50D coming out in February '09????

One of the admins on one of the train forums posted that the 50D is due out in February/March 2009. Anyone hear any rumors on this being true or not? I would think that the 5D would get replaced before the 40D.

Since the 40D was released last fall, that person is just applying the typical 18 month upgrade cycle.

I heard fall but why not wait till spring? That would make good business sense. Canon would be crazy to introduce the new 5D just after the 40D, 1DmkIII and 1DsmkIII. Why introduce a new camera that will compete with the ones you have just introduced? Wait until you've gotten all the mileage from tose models as well as the old 5D then introduce the new model.

The xxD and xxxD (and perhaps the xxxxD) camera lines are on an 18 month refresh cycle. Therefore, it makes sense that the next generation 50D would be around Q1/Q2 2009. The xD lines are on a 36 month cycle refresh. If you look at when the 5D was first released (i.e. Fall 2005), Canon will most likely release their 5D MkII at the Photokina event this Fall (i.e. 3 years later). Canon's competitors know about their camera cycle releases, so that's why you see Nikon's release of the D700 in July. It can be seen as a preemptive attempt to pull potential full frame camera buyers to their camera systems prior to Canon's release. I also expect Nikon to release an upcoming D90 that will be in line to compete with the current 40D and possibly to compete with the future 50D since the D80 is already showing some technological age (so to speak).

There is nothing firm on yet it in the rumor forum..

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdis​play.php?f=83