Seems canon have tightened the gap between the X0D and the 5 and 1D's

"I'm only mentioning that here because so many people here have mentioned an active interest in DSLRs, and they use them for video, such as for shooting background plates."

I use it because i get more money for what i use it for (when compared to video for teh ame type of job),
There is less PP required and its cheaper than video when it comes to number crunching final costs for each respective profession. .
In the longrun, its a smarter way to work than video, and ill be slowly integrating my photography into my studio on a full time basis, and slowly allowing it to overtake priority.

"New features appear to include a 3" LCD, "
Coo, the 5ds LCD is 2.5, but the LCDs are still very soft, so i woulnt use them to judge focus. Using fast L series lenses makes a hellofadifference when it comes to sharpnes sand saturation

"weather sealing, "
Cool

"a 10.1 MP CMOS sensor w/built-in cleaning,"

This function is REALLY cool.. basically, the cam sends an ultrasonic shockwave through teh sensor shaking off any dust particle swhich might find their way onto the sensor.
Oh well, at least i know what im gonna buy for a backup to the 5d.. lol)

DIGIC III (faster and better processing),
((Dunno how they can improve on near perfection operation from the 5d.. one thing i despise is canons flash algorythms and settings. Theyre about 5yrs behind Nikon... maybe they shoudl have worked on that))

white balance bracketing, ((Seen on 5d))
flash exposure bracketing, (hmm... ))
personal custom programs on the program dial (like on the 5D), ((5d doesnt have presets on the dial. in fact i had to configure one of my buttons to trigger that menu page, in turn, u need to go to teh menu to change scenes. Its not an issue if u configure it,but it can be a bitch if u havent.
I also noticed, tehy havent improved the AF points and their respective ranges.. I wish the 5d had a wider range of focal points, but i guess theyre considering rules of thirds when designing AF...

hmm.. wel have to wait and see how it all goes then... interesting times ahead

one thing i despise is canons flash algorythms and settings

What are you thinking of here? With a Speedlite 580 EX II, it's pretty astonishing all it does and what it can do, certainly beyond Nikon afaik with its mix of metering by subject reflection, or by calculation based on focal length and distance setting on the lens as picked up via the lens pins and communicated to the flash unit (together with automatic flash zoom of course), automatic color temperature compensation for flash pix taken during (the very quick) recharge, and more.

What do you find to be missing?

I've been using Canon DSLR & flash for almost three years. Their flash metering system is OK but I've seen just as good/better from Nikon.

The 40D is shaping up to be another disappointment - like the 30D was. The 20D, on the other hand, was a great advance over the 10D and is still a widely used camera - even at 8.1MP (the 30D used the same sensor). The original Digital Rebel and Rebel XT were also great cameras. And of course, the excellent full 35mm frame Canon 5D with a list price of $3299 was a groundbreaking camera - albeit a 2+ year old camera (and technology) at this point.

I can tell you first hand that Canon's sensor cleaning/dust removal system is a joke. It does not work. Period. (Hundreds of posts on various forums verify this.) But it does help shorten battery life shaking everytime the camera is turned on or off. 5 seconds with a blower bulb does a much better job.

A 10.1 MP 1.6X sensor only plays catuch up to current DSLRs (including Canon's own XTi) and will soon be eclipsed by Sony, Pentax and probably a little later, Nikon. (The MKIII is a different 1.3X crop 10.1MP sensor.)

Past LCD's have been weak on Canon's (and most of its competitors) DSLR's - esp. when trying to view images in bright light. Jumping to 3" is not the answer. Rather OLED displays are needed.

And on the weather sealing, if you really need it fine (most of us don't). But even that is only supposedly "partial" on the 40D - whatever that means. The Pentax K10D has full weather sealing, in-body image stabilization (something Canon is straining to avoid since it charges a premium for its IS lenses over the none stabilized ones), a 10.1 MP sensor, 14 bit processing and some other great features for less than $1,000.

