Reviews |Canon EOS 4000D Review

Canon EOS 4000D Review

Canon EOS 4000D / Rebel T100 product shot
Review

What is the Canon EOS 4000D?

Canon has introduced the EOS 4000D to sit beneath the EOS 2000D / EOS Rebel T7, announced at the same time. The 2000D replaces the 1300D / Rebel T6. It means that the 4000D is Canon’s most basic and affordable DSLR.

In a bid to keep the price of the EOS 4000D down, Canon has given it the same 18Mp APS-C format sensor and DIGIC 4+ processing engine as the 1300D / Rebel T6. In addition, the lens mount is made of plastic rather than metal.

Canon EOS 4000D / Rebel T100 product shot

Features

Apart from the different sensor and lens mount material, the 4000D has a lot in common with the 2000D above it in Canon’s SLR range. The 9-point has detection autofocus (AF) system for use when composing images in the viewfinder, for example, is the same. And there’s the same sensitivity range of ISO 100-6,400 (expandable to ISO 12,800).

The DIGIC 4+ processing engine also enables a maximum shooting rate of 3fps (frames per second). This can continue for up to 6 raw files or until the memory card is full of jpegs. Full-HD (1920 x 1080) video can also be recorded at 30, 25 or 24fps (frames per second) in clips of up to 29 minutes 59 seconds.

Aimed at beginners, the 4000D has Scene Intelligent Auto, Creative Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Food and Night Portrait modes. These can help novice photographers get exposure and colours right. In addition, there’s program, shutter priority, aperture priority and manual mode. These are useful when you gain experience and want to take control.

There’s also Canon’s in-camera feature guide. This helps new photographers understand what some settings do. However, the Guided Mode that’s seen in the EOS M50 announced on the same day, is not available.

Canon EOS 4000D / Rebel T100 product shot

Connectivity

The 4000D has Wi-Fi connectivity built-in. This allows it to be connected wirelessly to a smartphone or tablet (iOS or Android) running the Canon Camera Connect app. It lets you transfer images to your phone and for the camera to be controlled remotely.

It’s also possible to use the Wi-Fi system to back-up images to Canon’s cloud storage service, Irista.

Battery Life

CIPA testing rates the 4000D battery life at 500 shots or 1 Hour 15 mins of HD video recording. Many mirrorless camera users would be quite envious of that longevity.

Canon EOS 4000D / Rebel T100 product shot

Key Specifications

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Build and Handling

Canon has built the 4000D to a price with the aim of making it the company’s most affordable DSLR. Consequently, it has a polycarbonate (plastic) body and controls. It also doesn’t have the heaviest build and there are no weather-seals.

In another cost-cutting measure, the mode dial is used as the power switch. This means you have to select the shooting mode you want to use each time you turn on the camera. That could be a good thing for some users because it should mean you’ll never fire-up the camera and accidentally shoot in the wrong mode. I found it meant I kept forgetting to turn the camera off, but as it powers-down automatically after a while, the battery doesn’t flatten quickly.

Keen-eyed Canon observers will also notice that Scene Intelligent Auto which is often referred to as ‘green-square mode’ on other cameras, is marked with a white square on the 4000D’s mode dial. This is to reduce production costs.

Canon EOS 4000D / Rebel T100 product shot

Screen

On the back of the camera is a 2.7-inch LCD with 230,000 dots. That’s pretty low-end by modern standards, but it allows you to review images and compose shots in live view mode.

The screen is not touch-sensitive and it’s fixed so it can’t be tilted for easier viewing.

In cameras like the EOS 200D / EOS Rebel SL2 and EOS 800D / EOS Rebel T7 Canon uses an excellent phase detection autofocus system called Dual Pixel CMOS AF. This comes into operation in live view and video mode – when you use the screen to compose shots.

However, in another bid to keep costs down, the EOS 4000D has contrast detection focusing that operates when you compose images on the screen. This is pretty sluggish. Add that to the fixed screen that’s not touch-responsive, and live view shooting loses its appeal.

Viewfinder

Because it’s a single lens reflex camera (SLR) the 4000D has an optical viewfinder. That means it shows the scene in its natural state, unprocessed by the camera. Many photographers like that, but increasingly people are discovering the advantages of the electronic viewfinders in mirrorless cameras. A key benefit is that you can see the impact of camera settings – that’s especially helpful for beginners.

In common with most entry-level DSLRs, the 4000D’s viewfinder can only show 95% of the scene. This means objects can creep unseen into your images and it’s important to keep an eye out for objects around the edge of the frame.

Canon EOS 4000D / Rebel T100 product shot

Performance

The Canon EOS 4000D has the same sensor and processing engine as the 1300D / Rebel T6 and this means that its images don’t hold any surprises. It’s capable without really excelling, but after all, it’s an entry-level camera rather than a top-of the range model.

In many situations the EOS 4000D produces attractive images. In some cases they err on the side of warmth, but not unattractively.

With a modest pixel count on a large (by smartphone and most compact cameras standards) sensor, noise isn’t a major issue for much of the sensitivity range.

The 9-point phase detection system that’s available for use when you use the viewfinder gets subjects sharp pretty quickly even in quite low light. However, the 4000D isn’t the ideal camera choice if you want to shoot lots of sport or action.

As I mentioned earlier, the contrast detection AF system that’s available in live view mode (when you’re composing images on the screen) isn’t great. It’ll usually do the job with a motionless subject but its can’t cope with fast-moving subjects.

Canon EOS 4000D / Rebel T100 product shot

Sample Images

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Canon EOS 4000D Review Sample Images

Verdict

Canon has stripped back the production costs of the EOS 4000D to the bare minimum to make it as affordable as possible. This is to attract new photographers to the interchangeable lens market and Canon’s system with its extensive range of optics and accessories.

Thanks to its APS-C sized sensor and DIGIC 4+ processor, as well as Canon’s imaging capability, the 4000D can produce better images than the average smartphone. It also opens a door to creative photography. However, it lacks frills like touch-control, a tilting screen or a high continuous shooting rate. Nevertheless, it’s a reasonable budget DSLR option.

 

Should I buy the EOS 4000D?

The launch price of the EOS 4000D is about the same as the current street price for the 1300D / Rebel T6. This has much of the same internal technology but there’s a 3-inch screen with 920,000 dots. For the time being, that makes it a better buy.

There’s also the Canon EOS 2000D which is the updated version of the 1300D and has a 24Mp sensor. However, the Nikon D3400 is a better choice of DSLR for novice photographers. It captures great images and has an excellent Guide Mode that can teach you about photography.

 

It’s worth noting at this point that the Nikon D3400, Canon 2000D and Canon 4000D are not the best cameras if you want to use the screen to compose images. If this is important to you, take a look at mirrorless cameras like the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II and Sony A6000. They produce high-quality results and have electronic viewfinders so you can see if the exposure and white balance are right before you take the shot.

 

 

If you’re keen to go for a Canon camera, check out the EOS M50, it’s Canon’s best mirrorless camera to date.