Evidently someone at Canon France spilled the beans. All of the information so far has been from a French PDF.

Some specs on the new camera:


8.2 megapixel CMOS sensor
8.5 frames per second
ISO 50-3200
New E-TTL flash metering
1.3X digital crop
Available in April, 2004
- thanks to French site, EOS Series (http://eosseries.ifrance.com/eosseries/en/eos_news.html)

So, who's gonna buy my 1D?

There are also two new zoom Canon lenses being released, a 28-300mmL IS, and the second DO lens to be released, a 70-300mm DO IS. No word on prices yet for any of this equipment. I'm sure we'll find out at PMA, in a couple of weeks, though.

Here's a quick and dirty translation from the French PDF which I got from http://www.fredmiranda.com/ (http://www.fredmiranda.com/):


Faster autofocus
Two IS modes - for still objects and panning
Minimum focus: 0.7 meters

Some more of my weak French translation:


Diffracting zoom lens
Compact and light
Image Stabilization - up to three stops
Locking zoom ring
Minimum focus: 1.4 meters
28% shorter than previous, 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IS USM lens

If you don't know anything about the Canon DO lens technology, DO stands for, "Diffractive Optics, a revolutionary new lens optical technology that permits super-telephoto lenses that are significantly shorter and lighter than previously possible, while simultaneously improving optical performance by reducing chromatic aberrations and even spherical aberrations."

Currently, there's only one DO lens available, the Canon EF 400mm f/4.0 DO IS: http://www.photographyreview.com/pscLenses/35mm,Primes/Canon,EF,400mm,f-4,DO,IS,USM/PRD_104369_3111crx.aspx

That's it!!! I've got at least 3 bikes in my garage and a whole bunch of parts that I can sell, e-bay here I come... must raise funds...

OK - I'm major drooling!


I wonder how much that little puppy will be? HHHMMMM... I could use another DSLR and use my 10D as a backup instead of my EOS 3. Yeah right! In my dreams only!




Kathy

I think I read the price is around $4,500US.

Here's a link to the official Canon EOS-1D Mark II Web page:

http://web.canon.jp/Imaging/eos1dm2/index.html

The press release lists the "estimated selling price" as $4,499 US.

An interesting spec I checked since I own a 1D - the new camera weighs 43 oz. That's a littlemore than one ounce less than than the 1D. It's still heavy. It also appears to use the same batteries.