look into a monopod and maybe one of the flash mountable continuous LEDs

And work on my panning , and get more friendly with my nifty fifty

Maybe invest in the 24mm 1.8 pancake
Click to expand...

I wasn't aware that Canon made a 24mm f1.8 pankake - They do make a 24mm f2.8. Also is 24mm long enough?.
A monopod will give you about an stop extra (may be a bit more) in "hand" holding ability It will not help witgh motion.
A Canon 5D will also give you about a stop as well (I own one)
I havn't used led lighting. A qick look on the net would suggest that you do need to do reaserch on their suitability for your needs.

http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2...-photographers-6-top-models-tested-and-rated/

Keep in mind a well performing system for shooting in low light will cost $$$ (this is from personal experience).
Money spent on "acessories" may make it harder and longer to achieve the desired result.
 
Last edited:
For your budget buy a tamron 17-50mm f2.8 it's the best low light improvement you will get.
 
I could probably afford to go to a 50d, or to the original 5d (not the mark II)
 
gothgirl said:
I could probably afford to go to a 50d, or to the original 5d (not the mark II)
Click to expand...
It wouldn't be worth it (I say that, but I love my 50d, but you won't notice much difference in high ISO). For a noticeable high ISO improvement, you'd be looking at a used Canon 5d mk2 at least.
 
I paid £400 for my used 60D which I am loving and have got some good night time shots with ( and trust me I am a mear beginner ) and that included two lenses so if you could stretch a little further I personally think you would like the camera.

Never had what you already have so can't directly comment on the improvement level but when I was researching what to buy lots of people had upgraded from a 40D and 50D to a 60D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top