First shots of Canon's EOS 40D DSLR?

Color us exceedingly skeptical, but a poster over at DPReview managed to grab what appears to be the first legitimate shots of Canon's elusive EOS 40D before the source jumped ship. Granted, there would be more shock now if Canon wasn't actually conjuring up a 40D, but if these images prove real, maybe we're a bit closer to newfangled DSLR heaven than originally conceived. Additionally, it was noted that the Exposure Mode Dial now seems to have three custom function settings, and there's even an option for sRAW (likely a reduced sized RAW) in the image-recording quality choices. So go on, check out another angle and a description of various functions after the jump, but don't get too riled up till word gets official, cool?

[Via Northlight-Images, thanks Rob B.]

[K @ Aug 3rd 2007 9:41AM]

this better be a 40 megapixel camera!

[loci @ Aug 3rd 2007 9:42AM]

photographed floating in space apparently...

photograph it in a real world setting..i.e not in 3ds max and i may believe it (not that im bothered anyway)

[q-biq @ Aug 3rd 2007 9:43AM]

Really nice!

[q-biq @ Aug 3rd 2007 9:44AM]

Anyone know the price?

http://q-biq.bloggagratis.se

[macromaker @ Aug 25th 2007 4:19AM]

1300$

[Giora @ Aug 22nd 2007 5:05AM]

1299$ for the body kit. (no lens)
(At adorama: http://www.adorama.com/ICA40D.html?searchinfo=40d&item_no=4)

[plchabot @ Aug 3rd 2007 9:47AM]

There is something with Canon: they produce a new camera every 18th month to replace the old model ( in the case of the DSLR lineup) So even if it's a fake, which do not seem to be the case to me, we all know that Canon will announce their new models between mid-august/mid-september for a september/november release.

[Eric @ Aug 3rd 2007 10:30AM]

I don't think that the 18-month rule is as hard and fast as you make it out to be. The EOS 5D is over two years old.

[plchabot @ Aug 3rd 2007 11:31AM]

The 5D is in a different category because it's the first of is kind and Canon need to refine the shape of it's sensor before making a new one. If you check the history of all the Canon DSRL you'll see this 18 month come very often. Especially for the digital rebel and semi pro 10-20-30D lineup. News models come up in March/April and September/October. They are always announced in late February and August.

check this out :
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/

Of course, until Canon change everything but I found them pretty much regular compare to Nikon. I prefer to know exactly when a new model come, you don't have to bother about rumors and you know when buy your stuff.

[Jim @ Aug 3rd 2007 10:01AM]

"Exposure Mode Dial now seems to have three custom function settings". Well, so does my EOS30D, whats new there?

[L. Williams @ Aug 3rd 2007 10:28AM]

I've got a Canon 30D and from the shots it looks like the screen is much larger, necessitating moving the buttons that were on the left side of the camera to the bottom. The images look like the real deal, but then we do know that amazing things can be done in Photoshop.

[David Susilo @ Aug 3rd 2007 2:11PM]

I don't see any C1/C2/C3 on my 30D dial and I have three of them.

[Michael @ Aug 3rd 2007 10:14AM]

It's got the myspace angles going on. You can see it, but you really can't.

[tony @ Aug 3rd 2007 10:28AM]

Hey Engadget writer person. You wrote "Exceedingly skeptical" and "appears to be the first legitimate shots" in the same same sentence. Feeling conflicted today? Which is it?

[Eric @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:54PM]

Man, my first impression is how often I'd have to clean the nose grease off that screen! They need protectors on their screens like Nikon has. (Not aftermarket, it should come with the camera.)

I suspect the 40D will run about $1,800 to start with. Maybe a bit less. It'll no doubt sell like hotcakes when the real one arrives. People who ignored the 30D as lipstick on the corpse of the 20D are no doubt anxious to get into the 10+ megapixel race.

[invincible @ Aug 3rd 2007 11:33AM]

SLR users should know that what makes a good picture is the photographer, the lens and the body, in that order. And obsolescence seems to occur in that order too. Your skills as a photographer last you forever, lenses tend to last a couple of decades (the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 has been in production since 1986 and it is still possibly the clearest lens around). Bodies seem to get discontinued every couple of years, but unless you're a rich kid more concerned about specs, they only ever need replacing when the internal mechanisms fail.

Of course, it's great if you are in the market for a new body - you can get the new model and benefit from the new features (plus accessories that are still in production), or get a recently discontinued model cheap.

[bvz @ Aug 5th 2007 6:09PM]

invincible,

I completely agree with your assessment of the value of the photographer, lens, and body... and I would like to second your ranking of these - relative to each other.

One change I would make, however, is to recognize that in today's digital world, the body of a camera is now not just the body, but the body and "film" together. In that sense, it does make more sense to upgrade more frequently than in the days of old (For film, I still use a Minolta body that I purchased in '86). With film cameras, I can swap out different film stock as that technology improved. With DSLR's, I am locked into whatever sensor technology/image processing software that happened to be included in the body at the time of manufacture. As these are improved, I am more likely to gain from upgrading the body than was ever the case before.

Do you need to upgrade every 18 months as Cannon releases a new body? Nah. But will I still be using the same DSLR in 35 years as I am using today? Oh no.

[UIGuy @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:12PM]

If this is an extension of the 20D/30D line, is it a safe assumption the sensor will not be full frame and will still have a 1.6x multiplier?

