The 40D is not an upgrade, it is a baby 1D.

I purchased this camera almost two months ago it has more than lived up to its hype. This little jewel is destined for greatness and will be sitting in a lot of professional camera bags as a back-up, if not primary body. Most people see it as an "upgrade" for the 30D, but it is much more than that. With 10.1MP to the 30's 8.2MP, it offers faster continuous shooting (up to a blistering 6.5 fps) and has a larger buffer, allowing you to capture up to 70 JPEGS Large/Fine shots in a single burst (the 30D allowed 30 captures). It features the same nine-point focus points, but they are now the more sensitive cross-type sensors, making it capable of better, more accurate focusing with lenses having a maximum aperture of f/5.6 or larger. These cross-sensors detect focus in both vertical and horizontal directions, and the center sensor is more sensitive with lens having a maximum aperture of f/2.8, or greater. The 40D's exposure metering extends from 0.0 to 20 EV. In very dim light, it can calculate an exposure of eight seconds at f/2.8 at an ISO of 100. The viewfinder's brightness has also received a nice improvement and now captures 95% of life-size. On the outside the 40 now sports a 3" LCD screen. That is only 1/2" larger that the 30D, but it is a huge enhancement when you see it. The 40D now sports a motor to raise and lower the mirror (the 30D used springs), making it much quieter and giving it a shorter blackout time. In addition, the motor's action is damped so there is less chance of potential vibration from mirror slap. It is now possible to lock up the mirror for single, or multiple exposures too. The 40 is also capable of using Canon's WFT/E3A wireless transmitter to wirelessly send your images directly to a hard drive, or a flash drive. It is true that this capability will probably only be used by professionals, but it is still an added feature. Due to the larger LCD screen the menu and control buttons have all been moved to the bottom of the screen. I thought that this might make it easier to accidentally push one or more of the buttons, but it hasn't been a problem. I especially like the new dedicated button that allows you to access the picture-style feature, making it much easier to switch between the styles. I find myself using this button quite often.

One of the really great changes Canon has incorporated in the 40D is the trashing of those long, clumsy menu displays that forced you to scroll down page after page of options trying to get to the functions you wanted to change. Now there are nine categories listed across the top of the main menu screen (Shooting 1&2, Playback 1&2, Setup 1,2&3, Custom functions, and a very cool My Menu). Each category's items are listed on a single page, eliminating scrolling. There are more custom function settings, giving you greater flexibility, so it is possible to really tweak the settings until the suit you. The really cool new category though My Menu. You can add up to six items to this category, thereby allowing you to put the most frequent menu items all in a row for immediate accessing. I personally have chosen "Erase Images", "WB Shift/Bracketing", "Auto Exposure Bracketing", "Format", and "Mirror Lockup", but you can put whatever items you want to in this menu and have them instantly available to you. Now that is cool!

The 40D is only about .2 inches larger than the 30D and less than one and a third ounces heavier. I personally like the addition heft and size of the 40D, especially when you add the optional battery grip. With the grip attached, and the additional lithium ion battery, and my walking around 24-70mm f/2.8L lens, the camera weighs in at close to 5 lbs. Heavy by many people's standards but just perfect in my less than dainty hands. Believe me, this is no upgrade, Canon has raised the bar for "prosumer" cameras. I am sure that a lot of pros will be using this camera. It is very sharp, has extremely fast focusing, is faster than all other cameras with the exception of the new Canon 1D-Mark III, and is a real lady when it comes to making choices. This camera is very sophisticated, and with its new Digic III processor, it is faster and better than any other camera in price range. Canon has designed a very nice camera for serious photographers, but has all the features needed by those just entering the DSLR ranks.