Canon EOS 30D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens

There are probably many people out there who are thinking about buying this camera to upgrade. If you own a 10D then the choice is pretty easy, as you get extra MP plus new features. However, what if you own the XT, is this a worthwhile upgrade? The answer is that it depends if you need the new features. Based on my personal experience, however, the answer is a resonating yes!

Also, if you are trying to decide between buying the XT or the 20D, take a look at the 30D. The 30D offers a great combination of features that you won't find in those two cameras.

SIZE MATTERS: yes my hands are big and I don't like holding the XT. In fact, that's what made the 20D appealing back when I was shopping for my first digital SLR, but it didn't offer much more than that. On the other hand, the 30D size is perfect with a much solid feel than my XT and I get more features with the 30D.

BIGGER LCD: The new 2.5 inch LCD screen (up from 1.8) is so much better than the one on the XT. Now I can look at the picture I have taken and actually see some details. That's very important because it cuts down on nasty surprises that I couldn't otherwise spot while shooting with the XT.

IMAGE PARAMETER: is awesome! I know how to set parameters on my XT to suit the shooting situation (portrait vs. nature for example). However, many of my friends who own the XT don't bother to make any changes. With the 30D, however, changing the parameters is as easy as dialing in what you are shooting. You set it on portrait and no more over saturated pictures of your friends! This new feature makes the professional level 30D extra friendly for amateurs.

1/3 ISO STOPS: That new feature makes taking test shots with the 30D much more enjoyable than with the XT. Hence, no more soft images with low shutter speed or too much depth of field with high aperture. Instead you can sacrifice an extra 1/3 stop of ISO and achieve correct exposure!

Aside from those four great improvements there are few nice features here and there. As for all other aspects of photography, like auto focus and light metering for example, this camera will not disappoint you. It beat my XT in every aspect, except price! Therefore, if you are comfortable making the investment get this camera, it rocks!

PS. ABOUT THE KIT LENS: I personally don't like the kit lens because it focuses slowly, renders colors poorly, and produces marginally sharp pictures. I say marginaly because it's a shame to couple the awesome 30D with such a low performance lens. Instead I would buy the body only and invest few hundred dollars in an excellent prime or a decent zoom. If you are new to photography, however, and not sure what to buy instead of the kit lens consider buying the 50 1.8 Canon lens along with the kit lens. That lens will serve as a good reference point for what you are missing by using the kit lens. Furthermore, the 50 mm lens goes for only $70 new. Use both lenses, learn the difference, and from there decide if it's worth it for you to buy different lenses. Good luck either way.

UPDATE APRIL 6: The 30D auto focus is superior to the Rebel XT. Generally speaking when I am out shooting in the forest preserve I make sure I take few exposures of the same scene without changing the composition. I do that because very often the camera would focus on the wrong object and render my pictures useless. The 30D on the other hand is better it focuses on the right object more often. It's just "smarter" in focusing, which mean that now I can take pictures of more scenes with my 512MB memory card. Prior to that, I had to fill up the card with multiple pictures of the same scenes.

UPDATE APRIL 30: Three new features have come in handy so far. Those are spot metering, controls layout, and ISO display in the viewfinder.

SPOT METERING: can be very useful in taking landscape images. From my experience, the evaluative metering found on the XT and 20D (more so in the XT) tends to create over exposed pictures in tricky situations. I usually take few exposures that are underexposed to combat this. Now with this new feature I can point at the object of interest, obtain an exposure reading, and then recompose and take my picture based on that reading. Thanks to spot metering this new approach provide accurate results and is much more convenient than filling up the memory card with several exposures of the same scene.

CONTROLS LAYOUT & ISO DISPLAY: Those two new features go hand in hand, as it's very easy to use the two wheels on the back and on the top of the camera to change settings that most important of which is (yup you guessed it) ISO speed. Once you change the ISO speed you will see the speed value being illuminated in the viewfinder, truly a piece of mind!

Canon EOS 30D More reviews

Canon EOS 6.3MP Digital Rebel Camera

I went digital 5 years ago. My first was one of the very old Olypus digitals; no removable storage, just a cable to the computer, 120 low resolution or 30 medium resolution shots and then the memory was full. The colors were always off, there was no zoom, and it was amazing that it worked at all. No wonder I also bought a pocket 35mm camera to take "real" pictures since the Olympus' were so small, grainy, and colorless. At least the 35mm had a datestamp option. 3 years later I bought the Canon PowerShot S30, then when I lost it (or had it stolen?) I replaced it with the S40. The PowerShot S50 sold today is the same body style with more pixels and a couple of annoyances fixed.

