Crave

(Credit: Canon USA)

Bringing another rumor cycle to an end, Canon has announced the EOS 50D, a follow-up to the popular 40D, which will remain available at least through the end of the year. Though the timing seems a bit surprising--the 40D is only a year old, and midrange dLSR cycles tend to run closer to 18 months rather than 12--it was probably inevitable once the Rebel XSi, which is very similar to the 40D, shipped.

Built around the identical body as the 40D--the only differences are the name plate and mode-dial bezel--the 50D brings with it a bump to 15 megapixels. According to Canon, the new sensor has smaller pixels than that of the 40D's 10-megapixel version, but the company claims superior noise and image quality; 1.5 stops better, in fact, thanks to an improved manufacturing process and larger, gapfree microlenses that effectively result in the same light-sensitive area, according to Canon.

In combination with an upgrade to a newer version of the company's image processor, dubbed Digic 4, Canon also says that the higher resolution won't impose a significant performance penalty, and that the 50D will be able to maintain burst speeds close to the 40Ds. And now that the camera's CompactFlash supports UDMA, the burst buffer can process more shots--JPEGs, at least.

And though it has a 3-inch LCD like the 40D, Canon has switched to the same higher-resolution display found on the Nikon D300

Canon 40D getting replaced?

(Credit: CNET)

The one model I was positive wouldn't be replaced this year is the Canon EOS 40D; though it shipped almost a year ago, the product cycle for dSLRs tends to be closer to 18 months than the 12-month-or-less cycle for snapshot cameras. But a secondhand reputable source--I trust PhotographyBay and they think there's something to recent rumors on Dpreview--has speculated on specs for a 50D.

Those specs include a bump to 12 megapixels (from 10), an increase to ISO 6400 (up from ISO 3200), a 3-inch OLED display, and 11-point AF system (up from 9).

(Credit: Canon)

Canon has released a new firmware update to its EOS 40D 10.1MP DSLR. The firmware update, v1.0.8, fixes a phenomenon in which Image Stabilization operation emits a sound when certain buttons are pressed, with the EF-S 55mm-250mm f/4-f/5.6 IS lens attached to the camera. It also fixes a phenomenon in which the Image Stabilization operation emits a sound from the lens when IS lenses are attached to the camera, as well as remedying another in which a part of the image looks unnatural when reviewed on the LCD. Finally, tt also corrects errors in the Spanish and Norwegian menus.

We generally recommend installing the latest firmware updates for your camera, so you can get the most out of your gear. For more information on firmware updates for a specific camera, visit the manufacturer's Web site. Before installing any firmware upgrade, always take the time to read through all of the documentation and follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully.

Obsessive Canon and Nikon fans are getting some early images with which to judge some new SLR cameras just hitting the market.

A 100 percent crop of a photo taken at ISO 6,400 with Nikon's new full-frame D3 SLR.

(Credit: Nikon)

Canon's EOS 40D, at $1,300 with no lens, is a midrange model, and one photographer who got his hands on a sample likes its colors, compared to one predecessor, the 20D, and the 5D. The 5D's sensor is the size of a full frame of 35mm film, compared to the smaller APS-C sensors on the 20D and 40D. Wyofoto photographers Miles Hecker and Nancy Patrick offer images from the three cameras at various ISO settings in full resolution, converted from raw files with Canon's software.

"The conventional wisdom is that full-frame SLRs will always produce the highest image quality," Wyofoto said, but the 40D looks competitive: "The image quality I see in the 40D images from ISO 100-800 is 95 percent the match of the 5D. At 1,600, the shadow noise of the 5D looks to be a tad bit better than the 40D, but not by a large margin. The 40D's tonality and richness in color gives the 5D a real run for the money. The only area I see the 5D looking better is in low-contrast highlight regions. It manages to pull out a tad more detail. The 20D does OK in the shadows, but in the midtones and highlights just can't match the richness of the 5D or 40D."

In addition, Flickr's camera finder has just begun sifting out 40D images. There are 11,000 and counting there.

On the other side of the religious divide is Nikon, which announced its professional-grade $5,000 D3 in August but hasn't yet begun shipping it. Nikon posted six sample D3 images on its own Web site. These are presumably cherry-picked shots, so take them with a grain of salt, but you can still see what at least one shot taken at ISO 6400 looks like on the new full-frame camera.

