Mostly wrong, but slightly right
The 1D Mark III is the first Canon dSLR to offer live preview on the LCD, something we take for granted in compact digicams. Being able to use the LCD instead of the viewfinder can be a big plus
Back in January I wrote about the Canon EOS 40D rumours. Yesterday Canon unveiled the 43 products in its Spring Collection and there was no sign of a new enthusiast camera -- instead, Canon announced the EOS-1D Mark III, a high-speed pro camera for sports photographers.
So, I made the wrong call on the 40D. In fact, a Canon employee who would probably like to remain nameless said he couldn't see any sign of an update for the 30D in the plans for this year -- although that doesn't mean it won't happen, since Canon is secretive about new products, even with its own staff.
On the other hand, I also said I hoped we'd see "something cool", and I do think Canon delivered on that. The 1D Mark III is the first Canon dSLR to offer live preview on the LCD, something we take for granted in compact digicams. Being able to use the LCD instead of the viewfinder is a big plus when you're doing macro photography or taking pictures at odd angles. I don't aspire to own the 1D Mark III -- it's too big and too heavy for the photography I do, and I don't need the speed -- but I'd certainly be happy to have live preview in the 40D, when and if it appears. It might even be enough to make me upgrade.