The new Canon EOS 60D and Canon’s line of Rebel cameras are expected to be unveiled at the PMA Photography EXPO in Anaheim, California on February 20th.

If the multitude of rumors are true,  these new Canon cameras will carry swivel screens, which were obviously made to compete with Nikon.

The Canon EOS 60D is expected to come out with a metallic body featuring a 15.1 megapixel resolution. Additional rumors say they will also have an improved sensor as well as low light sensitivity.

So is this new Canon just an upgrade of the 50D?  Or, as the nomenclature suggests, has Canon done enough to warrant altering the numbers in increments of ten?

My wife first purchased the 40D, skipped over the 50D, so is this new camera really going to be a 60 . . . or perhaps a 7? Both the Canon and Nikon users in this household are waiting with baited breath…

A friend once asked, “What’s the difference between a professional photographer and an amateur?”

That question is not as difficult to answer as one might think. But the way these camera manufacturers talk about it, if you buy the less expensive cameras you are an amateur or amateur/professional.

They want you to believe that a true professional will buy only the high end cameras. A great marketing ploy, to be sure, yet most of the pros I know carry high end cameras on the job, with mid-range cameras such as the 40D or 50D for backup. They get the job done, often just as well as the high end model camera.

This is my answer to the friend’s question:

A true professional in any field will join, share with and learn from other professionals in organizations that strive to raise the standards of excellence and conduct in that field, such as the Professional Photographers of America (PPA).

Well, I’ve racked my brain enough in writing this blog, so I think I will go open up my camera locker and take out, let’s see, how about a Nikon F2? I purchased this one new in 1971, then in the next ten years took it on assignment to Vietnam, the Arctic, the North Sea, and Middle East.

I’m going to go out and shoot some film this afternoon. Just for the fun of it!