Say Cheese Pussycat (Canon EOS 30D)

Member Name: Zmugzy

Product:	Canon EOS 30D
Date:	19/08/06 (241 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Canon's excellent 8 . 2MP CMOS and DIGIC II processor

Disadvantages: Battery life is a bit short

The EOS 30D was produced to replace the popular EOS 20D, which was launched in August 2004. It is the latest in of a range of models which began in 2000 with the EOS D30. This was followed by the D60 in 2002 and the 10D in 2003.


Feel Good Factor
I bought the Canon EOS 30D to replace my Canon 300d which I've had for two years. I have a collection of Canon lenses so it makes economic sense for me to stick with the same system. The EOS 30D is what might be called a mid-range camera, aimed at keen amateur or semi-professional photographers. It is a The EOS- solid looking well-built D-SLR of standard size. There is a thick right hand grip that makes it easy to hold, even in one hand and the important controls are within easy reach. This is an ideal camera if you intend to print photos of 28cm by 35cm or larger.


Technical Bit
Compared with the earlier 20D model, the 30D has a bigger 64mm (2.5-inch) LCD screen with a wider viewing angle than that of the 46mm model on the 20D. The image is also sharper at 230,000 pixels. This camera also has more in the way of ISO settings at 1/3-EV intervals and incorporates very useful spot metering. There is also a bigger image buffer, an RGB histogram function, a second lower speed continuous shooting setting, and a supposedly more durable shutter mechanism. You can now see any changes to the ISO setting in the viewfinder. There is also a wider range of adjustments for colour tone, saturation, contrast and sharpness. There is a useful picture style setting that enables you to balance colours and contrast.


Recharging the Battery
When you need to recharge your the battery, you just slot it into the included CG-580 charger. It takes about 100 minutes to fully charge the battery


Excellent Pictures
I've taken pictures in a variety of weather conditions from overcast to sunny skies and I've found that you can still get excellent shots just by shooting in program mode with default colour settings. This is no doubt partly due to Canon's excellent 8.2MP CMOS and DIGIC II processor. Exposure was near-perfect even in difficult lighting conditions. I took some lovely pictures of my sister's pussycat Nunez, although she always was very photogenic cat. Unfortunately she is now in pussycat heaven.


Image Editing Software
Canon includes image editing software with the 30D: ImageBrowser for Mac users and ZoomBrowser for Windows PCs. There is also included Digital Photo Professional. This is for the more enthusiastic or professional user. With this software you can download images from a camera (via the EOS Utility program), view and print your photos as well as edit them. Editing functions include trimming, redeye removal, and the ability to adjust levels, color, brightness, sharpness, and the tone curve. There's also an auto adjustment feature available. Anyone familiar with photoshop type software will know what I'm talking about. If you really know what you're doing you can also edit RAW images. RAW images contain unprocessed image data direct from the camera's image sensor. Since the data isn't processed on the camera you must do it yourself on your computer in order to get it into more usable formats like TIFF or JPEG. With this software you can control all the major RAW properties, including exposure, contrast, sharpness, and color, and color space. I am accustomed to using Photoshop so I tend to stick to this although it can't handle RAW images.


Negative Points
There a number of drawbacks to this camera. The battery didn't last that long. I took about 200 shots during a one week period before it ran out. Although it hasn't affected my photos yet the on board flash is known for casting a shadow when using some lenses at wide-angle focal lengths. You will also only be able to see 95% of the scene in the viewfinder. As is the case with many D-SLRs, a memory card is not included with the 30D. Fortunately CompactFlash cards are getting cheaper and I'd recommend a 1GB card as a good all rounder.


Despite these negative points I still like this camera because it seems to perform very well in low light without the need for flash. It seems much faster and more responsve than my previous camera and the controls are relatively straight forward.



Technical Summary

Magnesium alloy body: Dimensions (WxHxD) mm 144 x 105.5 x 73.5mm
Weight (Kg) 700g.
8.2 Megapixel - 22.5 x 15.0mm CMOS sensor
5fps, 30 JPEG image burst
Picture Style image processing
High precision 9-point wide-area AF
Finely adjustable 100 - 1600 (H:3200) ISO range ISO
Shutter durability of 100,000 cycles
DIGIC II
Digital Photo Professional software
Max Image Resolution: 3504 x 2336
Focal Length Conversion Factor: 1.6x
Storage media (card not supplied): CompactFlash
Compatible with MicroDrive
Max Consecutive Shots: 23
Battery Type Li-ion: (BP-511A)
Connection Type: USB 2.0
Video Out: PAL, NTSC,

Exposure Modes: Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Picture Modes, Manual,
Metering Modes: Evaluative, Partial Metering, Centre Weighted, Spot,
White Balance Modes: Auto, Manual, Preset, White Balance Bracketing,
Focusing Modes: One-shot AF, AI Servo AF, Manual,
Operating System: Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Mac OS 8.6-9, Mac OS X,
Compatible with all EF/ES-S lenses and EX Speedlite flashes.


In the Box

EOS 30D body
Wide strap
Battery Charger
Power Cord
Battery Pack BP-511A
Interface cable
Video cable
Software CD ROM


I bought my camera at Jessops for £850 (body only) but I've since seen it at Amazon.co.uk: for £784.84

Summary: A camera for the keen amateur or professional

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