[stepheno]

As with a lot of people I'm intrigued as to what Canon will bring out next. They've addressed the entry end with the 400D and the pro end with the 1D Mark III. What do you think Canon will introduce and what would you like them to bring out?

I currently have a 30D and there is not a lot more I need but there's a few things I would like, money permitting. Would a few more MPs and anti-dust technology entice me to upgrade? I don't think so - but if they introduce an entry level full-frame then I will give that full consideration. I don't think they will as they could well lose 5D sales so maybe the 5D is my next step.

Any thoughts from you Canon people? And Nikon, Pentax, Olympus etc members?

[P-E]

Maybe the 1DsMKII is due an overall

[Dabhand16]

How long is the cycle of new Canon cameras being introduced? If you look at the 350>400, the various guises of the 1Ds and whatever came before the 20D (was it the 10D?), you might get a feel of when to expect the 40D.

As to what the 40D's spec might include, I've not a clue.

[stepheno]

Canon's cycle is usually about 18 months and the 30D came out just over a year ago - so I reckon they'll introduce something this September.

[Dave]

The idea of an entry level full frame DSLR would be interesting. Forcing people to invest in decent glass for the full frame, would create more brand loyality ?

Also if you catch people early enough in the Digital market with full frame, anything that offers a crop factor may seem a backwards step for them ? Could work well for Canon if they could offer this at a decent price

[Bundybear]

Wish canon would up the fps on the 5D to 5 from 3. If they did that they would get an instant sale from me. That camera would almost be future proof, with emphasis on almost.

[Liam O'Neill]

My bets, based on nothing at all.
Around September we will see

A 1Ds mkIII. A uber-camera to drool over.
A 40D, 1.6 crop sensor. A 30D with anti-dust, probably 10 Mpixels. Cue moaning from 20D/30D owners who don't think it's worth upgrading to, thus missing the point it's not meant to be a camera they upgrade to. They have perfectly good cameras as it is.
A 7D. Either the current 5D, with anti-dust, but maybe with some corners cut to let Canon drop the price (or it might be the current 5D with a lower price) or essentially, a 30D/40D with a full frame sensor.
A 3D (silly name) which will be a new-and-improved 5D with some of the things the 1DMkIII introduced, but full frame.

Thats 4 significant cameras. I don't think Canon's marketing people would like the idea of introducing the 4 of them at the same time, they would be stealing each others thunder.
Expect the first 2 in September, the latter two (7D/3D) next March.

[Soupdragon]

I'm waiting for the Nikon D300 myself.

[Flockheart]

I don't see the 40D being full-frame, more another by the numbers upgrade to the 30D as the 400D was to the 350D. I personally don't believe we will see full-frame sensors at an 'entry-level' for a couple more years yet. Though I won't be spending any money on EF-S lenses in the meantime

[stepheno]

Originally Posted by Flockheart

Though I won't be spending any money on EF-S lenses in the meantime

That was my thought when I didn't buy the 10-22.

[Soupdragon]

If there is going to be a 40D it will have the same sensor as the new mk111.
Anti dust does not work by the way.

[John F]

I have a Canon 5D and I am reasonably happy with its 3 fps. What I would like to see is an ability to auto focus at f5.6 then I could it with my 400 mm f5.6 for bird photography. Better still auto focus at f8 then I could use the 1.4x extender.

[Sonsey]

Originally Posted by Robin Hood

What I would like to see is an ability to auto focus at f5.6 then I could it with my 400 mm f5.6 for bird photography.

As far as I know all Canon DSLR's can do this now already, my 350D autofocus' fine with my EF100-400 which is rated at f/5.6 at the long end... I must be missunderstanding you.

[Rob Barron]

Originally Posted by Liam O'Neill

A 40D, 1.6 crop sensor. A 30D with anti-dust, probably 10 Mpixels. Cue moaning from 20D/30D owners who don't think it's worth upgrading to, thus missing the point it's not meant to be a camera they upgrade to. They have perfectly good cameras as it is.

I can't agree with that Liam, if you look at the cycles that Canon go through, they tend to make a big leap, then a tidy up upgrade then a big leap again.

The 10D saw a good step up to the 20D, the 30D was no more than a glorified 20D with virtually no difference to the actual picture obtained but some extra fancy bits.

The 300D saw a nice upgrade to the 350D but then a major step up to the 400D.

Canon are not stupid and they are not going to treat their customers as though they are stupid either. We all know that DSLR users currently tend to upgrade on a 2nd revision, not a first (except for the small group of 'must have the latest' brigade).

So YES the 40D will be a camera we are supposed to upgrade to. They cannot afford to merely make it a strong 400D nor a 30D with 2Mp extra. If they do they will lose out massively on potential sales from all the people who kept 20Ds instead of upgrading to 30Ds as it wasn't worth the money needed to sell and buy a new one.

Predictions for a 40D are all pure conjecture but hey, nothing wrong with dreaming. The 5D has been around for a little while now but the next full framer will surely be the 7D, not the 40D. However, the 40D has got to match and then go better than the 400D and the 30D hence it must be a minimum of 10Mps and have spot-metering. That won't be enough, even with the sensor cleaner whether it works or not. So, how about a significant Mp increase from the 30D's 8.2 Mps to 12Mps? That doesn't give 50% bigger pictures but it does give a very useable number of pixels to allow for cropping and so forth.

So we'll definitely have a 10Mps, sensor cleaning, spot metering, manesium shelled, weather-sealed buttons, 2.5" screen camera.... but that is the minimum spec they can get away with and if they want to kick the Nikon D200 about a bit, they'll need to have something else up their sleeve to impress the copywriters. Will that be 12Mps? Maybe full-frame? Nobody knows.... except the good people at Canon so come on Canon, HURRY UP! The suspense is killing me!

Cheers,
Rob