Review of the Canon EOS D30 Digital Camera

Nowadays, digital cameras are in, and the search is for the next superstar camera that has all the desired features: affordability, quality, and relative smallness in size. One of these cameras up for consideration is the Canon's EOS D30, which contains an abundance of features as well as some drawbacks. My wife and I personally tested this camera for ourselves.

The Canon Cameras

Generally, Canon's EOS series is an autofocus 35 mm film and digital SLR camera system was introduced in 1989 with the Canon EOS 650 and is still in production as Canon's current dSLR system. The acronym EOS was chosen for Eos, the Titan Goddess of dawn in Greek mythology, and is often pronounced as a word, although some spell out the letters. It competes primarily with the Nikon F series and its successors, and holds the primary market share in most countries. At the heart of the system is the EF lens mount, which replaced the previous FD lens mount.

The bayonet-style EF lens mount is at the center of the EOS camera system. Breaking compatibility with the earlier FD mount, it was designed with no mechanical linkages between moving parts in the lens and in the camera. The aperture and focus are controlled via electrical contacts, with motors in the lens itself. This was similar in many ways to Nikon's 1983 F3AF, although other manufacturers including Contax (with its G series of interchangeable-lens 35 mm compact cameras) and Olympus (with its Four Thirds digital SLR system) have since embraced this type of direct drive system.

The flash system in the EOS cameras has gone through a number of evolutions since its first implementation. The basic EOS flash system was actually developed not for the first EOS camera, but rather for the last high-end FD-mount manual-focus camera, the T90, launched in 1986. This was the first Canon camera with through-the-lens (TTL) flash metering, although other brands had been metering that way for some time. It also introduced the A-TTL (Advanced TTL) system for better flash exposure in program mode, using infrared preflashes to gauge subject distance.

This system was carried over into the early EOS cameras wholesale. A-TTL largely fell out of favor, and was replaced by E-TTL (Evaluative TTL). This used a pre-flash for advanced metering, and used the autofocus system to judge where the main subject was for more accurate exposure. E-TTL II, which was an enhancement in the camera's firmware only, replaced E-TTL from 2004.

Canon Speedlite-brand flashes have evolved alongside the cameras. They are capable of wired and wireless multi-flash setups, the latter using visible or infrared pulses to synchronise.

As of 2007, Canon has released no fewer than 40 EOS SLR camera models, starting with the introduction of the EOS 650 in 1987. The Canon EOS series helped bring in the digital SLR age with the EOS DCS 3 in 1995, although it was a joint collaborative effort with Kodak. The first digital EOS SLR camera wholly designed and manufactured by Canon is the EOS D30, released in 2000.

Canon has also released two EOS cameras designed to use the APS film format, the EOS IX and the EOS IX Lite.

There is also a manual-focus EOS camera, the EOS EF-M. It comes with all the automatic and manual exposure functions but lacks autofocus. However, it comes equipped with a split-screen/microprism focusing screen for precise manual focusing.

Eye-controlled focusing
Through the tracking of eyeball movements, EOS cameras equipped with eye-controlled focusing (ECF) are able to choose the appropriate autofocus point based on where the user is looking in the viewfinder frame. ECF comes especially useful in sports photography where the subject may shift its position in the frame rapidly.

ECF is a function that is usually loved or hated. Some users feel that it is not reliable enough for common use. Others report that they are able to use it reliably. Much of this depends on the user. Eyeglasses can also reduce its accuracy for some.

EOS cameras equipped with ECF are the EOS A2E (U.S. model names are shown; see the table below for equivalents in other countries), EOS Elan IIE, EOS 3, EOS Elan 7E, and EOS Elan 7NE.

Quick control dial
Most prosumer and professional level EOS cameras feature a large quick control dial (QCD) on the camera back. Allowing easy operation of the camera using the thumb, the QCD is used for quick access to often-used functions that may otherwise require a more complicated procedure of button-presses and dial-clicks.

Cameras equipped with the QCD can easily be operated with one hand (forefinger on the main dial, thumb on the QCD) without taking the eye off the viewfinder.