[Mojo_Yugen @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:17PM]

Very safe assumption.

[DrMike @ Aug 25th 2007 5:07PM]

Yes, the multiplication factor is 1.6 with a 10.1 MP sensor (3888x2592)3:2 aspect ratio.

[Darnell @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:19PM]

I'm inclined to think that is the new 40D. True there are some photoshop experts out there--but I assume they have better things to do than come up with hoax renderings to tease fanboys. I say that because at the angle the camera is photographed, it be hard to replicate.

At any rate the 40D is coming--but I'm much more eager about the 1Ds mark III.

[jon @ Aug 3rd 2007 1:49PM]

Darnell... wow... just wow... welcome to 3d modeling and rendering.

[Darnell @ Aug 3rd 2007 3:18PM]

lol. Like I said, the people who ccould do this most likely wouldn't waist time doing it.

[Magallanes @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:20PM]

This is a camera for MEN.. black,sturdy and resistant, hard to use and filled with options, buttons and such, you can spend weeks finding new features.

[Chris @ Aug 4th 2007 6:19PM]

My wife loves using our 20D, even more than our Rebel XT (which I just sold). She says it makes her feel like a photographer.

[Chris K @ Aug 3rd 2007 7:42PM]

sRAW is already implemented in the Canon 1D Mark III, and it's a reduced RAW file size to save space, but doesn't really seem worth it since you have such a small image. ???

[Chris @ Aug 4th 2007 6:44PM]

sRAW would allow for a higher burst capacity due to the smaller file size while still having a 12-bit (hopefully 14-bit) image.

[Nova @ Aug 3rd 2007 1:36PM]

Hell to my 300D!

[David Susilo @ Aug 3rd 2007 2:15PM]

The only reason for me to update to 40D is if it will actually have ISO 6400. Other than that, there is no point (for me) to upgrade all 3 of my 30D.

[Chris @ Aug 4th 2007 6:31PM]

Just by some f/2.8 glass. The Sigma stuff doesn't have the sticker shock if you're price sensitive.

[David Susilo @ Aug 4th 2007 6:52PM]

but I am already using f/2.8 IS lenses :)

[Chris @ Aug 5th 2007 9:54AM]

Then I highly recommend the 50mm 1.4 (don't bother with the 1.8, you'll want sharper glass after a few uses) and Sigma's 30mm 1.4. They'll both give you a couple stops of shutter speed. IS is great at letting you hand-hold shots indoors without much light, but it's still hard to freeze action (i.e. your kid) at 1/15 of a second.

Also, if you're using a UV filter, what's the light transmission percentage? even 97% would be around a 1/2 stop.

[David Susilo @ Aug 5th 2007 10:17AM]

still not going to help when I actually need f/5.6 or f/8 for the shot and I can't use tripod at the same time.

Usually for something like that I then have to resort to my 5D. However, I like my 17-55 f/2.8 IS so much but I can't use it on the 5D.

[cptran @ Aug 3rd 2007 3:15PM]

why would you shoot that picture with a black background? that's annoying

[Sinergy @ Aug 3rd 2007 3:22PM]

I've been meaning to upgrade my 350d. I held the 30d the other day and it felt MUCH nicer than the 350. If there is a significant upgrade over the 30d I will be picking this up. But with a generous price drop on the 30d, I may become conflicted :)

[Chris @ Aug 4th 2007 6:30PM]

Just bought a 20D body off ebay to replace my 350D ($550). It's nice to have an AF engine that can actually track a moving subject (ala my 2yr old).

I'll pick up the 40D next year. After reading all the buzz about the 'potential' AF issues with the 1D-MkIII, maybe it's best to wait for a few months of production.

[Josh @ Aug 3rd 2007 6:18PM]

I was at one of the local photog shops today talking about lenses and cameras and they brought up the 40D and even better, the 5D mkII. Apparently the tog shops can already order these up.

[dirty dixie @ Aug 3rd 2007 11:49PM]

i'll skip this one... i want a mark III next. my 30d is plenty nice to me until then.

[Bee Hatch @ Aug 4th 2007 2:34PM]

First two images look very photoshop to me.

[Chris @ Aug 4th 2007 6:38PM]

Of course they're photoshopped. I'm sure whoever took these product shots had to at least adjust the tone curve before they exported the jpeg.

From the EXIF of the images:
Make : Phase One
Model : H 20
Software : Adobe Photoshop 7.0
ISOSpeedRatings : 50

[Chris @ Aug 4th 2007 6:26PM]

Anyone notice the ‘A’ as the first digit in the ISO field?? Auto ISO maybe???

2nd, that’s not the 17-55 f/2.8 mounted to it (the focal length markings are different). My guess is a 17-200mm IS USM lens.

There's also a 3rd button next to the AE/AF lock and AF point select. Which is called 'AF start' on the 1D-MkIII. This also means a new battery grip. Keep that in mind upgraders.

Wondering why the battery level indicator doesn't have more segments like the 1D-MkIII added.

[Bee Hatch @ Aug 5th 2007 12:34AM]

Photoshopped as in fakes. Not just tonal adjustments etc.

[Jack @ Aug 8th 2007 7:15AM]

I still like my Olympus E-510.

[Mark Goldstein @ Sep 24th 2007 9:37AM]

Hi,

Just wanted to let you know that we've published an in-depth review of the Canon EOS 40D:

http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews_canon_eos_40d.php