Canon catches up to the rumor mill and announces EOS 50D

After the usual round of leaks and speculation, Canon has announced the new EOS 50D  to replace the well-loved EOS 40D, just one year (and six days) after the 40D was announced itself.

As those leaked shots have already shown, the 50D looks pretty much identical to its predecessor on the outside, but bumps resolution up to 15.1 megapixels. The new camera also sports Canon's latest Digic 4 image processor, which allows the 50D to maintain burst speeds of 6.3fps (vs. the 40D's 6.5fps speeds) despite the increase in resolution, according to Canon.

Other key upgrades include a 4-level High ISO speed noise reduction function and a maximum ISO rating of 12,800, improved Live View shooting with a new Face Detection Live mode, a high-precision diagonal center cross-type auto focus point with f/2.8 and faster lenses, and an HDMI connection for displaying full high-res images on an HDTV.

Canon plans to ship the 50D in October for $1,399 body-only or $1,599 for the kit with the EF 28-135mm, f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens.