The 40/50Ds dont have live view do they? May be a silly question but just what do they offer over the consumer level stuff, just better quality?
They do have live view as far as Im aware. Theyre also a bit more robust/better build quality, better autofocus, faster frame rate... theyre just a step up from the rebels/XXXD series - they still have the 1.6 crop sensor but with a more robust body and more pro features...
The 40D essentially has the same sensor as the 400D (it is supposedly different with better low light performance- but essentially the same) - so if you were to take a picture of a fairly static subject on a bright sunny day using the same lens youd likely get the same image from either camera. The differences come where you want to say shoot sports or wildlife or perhaps want to shoot in low light better autofocus, faster frames per second etc.. will help.
This thread has got me weighing up the idea of purchasing a 50d, 7d or 60d(to be released soon) in a few months.
Dave Id avoid the 50D if I were you, it wasnt much of an upgrade over the 40D. The megapixel bump just resulted in a shed load of noise.
60D will be interesting, although for the intro price when it launches youll be better paying a bit more and getting the 7!