This camera is NOTHING like those cameras. I had plenty of complaints about the S30 & S40. My biggest gripe was missing the shot. I take pictures of children, especially at school functions. I would line up a wonderful shot, push the button... and they would move! They'd get up and walk away, they'd turn around, they'd crowd into the subject, I was missing 80% of my shots. About a year later, the shutter would finally click. So my hard drive is filled with so-so shots that would have been winners if that annoying delay hadn't gotten me... again!

No problem with the Digital Rebel. Press the button, focus is lightning-fast, then click goes the shutter. You look through the viewfinder to frame your shot, not at the back on those hard-to-read LCD screens. Several modes allow multiple pictures, just in case, such as in Sports mode. I am seeing such an improvement in my pictures since I got this camera a few weeks ago. First of all, they are always framed properly, because I'm not dealing with sudden motion after shutter release, nor am I dealing with an LCD for a viewfinder, or a "viewfinder" that makes me correct for parallax. Next, the colors are amazing. Third, 6.3 megapixels... when would I ever want that much? When I want to crop 80% of the picture and still print what's left!

It is great to have a camera with some heft that still doesn't feel like a brick. As everyone else says, get the kit lens. It is 18 to 55mm, so a nice wide-angle lens for group shots, etc. I find 55mm not close enough for shooting children; the S30/S40 I mention above has an 11-55mm range which I already knew to be insufficient for shooting kids. Thus I bought the Canon 28-200mm zoom lens and keep that one on the camera, only switching to the kit lens when I do big groups or a lot of similar portraits (that big zoom lens weighs four times as much as the body!)

Yes, it is an amazing camera for "under" $1000. Truth be told, I spent more than that on accessories; the 28-200mm lens was almost $500, with 6.3 megapixels you might as well buy the biggest flashcard you can, and that's 2 GB these days; you'll need a case, you really ought to buy skylight filters to protect those lenses from getting scratched, an extra battery is a really good idea... well, you see what I mean.

Still an amazing camera, especially after dealing with those tiny toys for all these years.

Canon EOS 6.3MP Digital Rebel Camera More reviews

Canon EOS 6.3MP Digital Rebel Camera with 18-55mm Lens

First of all this camera's price point marks a first in the digital SLR field. I would recommend this camera for someone that is tired of missing shots waiting for your CCD based digital camera to recycle. The cycle time with flash is at the most 1.8 seconds unless you have 4 or more pictures waiting to be spooled to the flash card. This is slower than other more expensive digital SLR's, but is FASTER than every non-SLR digital camera I have seen.

The battery life is remarkable to say the least of any other digital camera I have seen. The proprietary battery caused me a little concern, but it has such a rich history with Canon's other digital SLR's and PowerShot models, I felt comfortable. The battery just keeps on going and going too. I hope this battery can continue to perform like thes for several years down the road. When the advertisement states that you can get 300-400 pictures out of one battery, BELIEVE IT.. I intentionally ran the battery down one day and I would swear that I took somewhere around 500 pictures (90% of them using the flash) before the battery finally gave up. I have a 512mb flash card and it filled it up more than twice on the SAME battery..

The fit and finish left a little to be desired at first with the plastic body. I have come accustomed to using it and even though it's made out of plastic, I would like to see someone do a drop test to see how the case holds up against another digital SLR with a metal body. My money's on the injection molded Digital Rebel (if there is such a thing as SOLID plastic, this is it)..

If purchasing this camera, be sure to get Canon's SLR accessory pack for 69.95 and BestBuy (and others maybe). This pack contains an extra battery and a 58mm Canon UV lens. I use it on my lens as a permanent protector. The battery alone costs around 60 bucks and you get a bag and a filter to boot..

Some folks have complained that indoor photography sucks with this camera. DON'T believe everything you read!! I thought this at first, but when I set the camera in the P mode it allowed me to adjust the ISO level and indoor photography improved instantly. I will agree that the full auto mode should be used sparingly indoors. Now I have to worry about having pictures that are overexposed inside. No need for a mini studio as someone mentioned.. Just play with the camera for a while and you will learn so much. Besides this is digital.. You can see your mistakes before paying for processing..
Also, plan to purchase some other lenses (that's why you purchased a digital SLR to begin with, right). I purchased a 75-300 from BestBuy off their clearance rack (for a ridiciulous price for a Canon EF lens) and the lens works great. If you're good with the ISO settings and the program mode, you can take indoor shots with the zoom at full tilt! And speaking of zoom capability.. The focal point of the 75-300 lens actually has to go through the 1.6 magnification factor.. So to the camera the effective focal length of the 75-300 lens is actually 120 - 480 zoom. Sweet..

