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| The 40D will be available in September 2007 at a $1299 retail price for the body only or $1499 with Canon's new 28mm-135mm IS lens. Click photo for more views of the 40D. |
Canon has announced a new midrange digital SLR to update its EOS 30D. The EOS 40D isn't a major overhaul of its predecessor, but builds on that camera's features with a new 10.1-megapixel resolution, live LCD viewing, a higher-quality optical viewfinder, and a faster drive mode. Like its predecessor, the 40D takes EF and EF-S lenses and has a 1.6x magnification factor.
The new model uses the same 10.1-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor found in the lower-end EOS Digital Rebel XTi, but Canon has equipped it with a new set of microlenses to further minimize optical flaws. The 40D offers a native light-sensitivity range of 100-1600 ISO, with software expansion to ISO 3200.
Housed in a weather-sealed magnesium alloy body that is nearly identical in design to the 30D's, the 40D gets a processor upgrade from Canon's DIGIC II to DIGIC III. As a result, the 40D can capture bursts of 75 JPEGs or 17 RAW files at 6.5fps. Unlike the EOS 1D Mark III and 1Ds Mark III, the 40D is equipped with a single DIGIC III processor.
The quality of this camera's pentaprism optical viewfinder has also been enhanced. It offers 0.95x magnification instead of the 30D's 0.90x, as well as interchangeable focusing screens. A matte screen comes with the camera. Like the 30D, the 40D offers nine autofocus points, with the difference that all of the 40D's AF points are the more effective cross type, instead of just the center one.
A 3-inch LCD replaces the 30D's 2.5-inch LCD, although its resolution remains the same at 230,000 pixels. The 40D offers a live-view function that works in a similar way to Canon's higher-end EOS 1-D Mark III, with the ability to both display a live image and output it to a monitor.
Canon has also announced a new BG-E2N vertical battery grip that's compatible with the earlier 20D and 30D in addition to the 40D. The 40D will support Canon's new WFT-E3A wireless transmitter as well. In addition to wirelessly transmitting images, it can connect the camera to an external USB storage device or a GPS unit for embedding location information in image files.
The 40D will be available in September 2007 at a $1299 retail price for the body only or $1499 with Canon's 28mm-135mm IS lens.
Not to be outdone by Canon, on Thursday Nikon announced two new DSLRs, the D3 and D300.
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