Canon EOS D30 3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

If you want the ultimate in digital photography, the Canon D30 is the ticket as of December 2000 -especially if you already own Canon EOS lenses, because they're completely compatible. Canon won't call this a "Pro" camera, because it's not as weather-tight as pro models, but the body is rugged and the output is first-rate.

The D30 has enough features for professional photographers, yet a novice can get great looking pictures from the start. As you learn more about the camera and its capabilities, your images really start to shine.

Want to experiment with long-exposure photography? Go right ahead! Feedback is instant. No more waiting for processing. No more developing costs. Want to blow up your photo to 8x12 inches? No problem. With a little massaging via Adobe Photoshop (tm) and/or Genuine Fractals (tm), even poster-sized prints look great, using photo paper and a photo-quality inkjet printer. Software to get you going, including Photoshop LE, is included.

The D30 accepts IBM Microdrives (1 gigabite of storage in the camera!) as well as compact flash. The included 16 meg flash card is enough to test the camera, but you'll really want to get something bigger, right away. The D30 offers a variety of image compression options -including the Raw format, which allows the most flexibility and avoids jpeg artifacts. The wide variety of storage options means freedom to shoot at will and experiment. An included cable allows you to connect your camera to your computer's USB port and download images at will.

As I said, all Canon EOS lenses will work with the D30, but there is one difference to consider. Because the CMOS chip is smaller than a 35mm negative, the field of view is different. For example, a 100 mm lens on an EOS film camera works like a 160 mm lens on the D30. They call it a 1.6x multiplier effect, but what it means is that long-distance shooting is easier, and to get wide angle shots, you have to get a REALLY wide lens. For example, a 14mm aspherical wide angle results in a 22mm wide angle shot on the D30.

When the D30 was first released in the Fall of 2000, the demand was far beyond what Canon could produce... in the United States and around the World. As of this writing, the cameras are still in short supply, but well worth the effort and the investment. Kudos to Amazon for adding the D30 to their digital photography offerings.

All of the nice things you're hearing about this camera are true. If you already own a camera in the Canon EOS line and are ready to upgrade to digital, this is the path you want to take. It has all the features a sophisticated amateur wants, plus a healthy serving of "professional" features thrown in. And as others have said, all the lenses and most (not all) of the accessories you already have will work with the D30.

There are a few drawbacks, however... For one thing the autofocus relies on an incandescent lamp rather than the infrared found in nearly all other EOS models. This is a curious choice on Canon's part, it almost seems like they didn't throw in professional-quality autofocus for marketing reasons, since there's a true pro-level Canon digital SLR due out later this year.

Another drawback is that the included software, called ZoomBrowser EX, is not that great. It's designed to help you capture, download, and catalog your digital images, but it runs out of steam once your image library grows to a non-trivial size, and if you want to merge databases because you've done collection on another computer, the software more-or-less becomes unusable.

Also, you end up paying a lot more than $3000, even if you already have the lenses from your other Canon EOS camera. First comes the Compact Flash cards (you really need to get at least two of these so you always have a spare). Figure on getting at least two 128MB CF cards, if you really must have a microdrive that will cost you more. Plan on getting an extra battery too. Then there are the Canon accessories, like a better (infrared) autofocus lamp, an electronic timer for long exposures and intervalometer work (which the included remote-capture software does not do well), and you get the idea... you really have to budget $4000.

Having said all that, this camera really is a joy to use, and once you get used to the instant feedback, your shooting skills will improve, and you'll start getting compliments on how good you are. It really *is* that *good* of a camera. Just be warned that you are jumping into the deep end of digital photography if you get this camera. ... ;-).

Buy Canon EOS D30 3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) Now

Awesome Camera. If you are interested in the sharpest digital photos this is the camera for you. I recommend the Canon EOS D30 unequivocally; it is the best you can buy without breaking the bank. If you already own one of the Canon EOS' then your lenses will fit. The compact flash included is pretty skimpy and my Speedlite 430EZ didn't work. Picture quality is outstanding. Read some of the comparisons with the Nikon and you will see that the D30 beats it for about two grand less. I am totally enthusiastic about it. The instruction booklet is clear and easy to follow. You can use the new 340MB to 1 gig mini-drives to store a whole vacations worth of pictures. I recommend the Speedlite 550EX to expand your abilities.

Read Best Reviews of Canon EOS D30 3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) Here

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We have tried many digital and analog camera and we are currently working with a total of 7 cameras and one of the most valuable is the D-30.

Our main digital photo cameras are Olympus E-10 and Canon D-30. Both are working well with MicroDrive 340 MB.

A little comparison of the two cameras :

The Canon D-30 camera is perfectly designed for photo reports, quick sequences, dynamic pictures and offers the possibility to change the lense. We use this camera specially outdoor and she delivers brilliant pictures. The way how to make pictures with the D-30 is very similar to analog photography.

Olympus E-10 has a higher resolution, perfect for more artistical oriented pictures, the chip and the lense are very sensible for light and you can shoot in dark conditions. The camera is working slowly and quick senquences or dynamic pictures are very diffcult to shoot. The feeling of making pictures with the E-10 is different from traditional analog photography and only experience will teach the photographer to make correct decisions, specially regarding dark light conditions and the usage of flash.

In other words, if you are searching for a camera that : will mainly be used outdoor should have changeable lenses (compatible with almost all Canon EF lenses) setting quickly the correct autofocus storing quickly the pictures displaying quickly the images in the control LCD monitor large battery and image storing capacities then the D-30 is exactly what you need.

Precautions : use only brand compact flash memories (we had problems with CompactFlash memories of different noname producers) MicroDrives should not exceed 340 MB (big MicroDrives become hot and the reliability of the camera is not insured) 1 battery pack should be enough for approximately 600 pictures. Think to buy enough battery packs.

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Wow! This camera makes photography fun! I am by no means a professional photographer, but I do take a lot of pictures and try my best to compose, light, and develop good shots. This camera makes it very easy to experiment with different types of conditions on the fly. The resolution is more than enough to get excellent digital images, and the electronics are top notch so far. My first SLR, a film-based Nikon, is a good performer, but messing with the film is painful, and unless you take really good notes, you cannot match the settings to the frame as easily as you can with this camera. The D30 makes learning the techniques so much easier and more satisfying.

A couple of drawbacks -the default settings for capture format is large JPEG, instead of the native RAW format. It is a simple task to set this, but I took a number of pictures before I figured out (upon download to my PC) that I wasn't using the RAW format. Also, I recommend at least adding a 128MB flash card. The 16MB card you get with the camera is not useful unless you live by your PC -it really is only good for a quick demo. I can get 93 images (large JPEG) on a 128MB card, which was enough for me to shoot a day's worth of shots and then delete the stuff I didn't want at the end of the day using the camera's editing features.

This camera is more than enough for a wannabe photographer, and makes "going digital" worthwhile because you get everything you need in one package -ease of use, SLR features (changeable lenses), and a good price in this category. This is a nice product.