With an estimated street price now less than $2600, D30 sales have been and continue to be brisk!   The only other camera near it in price is the more expensive Fuji S1 Pro that uses Nikon lenses. The D30 offers more metering options and its continuous drive mode can be used in more than just the sports mode. The D30's battery life is better (and simpler) thanks to its one high-capacity lithium pack verus the S1's four-AA plus two 2CR5 battery source. If you're planning an all-day shot using the builtin flash you can attach the BG-ED3 battery grip which holds two batteries and automatically switches them when needed. It also gives you a portrait grip complete with vertical shutter release and control buttons. The battery grip will be very useful to those using big telephoto or zoom lenses as it gives you a very secure means to hold the camera.

Besides the smaller size and lighter weight, the D30 is making waves because it is the first high-performance SLR to use a CMOS image sensor rather than a CCD. In the past CMOS sensors were used in relatively low resolution devices like web cams and most people just accepted the fact that a good digicam had to use a CCD imager. CMOS devices have much lower power requirements, they are less expensive to produce and the image processing electronics can be easily integrated and placed on one chip that offers faster processing. Canon's new large-area CMOS sensor is placed behind an RGB color filter that acts like a low-pass filter but really serves to condition the light optimally for pickup by the CMOS sensor.

Canon has developed special high-speed electronics to handle the signal to digital image conversion and a particularly effective noise reduction system. This noise reduction comes into play automatically whenever the shutter speed exceeds one second. Processing time is increased accordingly but believe me, it is worth the short wait as the results of spectacular. I have a 30-second exposure that was shot in my living room using only a 100-watt incandescent bulb at the other end of the twenty-foot room. The white balance was custom set beforehand using a piece of white paper next to the subject. The exposure was 30 seconds and it was another half a minute after the shutter closed before the preview image appeared on the color LCD. It looked great on that little LCD and it looked even better on my desktop monitor. I was hard pressed to find a single "hot" pixel anywhere in the frame, a real departure from even a 2-second exposure on most 3-megapixel cameras that is littered with erratic red, green, or blue pixels (noise.)

So far the D30 has fully lived up to my expectations and apparently it has met or exceeded the expectations of the other reviewers as well. Even when you use the custom set to create a parameter with High sharpening the images are still on the "soft" side. This is not a bad thing as most people who will be buying this camera will probably be using PhotoShop or another graphic program to finish the images. If the camera over- sharpens the images then there is little you can ever do to recover them later so less is always better. To the untrained I'm sure there will be comments about the sample pictures such as, "they seem awful soft and maybe even flat looking." And when compared to the images that come out of the average consumer 3-megapixel camera I'm sure they will look that way. To get the best images out of the D30 I use the Quantum Mechanic Lite PhotoShop filter by CameraBits. It will sharpen & enhance in 48-bit color mode so you can work directly with the Canon RAW files. This is the best $99 investment you can make to visibly improve your image quality.

And speaking of RAW files ... this is one of the major benefits of the D30. Just like the raw NEF files from the Nikon D1, the Canon RAW files contain all 12-bits per color of the sensor data and really let you do some serious post-processing. These raw files are the digital equivalent of film negatives because you can read and convert them but you can't accidentally overwrite them after editing. And unlike the uncompressed 9MB TIFF images common to most digicams, the raw files are losslessly compressed down to just 3.5MB. Not to worry about storing them either, the D30 has a CompactFlash Type II card slot which means you can use the IBM Microdrive or any large solid state CF and CF2 cards. The software supplied with the D30 lets you apply any white balance, sharpening, saturation or contrast value when you convert the raw files. Never again worry about shooting photos outdoors with the camera set to flourescent white balance -- it doesn't matter. I'm sure that many users will opt for the Large/Fine mode JPEG images because they take up even less space and require no conversion and little to no post-processing.

The layout of the D30 is similar to the Kodak DCS cameras as it looks, feels and operates like a film camera. All of the camera and exposure controls are located on top of the camera in the usual places. The shutter speed, aperture, metering mode, white balance, exposure compensation, drive mode, flash mode, focus mode and the recording mode are changed using the top controls and indicated on the large monochrome data display. The digital half of the D30 is controlled by the buttons on the back located around the color LCD. The menu interface is clean and concise and requires very little time to learn "what does what." The most-changed parameters like image size, quality, redeye flash mode, AE bracketing and ISO are near the top and quickly accessed. Navigating the menu and making selections couldn't be easier thanks to the quick selection dial that is right where your thumb naturally falls on. The user ergonomics are excellent!

