Strengths:excellent build quality, good ergonomics, many professional quality features, takes great photos
Weaknesses:a few pros might prefer complete weatherproofing
Posted May 1, 2006 - Canon literature suggests that the 30D is designed for both professional photographers and serious amateurs. So I guess I’m a bit of both. Roughly three decades ago I paid for a chunk of my college education as a campus photographer. My instrument of choice was a Nikon F, using only high quality Nikkor glass. When film cameras had seemingly lost touch with an electronic world, I purchased my first digital - a Canon S50. This little marvel takes good photos and is small enough to stuff in a pant pocket.
Despite the advantages of the S50, I couldn’t help but long for the accuracy of an SLR viewfinder, a body that solidly fills your hands, and the fine ergonomics of full-sized 35mm. lenses. After reading every review, blog and forum I could find on the Internet, the upgrade decision came down to the Nikon D200 or the lower-priced Canons (i.e., the Rebel XT, 20D or 30D). In addition to sub-$2000 price appeal, all of these cameras have cropping factors of roughly 1.6, which translates into a 60% enlargement - a big plus for telephoto work. My love of Nikon made it difficult to eliminate the D200. The weather proofing of the D200 is a big advantage; but not as much as the outstanding Canon CMOS sensor, especially for low-light shots. I shot a few pictures with a Rebel and found it to be a nice camera for the money. However, the Rebel is smaller and less solid feeling than its magnesium-clad bigger brothers. At the time of this writing the Canon 20D is being replaced by the 30D and can be purchased for $200 to $300 less. None-the-less the 30D seemed the better choice, primarily due to a far more usable LCD, a professional quality shutter (100,000 photo rating), spot metering, and several small improvements of the kind typical of equipment from a follow-on generation.
The Canon 30D has proven to be everything I’d hoped for. The viewfinder is bright and accurate. A 95% image is more than sufficient for most applications, although it’s difficult to understand why today’s manufacturers find it so difficult to design a 100% viewfinder. There is more than sufficient control between the usual Canon Basic Zone and Creative Zone; along with ISO, shutter speed, and aperture settings all with 1/3 stop resolution. Fully automatic operation is still possible and it works well, but who would buy such a camera and not tinker with the buttons? The focus is almost instantaneous, using nine points that can be selected and/or viewed in the viewfinder and LCD photo playback. The algorithms for selecting focus points automatically are remarkably good. It is clear that my skill for operating a manual focus at sporting events is now obsolete, particularly in a camera that can record at five frames per second and focus even faster.
The ergonomics of the 30D reflect a camera that has been refined through years of development. The camera is easy and reliable to grip. The shutter release provides solid feedback. The black and white LCD and associated buttons on top of the camera are well chosen to offer access to the controls you are most likely to need while taking pictures. The dial next to the shutter release is particularly useful for use even while looking through the viewfinder. It would be nice to have a button on the camera’s top or front (instead of requiring the use of the configuration menu) to allow the flash to be used to aid focus and still not fire. This may seem unnecessary, but I’ve used this more than a few times on the S50. The controls on the back of the camera are (appropriately) for photo viewing and for establishing more fundamental settings. The 2.5 inch LCD has nice resolution of 230,000 pixels and an adequate viewing angle. The LCD has appropriate contrast; brightness is good for most usage and can be increased if needed. The color LCD provides extensive information, including RGB histograms, and is easy to read. The joystick control is convenient for navigating photos. The overall user interface - two dials, a joystick and several buttons - is relatively easy to learn, but I’ll bet a user interface expert could do better with one fewer dial.
Ultimately, the evaluation of a camera comes down to picture quality and the Canon 30D really delivers. The sensor is accurate, even at 1600 ISO. If you are fussy about things like sharpness, contrast, or saturation, then Picture Styles provide more than enough options. 8.2 megapixels won’t measure up in five years, but I have seen 11 by 14 studio quality pictures from 6 megapixel sensors, so 8 MP is enough unless you insist on shooting telephoto type pictures without a telephoto lens. Furthermore, Canon has fine glass available in the form of L Series lenses. In summary the 30D retains all of the things I loved about the best of film SLRs effectively updated and enhanced to get the most out of a modern DSLR.
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