Canon EOS 40D & 1Ds Mark III

Canon launched 11 new camera products today. Eight new cameras and 3 new lenses. Eleven. In one day. Eleven. What is their problem?! My head is about to explode!

Here’s a quick list of what they just put out:
Cameras

• Canon EOS 40D
• Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III
• Canon PowerShot G9
• Canon PowerShot SX100 IS
• Canon PowerShot SD950 IS
• Canon PowerShot SD870 IS
• Canon PowerShot A650 IS
• Canon PowerShot A720 IS

Lenses

• Canon EF 14mm F2.8 L II USM
• Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS
• Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS

Canon also released some new printers and scanners, but really, they aren’t much to talk about.

All of the new cameras pack Canon’s DIGIC III sensor chip. It’s basically one of the best available at the moment, allowing for low-noise, great color, and fast photo processing (and great quality).

Anyway, the two that I think are the most important are the new dSLR bodies: the 40D and the 1Ds Mark III. The 1Ds Mark III brings Canon into the 20+MP range at full-frame which means that the dSLR can somewhat be a decent competitor to medium-format digital cameras at a fraction of the usual medium-format digital price.

There are a TON of new features on ALL of the cameras above, but for the two dSLR bodies in particular, I think the new Live View is one of the most exciting features. In a way, it brings the dSLR bodies into the realm of compact digitals in that you can now frame your photos without solely using the viewfinder.

Enhanced Live View
Previously the province of the EOS-1D Mark III DSLR (one of Canon’s top-tier professional cameras), the Live View function now gives EOS 40D camera users an expanded and exceedingly convenient and comfortable set of shooting options. By permitting the framing and capturing of subjects using the camera’s LCD screen instead of the viewfinder, the shooter gains a 100 percent field view to more easily achieve the desired composition. A new Custom Function on the EOS 40D allows autofocus during Live View by pressing the camera’s AF-ON button. At that point, the reflex mirror goes down and AF is carried out in the normal way. Letting go of the AF-ON button resumes Live View functions. Also, in the Live View shooting mode the user can magnify the image by five or ten times in order to ensure that the shot is optimally focused. Live View is at its best during tripod shooting – particularly for close-up photography where precise focusing is imperative. As a side benefit, the Live View shooting mode helps to reduce vibration by lifting the reflex mirror out of the optical path well in advance of the exposure, improving image quality at slow shutter speeds. A new electronic 1st-curtain shutter function in Live View mode reduces release time lag and operational noise even further to avoid spooking wildlife or disturbing people nearby with unwanted camera sounds. Additionally, as the release time lag is miniscule, even instantaneous movements like a bird taking flight can be readily captured.

Here’s a preview of the Canon 40D from Digital Photography Review.
Here’s a preview of the Canon 1Ds Mark III from Digital Photography Review.

Although it’ll be several years down the road before I buy my next camera, I do think that this news is fantastic and it can only mean that as time progresses, that these technologies will become cheaper and mroe widespread among the rest of Canon’s line of dSLR bodies. Shoot, by the time I get out of school and buy a new camera, all of these features will be even more polished than they are at the moment. It only gets better from here.