The 1.8-inch color LCD is the same type used on the S-10 and S-20 cameras and provides a much better review picture than the Kodak professional cameras. You can review your pictures in full screen, thumbnail index or thumbnail with histogram graph and exposure data modes. Besides the histogram you also get a "blinking highlights" type of thumbnail image to point out potential exposure problems. I do have to complain about the one-step (3x) zoomed playback mode though, it just isn't enough. I'd rather see a multi-level zoom with free scrolling, the way it is now you click your way around nine different portions of the image. The color and resolution of the LCD is very good and visible in all but "high noon" outdoor sunlight. The D30 is a real shooter's camera, when in review mode you need only tap the shutter button to be ready to grab the next shot.

The eyelevel viewfinder is large and bright and can be easily used by those wearing glasses thanks to a nice rubber eyecup and diopter adjustment. The viewfinder accuracy is stated as 95% and my own use has proven this to be true. This is about the same as you would expect from its film counterparts. There is a center circle and three focus points visible in the viewfinder. Along the bottom of the viewfinder is a digital display that lets you know the most important camera settings and the focus point at a glance. There's also a very useful exposure meter that displays a range of -2 to +2 EV so you can easily keep track of exposure compensation.

Autofocus and shutter lag times will vary depending on which lens, exposure and focus modes are being used. My review sample came with the Canon 28-135mm USM IS lens and most of the time I used the One Shot autofocus method and let the camera pick the focus point. Using it in this manner I hardly ever missed a shot, even when chasing rapid-moving jet skiers around at the beach. You can of course speed things up by using the AI Servo (continuous) autofocus mode and pre-selecting a given focus point. Canon claims the overall shutter lag of the D30 to be about the same as the EOS-1v which is exceptionally quick. In single drive mode you can rip off shots as fast as you can press the shutter button thanks to the fast autofocus system. Continuous drive mode is about 3fps which is considerably faster than the Fuji S1 at about 1.5fps. The autofocus system is enhanced in low-light conditions by the focus-assist lamp and is effective out to more than 15 feet even in total darkness.

The ISO sensitivity is variable from 100 up to 1600 and as you can imagine the images get rather grainy looking at 800 or 1600. But I have been quite amazed at how little difference there is between ISO 100 and 400 shots. There is a highly noticeable difference in the image quality of color film between 100 and 400 speed so it is a real kick to just be able to flip a switch and gain 2-3 stops when needed. I made a comment in my Canon Pro 70 review that this camera delivered very "film like" images and I am happy to report the same can be said about the D30.

The D30 offers enough exposure options to satisfy the needs of the neophyte, amateur or professional user. From a fully automatic mode that does everything (including popping up the flash when needed) for you to a fully manual mode where you set it all. And of course between those two modes you'll find shutter speed and aperture-priority, program AE with shift, A-DEP which is a mode where the camera gives you the best depth of field possible between the three focus points, and pre-programmed modes for night, sports, portrait, macro and landscape. The white balance is incredibly accurate and I rarely used anything but automatic even in low-light. Setting a custom white balance was very easy, simply put a white target in the center circle of the viewfinder and then snap the picture. Then you use the menu, select custom white balance and point the camera to the image to use as the reference. What's nice about this is if you shoot frequently under the same lighting conditions you don't have to keep calibrating the white point, just save the reference image for future use.

The builtin flash is one of the best I have ever used. It is effective for 28-85mm between 3.3 to 12 feet at ISO 100. Canon calls it E-TTL for evaluative through the lens exposure control and it works very well for filling in or for total illumination. The camera sets the exposure by metering a short pre-flash before the actual exposure and is incredibly accurate and difficult to fool. The camera also uses the AF-assist lamp as the redeye reduction device for the flash system. The lamp lights brightly and then gradually decreases its intensity before the flash goes off and works very well. Advanced users will like the FE-Lock (flash exposure lock) which lets you pre-meter the flash exposure and use it for the next shot allowing you to recompose but not vary the exposure.

The builtin flash will sync up to 1/200 sec or use the D30 with external speedlights like the Canon 550EX gives you flash exposure compensation from -2 to +2 in 1/2-stop increments, high speed shutter sync up to 1/4000 sec., flash exposure bracketing and wireless connectivity to other 550EX or 420EX speedlights. The benefits of using an external speedlight are well known to advanced amateurs and professionals, these users rarely ever use a builtin flash. Getting the flash "up and away" from the lens reduces the occurence of redeye. Bouncing the flash gives you more natural looking illumination without the harsh shadows and your subjects will certainly appreciate not being directly flashed in the eyes.

