so what do you think? 40d link

[AndrewWG]

same with me and birds, especially little ones, are so fast my rebel misses a lot of shots i want to take but i'm sure it does depend on what you shoot..ie a tree vs a chickadee

I've found that a tree at 5fps is about the same as a tree using a Kodak disc camera from the 1980's. So 6.5 fps probably wouldn't be an upgrade there. Those chickadees are a tough bunch though. If I had waited a bit, I may have bought the 40D, but I'm sure I'll be MORE than happy with my 30D for years to come. That is, once I get those darned dust bunnies out of it!

Andy

 

[ukcatfan]

who knows, but look what Sony just announced

August 20, 2007 – Sony today announced it is commercializing a new CMOS sensor for upcoming digital SLRs. The 12.47-megapixel APS-C size CMOS promises improved noise reduction, better image quality, and faster speeds of up to 10.39 frames per second, according to a company press release.

I saw that also and am very interested in seeing where it leads. The real question is whether or not Sony will release a model with it first or if there is enough pressure from the likes of Nikon, Pentax, Samsung, etc. to allow them access to it at the same time.

Kevin

 

[MICKEY88]

I saw that also and am very interested in seeing where it leads. The real question is whether or not Sony will release a model with it first or if there is enough pressure from the likes of Nikon, Pentax, Samsung, etc. to allow them access to it at the same time.

Kevin

I just read another article this morning that stated that Sony spokesman would not answer the question as to whether one of the next 2 cameras will have that sensor{ andvanced amateur camera to be released this year and pro model by end of March '08}

I also read a very interesting article that said Canon is more concerned with Sony than they are Nikon

 

[0bli0]

my 1dmk3 shoots faster than the advertised 10.5 frames per second when manually metering. but i still use it in single shot mode (take one shot when button is pressed instead of bursting) even for sports. the only time i generally use bursting is skateboard comps.

it is interesting that they've only put weather sealing on the doors...

 

[ukcatfan]

I also read a very interesting article that said Canon is more concerned with Sony than they are Nikon

Given Canon's constant slandering of the in-body IS and how they just announced a relatively inexpensive IS enabled version of their kit lens, I believe they are seriously worried about IS enabled bodies. Sure, it seems like the in lens IS is a little better, but the cost is so much more and I am sure new consumers are noticing that. With the growing DSLR market, I think there is plenty of room for a handful of different systems though. I am not very heavily invested in the Pentax system (even though I am very happy with it), so I am happy to see Canon make this move. I think the average consumer wins no matter what. Who knows, over priced lenses might be on the dowturn.

Kevin

 

[0bli0]

... I think the average consumer wins no matter what...

i think this is the best possible outcome. in the end, everyone wins. of course Canon, Nikon, Sony (and all of the other manufacturers) win because consumers are spending way more than they used to on imaging. you would rarely upgrade your film body because they released a new one. you might change film stocks or buy new lenses. looking at the last few releases, it's clear that there are far fewer 'hot must-have' features being added lately. we seem to have stabilised around 10 megapixels. the next thing they need to work on is bringing down the price of full-frame sensors. the colour rendition in the digic iii is quite good so it feels less 'sterile' than previous Canon dslr images. i think they still have a way to go in this area, though...

 

[captaincrash]

I'm excited about the 40D. I recently had an "accident" with my 10D and it's not functional. So - conveniently Canon has brought out this new model. Considering that this is 3 generations distant from my 10D it's easy to see the functional gains I'll realize. Even though I was quite satisfied with the 10D... i would rather buy a new body then fix the old one. The only thing is I refuse to pay top dollar. I expect that this will again have an 18 month marketing life.... and there will eventually come a rebate or two - probably modeled after the prior campaigns where multiple purchases double or triple the value of the rebates. I see Canon as the heavy volume leader and very conservative in nature. I believe Canon still sells more DSLRs than all competitors combined. So, regretfully they'll continue to demand a premium for thier lenses and they're not going to put image stabilization in the body for a very very VERY long time. They've way too much strategicly invested in lense based IS designs.