Some useful functions that a QCD is programmed to do include setting exposure compensation, setting of aperture in manual exposure mode and scrolling of images and menus in digital EOS cameras.

Multi-point autofocus system
The top-line EOS cameras have the most autofocus (AF) points (up to 45) in their classes, compared to cameras from other manufacturers. This increases the chances of a sharply-focused photograph in situations where the subject travels across the frame at high speeds, e.g. sports, birds.

Having so many AF points also helps relieve the photographer from having to use the 'lock focus and recompose' method of framing a photograph, since the subject will most probably have been picked up by one or more of the AF points. Even though the camera is intelligent enough to select the correct AF point(s) most of the time, EOS cameras equipped with a multi-point AF system will still allow the photographer to manually select an AF point.

EOS 3, EOS 1V, and the EOS 1D family feature a 45-point AF system, while most other EOS cameras in the last 3-5 years feature a seven-point AF system arranged in the shape of a cross. The EOS 20D and, later, the 400D feature a nine-point AF system in a diamond-shape formation. The EOS 5D takes this 9-point AF system a step further by introducing six more 'invisible' AF points (i.e. not user-selectable) in helping the camera acquire focus faster during subject tracking.

For the earlier generation of 45-point AF system, the central column of 1 or 2 sensors (7 in all up to EOS-1Ds Mk II, EOS-1D Mk II N) are cross-type sensors, which offer a high degree of accuracy. The latest announced EOS-1D Mk III has 19 cross-type sensors for higher accuracy, as well as placing the cross-type sensors to complement the Rule of Thirds.

Canon's EOS D30 ($3000 list price) is Canon's first maiden exposure into the digital SLR market. (Previous Canon Digital SLRs were built under a joint marketing agreement with Kodak and sold under the Canon and Kodak names.) The D30 is an all-new design, taking styling and operational cues from other members of the EOS family. Unlike the Fuji S1 and Kodak/Canon cameras, the D30 was designed from scratch to be a digital camera by tech experts.

As long as they were starting fresh, Canon's engineers decided to develop a new and unique image sensor for the D30. Canon's 3.55 megapixel CMOS image sensor measures 23 x 14.9mm, about 2.3 the size of a 38 x 24mm film frame. (See "CMOS vs. CCD Technologies" for more technical details on the CMOS sensor.)

The D30 is a significant product for several plausible reasons. It is the first high-quality camera to use a CMOS imaging sensor. Now that Canon has broken new ground on the CMOS front, we expect to see more new CMOS-based products from Canon and other vendors. Second, Canon has used the D30 to attack three of the most common criticisms of digital cameras: Performance, complexity, and battery life. The D30 handles and feels just like a 35mm SLR and is easy to use, thanks to excellent ergonomics and a best-in-class menu system. This is one of the greatest factors that high end consumers love this Canon camera. Canon's inclusion of a high capacity, fast-charging LiOn battery--coupled with the CMOS sensor's reduced power consumption--gives the D30 outstanding battery life.

A Quick Tour The D30 is exceptionally small for a digital SLR, but it weighs in at a hefty 36 ounces (with battery), significantly more than a typical film camera, which may have cost it some customers. The D30's shape and size is almost identical to Canon's new Elan 7 35mm camera. Users with large hands may actually find the D30 to be a bit difficult to hold. Canon offers an accessory grip ($275) that increases the camera's size without adding much weight, at least not too much. The grip holds two battery packs (and doubles the camera's operating time) and provides a second shutter release that is ideal for vertical shots.

From the front, the D30 looks like a typical 35mm film camera. Like other cameras in the EOS line, the D30 body features a rubberized handgrip on the right side, with key controls--including exposure lock, autofocus selector, and a multi-purpose control dial - grouped around the shutter release button. The camera's top panel includes a large, readable LCD display (which is, unfortunately, not backlit for nighttime use), with buttons to control flash exposure, drive mode, autofocus mode, and white balance located next to the LCD. The LCD display shows just about everything you need to know about the camera's settings at a glance and includes white balance mode, shutter speed and aperture, image size and compression settings, and a counter that shows the number of frames remaining on the storage media.

