Below is a chronology of the rumors leading up to the official announcement of the Canon EOS 40D.

8/19/07: Today was a big one. Amazon.com leaked the specs on the Canon 40D and the 1Ds Mk III. Here’s the full specs. Here’s the highlights of the hot stuff. Amazon.com also leaked the specs on the Canon 1Ds Mark III.

8/16/07: A proven inside source says the Canon 40D will be like a 1D Mk III “lite”.

8/13/07: Several folks have written in to confirm the Best Buy leak and that the kit will include the EF 28-135 IS lens. Also, there’s a new photo for the Canon 40D ad campaign . . . check it out.
8/10/07: Another source confirming the Best Buy leak.

8/9/07: The Canon 40D UPC code gathered from the Best Buy leak confirms the legitimacy of the leak.

8/8/07: Availability and pricing for the Canon 40D leaked by Best Buy insider. 9/2/07 in-stock date @ $1600.

8/3/07: BIG NEWS! It looks like their are finally some real shots of the Canon 40D surfacing on the web. Check them out here.

8/1/07: A couple of new rumors are floating around regarding an August 20-25th announcement for the 40D.

7/31/07: In contrast to the last update, apparently, at least some reps have heard something and the Canon 40D should be here soon.

7/26/07: Here’s some more second-hand info from Canon reps found in the DPReview.com forums. In short, the Canon reps that are supposed to be in the know haven’t heard a peep.

7/22/07: New word that the Canon 40D is “not a rumor.”

7/18/07: New developments since the Canon 40D showed up on the CIPA Pictbridge certification list. Read more here.

7/1/07: New rumors of the 40D specs, sale price and a possible EF-S 18-200 IS USM lens to go along with it. Details here.

4/30/07: New rumors on a July 2007 release of the 40D.

ORIGINAL POST: We all now know that we’re not getting the Canon 40D this Spring. The news and rumor mill has been rather thin lately though on the Canon DSLR front (and we all love to speculate). Since the announcement of the Canon 1D Mk III and accessories, we’ve not really heard much from Canon. In fact, there’s been nothing new on the Canon 40D since pre-PMA.

I ran across a little nugget of info from Canon that bears on the topic. No, we’re still not getting the Canon 40D this Spring; however, we do have a hint that some new Canon gear will be coming the second half of 2007.

Over on Canon Photo News, Mark Anderson pointed out that the Digital Photography Show’s podcast interview of Rudy Winston from Canon reveals some interesting tidbits about the 40D – or its absence.

In this most recent interview he asked “So what happened to the 40D announcement?” Rudy replies that despite all the rumors that are floating out there, “there will be no more new camera announcements for the first half of this year.”

What’s said is clear. No 40D announcement the first half of the year, ok. What’s implied is a little more interesting. First, no denial of a 40D. Second, the lack of announcements are limited to the first half of 2007. That suggests that there will be new camera announcements the second half of 2007.

Now, he could be talking about point and shooters; however, his response directly followed a question that specified the 40D. Sounds to me like he’s got some DSLR in mind. Could it be the Canon 1Ds Mk III or the Canon 40D? I dunno, but my money is on a 40D Fall 2007, say September? Take a look at the product cycle for Canon DSLRs. The 30D is due an update; so is the 5D, but nobody can touch its features right now and the 5D is more of a pro-level body, which can take a while to update. Canon announced the 30D at PMA 2006 – September 2007 will be the typical 18-month product cycle. While there’s plenty power in the 30D, it’s getting pounded in the megapixel market that we live in by Nikon’s D80 and D200. Sony’s also got some high amateur love coming up soon. And this is not to even mention the entry-level DSLRs, like the Nikon D40x, Canon’s own Rebel XTi and the Sony Alpha A100.

[tags]canon, eos, 40d, is, usm, review, 18-200, ef-s, rumors, news, availability, announcement, release, price[/tags]