Life through a lens

Today Canon offically announced the new EOS 50D, a DSRL with a 15 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor that will take the place of the EOS 40D. The new features of this camera are in its heart: it has the new Digic 4 processor that improve the noise reduction and allows a greater speed in continuous shooting. Furthermore, the ISO speed increase up to 12800 in H2 mode. The other big news is the 3" LCD display with 900000 points and three AF in Live View mode. 

The launch of this new EOS 50D is combined with the launch of the new EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, a powerful zoom lens, designed exlusively for those cameras with APS-C sensors, like the 50D, 1000D, 450D and earlier models. It has the same new image stabilizer that appears on the 55-250mm that allows to reduce by 4 stops the shutter speed.

The price of the EOS 50D is predicted to be of about € 1299 body only and it will be sold from october 2008.

Some links:

- the official Canon press release of the EOS 50D;

- the technical specs of the EOS 50D;

- some photos of this new DSRL;

- the review of the EOS 50D by DPReview;

- the official Canon press release of EF-S 18-200mm IS;

- the new EF-S 18-200mm IS by DPReview;

The indiscretions are confirmed: today Canon Europe officialy released the new DSRL camera, the EOS 1000D. The reason that pushes Canon to produce another entry level camera is “to take the next step in creative photography”, and the new EOS 1000D “offers the perfect entry point to the world of D-SRL”.
The most important feature of this new DSRL is the lightest body ever produced by Canon for the EOS digital systems. The material is plastic and the weight of the body is of about 450 g. The other features are a combination of those of the 350D, 400D and 450D. From the “old” 350D the new 1000D has the same number of AF points (seven) but it is not possible to control them in manual mode. From the 400D, the 1000D has the 10 megapixel CMOS sensor, Picture Styles and the 2.5” LCD screen, and from the 450D it has the Live View mode and the SD/SDHC card slot. Obviously, it is compatible with Canon Speedlight flashes and with Canon EF-S and EF lenses. For the full list of specifications see here.
It will be sold in the kit version with Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS lens at a price of about 750 € (provisional).
In my opinion, the new EOS 1000D is useless because there is not the need of this camera. There are already the 400D and 450D for that price and with the same features. Indeed, I see no reasons why I have to spend 750 € for a camera that have less feature of the 400D and it costs 150 € more. I think that Canon should evaluate carefully its strategy and it should concetrate more on the professional side of digital photography.
Anyway, here some useful links.
- The official press release (PDF)
- Images of the new EOS 1000D
- Official web site

- DP Review - detailed analysis

EDIT: rumors indicate that the price should be around 500 €, not 750 €. We'll see.