So - that said - I want to say I am impressed with the competitive advances the other companies have made. I heard a Nikon 40Dx could be had for $700 this week at Staples. That's very very inexpensive compared to the Canon 40D at $1299. However, it does have many significant differences in specification. That said - lets not forget that Canon remains the only manufacturer to sell a full sized sensor DSLR. Many professionals cannot shoot with anythig but the best. And many say they cannot produce work with anything less than a Hasselblad digital back! Needless to say - Canon has nothing to compare against the Hasselblad digitals or thier glass. But then again - I think those are mostly studio rigs.

At any rate - I egarly await a sale or discount on the 40D. I won't say yet where my purchase point is - but for now I simply refuse to pay full price. I have spent a lot on digital photography in the last half decade so I have become a bit careful as to how much I am spending on an item that will be replaced and nominally obsolete in about 18-20 months.

I recently bought a discontinued notebook for 75% off which was just introduced by the manufacturer as a new model 9 months ago! Now THAT is pretty amazing to me. Cameras are very powerful today - especially compared to the 3MP Canon G1 I bought 6 years ago for $899. I still shake my head in amazement - and after a moments hesitation I reflect on the 10s of thousands of wonderful images I've captured with that G1 and the other digicams I've used since. And then I relax a bit over the money I've spent.

 

[ukcatfan]

I believe Canon still sells more DSLRs than all competitors combined. So, regretfully they'll continue to demand a premium for thier lenses and they're not going to put image stabilization in the body for a very very VERY long time. They've way too much strategicly invested in lense based IS designs.

I feel like the new 18-55mm IS lens, at $199 retail, is a direct response to in-body IS. They even mention in-body IS in the press release. They would never have introduced this cheap of a lens with IS without pressure to do so. Also, it is clearly directed to the average consumer as it is not a USM motor. The street prce is likely going to be closer to $150-175 and possibly less if bundled in a kit. They are certainly not going to be making as much money on one of these compared to their typical IS offerings.

They are also offering a 55-250mm IS with a similar design, but no price was announced. Now if they would only offer a cheap 50mm wide aperture with IS.

Kevin

 

[MICKEY88]

.

That said - lets not forget that Canon remains the only manufacturer to sell a full sized sensor DSLR. .

rumor has it that the sony pro level dslr due out by the end of march 08 will have a full size sensor, I think that's one of the reasons Canon is worried about Sony..

 

[PoohJen]

oh man, my xt is only a year old, and you guys have me jones'n for a new camera already!!!

hmmm, I have a friend who's been salivating over my gear for a while, and wants to get an XT (xti) for Christmas...maybe I could sell mine for a down payment on the 40D???

Rest assured though, everyone, that AS SOON as I buy the 40D, Canon will the very next day announce an in-body IS model!!!

 

[Groucho]

I seem to recall one of the sensor manufacturers recently advertising their small PnS sensor was able to do, IIRC, HD (1920x1080) or even higher resolution at 60fps.

The issue with SLR speed is probably not the processing speed of the chips, but the sheer mechanical strain of the curtains moving that quickly, something the PnSs don't have to worry about.

 

[Anewman]

rumor has it that the sony pro level dslr due out by the end of march 08 will have a full size sensor, I think that's one of the reasons Canon is worried about Sony..

Oh I am sure there are many reasons to be concerned with SONY.

Remember when Nintendo was so worried about Sega, PS2 proceeded to out sell any console ever...

Sony became the number 3 DSLR company in less than one year, with only one model on the market

Nikon has already pretty much shown its hand, while Sony could pull anything out of their hat and catch everyone off guard.

The list can go on for days.

 

[Groucho]

Not having seen the Canon quote about Sony, I would guess that it's also got something to do with Sony providing sensors for other companies - especially Nikon.

Still, Sony has huge muscle and can put the cameras in big box stores everywhere. Just being there sells a lot of cameras. (Would anyone argue that ubiquity has a lot to do with Sandisk and Canon's top sales?) Then again, their PSP has been arguably a failure and the PS3 is off to a slow start... and this coming from a happy PSP owner and someone who plans to pick up a PS3 some day.

But really, if Sony comes out with a stellar sensor and Nikon starts putting it in their cameras, that will concern Canon... and if Sony produces a mediocre sensor that Nikon is stuck using, that'll make Canon pretty happy!

 

[handicap18]

Not having seen the Canon quote about Sony, I would guess that it's also got something to do with Sony providing sensors for other companies - especially Nikon.