I haven't taken the camera to any sporting events and it gets dark so early now, I only have time to do daytime photography on the weekends. The amount of correction in the automatic mode works good for daytime photography.

The software on the PC for the camera was a little different at first. My last camera just hooked up to the computer and presented a file folder of images for download/review. The Canon software provides far more information about the camera, and all of the elements that went into making the picture. This has been very helpful for me to determine exactly which light balances to use for the best shots. I have also tried the direct capture to the computer and it rocks!! It told me I had like 11,000 shots left to take using the hard drive of the computer to transfer images.. I will say the USB connection between the software and the camera is a little slow. I wish this camera had a USB2.0 connection for faster speed, but hey no other digital-SLR offers that for ANY price (as far as I know).. I would certainly leave some money in the budget for a CF reader that works on USB 2.0.. About $45..

In closing, I find this camera to be a very good value for the money and look forward to other times I can do some creative photography. Availability for this camera may be a little scarce, but if you have to wait, I feel it will be well worth it. I have a friend that has a full EOS 35mm outfit complete with a few lenses, flashes, etc.. It may be time to play Lets Make A Deal since all of his components are (1) authentic Canon accessories, and (2) the Digital Rebel can use some older accessories..

Happy hunting..

Canon EOS More reviews

Canon Digital Rebel XSI 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens

The XSi is a significant step forward for Canon, and brings features to the upper end of the consumer market that were previously only seen in much more expensive professional equipment.

The most important reasons I like this camera are:

1. The kit lens (EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS) is very good for the price. It is as sharp as lenses costing $700 to $1,000 and has only minimally greater barrel distortion and no vignetting to speak of. There is a little bit more chromatic aberration than with more expensive lenses, but again it completely acceptable, especially for the price. The autofocus and image stabilization work reliably and quickly. For aficionados of professional grade lenses, the build will seem light, but a light and small lens is also easier to carry around. Overall, a big improvement over earlier Canon kit lenses.

2. The 12.2 megapixel sensor provides more than enough resolution. Even 8"x12" enlargements are highly satisfactory. We can look forward to the day when consumer-priced 35mm SLRs will have 30 megapixel full size sensors. At that point, the 35mm format will be maxed out in terms of resolution, as the lenses will not be able to keep up. In the meantime, this is as good as it gets. To give you an idea how good, on a shot of a 25 story building, every brick was clearly visible.

3. The camera is fast enough for essentially all non-professional use. With natural lighting (no flash) it shoots 3.5 frames per second, perfect for capturing kids or sports action.

4. Another great feature of the XSi is that it has all the manual controllability that advanced photographers want, but also has automatic modes that even a complete beginner can easily use. The performance of the preset automatic modes is surprisingly good under a wide range of conditions.

Having only had the XSi for a few weeks, I cannot yet say anything about the reliability of this new model. What I can report is that in more than 30 years of photography, I have found Canon products, both SLR and point and shoot, to be by far the most reliable. The Nikon, Olympus, and Pentax cameras I once owned have long since fallen by the wayside, but every Canon I have ever had, all the way back to a 1978 35 mm AT-1 SLR, is still going strong.

Canon Digital Rebel XSI More reviews

Canon Digital Rebel XTi 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens

[This is the same review I posted for the kit. If you're getting the body because you don't like the 18-55 lens, keep in mind that some dealers offer this camera in a kit with the much nicer 17-85 USM IS (image stabalization) zoom.]

The new Digital Rebel XTi camera should appeal to a wide variety of users: those wishing to upgrade from a point & shoot digital, or those wishing to improve upon their first generation digital SLRs. Features and value make this a 5-star camera, but it won't be everyone's cup of tea.