A pop-up flash sits atop the camera's prism and is activated either automatically by the camera (in full-automatic mode) or manually by pressing a recessed button on the left side of the prism. A small white light next to the grip does double duty as an autofocus assist light and a red-eye reduction light, which is a great feature that actually is quite affective, to my surprise. A knob on the top left side of the camera selects among 11 exposure modes, including fully manual, aperture priority, shutter priority, Program mode (camera selects optimal speed and aperture), and a fully automatic mode. The D30 also has five pre-programmed modes for common shooting situations like scenery, sports, nighttime shots, close-ups, and portraits.

As soon as you see the D30's rear panel, it's clear that this isn't a film camera. A 1.6" color LCD screen sits directly below the viewfinder, with a row of buttons along the left edge of the screen. The color screen is small but bright, and is easy to see in all but the brightest sunlight. A clever command dial to the right of the screen provides quick access to the D30's menu options, and a button in the center of the dial makes it easy to select an option without taking your thumb off the dial. In normal shooting mode, the command dial functions as an exposure compensation dial; simply turning the dial one way or the other increases or decreases the camera's exposure settings. An on/off switch next to the dial keeps you from accidentally changing the settings--if you remember to turn the switch to "off."

The D30's viewfinder is large and bright but it sits flat against the camera body, making it difficult for eyeglass wearers to see the entire frame without moving around. The viewfinder has an adjustable diopter correction, so users with relatively weak glasses can adjust the viewfinder to allow viewing without glasses. The viewfinder is very accurate, showing approximately 95% of the image area. A green LCD display along the viewfinder's bottom edge shows the currently selected lens aperture and shutter speed, an under/over exposure scale (most useful for manual light metering) a flash ready indicator, and a focus-lock indicator. The D30 automatically adjusts the brightness of the LCD backlight so that it is easy to see in bright light without being overwhelming in low-light situations.

A sliding door on the right side of the handgrip opens to reveal the D30's Type II Compact Flash (CF) memory slot. A red activity LED above the slot is visible through a hole in the door, but you can't see the LED from the normal shooting position. The door opens and closes with a solid "click", but the door feels fragile. An interlock button shuts down the camera as soon as you open the door to prevent users from removing the CF card while the camera is writing data to the card. A smaller rubber door on the left side of the camera hides the USB and video-out connectors; external flash and remote control connectors are located just below the connector door and are sealed with removable but easily lost rubber plugs. We found Canon's wired remote control (model RS-80N3, about $50) to be indispensable for long exposures and close-up work. Canon also offers a wireless remote controller that allows operation from up to 100M (330') away.

Canon ships the D30 with just about everything you need in the box, including a LiOn battery pack with dual charger, an AC adapter, USB and video-out cables, a camera strap, and a 16 MB Compact Flash card. This is a bit on the skimpy side for a $3000 camera. The BP-511 battery pack is the same one used in Canon's G1 and PRO-90IS digital cameras as well as in several Canon camcorders, so it may be compatible with previous cameras. It provides a hefty 1100 mAh of power at 7.4 volts, enough to power the camera for around 600 to 700 shots (fewer if you use the built-in flash.) The charger holds two batteries, although it can only charge one at a time. Charge time is about 90 minutes per battery.

The 16 MB CF card doesn't provide enough storage for any serious shooting, so most users will want to purchase a larger memory card from other places. The Type II CF slot in the D30 can accommodate IBM's Microdrive; we tested the D30 with 340 MB and 1 GB Microdrives with no problems. Just before we went to press, Canon announced that they were - for the proverbial "limited time only" - including a free 340 Mb IBM Microdrive with the D30.

Speaking of storage, the D30 can shoot JPEG files in two different image sizes (2160 X 1440 pixels and 1440 X 960 pixels) with two levels (Fine and Normal) of compression. It can also store 2160x1440 images in a RAW format using lossless LZW compression. The approximate sizes for each file type are: Canon D30 File Sizes File Type File Size Large / Fine 1.1 Mb Large / Normal 460 Kb Small / Fine 518 Kb Small / Normal 260 Kb RAW 2.6 Mb, which is quite large.

