Canon EOS
40D
 vs
Canon EOS
5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

100
"The original 5D was the first 'affordable' and lightweight full frame camera, and set a standard for low noise at high ISO settings that remains competitive three years later."
dpreview.com | talking about the 5D Mark II's iso-noise
"In addition the adoption of high precision split-level alignment of the magnesium-alloy external covers, high precision dial construction and external rubber grip covers, has improved the camera's dust and water resistance."
dpreview.com | talking about the 5D Mark II's build-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
Movie format
 Full HD
1080p @ 30fps
Color depth
 Great color depth
23.7 bits
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.71x
True resolution
 High true resolution
21 MP
Canon EOS 40D

65
Runner-up

Canon EOS 40D
"With each step up the evolutionary ladder to the EOS 40D Canon has demonstrated improvements in image quality."
dpreview.com | talking about the 40D's image-quality
"Low noise and a complete lack of unnatural artifacts."
dpreview.com | talking about the 40D's iso-noise

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 40D

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

differences

Advantages of the Canon 40D
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 6.5 fps vs 3.9 fps
Help
 Around 70% faster continuous shooting
Lens availability More lenses available 162 lenses vs 125 lenses
Help
 Around 30% more lenses available
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 $999.99 vs $2,330.54
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,331 cheaper (2.3x 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 Much 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 Much better image quality 79.0 vs 64.0
Help
 More than 20% better image quality
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 4x higher resolution screen
Color depth Better color depth 23.7 bits vs 22.1 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.6 more bits of color
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
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.59x
Help
 Around 50% larger viewfinder
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
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
65 vs 100
Explain scores
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS 40D
 Canon EOS 40D vs Canon EOS 5D Mark II
CanonEOS 5D Mark II
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
11
8
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
16
3
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
7
14
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
10
10
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
7
13
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
6
14
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Weight Heavy Help
40D:822 g
5D Mark II:850 g
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Size Fairly small Help
40D:146x108x74 mm
5D Mark II:152x114x75 mm
Thickness Thin Help
40D:2.9"
5D Mark II:3"
Weight Light weight Help
40D:822 g
5D Mark II:850 g
Lowest price Inexpensive Help
40D:$999.99
5D Mark II:$2,330.54
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%
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
40D:1,600 ISO
5D Mark II:6,400 ISO
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
40D:6.5 fps
5D Mark II:3.9 fps

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,329 - $1,821 body only

$1,498 - $1,800 with 28-135mm lens
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Shutter lag Has slightly less shutter lag
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 40D
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 40D
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$899 - $1,304 body only

$1,138 - $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
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 40D
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$579 - $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
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 40D
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$609 - $800 body only

$709 - $1,180 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
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 40D
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$650 - $749 body only

$600 - $750 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
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 40D
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 50D

Canon EOS 50D

Pro DSLR

$1,282 - $1,299 body only

$1,625 with 28-135mm lens
Shutter lag Has slightly less shutter lag
Cross type focus points Has slightly more cross-type focus points
Color depth Has slightly less color depth
Compare the EOS 50D vs the EOS 40D
Compare the EOS 50D vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 40D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$379 body only

$460 - $550 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Screen size Much smaller screen
Color depth Worse color depth
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the EOS 40D

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,750 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
Compare the D700 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Size Larger
Thickness Thicker
Compare the D800 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Pro DSLR

$5,000 - $5,930 body only
Cross type focus points Many more cross-type focus points
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the EOS-1D Mark IV vs the EOS 5D Mark II

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

Find similar cameras

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discussion Which do you think is better?

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