This is what I thought as well. Canon makes their own sensor's but Nikon uses Sony's sensor's. Also Pentax uses them as well, correct? (along with Samsung {who? hehe} and Sony's own dSLR. So here is 1 company providing sensors for upwards of 4 different dSLR makers and Canon is only 1. Canon maybe big, but if all the others are doing the exact same thing its going to keep them looking over their shoulder.

With that new Sony sensor at 12.5MP in a Nikon high end body, that will give the 40D more than a run for its money. Especially if what they say is true and the noise issue at the 12.5MP isn't to bad.

But thats what keeps up going back for more toys. We certainly do win in the end.

 

[MICKEY88]

Not having seen the Canon quote about Sony, I would guess that it's also got something to do with Sony providing sensors for other companies - especially Nikon.

QUOTE]



But Canon is more worried about the arrival of Sony, which quickly entered the SLR market by acquiring Konica Minolta's camera assets. Sony offers the A100 today, but two more models in its Alpha SLR line are due in coming months.

"I know Canon is always worried about Sony. Sony is a powerhouse in Japan," Glaz said. Sony makes its own image sensors and image processors, making them--like Canon--an integrated business. "They have a lot of technology in-house. They're very similar to Canon, except more diverse."

 

[fitzperry]

rumor has it that the sony pro level dslr due out by the end of march 08 will have a full size sensor, I think that's one of the reasons Canon is worried about Sony..

There are also rumors that Nikon will announce a full frame dslr this week. I've no idea as to the validity of those rumors as I will not be in the market for such a camera and have paid little attention to such things, but I suppose I'll go ahead and spread the rumors

 

[dqpowell]

The 40D might make a nice companion to my 5D. I would use the 40D in situations where I needed more reach than I could get with my current glass on the 5D.

David

 

[ukcatfan]

This is what I thought as well. Canon makes their own sensor's but Nikon uses Sony's sensor's. Also Pentax uses them as well, correct? (along with Samsung {who? hehe} and Sony's own dSLR. So here is 1 company providing sensors for upwards of 4 different dSLR makers and Canon is only 1. Canon maybe big, but if all the others are doing the exact same thing its going to keep them looking over their shoulder.

With that new Sony sensor at 12.5MP in a Nikon high end body, that will give the 40D more than a run for its money. Especially if what they say is true and the noise issue at the 12.5MP isn't to bad.

But thats what keeps up going back for more toys. We certainly do win in the end.

Speaking of Samsung who, I wonder why they do not market their DSLRs much in the US? I know that they are pretty much exact duplicates of Pentax models, but they are promoting them more in the rest of the world. Samsung even overtook Nikon for the number four spot in total digital camera units sold this past year, based on something I read on DPReview a few months ago.

With all of the speculation of what Hoya is going to do with the Pentax camera business, I still would not be surprised if they sold it off to Samsung.

For some reason I was thinking that Fuji also uses a Sony sensor in their DSLRs. Anyone know for sure? If so, there is another one. That basically means that there are only Canon, Sony, and 4/3 sensors in the consumer DSLR arena. Canon has the largest market share right now, but the entire DSLR business is only a handful of years old, so who knows where everything will be in 5-10 years.

Kevin

 

[MICKEY88]

There are also rumors that Nikon will announce a full frame dslr this week. I've no idea as to the validity of those rumors as I will not be in the market for such a camera and have paid little attention to such things, but I suppose I'll go ahead and spread the rumors

the sony rumor is based on prototypes of the prolevel model that have been displayed at camera shows,


since nikon gets ther sensors from sony I'd guess sony's will be released first, to give them the edge..

 

[handicap18]

There are also rumors that Nikon will announce a full frame dslr this week. I've no idea as to the validity of those rumors as I will not be in the market for such a camera and have paid little attention to such things, but I suppose I'll go ahead and spread the rumors

I've heard the opposite. With all the DX lenses Nikon has been coming out with in the last few years they might not want to go the full frame route.

Its been more than 18 months since the D200 came out (20 months actually as of this month). I've heard the new Nikon dSLR will be the next generation of the D200, either a D200x (or s) or a D300 depending on features. With the announcement of Sony's new APS-C sensor it could mean a D300. Nikon uses Sony sensors and a full frame dSLR would use a different type of sensor, correct?

But its all speculation at this point.