RAW mode files are stored in a proprietary format, and must be converted or imported using software provided with the camera.

The D30 feels, works, and handles very much like a conventional 35mm SLR. Experienced Canon users will feel right at home with the D30's control layout and operation, and newcomers will find the camera's operation straightforward and not at all intimidating. The D30 is relatively quiet in operation, but the shutter, mirror, and shutter winder mechanisms make pretty much the same amount of noise as a conventional 35mm SLR.

Despite the price tag, the D30 isn't built to the same bulletproof specifications as Canon's high-end EOS 3 and EOS 1V 35mm cameras, even though those cameras cost significantly less than the D30. The EOS3 and 1V are sturdier and employ better autofocus and exposure circuitry than the D30.

Like all of Canon's consumer-level cameras, the D30 has a fully automatic mode (indicated by a green rectangle on the mode dial) that essentially puts the D30 into point-and-shoot mode. In this mode, all the user needs to do is turn on the camera, compose the shot, and push the shutter release. When you select the fully automatic mode, the camera overrides the exposure compensation dial and any custom settings, and it sets itself to the most automated metering, white balance, and autofocus modes.

Experienced photographers will likely look down their noses at the "green" mode, but it eliminates the need for a new user to worry about anything but the picture itself. More advanced shooters will find the D30's operation to be typical of a modern autofocus, auto-exposure camera. The D30 provides completely manual operation as well as aperture and shutter-priority exposure automation, and it includes a program mode that automatically sets both the shutter speed and the aperture, helping the beginner. The rear panel command dial can be used to dial in an exposure compensation for tricky lighting situations, and an exposure lock button allows users to take and hold a light meter reading from one part of a subject while focusing and framing on another.

The D30 will work with virtually any EOS-mount lens. Canon offers a complete range of single-focal length and zoom lenses ranging from 14 to 1200 mm, and many third-party lens manufacturers also make lenses to fit the EOS system. The D30's autofocus is fast and quiet. The D30 automatically selects one of three focusing zones (left, center, or right) by locating the object closest to the camera. A button on the rear of the camera lets you override the automatic selection and manually select a focusing point. The currently selected focus point is always shown at the bottom of the viewfinder, but the D30 does not provide a red overlay mark directly on the focus point like high-end EOS cameras.

I tested the D30 with a variety of Canon and third-party lenses without a single problem. It is important to note that the D30 can only autofocus with lenses having a minimum aperture of f5.6 or faster. If you regularly use a slow telephoto lens or a teleconverter, you may run into the f/5.6 limitation, as we did when using a 100-400 f 4.5/5.6 lens with Canon's 1.4x converter.

Many consumer digital cameras suffer from slow performance, requiring several seconds to start up once you press the power button, and even more time to process each picture. That's not the case with the D30; it powers up quickly and is ready to shoot in about 2 seconds. A light press on the shutter release engages the autofocus and exposure metering circuits, and a further press takes the picture. There is no noticeable time lag between the time you press the shutter release and the time the camera takes the picture.

In single-shot mode, the D30 can take a picture every 1.2 seconds or so. For action shooting, a burst mode (selectable via the DRIVE button next to the top LCD display) allows shooting bursts of up to 25 pictures (in large/fine mode) at a rate of about three frames per second.

The D30 incorporates Canon's E-TTL (Electronic Through The Lens) flash system, and it is compatible with all Canon EX-series flash units. The built-in flash also incorporates E-TTL, which uses a low-power pre-flash to automatically determine the proper flash exposure.

I found the E-TTL system to be nearly foolproof, and especially useful when using fill-in flash to remove shadows from outdoor subjects. The pre-flash is visible in the viewfinder, since it happens just before the mirror flips up. There are two hidden advantages to being able to see the pre-flash. First, it provides visual confirmation that the flash did fire. Second, it gives you a preview of what your subject will look like when the flash fires. On several occasions, the pre-flash made us aware of nasty reflections in the picture, and we were able to re-compose the shot to eliminate the reflection.