Compared to the previous Digital Rebel XT, important improvements are:

1) 10.1 megapixels. In digital camera circles, this is like saying a car has more horsepower than an older car. While this alone doesn't mean "better" pictures, in reality, combined with other improvements in hardware & software, the results typically are better.;

2) 2.5" LCD panel. This alone has more than one advantage. The obvious first one is that our pictures look larger in review. The second, and for someone approaching 50 (like myself), is that the LCD is now used for all the camera's data (shutter speed, aperture, shots left, etc.). It's much easier to read than the small LCD typically located on the top of the cameras. It might use up the batteries quicker, but, heck, if you can see the info this much easier, then so be it. One complaint, it does not appear that the data rotates when you do verticals (like the Sony Alpha 100).;

3) 9-point AF. The number of points are improved from 7, but the real key here is that it's the system from the 30D, which had a much higher degree of accuracy than the previous Rebels.;

4) Picture Styles. I didn't really appreciate them at first, but simply put, this is like the days of film, when we could use a "portrait" film or "landscape" film. For those that don't like to do a lot of computer work, these can be VERY handy in getting the right look in the camera.;

5) Dust cleaning system. OK, I think the dust problem will probably be a little overblown, now that Canon offers a solution, but it is a real, if not great, threat. Additionally, the way Canon has implemented it is second to none. The first is through hardware. An ultrasonic filter can simply shake the dust off. Second is through software. If you spot a nasty piece that won't shake off, you can do a reference shot, and have the dust removed by software on your computer.;

6)The grip has been improved a little. The rubber on the grip is improved, and an anti-slip strip has been placed on the back where the right thumb goes.

Most all other things Canon is know for still exists. The camera focus fast and quietly. Camera operations are quick and easy to locate and use. Pictures look great.

Now for the other side. This is an unusual time in that all the big players are comming out with a 10 megapixel camera at the same time, so the Canon has some stiff competition. Here goes a simple comparison.

1) Compared to the other two cameras already available, the Sony A100 and Nikon D80 (both also 5-star cameras), the XTi is considerably smaller, and somewhat lighter. Some will like this, even some with medium to medium-large hands. But most people with larger, and some with somewhat smaller hands may prefer the other two choices.;

2) The battery is somewhat smaller than its rival's, and may drain a bit faster due to the LCD being used for info all the time.;

3) Functionally, the rear LCD is not as nice as the Sony's. The Sony's rotates, can be set to enlarged type (50+ user again), and the system that turns it off as your eye approaches also starts the AF on the Sony. [Although many like the top LCD, the Nikon way of needing to push a button on the back, then peak over the top to see what you're setting is not as nice].;

4) No in camera stabalization. The A100 can shift the sensor to help eliminate camera shake. Nikon and Canon require you to purchase rather expensive lenses to get the anti-shake.;

Also, soon to be added to the competion will be the Pentax K10D. Specs are sketchy right now, but it appears to be enter the competition as a 10 megapixel camera with built-in anti-shake (much like their K100D).

Of these 3 currently on the market, the Canon is the least expensive; therefore, it's up to the other 2 to show they are worth more, a very difficult task, indeed.

Canon Digital Rebel Xti More reviews

Canon EOS 20D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens

If you want the full hard core review of this camera you need to be looking somewhere like [...] because there's far more to this camera than a normal user will ever meet.

Having said that we are left with just the little bits and pieces a normal user would use.

The camera is actually a little smaller than optimal for a person with average sized hands, the little finger of the right hand has nowhere to sit and the EOS10D actually feels better. But in normal use you won't notice this. The viewfinder is small, in many cases you just have to trust that it really has done a good job of focus because there isn't enough image for you to see for yourself. I find it quite difficult to be certain that I even have the camera level. It's also not the brightest viewfinder you ever saw.

Battery life is very good, even powering an image stabilized lens, I just filled a 1Gb card on a single battery, that's a few hundred images and the battery still isn't showing low.

Dust has been a small issue, there are cameras now that will clean their own sensor but this isn't one. I eventually found a good hand air blower. You can not use canned air or a brush to clean the sensor, either can damage the camera badly. Once I got the dust off, it was there from new, it has remained clean. So maybe it's not that much of an issue. I use Tokina 24-200, Canon 50mm and Sigma 80-400 OS EX lenses, so I do change the lens fairly often, so perhaps dust isn't that big an issue.

Switch on is unbelievably fast, slow switch on times have cost me numerous shots with other cameras, with the 20D the camera is on by the time you realize the switch has clicked into place. Speaking of which, on a camera with excellent ergonomics the on-off switch is about the only thing that doesn't come to hand well, but it's not a factor in normal use. Just not perfect.

Low light performance has been excellent, the camera will shoot at 800 or even 1600 ASA with no apparent noise. You can even configure it to use 3200ASA, but you get significant noise effects with some faint horizontal lines and grain like effects, though I was shooting under sodium light. Even at 3200ASA the pictures are better than with fast print film under similar conditions.

