The long awaited Canon EOS 5D replacement was announced prior to Photokina 2008 on September 17th. Three years after the 5D, we have the 5D MarkII.

Here’s a short feature comparison chart between the two cameras.

Among the new features on the 5D MarkII are (Quoted from Canon USA website):

Highest ISO Range to Date.
21.1 Megapixel Full-frame CMOS sensor, 14-bit A/D conversion (16,384 colors/each of 3 primary color), wide range ISO setting of 100-6400 (expandable L: 50, H1: 12800 and H2: 25600).
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State-of-the-Art Image Processing with Power and Speed.
Next generation DIGIC 4 Image Processor for faster processing of fine detail and color reproduction as well as reduced image noise.
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The EOS 5D Mark II’s sensor is backed up by Canon’s DIGIC 4 Image Processor, which speeds up all operations making a number of new features possible. Processor intensive operations like Face Detection Live mode, HD video recording and lighting and lens peripheral optimization are all possible thanks to the DIGIC 4 Image Processor. The EOS 5D Mark II also offers full 14-bit A/D conversion. The analog output from the image sensor is converted into a digital signal via 14-bit conversion instead of the previously used 12-bit conversion, resulting in significantly finer tonal gradation for better prints.

HD Video Shooting with Live View Function.
Full HD Video capture at 1920 x 1080 resolution for up to 4GB per clip with HDMI output for HD viewing of stills and video.

Lens Peripheral Illumination Correction
Canon’s exclusive Lens Peripheral Illumination Correction takes into account any light falloff in the corners of the frame and corrects it, making for a perfectly exposed image. Correction data are detected automatically on a number of Canon lenses and can be entered manually through included Canon EOS Utility software.

You can get more information at:
Canon USA
DPReview release announcement
DPReview hands on preview
Dpreview sample gallery
Sample ‘Reverie’ video clips from Vincent Laforet

The Canon 40D is one of many advanced amateur Digital SLRs to be announced/released in the past few months. The 10MP Canon 40D will be competing with the Sony Alpha A700 and the Nikon D300, both 12MP cameras. You can read a full review for the Canon 40D at dpreview.com.