Canon announced a slew of new products yesterday, including the much-anticpated 40D "prosumer" digital SLR. The company has made some significant improvements in this camera over its predecessor, the 30D. It has

• A 10.1 CMOS sensor with larger micro lenses over each pixel to reduce noise and expand sensitvity up 3200 ISO.
• Canon's latest DIGIC III processor.
• A burst rate of 6.5 frames per second for up to 75 high-quality JPEG images or 17 RAW pics.
• Fast DDR SDRAM memory.
• Separate motors for shutter and mirror operation.
• Three-inch LCD with a wider viewing angle and improved visibility in sunlight.
• An sRAW mode that creates files that are 25 percent smaller than a typical  RAW file but retain the flexibililty of the format.
• A "live view" that allows photos to be framed and captured using the camera's LCD.
• A self-cleaning sensor unit that uses ultrasonic vibrations to shake dust from the unit's sensor.

Canon didn't release a firm date for the camera's availability, but it said it would be earlier rather than later next month, and that its pricing would be $1299 for the body and $1499 for kit with a 28-135mm zoom lens.