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October 09, 2004
Review :: Canon EOS 300D
It's been a while since a digital camera caused tidal waves among photography enthusiasts and hobbyists. The EOS D30 and EOS 10D rocked the world of digital SLRs when they were launched, and the EOS 300D looks set to carry on this tradition. This new camera will definitely spark frenzy among existing digital enthusiasts, and may even tempt obstinate film users to throw in the towel.
Design
At a glance, the basic specifications of the EOS 300D look strikingly similar to the 10D. There's the 6.3-megapixel sensor and seven manually selectable focus points. However, there are changes, although their significance will depend on individual shooting styles. Immediately noticeable is the number of frames stored in continuous shooting mode. The EOS 300D has a smaller buffer and can store only four frames compared to the 10D’s nine.
Other more obvious differences are the loss of some controls. Although the 300D supports partial, evaluative and centre-weighted metering modes, you can really select only partial metering, as this digital SLR automatically decides between evaluative and centre-weighted. Likewise, there are restrictions with focus tracking. The 300D does meter with the flash in some circumstances, but there’s no flash compensation, as found on the 10D. Hence, it’s possible to get slight overexposures on some of your shots.
Whatever the differences, with a suggested list price of just £766 (ex. VAT, body only), the EOS 300D is the market's most affordable digital SLR yet. Coupled with the company’s wide range of EF (Electro Focus) lenses -- more than 50 and counting -- and accessories, this camera is sure to draw more than a few diehard film-based SLR users to the digital camp. Besides being compatible with the ‘older’ EF lenses, the EOS 300D is also the first digital SLR to support Canon's new EF-S lenses. There's currently only one matching EF-S lens (18-55mm) available. This lens comes bundled with the 300D for a mere £85 (ex. VAT) more.
This aggressive pricing follows Canon’s strategy to carve out a greater share of the digital SLR -- and to a certain extent the semi-professional/enthusiast -- market. At £850 (ex. VAT; £999.99 inc. VAT), the EOS 300D represents good value for money.
Features
Like the recent spate of Canon digital cameras, the EOS 300D also incorporates the DIGIC (Digital Imaging Integrated Circuit) image processor for enhanced digital performance. Canon's proprietary DIGIC technology was developed specifically for use with its line of digital cameras, and combines the jobs of image processing and camera function control into one chip. DIGIC is much faster at image processing than a general-purpose CPU, and this extra speed makes it possible to incorporate higher-quality signal-processing algorithms to improve image quality.
The EOS 300D uses a 6.3-megapixel CMOS sensor that Canon claims is virtually the same as the one found on the 10D. The manufacturing process has been modified, probably for higher yields. In any case, the 300D has the same picture area and aspect ratio (3:2) as the EOS 10D. However, the sensitivity range has shrunk, with the ISO 3,200 setting dropped altogether. This leads us to believe the amplifier circuit is of a lower quality. Still, the low noise performance of the 300D remains impressive, with hardly any artefacts visible even at high ISO settings. To put things in perspective, we found the noise generated by the unit's ISO 800 shots comparable to ISO 200 pictures of some consumer digital cameras. This is a big advantage for low-light and indoor photographers, and should be one of the biggest positive factors over a similarly priced semi-pro/enthusiast model.
Performance
We had trouble clocking the 300D’s timings, as this is a distinctly sprightly performer -- responding as quickly as the EOS 10D before it. The EOS 300D's 7-point AF (autofocus) implementation seems to be virtually identical to that found on the more expensive 10D, despite its slightly different name. The AF proved just as fast and accurate, and worked well at lower-light levels, too. The seven focusing points are superimposed on the viewfinder and manually selectable for a high degree of control -- the placement of the AF points also lends itself to ease of focusing in either vertical or horizontal orientation, and with moving or off-centre subjects.
The AF-assist lamp found on the D60 -- but done away with on the 10D -- reappears in the 300D. Therefore, when the AF-assist lamp fails to help, the 300D fires micro flashes from its built-in speedlight to help illuminate the subject for more accurate AF operation.
The continuous shooting mode of the 300D allows for four frames at a rate of 2.5fps. However, we didn't find this to be limiting as the buffer cleared itself quite quickly and allowed us to take more shots while it discharges the remaining images in the cache. We think that most users won't have a problem with this small restriction.
By far the greatest gripe we have with the 300D is the lack of control over the metering modes. It's also particularly annoying that the default metering changes whenever you change shooting modes. Admittedly, the camera's evaluative metering gave us almost perfect exposures in its automatic setting. Even so, we did miss this flexibility that we'd become used to from the manufacturer's PowerShot series. We believe that Canon has deliberately dropped this function to provide more differentiation between the 300D and the more expensive 10D, so as not to cannibalise sales of the latter.
We tested the 300D with the relatively cheap EF-S (18-55mm F3.5-to-F5.6 zoom lens equivalent to 28mm to 88mm on a 35mm SLR) kit lens and were quite pleased with the results. The images captured were always sharp and detailed, with colours captured staying vivid. The rear elements of the new EF-S lenses sit further in the body compared to the existing EF variants. These are lenses designed to be used with digital SLRs. As the imaging area is more compressed on digital cameras -- the sensor is a fraction of the 35mm frame -- the lens are smaller and lighter.
Conclusion
We think our preview summed it up best: even if the 300D didn't support interchangeable lenses -- including the complete catalogue of Canon EF-mount products -- this digital SLR would still have great specifications for the price. It’s quite obvious that the EOS 300D will dominate the entry-level digital SLR arena for some time. To date, there's no announcement of a rival from Nikon and its affiliates -- at least in the sub-£1,000 (inc. VAT) price range. Despite its ‘programmed’ limitations, we think the 300D will be hard to beat in terms of value and performance, especially when priced against the likes of Minolta's Dimage A1 and Sony's DSC-F828.
Posted by robeva at October 9, 2004 10:44 AM
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