Not for the faint hearted! (Canon EOS 300D)

Member Name: silverdigit

Product:	Canon EOS 300D
Date:	13/12/07 (145 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to use with full auto mode to fall back on.

Disadvantages: Frustrating in certain situations for those wanting to use the cameras creative modes.

I have craved a DSLR for years now and finally my dream came true in the form of the Canon 300D. Having used the film version of this camera to great effect I was really excited to get my hands on what has been reported to be the best 'prosumer' or entry level digital camera.

As you would expect the build quality and ergonomics are first class, the controls are clear and easy to operate. The menu functions are well laid out and understandable even for a digital novice. The camera came with an 18 - 55mm lens that does a good job and the Tamron 70 - 300mm zoom, which was also part of the package at that time, is a very good piece of kit. Both lenses are capable of returning very good results.

However.... there are some drawbacks. I have found it very difficult to eliminate image blur unless I have the camera set up on a tripod using a remote trigger, and as you can imagine this isn't always convenient. Yes, for those stunning sunrise/sunset shots it produces fantastic results and coming off full auto mode lets you experiment to your hearts content, but I have found that in certain situations like my children's Christmas play where there is a combination of low light and fast movement the camera really starts to struggle. (I am sure the professional next to me who is using five grands worth of equipment, standing in his privileged and elevated position with room for a tripod does not suffer the same problems!)

I have found that in these type of situations the auto focus has problems locking on due to the lack of light and changing the focus point or increasing the ISO does not really help. Using the cameras various modes in an attempt to eliminate blur makes little or no difference so I am forced to go onto full auto to stand a chance of recognising my budding Brad Pitt in the resulting image.

I have a good working knowledge of Photoshop and using the camera in RAW mode allows me to enhance, (for enhance read rescue!), under exposed, slightly blurred and badly composed images, post capture. I must point out that I do as little as possible because I believe the image should be a true reflection of reality.

At this point I am seriously asking myself why I don't get a top of the range compact and reduce my stress levels and greatly increase my chances of getting some crisp images? I think the answer is that I enjoy having control over the photographic process, I am not a 'full auto' man which is why I bought the DSLR in the first place.

I am sure there are thousands of better photographers out there who don't experience these problems and so I will continue to try and improve but in the meantime some of these moments only happen once in a lifetime and do I want to take the risk?

Watch this space!

Summary: A very good camera but as with most things it is only as good as the user.

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