Just for fun I decided to test the resolution of the SD14 compared to my 40D under real world rather than resolution chart/studio conditions. The result was quite illuminating.

I always test my cameras and lenses for focus and resolution using a power pole which sets in one of my pastures. It has some hardware, wood texture, etc., which makes a nice target against the sky.

At first I tried the 40D with my Sigma 50-500mm but was not happy with the sharpness so I used my Canon 100-400L IS which is a known very good copy. I shot multiple frames and selected the very best one. I used not only the stabilization on the lens but also shot at a high shutter speed to avoid any camera shake contribution. Next I used my 80-400OS on the Sigma SD14 and took only two frames which were virtually identical.

Both the Canon and Sigma images were then taken to Photoshop and made as clean and sharp as possible for the comparison.

In my subjective opinion, the SD14 reveals more detail and is certainly sharper than the 40D in this test. On the down side, the SD14's autofocus speed with the 80-400 was very, very slow while the 40D snapped to lock instantaneously. For wildlife, it might well be possible to get frames with the 40D and 100-400L IS which could be missed with the SD14 and 80-400 OS. This makes me wish that Sigma would produce a really fast focusing 400mm zoom.

Anyway, here's the results for what it's worth - both files have full EXIF data attached.... Zoom in and look at the threads on the bold which were used as the target.

http://www.lin-evans.net/40dsd14/40d.jpg
http://www.lin-evans.net/40dsd14/sd14.jpg

Best regards,

Lin