Okay, I haven't read through the 48 pages here so I'm sorry if this has already been addressed, but I don't find in any of the descriptions that this camera is weathersealed.
Recognizing the often rigorous shooting conditions encountered by professional and advanced amateur photographers, Canon design engineers made the EOS 40D SLR's magnesium alloy exterior even more ruggedly dependable than its predecessors with upgraded dust- and weather-resistant construction, particularly around the camera's connection ports, battery compartment, and single-slot compact flash (CF) memory card door.
Martin Jordan wrote:
By the way, can anyone tell me how fiddly these user-changeable focus screens are? Does it require nerves of steel and the delicacy of a surgeon to swap one over? Last time I ever contaminated a focus screen accidentally it was a return to base job to get it cleaned. I just have visions of it being about as forgiving a procedure as bomb disposal.
If its anything like the 1 series, it will be very easy. The replacement comes with a little tool, pop the retainer up, pull the old one out with the tool, place it in a holder built into the new ones storage case, pick up the new one with the tool, place it and click it! I change mine in my mkIII frequently, depending on the job, makes blowing dust off them really easy too.
Recognizing the often rigorous shooting conditions encountered by professional and advanced amateur photographers, Canon design engineers made the EOS 40D SLR's magnesium alloy exterior even more ruggedly dependable than its predecessors with upgraded dust- and weather-resistant construction, particularly around the camera's connection ports, battery compartment, and single-slot compact flash (CF) memory card door.
Not weather-sealed, weather-resistant.
In addition the new battery grip BG-E2N has a weather-resistant door.
12 pages ago somebody made the brilliant realizatoin that since the SET button can be used to activate liveview in the silent mode, we now have a one-button MLU that also happens to allow live viewing!
It got lost in the "my country can beat up yours" routine, but that's a great little bonus.
Amazon is still showing the 28-135 kit (in my pre-order as well). The title and 'technical specs' say 28-135, but the description talks about the 18-55. It looks like the talk about the 18-55 is copy-paste with the rest of the product description from canon, so who knows.
In case anyone's interested, there is a site that discusses the question of whether an upgrade to the 40D is worth it, along with explaining the technical differences. I found it interesting.
I see this as Canon's market evolutionary category. Lately, at least, Canon seems to introduce tech improvements in the Rebel line to see if they swell, especially those that are not Canon's own invention. Canon then introduces them bit by bit into their medium amateur/pro line, to see if they will stick for a more "experienced" photographer. Top of the line gets the proven goodies.
The 40D is an evolution above my 30D. It should have been my camera, as I came from a 300D Rebel. I probably won't buy the 40D, but will wait on the future 5D successor. (Canon will surely outsmart me, though.)
XsigmaSD wrote:
If its anything like the 1 series, it will be very easy. The replacement comes with a little tool, pop the retainer up, pull the old one out with the tool, place it in a holder built into the new ones storage case, pick up the new one with the tool, place it and click it! I change mine in my mkIII frequently, depending on the job, makes blowing dust off them really easy too.
IF the 40D is actually a 30 percent improvement in AF dynamic in real world shooting interest would peek for me as a past owner of the 30D who adored the camera except for two major considerations, white balance accuracy and auto focus speed and accuracy. I almost tossed my 30D into a few ponds after missing shots that I knew my Mark II would have mastered, even with my amateur abilities.
I am extremely interested in the suggested AF improvements in the camera but wonder if they've done anything with the white balance controls? I've not read anything about that and it was one of the very frustrating things for me in the brief time that I owned the 30D.
With the MII I set everything on AWB and let the camera do the rest, and have never had to change that tradition over the past 3 years.
Cubfan wrote:
Partial weather proofing? 'Scuse me, but doesn't that sound worthless to anybody else?
Not really. Canon has improved on the dust and weather resistance of the body. So it's better at keeping it out than the 10/20/30D. Copy/paste (again!)
From the Amazon.com page, the "From the manufacturer" information:
Recognizing the often rigorous shooting conditions encountered by professional and advanced amateur photographers, Canon design engineers made the EOS 40D SLR's magnesium alloy exterior even more ruggedly dependable than its predecessors with upgraded dust- and weather-resistant construction, particularly around the camera's connection ports, battery compartment, and single-slot compact flash (CF) memory card door. [...]
Thanks for the link. The WiFi design is pretty neat.
If you look at the pic of the battery grip, it's just what you'd expect with the vertical thing where the battery goes.
The WiFi adapter is different. It screws on like a battery grip, but has no vertical bar, so a BP-511 in the camera powers the camera. A second BP-511 powers the WFT-E3A and it has an interface to communicate directly with the base of the camera. That's a pretty cool way to do it.
The 1D3's WTF-E2A is less spiffy since it's an addon device, rather than integrated like a battery grip.