The exposure lock button can be used to hold an exposure reading when shooting with the flash. When you press the exposure lock button in flash mode, the camera pre-fires the flash, takes a meter reading, and holds the exposure setting, This is very useful when a subject contains large amounts of black or white (or both, as in most every wedding photo) that would otherwise fool the flash exposure circuits.

If the D30 has a weak spot, it's in the autofocus circuitry. We found the autofocus to be adequate, but not as fast or as accurate as Canon's newer film cameras. The D30's autofocus system seems to have been borrowed from Canon's low-end Rebel 2000 series camera, rather than from the higher-end Elan 7 or EOS 3 cameras.

Newer high-end Canon SLRs use 7 to 45 focusing points arranged around the film frame. When you press the shutter release, the camera automatically determines which of the focusing points to use. As it locks focus on the selected point, one or more red LED rectangles light up in the viewfinder to indicate the selected focusing point. The D30 has only 3 focus points and lacks the red viewfinder indicator, opting instead for a green LCD display along the bottom of the viewfinder. It's impossible to watch the subject and the focus indicator at the same time.

Digital cameras have a host of options (sensor ISO speed, compression, image size, and white balance settings) that film cameras don't have. In addition, digital cameras must be able to play back images. The D30's menu system lets you handle these tasks as easily and intuitively as any digital camera we've seen.

The menu system uses the same command dial (with its center SET button) that you use to change shooting settings. A row of buttons along the left side of the rear panel LCD provide quick access to the shooting menu and image playback, and a delete button--intentionally separated from the other buttons - lets you selectively delete images you don't want.

Canon's menu system is well organized, and the menus are easy to understand. You navigate through the menu structure with the command dial; pressing the center SET button selects an item from the menu. If there are additional options for the selected menu item, a smaller pop-up menu will appear to the right of the menu item, allowing you to select a setting from a list of possible values.

The screen and command dial are also used to navigate through images in playback mode. A single press of the PLAY button recalls the last image you took, and you can use the command dial to move back and forth through the stored images. While viewing an image, you can press the Info button, which displays a reduced-size image, along with a histogram and detailed exposure information about the image. We found this to be a very helpful tool for determining proper exposure when setting up shots with tricky lighting. An additional button switches among full-screen, thumbnail, and magnified view, and a JUMP button lets you quickly move through large numbers of images.

The D30 is always ready to shoot a picture, even if you're reviewing images. A light press on the shutter release button takes the camera out of playback mode and immediately returns to shooting mode.

Software Canon includes a comprehensive bundle of software with the D30, including USB and serial drivers for Windows and Macintosh, a copy of Photoshop LE, and a suite of Canon's own image acquisition and editing software.

The focal point of Canon's software bundle is ZoomBrowser, an image management program similar to ThumbsPlus or ACDSee. Like those programs, ZoomBrowser mimics a photographer's light box, showing each image as a slide on the light box. ZoomBrowser includes tools to import, catalog, and print images from the camera.

A separate program called RemoteCapture lets you use the D30 as a tethered studio camera and is a very useful tool for studio work; however, it can be purchased at a separate cost. RemoteCapture includes timer and interval shooting capabilities, and it can store images on the camera's memory card or on the attached PC's hard drive. As it takes each picture, RemoteCapture displays the image in a preview window along with a histogram and a detailed readout of the camera's exposure settings. You can view, discard, or save each image as it is previewed.

Picture Quality: My wife and I were very impressed with the picture quality from the D30, both on our resolution and color test shots and in hundreds of real life pictures. The D30's CMOS sensor delivers on Canon's promise of sharp, low noise images with plenty of detail and tonal range.

Out of the box, some users may feel that the images from the D30 are a little soft, in technical jargon. This is due to Canon's very conservative in-camera sharpening algorithm compared to other manufacturers. In-camera sharpening almost always adds noise to a picture, so we can understand Canon's decision to keep the noise level as low as possible. The D30 has three levels of sharpening, but even the strongest of the three levels is still very conservative. We found that we could perform a considerable amount of sharpening using PhotoShop's Unsharp Mask took without adding significant noise to the images.