Picture Quality / Size Options (9.5)
The Canon 40D can shoot three JPEG sizes; large (3.5MB or 3,888 x 2,592 pixels), medium (2.1MB or 2,816 x 1,880 pixels), and small (1.2MB or 1,936 x 1,288 pixels). JPEGs can be set to two quality levels; normal and fine. The 40D can simultaneously record JPEG + RAW or JPEG + sRAW files.
Like the 1D Mark III, the 40D has two raw file sizes. RAW files are 12.4MB (3,888 x 2,592 pixels) and sRAW files are 7.1MB (1,936 x 1,288 pixels). sRAW files, introduced on the 1D Mark III, allow the same editing flexibility as standard-sized RAW files. The smaller size takes up less storage space and allows for faster write times to memory cards. This is an upgrade from the 30D, which has only one RAW size.
Picture Effects Mode (9.0)
The 40D retains the Picture Styles from the 30D. New on the 40D is the dedicated button that accesses the Picture Styles menu. They are also accessible through the Shooting menu. The presets are: Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, and Monochrome. They have predefined sharpening, saturation, contrast, and color tone settings that are adjustable by the user. There are three custom settings available.
As we’ve mentioned in past reviews, the Standard setting sharpens images significantly. It’s better to use the Neutral setting if you plan to do significant post-processing.
