We’re hearing that the brand new Canon EOS 40D DSLR has started shipping.

Amazon have it in stock for order in a ‘body only’ form at Canon EOS 40D and it is available for pre order with the kit 28-135mm kit lens.

Who’s ordering one?

The Three Lenses that are presented by Camera Labs as alternatives for the Canon 18-55mm Kit Lens are:

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 Image Stabilized USM
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens

One more that you might like to consider if you have the budget and are looking for another great walk around L-series Canon lens is the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens. It’s not as wide angle as the others above but gives extra zoom length and is on a par with the 17-40mm in terms of quality (in fact they make a nice pair).

Read more on Popular DSLR Lenses of all manufacturers

“I’m using a compact point and shoot digital camera and i would like to ask it is worth it to upgrade to a DSLR camera? How huge a difference do DSLR cameras make compared to compact point and shoot digital camera?”

Thanks for the question – I’ll attempt to keep my answer brief and not too technical. This is a question that I’m regularly asked, increasingly so as the price of DSLRs have dropped and become much more in the reach of the average digital photographer’s budget.

Before I start this post you might like to check out two posts looking at the Top DSLR Models and Top Point and Shoot Cameras as voted by our readers.

Let me declare up front that I own both a Point and Shoot digital camera (a Fujifilm FinePix F30) and a DSLR (a Canon EOS 5D). I like having both because I do feel they compliment each other and are each suited for different situations. My preference in terms of quality of shots is with the DSLR but for convenience the point and shoot sometimes wins out.

I also want to say up front that the digital camera industry is constantly evolving and changing. The lines between DSLRs and point and shoots are blurring (or at least this seems to be the intention of manufacturers). What I write below unfortunately will have elements of generalizations in it as I classify hundreds of cameras (each with their own distinctive features) into two camps.

I don’t generally announce new cameras here at the blog – but today there have been strong rumors and leaks going around of two new DSLRs – one a Canon and one a Nikon.

• Canon EOS 40D – 10.1 megapixels, 3.0 inch LCD, 6.5 frames per second shooting, sRAW and lots more – See it at Amazon
• Nikon D3 – details are more sketchy on this one but it’s reportedly got 51 autofocus points, 9 frames per second shooting and a 3.0 inch LCD.

Update: Not only did they publish details of the Canon EOS 40D – but Amazon have also published details of the higher end Canon EOS 1DS Mark III – a 21.1 megapixel DSLR – available in December 2007. Canon must be pretty upset about Amazon letting …

Yesterday I presented the Top 10 Point and Shoot Digital Cameras as used by DPS readers and today I want to move on to presenting the top DSLRs.

Because so many DPS readers nominated DSLRs I thought I’d present the Top 20 DSLR models mentioned rather than a Top 10. I’ll also present a breakdown of the brands owned below the list of actual cameras. I’ve also included the dates these cameras were announced to give an idea of how old the models are:

Cameras are listed from most popular to least popular (and I’ve given an indication of what percentage of recipients own the top 7):

1. Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D) - an 8 megapixel DSLR first announced back in February 2005 – this DSLR made up 17% of the total
2. Canon Digital Rebel XTi (400D) – (pictured) a 10.1 megapixel update of the XT, August 2006 – this DSLR had 12% of the total
3. Nikon D80 - a 10.2 megapixel DSLR – announced in August 2006 – 10% of those participating
4. Nikon D50 – 6.1 megapixels, announced in April 2005 – 8% of the total
5. Nikon D40- 6.1 megapixel DSLR announced in November 2006 – 6%
6. Nikon D200 - 10.2 megapixels and announced in November 2005 – 6%
7. Sony Alpha A100 – another 10.2 megapixel DSLR announced in June 2006 – 6%
8. Canon EOS 20D- announced way back in April 2004 – a very popular 8.2 megapixel DSLR
9. Nikon D70S – 6.1 megapixels and an upgrade/redesign of the D70 – announced April 2005
10. Canon EOS 30D – an 8.2 megapixel midrange DSLR and an upgrade of the 20D – announced in Feb 2006
11. Olympus Evolt E500 - 8 megapixels – September 2005
12. Canon EOS 5D - August 2005 was when this ground breaking 12.8 megapixel camera was announced
13. Nikon D70 – another ground breaker for it’s day in December 2003 (the 2nd oldest camera in the list) – 6.1MP
14. Pentax K100D 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Shake Reduction (Body Only)” (Pentax) – 6.1 megapixels announced in May 2006
15. Canon Digital Rebel – 300D – another oldie (October 2003) – 6.5MP
16. Pentax K10D – 10.2 megapixels with in body shake reduction – September 2006
17. Canon EOS-10D - 6.3 megapixels – December 2003
18. Nikon D40x - a 10.2 megapixel update of the popular D40 and the newest camera in the mix with an announcement date of March 2007
19. Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D – 6.1MP DSLR – July 2005
20. Pentax *ist DS - 6.1 megapixel update of the *ist D – September 2004