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For Canon lens fans, the wait finally ended when the company took the wraps off the new EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, a relatively compact super-telephoto zoom that has been hotly anticipated and frequently rumored about for years.

There was a time when I’d avoid a zoom lens as much as I’d avoid a swarm of midges. But in the digital age, the zoom lens has taken on new purpose, at least for me. Midges, however, are still a pest that is best avoided—especially when you’re changing lenses. And if you’re out in a marsh shooting spectacular scenic views, the Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM lens gives you the needed range of focal lengths so you can reign supreme over any landscape, as you avoid changing lenses while sidestepping concern that those midges will infiltrate your camera.

The EOS 40D DIGITAL SLR Camera from Canon U.S.A., Inc. is scheduled to begin
sailing into stores in early September. The EOS 40D has a newly enhanced, 10.1-megapixel
CMOS imaging sensor (designed and manufactured by Canon) and a proprietary and
DIGIC III image processor. It offers fast, 6.5 frame-per-second (fps) continuous
shooting capability (for bursts of up to 75 Large/Fine JPEGs or 17 RAW images.)

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The newest version of Canon’s workhorse, full-frame DSLR, the EOS 5D Mark IV, offers a brand-new 30.4MP sensor system, while its forerunner used a 22MP sensor. The new sensor offers Dual Pixel Raw images and new Raw converter software, Digital Photo Professional 4. In addition, the new sensor offers Dual Pixel CMOS AF, which first appeared in the Canon EOS 70D and is helpful when shooting in live view mode or when recording videos.

The generation of Canon EOS digital SLRs beginning with the 10D have been evolutionary, with each camera adding resolution and new features. The 60D continues in that vein but also takes a slightly different tack, adding some features from Canon’s own PowerShot series, bringing in functionality like a 3” flip-out LCD screen, and adding some creative effects that show how software is becoming an increasingly important part of any hardware offering. Each of these creative filters, including Soft Focus, Grainy Black and White, Toy Camera, and Miniature Effect, can be applied to a captured image creating a second “filtered” version, leaving the original file unaffected.

When I checked Canon’s website to verify the specs on the EOS 6D Mark II ($1,999, body only; $3,099, for the test camera supplied with the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM “kit” lens) I was a bit surprised to see it termed a “gateway” for enthusiasts to step up to a full-frame DSLR. That’s a new one to me, but that indeed is what this camera is.