The rumours and reports of accidentally published official web pages have finally been ratified with the announcement of the latest Canon digital SLR; the EOS 50D.  Just a year younger than its sibling, the 40D, the new mid-range camera once again brings Canon up to speed with the latest Nikon releases with features such including:

• 15.1 MP (APS-C) CMOS sensor
• DIGIC 4 processor
• ISO range up to 12800
• 3.0″ 920,000 dot VGA LCD with Live View
• Face detection technology [on a semi-pro model?!]
• AF adjustment

I’ll leave the feature debate for others and simply say that I won’t be replacing my 40D with the new 50D.  Why?  The feature set isn’t so different from that of the 40D and the next major feature step for me would be to a full frame sensor body.  Even then, I don’t see such a purchase anywhere on my horizon.  For the time being, my 40D serves me well.  Besides, £1,200 would be better spent on a nice, shiny new 70-200 f/2.8 L IS USM lens instead.

Read a preview of the 50D at DPReview and place your pre-order at Warehouse Express.

Also in the news is the release of the Canon EF-S 18-200mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens; a lens that’s sure to be popular as a walkabout lens.

A question that I often see being asked in photography forums is

What’s a good walkabout lens for my xxxD?

Rather than it being a reference to lenses with legs, a walkabout lens is one with which you might take out on a day of walking whether it be to a park, to the shops or to your friends barbeque. The requirement being that because you don’t know what type of subject you’re going to come across you take a lens that can cover most general situations rather than lugging about a heavy bag filled with lenses.

Prime lenses don’t fall into this category very well unless you’re deliberately wanting to restrict yourself to a single focal length. As such, zoom lenses - particularly those around the ’standard’ lengths - are favoured for this role. In particular, zoom lenses that start at a wider (<= 35mm) focal length and reach up to short telephoto (=> 50mm). These ranges often provide a good balance between focal length range, image quality, cost and weight.

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The auctioning of my Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens concluded today after, relative to other things I’ve previously sold on eBay, a huge amount of interest. Bidding started at just 99p in order to attract interest and minimise listing fees. Most of the time, my listing tend to stagnate for a while and only receive bids closer to the auction end, but this one received a few bids early on.

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My nearly new Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM zoom lens is being auctioned on eBay and starting at just 99 pence!

430EX II

Typical. Weeks after I buy myself a Canon Speedlite 430EX, Canon announce its replacement; the 430EX II. Still, from an initial read of the announcement, it doesn’t look like I’ve missed out on much. New features are said to be:

• 20% reduction in recycle times meaning it’s ready to fire quicker than the model it replaces.
• The high-pitched whine normally associated with a charging flash has been eliminated and it’s now silent to minimise distraction. Can’t say I ever found it distracting.
• The mounting foot is now metal constructed for a more robust connection with a camera body.
• A new quick release and locking mechanism has also been incorporated.
• In Manual mode, the Speedlite 430EX II allows the light output to be altered in 1/3 stop increments for increased precision of operation, bringing it into line with the 580EX.
• All on-flash settings can be controlled using the camera menu system.

I haven’t seen any prices yet, though.

EOS 1000D

Canon also announced a new entry level DSLR in the form of the EOS 1000D, this week. Supposedly pegged lower than the 450D, the 1000D is available at £499 (body only) and the 450D at £459 (body only). I can’t quite figure Canon’s logic on the price point since the 450D is better specified, cheaper and itself was only announced 5 months ago.

Many people are suggesting that the 1000D is aimed at those looking to replace their point and shoot cameras, but even Canon’s own fantastic G9 is a whole £200 cheaper than just the body so it’s not such an easy decision to fall into.