Updated (March, 2012): Compare the Canon EOS 40D vs Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

83

"the EOS 5D Mark II has an awful lot to recommend it to the serious photographer."
dpreview.com | talking about the 5D Mark II's overall-performance
"the 5D Mark II is certainly one of the best value for money propositions on the market for image quality - especially in RAW, where you really can see the benefit of all 21 million pixels."
dpreview.com | talking about the 5D Mark II's image-quality

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Low light performance
Low noise at high ISO
1,815 ISO
Overall image quality
Great image quality
79.0
Color depth
Great color depth
23.7 bits
Viewfinder size
Large viewfinder
0.71x
True resolution
High true resolution
21 MP
Weather sealed
Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Canon EOS 40D

56

Runner-up

Canon EOS 40D

"Good nine point auto focus system, works well even in low light"
dpreview.com | talking about the 40D's auto-focus
"This is a 'well sorted camera'. It feels well rounded - the result of years of evolutionary improvement, it delivers in almost every area, and it inspires confidence."
dpreview.com | talking about the 40D's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 40D

Fastest shutter speed
Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second

differences

Advantages of the Canon 40D

Lens availability More lenses available 162 lenses vs 125 lenses
Help
Around 30% more lenses available
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 6.5 fps vs 3.9 fps
Help
Around 70% faster continuous shooting
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Size Smaller 146x108x74 mm vs 152x114x75 mm
Help
More than 10% smaller
Lowest price Cheaper $650.00 vs $2,130.11
Help
The best price we've seen is $1,480 cheaper (3.3x less)
Thickness Slightly thinner 2.9" vs 3"
Help
Almost the same
Weight Slightly lighter 822 g vs 850 g
Help
Almost the same
Canon EOS 40D Learn more about
the Canon 40D

Advantages of the Canon 5D Mark II

Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 1,815 ISO vs 703 ISO
Help
The 5D Mark II has excellent image quality 1.4 f-stops higher ISO than the 40D
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 79.0 vs 64.0
Help
More than 20% better image quality
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
4x higher resolution screen
Autofocus Faster autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
Catch candid moments easily
Color depth Better color depth 23.7 bits vs 22.1 bits
Help
Distinguishes 1.6 more bits of color
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.9 EV vs 11.3 EV
Help
0.6 f-stops more dynamic range
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 22.2x14.8mm
Help
More than 2.5x larger sensor
True resolution Much higher true resolution 21 MP vs 10.1 MP
Help
Capture more than 2x more detail in your photos
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
Sealed to shoot in the rain
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.59x
Help
Around 50% larger viewfinder
Viewfinder coverage Significantly better viewfinder coverage 98% vs 95%
Help
Almost the same
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
The 5D Mark II's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
The 5D Mark II's boost ISO is 3 f-stops better
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Learn more about
the Canon 5D Mark II
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 40D Canon EOS 40D
56 vs 83
Explain scores
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Thickness Thin Help
40D:2.9"
5D Mark II:3"
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
40D:1,600 ISO
5D Mark II:6,400 ISO

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Size Fairly small Help
40D:146x108x74 mm
5D Mark II:152x114x75 mm
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
Lowest price Inexpensive Help
40D:$650.00
5D Mark II:$2,130.11
Weight Light weight Help
40D:822 g
5D Mark II:850 g
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
40D:3,200 ISO
5D Mark II:25,600 ISO
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
40D:95%
5D Mark II:98%
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
40D:6.5 fps
5D Mark II:3.9 fps
Screen size Very small screens Help
3.0"

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,549 - $1,821 body only

$1,620 - $1,849 with 18-135mm lens

Shutter lag Has slightly less shutter lag
Focus points Has slightly more focus points
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$3,499 - $3,500 body only

$4,299 - $4,300 with 24-105mm lens

Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens

Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Thickness Is thicker
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$848 - $1,304 body only

$1,177 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens

Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Cross type focus points Has slightly more cross-type focus points
Thickness Is thicker
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens

Size Is slightly smaller
Thickness Is thinner
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Has a lower quality type of viewfinder
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $700 body only

$745 - $1,000 with 18-55mm lens

Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Weight Is slightly lighter
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens

Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker

Canon EOS 40D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$333 body only

$489 - $500 with 18-55mm lens

Autofocus Faster autofocus
Movie format Shoots movies
Screen size Much smaller screen
Color depth Worse color depth

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,649 body only

Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Focus points Many more focus points
Movie format Does not take movies
True resolution Significantly lower true resolution
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR

$2,999 - $3,000 body only

Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Thickness Thicker
Size Larger

appearance

Canon EOS 40D Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 40D Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 40D Canon EOS 5D Mark II

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