40D

Rumors of the Canon EOS 40D have been circulating for a while now. Canon finally lifts the shroud of secrecy and introduces its long-awaited refresh of its step-up camera from the entry-level Digital Rebel series. The Canon 40D has enough high-powered features to be an appealing camera to photography enthusiasts as well as professionals seeking a second camera.

The 40D benefits from Canon technologies introduced at both ends of the spectrum. The camera--priced at $1299 for the body only--has many of the same capabilities, in fact, as its latest higher-end cousin, Canon's 1D Mark III, introduced this past spring. Notes Chuck Westfall, director of media and customer relationships at Canon, there's more overlap than before between the 40D and that pro-level step-up: A three-inch live-view, 230,000 pixel LCD; DIGIC III image processor; highlight tone priority; 14-bit conversion; and similar menus and controls.

This model sports appealing specs. It has a 10.1-megapixel CMOS imaging sensor (up from 8.2 megapixels on the 30D), which in turn helps boost the camera's speed, color accuracy, and efficiency. THe camera is capable of shooting at up to 6.5 frames per second (that translates to 75 Large/Fine JPEGs, or 17 RAW images). That speed will be particularly helpful for shooting in a variety of circumstances--whether you're trying to capture a child's back handspring on the balance beam, or trying to take a shot in the fraction of a second before someone moves, or something else gets in your way.

The 40D's autofocus sensor remains a 9-point sensor, as on the 30D. But, this sensor has been completely redesigned, according to Canon. Now, all 9 are cross-type sensors, which means they can recognize a wider variety of subject contrasts--making it more likely that the sensor will lock onto your subject.

Given all of the improvements, the price is fairly notable, as well: At $1299 for the body only, the price is comparable to what the 30D's list price is today (you can find that model for better prices on the Internet, though). The 40D will also ship in a kit, with the EF 28-135IS zoom lens, for $1499; that's a fair value, as the lens alone normally sells for about $400. The camera will ship by the end of this month.