One pro photographer, Ed Betz of The Associated Press, got a chance to try out a D3 and was impressed. "The image quality was by far the best I have ever seen in a digital camera. The detail in the images was stunning," he said in a posting to DPreview's forums. "My hat's off to you, Nikon. I only wish you would have done this sooner, before I spent tens of thousands switching to Canon. Perhaps there is a Nikon switch in my future."

Cameras have always been marvels of miniaturization, but with the switch to digital technology, engineers have had to squeeze electronics and computers into camera bodies already filled with mechanical and optical components.

Most folks only see the outsides of cameras, but the insides can be works of engineering art, too. Canon's latest SLRs, the $8,000 EOS-1Ds Mark III and $1,300 EOS 40D, are a good case in point.

Here are some of the views I found most interesting. ... Read more

Canon EOS 40D

(Credit: Canon USA)

Although rumors began to circulate about this model as much as a year ago--for example, here's a Crunchgear post from September, 2006--the Canon EOS 40D will finally hit stores within the next two weeks. Unsurprisingly, the much-speculated upon replacement for the EOS 30D introduces some long-requested features, integrates some of the new technology from the EOS 1-D Mark III and delivers the usual bump in resolution and performance. The pricing remains similar to that of the 30D, with a body-only version for $1,299 and a kit including the EF f/3.5-5.6 28-135mm IS USM lens for $1,499.

There's a lot here that strengthens the 40D's credibility as a semipro workhorse. Canon added dust- and weatherproofing on the CF slot, buttons and all connection points, and implemented the same integrated cleaning system that's in the Mark III series. The control layout and menus are similar to that of the Mark III series as well, for a better experience using the 40D as a supplement to those models. Unlike the Mark III, Live View with the 40D supports autofocus; pressing the AF button briefly locks up the mirror, and Canon claims it has a silent electronic first curtain shutter, making it quieter and faster.

Canon EOS 40D

(Credit: Canon USA)

Continuous shooting performance gets a boost from the Digic III image processor, and the increase to nine cross-type AF sensors (up to f/5.6) from one should significantly speed up autofocus performance. Canon claims AF calculation speed is 30 percent faster in the 40D than the 30D. Furthermore, supporting interchangeable focusing screens allows for the option of more precise manual focus.

On the wait-and-see-if-it-matters front, Canon says the larger 3-inch LCD renders a broader color gamut, but shrinks the viewing angle from 170 degrees to 140 degrees. And, although Canon says it's unchanged, the specs indicated that spot size for spot metering has increased slightly, from 3.5 percent to 3.8 percent of the viewfinder--that's relatively large. And it would have been nice to eke out ISO 6,400 in this model.

Nevertheless, we're all eagerly waiting to see what this baby can do. Stay tuned.

Nikon's new 10.2-megapixel D40x dSLR.

(Credit: Nikon)

Just in case the D40's 6-megapixel sensor was keeping you from making the plunge into the world of digital SLRs, Nikon has just announced the D40x, which sports a 10.2-megapixel sensor. Despite the larger pixel count, Nikon still manages to bump the new camera's continuous shooting speed up to three frames per second for up to 100 shots, compared to the D40's 2.5fps. If you often shoot in very bright conditions, you'll appreciate the D40x's wider range of ISOs, which stretches from ISO 100 to ISO 3200 (Nikon calls it H-1). The D40 also goes to H-1, but starts at a low of ISO 200.

Other than the changes mentioned above, the D40x is essentially the same as the D40. That might be a good thing for Nikon, since the D40 scored quite well in our review. However, if you own older Nikon lenses which rely on a pin in the camera body for autofocus, you should know that neither the D40 nor the D40x are compatible with such lenses. Of course, if you're starting from scratch, or only own Nikon AF-S and AF-I lenses, then you've got nothing to worry about, since both cameras are still compatible with a very wide array of Nikon lenses.

Speaking of lenses, Nikon has announced a new one called the 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor. When it becomes available this April at a price of $249.95, this new lens will be Nikon's least expensive lens to include Vibration Reduction (VR) technology, which shifts lens elements to compensate for camera shake.

Nikon plans to start shipping the D40x in April at prices of $729.95 (body only) and $799.95 in a kit with the same 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lens that shipped with the D40. However, Nikon will also offer a second kit for $1,029.95, which will substitute the 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor as the kit lens. That's the same high-quality lens Nikon shipped with the popular 10.2-megapixel D80. At that price, it will make you think twice about whether you should just step up to the D80 after all.