Welp, even though I am convinced that the 40d will be updated in September (that is speculation), I have decided to take Canon up on the rebates and purchased a 40d. I would have purchased it locally, but many of the prominant shops appear to have raised their prices significantly after the rebate. That seemed a bit sleazy to me. I purcahsed it from Canoga for about 950.

Cheers
James

James -

Congratulations on your new acquisition. I know what you mean about trying to patronize local brick & mortar establishments. There is only one "real" independent camera store left here in Tucson.

Jim

Congrats James....I bit the bullet as well recently and purchased the new Nikon 24-70 in anticipation of Nikon putting together a FF camera. The lens is amazing....prime lens sharp...with zoom convience.

I went to Pro Photo Supply here locally they are actually pretty much in line with B&H camera on line for pricing, so I guess I am luck to have a local store matching web based pricing.

Roman

James,
let me know what you think of it. I've debated getting one but just can't justify the specs over my 30D for action shooting. I'm still holding onto the 5D for big shows.

I shot one that a friend was using at my last show in Louisville and I liked it but not that much more than the 30D. Of course, I didn't get a chance to work with the files and that's really the key. I'll be interested in your impressions.

Jim

Hey Jim,

My first impressions of the camera are very positive. In came in today, and I have had to crack open the manual, which, LOL, I have not had to do since the D30.

First impressions...the pros...

(1) The body is slightly more comfortable in the hand.
(2) The viewfinder is slightly larger and brighter.
(3) The LCD is HUGE. A real treat compared to my 20d (which has a 1.8 inch LCD).
(4) The camera is really fast. I can unload 17 to 20 shots in raw (at 6.5 fps, 14 bit) and be ready to fire another burst in seconds.
(5) There are LOTS of features that I am going to have to take some time to learn and understand (LOL, that is also a con).

The cons...
(1) The user interface is much more complicated than the 20d (and all of its predecessors) were. I had not had to open a manual since the D30.
(2) There are LOTS of features that I am going to have to take some time to learn and understand.

The price point is unbelievable. For about $1150 for the kit (I decided to pick up a 2nd 28-135 IS lens), I think it is a real bargain. I could have picked up the body only for about $970. I paid $2850 for my initial D30.

James

James,
I had the original D30 as well and for its time, it was an amazing camera. I'm mostly interested in the IQ coming out of the 40D, especially the RAW files. I'm very happy with the 8.2mpx sensor having worked on images off of a 20D, XT and the 30D. The 5D's are obviously much bigger files but the 30D files are easier for me to process. Guess I'm just used to them.

I'm interested in whether the 40D files are more like the 30D or the 5D in terms of color, noise and cropping room.

As for features, I have had to read the manual for both the 5D and the 30D and I'm still not sure about some of the features (like auto-bracketing). But for what I shoot most -- F8 @ 1/200 manual with strobes -- there's not much of a learning curve

Jim

Add me to those that upgraded to the 40D. The decision was made easier by the good price, instant rebate, and the fact that selling my used 30D and the unneeded 28-135 lens will just about fund the upgrade.

My initial impressions after just two day shooting are:
-faster reacting than the 30D
-if shooting wildlife fill up the 2 GB cards pretty quick shooting raw
-on the screen there appears to be a bit more noise than I am used to with the 30D at ISO 400. Noise did not show up in an 11 x 14 print
-AF tracks well on moving objects
-my images appear softer than they did with my 30D. I just need to check the actual accuracy of the focus and if it's ok then it must be some within my normal PP workflow.
-menu is different than with my 30D and 5D but I'm already getting used to that
-CS2 ACR does not recognize the 40D's raw files. So I have to change my RAW conversion workflow or upgrade to CS3
-shutter sounds different, maybe a bit quieter
-larger LCD is nice but still not the sharpest in the world
-the older Canon 20D/30D grip does work with it

I'm hoping the AF system serves me better when shooting BIFs, soccer games, and football games. The additional fps will help to. I was practicing with my son Friday trying to catch the soccer ball coming off his foot while doing a bicycle kick. Amazing how much the ball travels in one second and even with 6.5 fps it was pure luck to catch it right.

I also wanted the live view to help me get critical focus with all the alternative manual focus lenses I shoot. Sort of a warmup for me until the replacement for the 5D comes out.

Oh, and the 5D still gives a nicer (cleaner?) image.

Jim, I bought the 40D right away when it first came out so I've worked the shutter out a bit. Compared to my 5d the biggest differences outside of the cropped sensor are:
40d is much faster.
Shutter feels a bit less professional. not the 5d sound!
40d image is more 2d and 5d looks more 3 dimensional.
40d is more prone to fringing or sensor overload.
5d images take pp better, particularly sharpening. If not careful you can easily over sharpen 40d images.
A great camera and an awesome compliment to the 5d. I think the key for you is it's fast and will get you closer than the 5d like your 30d. For your shooting I suspect those 2 things are important. I tend to grab the 5d more often unless I'm shooting action, then the 40d wins. If you are seriously considering at some point when I get time I can take a few sample images with both and post. Just let me know.

by the way, I have printed up to 30x40 with 40d images with no problem whatsoever. The IQ overall is great, just don't pick up the 5d cause it is just in a different class. I think you know that as you have one......

By the way, Canon just announced the new EOS 1000D. Not a 5D replacement. Looks more like a rebel on steroids....
http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/eosdigital5/index.html