The Canon EOS 30D is shown above (and from above) with a Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS
USM Lens
mounted.
ccording to Canon, the 20D "... was number 1 in its category virtually from start to finish
over its 18-month market life, an outstanding accomplishment for any digital SLR in this
highly competitive time. Its biggest rivals turned out to be other EOS cameras, first the
Digital
Rebel XT
, which was priced below it, and then the more expensive EOS 5D." Now the 30D
looks to take the place of this extremely successful
Digital SLR body.
The Canon EOS 30D shares many of the 20D's excellent specs and features including the
same 8.2 MP CMOS sensor, DIGIC II Image processor, 5 fps fast continuous shooting, high-
precision 9 point AF (Auto Focus) system, viewfinder and a durable magnesium alloy body.
These are the same core components that delivered the excellent performance from and
image quality of the EOS 20D.
nd the Canon EOS 30D is in fact delivering the exceptional image quality I have come to
expect from Canon's latest generation DSLRs. I'm still looking for something of significance to
complain about - maybe I can re-use the not-so-good auto white balance under incandescent-
only lighting complaint.
Sharing the 20D's sensor means also sharing its 1.6x
Field of View Crop Factor (FOVCF). This
factor enables the Canon EOS 30D to utilize the
Canon EF-S Lenses including the announced-at-
the-same-time
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens. Be sure to read the FOVCF page for more
information on the advantages/disadvantages of the 30D's 1.6x sensor. The following table
illustrates sensor and viewfinder differences across the recent
Canon Digital SLR models.
The Canon EOS 30D utilizes Canon's latest 2.5-inch LCD monitor featuring 230,000 pixels,
a much wider viewing angle and substantially improved visibility compared to its
predecessor. The viewing angle has gone from 40° left/right of perpendicular and from 20°
above/60° below to 170° total and evenly in both directions. This makes viewing position less
critical - it is easier to show friends and clients images directly on the LCD. At the factory-set
middle brightness setting, images are very hard to see in bright sunlight. Canon has been
using this LCD on the
Canon EOS 5D and the Canon EOS 1D Mark II N. I like it - this is a nice
upgrade.
Model FOVCF Sensor Pixel Size Pixels/Megapixels Viewfinder
Canon EOS 300D Digital Rebel 1.6x 22.7 x 15.1mm 7.4µm 3088 x 2056 6.3 .80x 95%
Canon EOS 350D Digital Rebel XT 1.6x 22.2 x 14.8mm 6.4µm 3456 x 2304 8.0 .80x 95%
Canon EOS 10D 1.6x 22.7 x 15.1mm 7.4µm 3088 x 2056 6.3 .88x 95%
Canon EOS 20D 1.6x 22.5 x 15.0mm 6.4µm 3504 x 2336 8.2 .90x 95%
Canon EOS 30D 1.6x 22.5 x 15.0mm 6.4µm 3504 x 2336 8.2 .90x 95%
Canon EOS 5D 1.0x 35.8 x 23.9mm 8.2µm 4368 x 2912 12.8 .71x 96%
Canon EOS 1D Mark II 1.3x 28.7 x 19.1mm 8.2µm 3520 x 2336 8.2 .72x 100%
Canon EOS 1D Mark II N 1.3x 28.7 x 19.1mm 8.2µm 3520 x 2336 8.2 .72x 100%
Canon EOS 1DS Mark II 1.0x 36.0 x 24.0mm 7.2µm 4992 x 3328 16.6 .70x 100%
Other 30D LCD-related improvements include ... An improved jump function (jump by 100).
The info screen has been enhanced with a new, switchable RGB histogram and now includes
the image file size. No longer on the info screen are the AEB setting, processing parameters
and image confirmation time. Image zoom is now available during image review. What I
