Canon announced the Canon 60D, which B&H details as shipping in September.    The 60D is the replacement for the 50D, should be cheaper than the 7D by $500, but lacks the magnesium body and has only a single DIGIC 4 processor.  The flip out LCD is ‘neat’, but I don’t think I have a real need for that at all.  I’ll likely pass on this iteration and keep saving pennies for more glass like the one of the lenses below…

Canon EOS 60D DSLR Digital Camera

• 18MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
• 1920 x 1080 HD Video Capture
• SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card Slot
• DIGIC 4 Image Processor
• 5.3 fps Continuous Shooting
• Works with all Canon EF and EF-S Lenses
• Vari-Angle Clear View 3.0″ Flip-Out LCD
• ISO 6400 – Expandable to 12800
• HDMI Output to HDTV
• In-Camera Editing Options

Also of EXTREME interest to me is the new 300mm f/2.8 IS II USM and the 400mm f/2.8 IS II USM.          

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Lens

• L-Series Optics
• Optical Image Stabilization – 3 Modes
• Fast Ultra-Sonic Motor (USM) Autofocus
• Full-time Manual Focusing Functionality
• High-speed CPU
• Autofocus Stop Feature
• Dust and Water Resistant
• Fluorite Glass f/ Improved Image Quality
• Protective Fluorine Lens Coating
• Security Slot for Wire-Type Locks

Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Lens

Time Lapse Photography is actually a cinematography technique where a series of photos are taken at one rate and then played back as a video at a much faster rate than they were taken.  In this instance, I programmed the camera to take a photo every 15 seconds. 

This was all shot using my old Canon PowerShot SD 950 on a $10 mini tripod just sitting on the dashboard.  To the best of my knowledge, there are very few (if any) point and shoot cameras that will actually do time lapse photography, and this one doesn’t either.  Thanks to a great group of developers, we have the CHDK!

What is CHDK?

• Canon Hack Development Kit;
• Temporary – No permanent changes are made to the camera.
• Experimental – No warranty. Read about the risks in the FAQ
• Free – free to use and modify, released under the GPL.
• Professional control – RAW files, bracketing, full manual control over exposure, Zebra-Mode, Live histogram, Grids, etc.
• Motion detection – Trigger exposure in response to motion, fast enough to catch lightning.
• USB remote – Simple DIY remote allows you to control your camera remotely.
• Scripting – Control CHDK and camera features using ubasic and Lua scripts. Enables time lapse, motion detection, advanced bracketing, and much more.
• More – read the Manual & explore this wiki.

Then I used Picasa to make the time lapse movie.  Within Picasa, you can select all of the photos that you want to stitch together in a movie.  Click ‘CREATE’ in the top navigation bar, and then select ‘MOVIE’.  A very simple dialog opens that lets you add Slides (text), load an audio track, pick the transitions between videos, and then even publish the video straight to YouTube.