I think it is enlightening that Canon has left the now fruitless pixel race (which at this point just leads to more noise caused by the ever smaller pixel size, as seen in Nikon's cameras) to getting more quality out of each pixel, with CMOS sensors instead of CCD, and better processing.

Unlike a CCD, the CMOS sensor doesn't carry a charge, so it doesn't generate static electricity to attract dust, so the Canon DSLRs are also known to need much less cleaning.

I agree with you that the 20D was a much bigger step than the 30D, the benefit of which was mainly a better LCD.

And I certainly agree with you that all the LCDs I have seen so far are pretty much useless outdoors other than for framing purposes, to see what made it into the picture.

It has been repeatedly proven that in-lens image stabilization works better than in-body ditto, because the mechanical movement necessary is smaller in the lens, and it can be customized for each lens.

You didn't give any specifics on the flash metering for Nikon vs. Canon, so I'll just give them the benefit of the doubt that they communicate not only the focal length but also the distance setting on the lens to the flash unit if desired.

I think I've shot with every SLR made by Canon since 1968 (they only made one SLR before that, the Canon FP with an external exposure sensor), and I've owned most of them, from the Canon FT of 1968 to a pair of very heavy F-1 cameras with MF motor drives and maybe 30 pounds of lenses, through a number of intermediates, to my last film based SLR, an eye-controlled A2E.

I still shoot with a Canon D30, their first digital SLR. That body cost $3,000 when it was released, and it can only take full frame lenses, even though it has an APS CMOS sensor. Fewer pixels than today's DLSRs, but it still makes nice 11x17 prints. Pixels don't make the picture, lenses and DIGIC processors do.

Well, now it's official from Canon, and the early information was correct:

10.1 MP (effective pixels)

This is a quite significant update, especially for those who have been holding out for a while.

Sources:

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/canoneos40d/
http://www.yrkesfoto.se/Shop/Index.php

I agree that these are significant advances to the body. I currently use the 20D and have been wanting a back up body for sometime. I ignored the 30D hoping for more. The 40D might just be it - allowing me to keep my 20D as a back up.

Chad

considering the metering options within the cameras themselves, the total absolution of the cosnideration of flash (when decisphering flash requirements/power vs shutter @ any respective ISO in Ettl mode is pretty atrocious IMO.
In turn, using the speedlight as an additional metering source, or addition TO the metered requirements are not used whatsoever save for focus assist beams

I loev my 580.. hell i spent more cash on it than i did my on cam video lights, and im actually buying another one so i can have a couple of units to get a speudo mobile studio setup.
One of my fundamental requirements for video and stills, is the total portability of the studio, and ease of setting up and breaking down. I was looking at other "pro" level lights,but in all honesty, for the work i do i dont have that luxury of lugging Elinchrom kits with me.. that and the fact i dotn get paid enough..

The 40d seems to be the upgrade many have been waiting and with options available which arent available for 5d owners, it makes fr a great backup which gives u the best of both worlds from 1dmkIII level with a less than 5d price. So if u have a 5d and want some of the newer features of the 1dmkIII this is an ideal backup or 2nd unit.
In fact, its what ill be getting as my primary backup and second body for ceremonies

As for dust removal, most of the dust removal features are actually in PP (through DPP) not the camera itself. The Exif data on dsut is totally reliant on the camera.. ie, DPP WONT pickup dust artefact Exif data on cams such as the 5d as the 5d doesnt have this feature.
It does have some rather cool shot presets though.. :)
Nothing will beat a professional clean, but as thats only 80bux i dont see it being an issue
One thign i DO hate about the 5, is that the focus points are VERY close together. Also, dust within the focus prism and focusing screen is atrocious.. ive had to teach myself to grin and bare it as im so pedantic it isnt funny.. most DSLRs have dust, but not like the 5d..

the larger screen IMO would be better suited for the liveview function when it comes to frameing and basic exposures, however i DO find the 5d LCD to be rather small when checking hystogram details and the image itself.. i just wish it had a histogram overlay on the images when previewing..