I'm still going to be updating this conclusion text over the next week or so but rest assured that I am very positive about this camera. With the D30 now showing up at the dealers I felt the need to get as much of this information out to the buying public as quickly as possible. I really don't like concluding a review of a camera this feature- rich after having only used it for just a week. If it gives you an idea of how much I like the D30, I have already bought one for myself. Oh yes, the printed manual that comes with it is excellent, my congratulations to the author(s). Besides informing you on how to work the camera, it gives you examples of when and what you would use a given mode or exposure feature for.

Check out the sample pictures, they speak volumes for the image quality of this camera.

Canon Posts EOS D30 Firmware Version 1.0.1.0 Update

Canon Japan has posted the EOS D30 Firmware Version 1.0.1.0 Update. Turn your D30 over and check the serial number plate, a camera having the following Body Number on the bottom needs the firmware update: xxx200001 to xxx599999 (ex. 0A1200001). The new firmware has already been installed by the factory in EOS D30 cameras starting with serial number xxx600000. A small paper sheet confirming the update will be inserted in the display box to identify modified cameras.

EOS D30 Firmware Version 1.0.1.0 solves a camera lock-up problem that occurs when the following camera operations are executed in sequence: 1. Turn the Menu ON, 2. Press the INFO button and 3. Turn the Main Switch OFF. This phenomenon can only happen when these operations are executed in sequence. Camera operation can be restored to normal by taking the battery out and putting it into the battery compartment again.

Bibble Now Decodes Canon D30 Raw Files

Many Nikon D1 users are already familiar with the Bibble program and they'll soon be joined by Canon D30 users tired of the slow TWAIN interface. Eric Hyman originally wrote Bibble as a way to decode the Nikon D1's NEF raw files. He has improved and refined the program over many months and it is now very well known in the digital pro-SLR world. There are Bibble versions available for Windows and Macintosh users and it includes a PhotoShop 5.5 plugin too.

The latest Bibble 2.4x program now has the ability to browse, load/save and batch process Canon D30 .crw files. It's still in beta but it's working very well as long as you remember to copy those .thm files over with the .crw files. If the corresponding .thm file is missing Bibble will crash if you try to load it. Once loaded you can make all kinds of adjustments to the raw file (white balance, gamma, adjust levels, sharpness, and exposure compensation) before passing it to the main program. Once in the main program you can again adjust most all of these parameters, the one-click white balance is an absolute life saver.

You can download Bibble and try it before you buy it but believe me, once you see what it can do you will buy it. The $99 fee is less than I've paid for many of my Photoshop filters that don't do a tenth of what Bibble does. I can't wait to see the future improvements of this fine program.

Canon EOS D30: Second Opinion

Visit Digital Outback Photo and read his Canon EOS D30 review.

First of all I cannot say that there is something in Steve's review I have to object to. The D30 is a wonderful camera with good color and a lot of details. Most of our (actually Bettina did most of the photos) photos used the ISO 200 setting just because we are used to that with the D1.

Technique: We photograph only in RAW mode and then open the file in Photoshop 5.5 using the D30 Twain Driver, apply some levels and do final sharpening with Quantum Mechanic Pro in 16bit mode. You can read about how we do it at my site on this page.

Birds in the Vasona Park

We are very lucky to live about 5 miles away from the Vasona Park in Los Gatos, CA. Since about a year we follow all the beautiful birds through the seasons.

Unfortunately Canon did not provide us with a tele lens (we asked for a 70-200mm), which is needed for most bird and wildlife photographs. But still we tried our best to capture some nice shots.

Bird photography is very challenging for any camera.

1. Birds' feathers demand as much resolution as you can get
2. Some birds are white and you do not want this white to get blown out.

Click to see full size image

Click to see full size image

Click to see full size image

Any critique about the D30?

Here are some points to mention:

1. Power-up is very slow compared to the D1
   
   
2. The software (ZoomBrowser, Twain Driver) is far away from being professional as it is slow, no has interactive corrections on full sized photos and does not really allow a decent workflow. All D1 users complain about Nikon Capture but I think that ZoomBrowser is not even up to it. But the software does a better job in WB (white balance) handling and the resulting photos speak for themselves.
   
   
3. Would be nice from Canon to open their proprietary compression algorithm to third party developers (Bibble, Qimage, CameraBits) with the result, that all these other software will even enhance the D30 photos. Some D1 owners might have dumped the cameras if there had not been Qimage and Bibble.