Author Topic: 30D comments please (Read 4834 times)

ichiro17 · « **on:** May 11, 2007, 13:45 »

Just wondering what your thoughts are for the Canon 30D?

Some topics I'm interested in hearing about:

Noise
Image quality (i suspect this is a no-brainer)
Battery life
Anything else you have to say

Thanks,
Joseph

BTW - Yuri's 1000 DL milestone is fantastic. Quite a groundbreaking milestone if you ask me.

stokfoto · « **Reply #1 on:** May 12, 2007, 10:01 »

I was expecting some 30D owners to respond first,but no one did so far.
so I'd like to give my opinion on that but my oppinnion is just based on reviews and things that is said by some of my friends who own the camera.
currently I have a canon 350D ,when you compare the two 30D seems to be a lot better,in terms of noise issue,having a well shaped body(a lot stronger) ,which also weighs more than 350D,which I think reduces camera shake when using hand held. and above all what attracts me about 30D is sport metering feature that it offers. and once again according to reviews I read it focuses faster than 350D especially in low light conditions.
I have been thinking about upgrading my 350D for a 30D but decided not to .because if I trade my current camera I will still have to pay some significant amount to do so,despite all the cool features 30D offers,I decided to wait until 5D prices goes down a bit more ,which will mean I could be upgrading for a full frame camera instead of 1.6 crop factor one and 12mp is also an extra value for the change.
to some up if it is going to be your first DSLR I'd go for 30D (or 5D if you can afford it) after that like we all know you will have to invest in decent glasses.
edit:sorry for the typos:)

sharply_done · « **Reply #2 on:** May 12, 2007, 10:35 »

I've owned a D60, a 10D, and a 20D - all similar cameras. Of the three, I liked the D60 the most - only because it had a little button in the middle of the back wheel that I could program. I had mine set to change ISO, which was super-handy for shooting performance and events (when lighting conditions change quickly and often). I sold my D60 because of it's limited ISO capability - ISO1000 just wasn't enough.

I've also use a 350D, which I would not recommend if you are at all serious about making images. I consider exposure compensation to be one of the most important features of a camera - the implementation of this on the 350D is clumsy and awkward (involving the simultaneous pressing of a button and spinning of a wheel). Exposure compensation can easily be done while composing on Canon's more 'senior' cameras. I also noticed an unsettling tendency of exposure change with aperture with this camera: an image shot at f/16 will be (much) darker than the same scene shot at f/5.6. A minor annoyance, and one that I could perhaps live with if exposure compensation wasn't so clumsy.

Given your limited budget, you may want to consider the purchase of a used 10D or 20D. A 20D has the same resolution as a 30D while the 10D is 12% lower - not much of a difference. I haven't checked prices, but it's probably a good bet that a 10D will give you the biggest bang for the buck.

Regardless of which model you get, you should strongly consider getting the battery grip for it. Although battery life is pretty good with these cameras, you'll begin to approach 1D/1Ds battery life by having two batteries in the camera. Having a battery grip will also allow you to use a hand strap together with a neck strap, which makes the camera easier to carry.

stokfoto · « **Reply #3 on:** May 12, 2007, 11:52 »

Quote from: sharply_done on May 12, 2007, 10:35

Regardless of which model you get, you should strongly consider getting the battery grip for it. Although battery life is pretty good with these cameras, you'll begin to approach 1D/1Ds battery life by having two batteries in the camera. Having a battery grip will also allow you to use a hand strap together with a neck strap, which makes the camera easier to carry.

what about having some spare bateries in your pocket instead of a battery grip,I am not too sure if a grip is really necesarry unless you are shooting sports or action since changing batteries could just take some seconds. (don't know the price's of them but a battery grip means extra cost,which could be avoided with some third party spare batteries in your bag -there are some reliable ones around- infact even if you have the grip you will need extra batteries-

sharply_done · « **Reply #4 on:** May 12, 2007, 12:01 »

True enough.

The battery grip also adds extra weight and bulk - things that are a premium if you are on a trek.

Freezingpictures · « **Reply #5 on:** May 12, 2007, 16:51 »

Well I am not a 30D owner too.
I wanted to upgrade to the 5D instead of the 30D. Now I am not so sure about that. The price difference is still a lot and my lenses are not the best. So then I considered the 30D. I read a few reviews, here are some helful infos of photographers who bought that camera:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=299&sort=7&cat=15&page=1
Thanks to Geopappas, a very helpful site.

What we should remember as far as rumors are going arround, there might be a new camera coming out in August. Someone say Canon brought out a new model every 18 month. And this summer it is time for a new model in the 30D class. It might be available in September.
That might also be the reason for the cashback program. Here in Germany it stops at the beginning of the summer. They might want to get rid of the old models, before they introduce the new models.

If that is true prices will drop for the 30D. And if there will be a 40D, it probably has some new nice features. 10Mp at least is my guess, because of the 400D.
Maybe I will wait until they bring it out. Right now the price for the 30D is allready a good deal I would say.
I once had the 350D in my hand and looked a little bit at it. I can tell you if you have a 30D in your hand you won't look back at the 350D or the 400D. Just the feeling is so different and I missed the adjustment wheel on the back of the camera which is so useful, if you have it. Thats why I would not trade my D60 for a 400D, even if you have a lot more MPs.
My guess is you will like the 30D

Smithore · « **Reply #6 on:** December 14, 2007, 12:16 »

I've owned 300d, 20D and actually the 30D.
20D and 30D are the same in term of image quality and have less noise than 10D at high iso level.
I've tried yesterday a 5D and it's another world, think buying one before next year.
40D is 30D equivalent with 2Mp more, but no change in noise and details extraction...so few...

graficallyminded · « **Reply #7 on:** March 27, 2008, 18:46 »

I've been watching for a 20D - once I see one around 400-450 for the body, I think I'll pick one up. I can then get a cheap kit lens to start out with (18-55 or something) for $100 and then trade that in when I decide what "good" lenses I really want. I don't want to get into a big money pit, so I am figuring that I'll start out small with an older body, get some decent glass, and then maybe upgrade to a newer body in the future. I really would like to get whatever the successor to the 40D is (50d maybe?) once it has better live view, like the new Xsi 450d is going to have. I hate the feel of the rebels, they feel like DSLR point and shoots to me. Lower end Nikon DSLRs (D40x, D40) feel more solid, yet they're still small in my hands.

It kills me...I make enough most months with selling stock photos to have enough to buy a DSLR setup. I just can't blow the money on photography equipment. I just got married less than a year ago, and I'm trying to pay off some debt and save for another used car. I know it will pay for itself, but for now I need to be smart, prioritize, and if I do get a DSLR just start small.