I like the idea of the integrated WiFi battery grip... that would cost a fortune though.. :(

I woul dhave prefered a dual CD and SD slot (like the mkIII) but alas.. no cigar...

IMO, its a good camera based on spec.. i dunno how it wil fare on high ISO, but judging from the 400d, i would expect it to be on par with that considering their basically runnign teh same circuits..

I woudl also be expecting a 5d mkII coming out within the next 18months cosidering canons trends..

either way, as a second unit i think its fine, for a first unit, i can see MANY wedding photogs upgrade to this. In fact, im still alarmed whenever i see a photog use a 20d... dont get me wrong, i love the 20 more than the 30, but IMO for what clients pay for these days with wedding photography, using a sub $2000 body just doesnt cut it IMO

considering the metering options within the cameras themselves, the total absolution of the cosnideration of flash (when decisphering flash requirements/power vs shutter @ any respective ISO in Ettl mode is pretty atrocious IMO. In turn, using the speedlight as an additional metering source, or addition TO the metered requirements are not used whatsoever save for focus assist beams

Could you please translate that to language a photographer could understand? It looks potentially interesting, but I don't understand one iota of what you are saying.

Canon indicates that some of the advanced flash features are only supported with the new 580 EX II flash ($412.00 on Amazon w/free S&H).

As for dust removal, most of the dust removal features are actually in PP (through DPP) not the camera itself.

Feature 1: anti-static coating
Feature 2: a piezoelectric element shakes the front of the low pass filter at startup and shutdown (can be disabled)
Feature 3: dustbusting through DPP software

Just want to plug the Olympus E510 as a somewhat more compact alternative to the 40D. Superior dust-busting, and in-body IS. Apparently Oly has got the noise under control now. The Oly lenses are pretty impressive, too (unless you have a bunch of $$$ sunk into Canon glass).

Olympus is a good brand and the E510 is an excellent entry-level camera, but hardly an alternative to the 40D.

A more reasonable comparison would be with the similarly priced Rebel XTi, where the E510 would win many if not most points.

The E510 needs more dustbusting, because it uses a CCD sensor. CCD stands for Charge Coupled Device. The step-by-step transport of each pixel's electrostatic charge to the readout circuitry at the edge attracts dust, while Canon's CMOS sensor reads each pixel in place.

Oly's in-camera image stabilization improves handholding by one stop.

Canon's in-lens image stabilization improves handholding by four stops, because it is able to work in a more advantaged location in the optical path, and the IS is optimized for each lens. This adds to the overall cost of course, but gives much better results which is key for professional use.

i should have been clearer... all im saying is that with flash on, even with ettl, the metering of a given frame is not consdiering the addition of flash.
Being that th metering of teh camera is direclty through the body, and doent consider anything else
Being that during metering, the additional element of flash (irrespective of the position of the head or FEC, is not considered.

Its nothing new and im yet to se a camera which considers flash during metering.. but i guess this is where standalone light meters come in handy.. lol

As for the dust, the ultrasonic shake off and in cam spec (as in dust spec) analysis EXIF works ok, but from what i have seen most of the removal work is done in DPP not thae actual camera (thats what iwas refering to.. not the actual ultrasonic dust removal).
I might be wrong, but i havent seen the in cam dust removal work all that well, but the functions in DPP for dust removal are actually quite comprehensive IMO

either way you go, theres always gonna be something which doesnt sit quite right

My point re the E510 was more that if you need a SLR for light use, the E510 gives an incredible amount of bang for the buck.

Better to put the $$ into the gear that's your bread and butter. If you're a heavy shooter, you probably want get something a little more rugged. I'd say the E510 is somewhere between the latest iteration of the digital Rebel and the 40D in terms of build quality, and I suspect, far surpasses the Rebel in functionality. I'm not sure where the statement that the E510 IS will give a 1-stop improvement in handholdability, Wrotniak's initial impressions are of a 2 to 3 stop gain.

The Pentax also seems to be pretty good value for money, again for the light shooter.