You do need to be mindful that the exposure controls on this camera really do do what they say, you need to keep your eye on the shutter speed and aperture to get the shot you think you want, this isn't an instant camera that will just make the most of it. Most of the time the idiot modes, sport or scenic or whatever, will actually do a good job of picking the right settings. If you are in a hurry then use the built in functions. For example, in sports mode it switches to predictive autofocus, shutter priority and continuous shooting, which are all good choices.

The autofocus is excellent, however in programmed modes you need to pay attention to which of the focus zones it has actually selected. If there is something closer to you than the subject you may need to select the correct focus point, fortunately this is very easy to do, you can hit the control and then select the focus point using the joystick, both with your right thumb.

Another minor irritation to me is that if you are using the fully auto mode, which does a very good job of most things, it will sometimes select the flash even though the autofocus should tell it that the subject is way out of range. Perhaps I expect too much?

Picture quality? Well, unless you have an absolutely perfect lens and need to make 36" wide posters you are unlikely to find that the camera is a limiting factor. I'm actually waiting to see an Epson R1800 because the current generation of printers can't reproduce the quality I have available with this camera and my lenses.

The built in flash is inadequate and the flash metering is soometimes poor, I was taking pictures near a road recently and whenever a reflective sign was in shot the picture was under exposed. Recharge times are pretty poor too, but I think the built in flash should be regarded as an emergency or backup method only, if you are serious then you need a serious flash. I'll be adding either the Speedlite 580EX or a Metz 54 flash in the near future.

I'll also be adding an L-series lens in place of the Tokina, the Tokina is OK, but not good enough for my brothers wedding.

Would I buy it again? Sure. Will I trade for the next great EOS digital to come on the scene? Unlikely. Maybe if it has a larger viewfinder and a 35mm sensor, but this camera already does way more than I need.

Canon EOS 20D More reviews

Canon EOS 50D 15.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens

I moved to this camera body from a Canon EOS 10D model 2003. That camera served me very well throughout the years, but it had some limitations.
In all aspects this new EOS 50D camera seriously outperforms the other camera on a large margin.
As a sign of excellently built and sturdiness, this camera with a Tokina 12-24 ATX Pro zoom lens and a Speedlight EX-430 flash attached, recently fell on the wood floor of my house, from my tripod. Tripod was faulty and the head separated from the tripod body. I was horrified. To my amazement, nothing happened. I do not know how lucky I was, but I won't ever play with my luck again. I bought a new tripod since.
LCD display: 3" diagonal, bright, high res. LCD display, easily viewable indoors and out, a pleasure to use, compared to the small 1.8" diagonal LCD display of the EOS 10D.
Exposure meter: much more accurate, compared to the older camera. Canon cameras, over the years typically underexposed, when a wide angle lens was used. This one seems to have overcome that issue. Extremely accurate exposures on evaluative metering, with or without flash.
Color accuracy: an improvement over EOS 10D. in order to achieve vibrant, true to life colors, I used to crank the saturation control on the older camera to the max. This one seems to achieve true and vibrant colors on "standard" pic mode... however this "standard" pic mode, also cranks saturation to high :)
Pictures noise: very low noise on high ASA/ISO setting. I read several reviews stating that compared to EOS 40D this camera is more noisy. I do not know the 40D much, but compared to 10D, this camera shines at high ISO settings. I used ISO 3200 and pics are very smooth. At Hi sensitivity setting (presumed ISO 6400), the noise is visually comparable to ISO 1600 settings on the older camera (on a 23"LCD computer screen). I did not try yet the 12800 (Hi-2) setting, but I have heard it is noisy.
Resolution: 15 mpixels... WOW! Images are razor sharp and extremely detailed. I did quite well with 6 mpixels on EOS 10D but this is amazing.
Flash card read/write speed: I am using Sandisk Extreme III flash memory cards. It may be even better with Extreme-IV series. Transfer speed from the camera body to the PC and also using a Sandisk extreme USB 2.0 reader, extremely high. Files simply zap, even 20 MB RAW files... Amazing!
Well done Canon! I am extremely pleased with this camera. I may however be not the most demanding or critical person in reviewing this camera body.
And Amazon did a nice job with a very competitive price (for a US model camera) and by shipping and delivering in just 2 days (with special annual membership plan).

Canon EOS 50D More reviews