After the release of Nikon D80, Canon’s response was to be expected. It’s out and it’s probably going to make as big a noise as the 300D did three years ago. Canon finally added a dust-reduction system, upped the resolution to 10.1Mp and removed the top LCD. For newcomers to the SLR world, now is the time to get a camera. For those already owning Canon D-SLRs and in need of a second body, it’s quite attractive too, although they will miss out on some of the more creative/technical perks that the higher end offers (say, spot metering).

Most impressive: The dust-reduction system. Unfortunately the EOS 30D and 5D cameras came out just a few months ago so it’ll be a while longer until the Canon mid-range gets dust reduction. The long-awaited replacement to the EOS 1-series, expected late 2006 or early 2007, will most certainly have it though.