The news was leaked a couple weeks ago with a good bit of skepticism — however, Canon officially announced their latest digital SLR camera, the 5D, today.

The 5D looks pretty nice, although the only compelling features that set it apart from the 20D are the increased pixel count and the fact that it is full frame. Another few differences are the complete lack of build-in flash (which is fine, as it really needs an external flash for serious lenses) and slower performance (3 pictures per second, versus the 20D’s 5 — although, the 5D does compensate with a much larger buffer).

If this new camera was not three times the price as a 20D, then it might actually be the camera to purchase (to replace my aging Canon D60). I’m sure that a lot of pro photographers are going to love it though, as it’s still roughly half the price of the previously “cheapest” full-frame DSLR.

Hopefully Canon will introduce the successor to the 20D sometime soon. I don’t think this is it, as the 5D a really targeted to a different market.