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pumbaa
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Registered: Mar 18, 2007
Location: France
Posts: 30
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Review Date: Mar 18, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Better construction compared to 3xxD or 400D series, 9 points AF. Dynamique range.
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Cons:
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Body's grip is not big enough to hold, even the Nikon D50 in this aspect.
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I switch to this camera from the black 300D. I feel the 300D's grip is bigger and easier to hold than that of 30D. Since the 300D has almost the same sizz as this 30D so that i dont feel much improuvement in term of construction but in term of image quality, there is a huge difference.
The 30D gives better colors accurate and its image's dynamique range is really excellent especially when shooting portrait on a sunny day or under different light sources.
Attention, my first 30D suffer Back focus problem and still suffer from this problem even after returning to Canon for repair. So i would recommend it if you can have a good copy.
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 Mar 18, 2007
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Simon Elwell
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Registered: Oct 10, 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 8
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Review Date: Mar 13, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Great image quality; good screen; good AF; quality feel
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Cons:
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v poor kit lens; useless print button
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This is a great camera that consistently churns out high quality images. You need to forget the kit lens and buy something decent. I bought the 50mm 1.4 and it complements the camera beautifully.
One reviewer pointed out that his jpgs were sharper than RAW - I suspect this is because jpgs have some in-camera processing applied including sharpening. Once I've added a little sharpening in camera raw the images are tack sharp.
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Mar 13, 2007
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Amy Coffey
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Registered: Sep 11, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 7
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Review Date: Mar 8, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $800.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Spot metering is a great addition, love the extra focal points, love the ability to go to ISO 3200.
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Cons:
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As I understand it, there is no wireless remote available for this camera...atleast not one that's reasonably priced.
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Mar 8, 2007
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Phast1
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Registered: Jul 14, 2005
Location: Canada
Posts: 2082
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Review Date: Feb 17, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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price, 8mp, fps, light/compact
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Cons:
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cheesy rubber cover, see below.
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Bodies I've owned relevant to this review:
20D
30D
5D
1DMkII-N
I love this camera, it is my favorite. Every shooter needs to define what tool best suits his/her shooting style and that's probably the most difficult part when choosing a body because most, if not all, of us like to shoot everything. At least once in a while. I'll start by telling you why through process of elimination I ended up with the 30D as my choice.
The 20D, while a great body has no spot metering and the lcd is damn small, practically useless. Image quality is at par with the 30D though and at the time I switched it wasn't worth the bucks spent to step up. Nowadays however 30D's have come down to very reasonable prices so that's a no-brainer.
The 5D is a beautiful camera with a not so beautiful price tag. I cannot tell the difference between prints up to 12x18" compared to 30D's. In fact, I've found very fine detail renders better on the higher pixel pitch of the 30D sensor. ISO Noise is only slightly better on the 5D but needs post cleaning just the same, so what's the big deal? Full frame advantage? Ever heard of EF-S? The ef-s 10-22mm is arguably better than any canon lens in that range for ff body. Some shooters claim better focus ability on 5D but I found the difference to be negligable and only in situations where it would be tough for any camera... except for the 1DMkII-N... read on....
The 1DMkII-N, wow... what an amazing camera. Blows the socks off anything I've ever used. The dynamic range is slightly better than 30D's. I found the ISO noise to be much more acceptable too. Focus ability is simply astounding. I just love this body. So why did I not go with the 1D? Ergonomically it sucks. It's huge. It's heavy. Damnit, the battery is even heavy! It doesn't transport well. It doesn't hang from my body well. It's just so darn bulky. This may sound trivial but think about it a minute - If this body was used for it's primary purpose 'sports shooting' then of course it's the best tool to use. But if your shooting style is less defined than that and it'd be your only body, well, think again...
The 30D is right smack dab in the middle of all these bodies. It's got good fps (5fps), good MP (8mp), decent noise handling at high iso's (-640 is very clean), handles all the EF and -S) lenses canon makes. Did I mention it's light? IT'S LIGHT! Compact and has it's own flash (I could've done without one but it gets used every so often). The price is great too. I love this 30D and highly reccomend it. I use the E1 handgrip and carry it around glued to my paws. This body is highly underrated these days, grab one!
Phast1
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Feb 17, 2007
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Joseph Geronim
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Registered: Jan 25, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jan 26, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Camera feel is great, picture quality is superb, price fast frames per second lots of neat custom functions, lcd.
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Cons:
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Does not have 45 point AF, seal for dust, get rid of pop up flash
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I think Canon did a great job with this camera. It has the look and feel of quality and is light enough not to be annoying. I purchased the targus version of the vertical grip as it was extremely less money than Canon but has same features.
I have been using it to shoot High School sports and the pics are great...
A great camera and I highly recommend it if getting into digital.
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Jan 26, 2007
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parana
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Registered: Jan 25, 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jan 25, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Build quality, fps, ergonomics, quick control dial, lcd, balance...
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Cons:
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Print button waste of space, shutter sound seems less discrete than my 350D's (not really an issue though)
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I've upgraded from a 350D/XT, and I have to say that I don't regret the decision. The first time I got my hands on one of these at a camera store it immediately felt more comfortable and not like a toy like my old 350D. My decision to upgrade to this model was primarily based on the spot meter and extra iso options.
It feels more balanced with my 24-105L mounted on it, and despite being heavier than the 350D, it is actually more comfortable for me to lug around (especially when my 580EX is also attached)... probably due to the bigger grip.
The quick control dial and the joystick at the back really help me to take more keepers, and to take them faster.
The quick control dial really makes a diff when choosing the aperture/exposure comp... because I use my left eye to look through the viewfinder I used to find it quite awkward to have to press that extra button on the 350D to change those settings. Not to mention that I would often hit the shooting mode button with my nose, inadverdently changing from continous to self timer mode. So the different layout 30D really helps me out with those issues.
I am personally quite inept at manually focusing, so having the ability to use the joystick to choose an af point (after selecting option 1 of custom fn 13), - without needing to press a button and scroll through all the points like the 350D - is a godsend.
The LCD is great, and I like having the ability to see the selected AF points during image playback.
Don't get me wrong though... the 350D was and is a great SLR which I don't regret purchasing... but if you are considering upgrading to a 30D... let me tell you that you won't be disappointed.
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Jan 25, 2007
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FatBoyAl
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Sep 4, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 631
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Review Date: Jan 19, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $950.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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AF speed and accuracy, spot metering, picture styles, LCD size - everything!
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Cons:
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None yet
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After my XT for two years, this is the best. Solid, robust feel in your hands. Perfect ergonomics. I even like the shutter sound. Great in low-light. A real boost up from the XT. Viewfinder is SO much brighter! The LCD size makes it so my old eyes can actually see the shot I just took. AF speed is amazing and write speed, even shooting raw + large is incredible.
A real deal.
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Jan 19, 2007
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stephen china
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Registered: Dec 23, 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jan 9, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Superb image quality (with the right lens) , all round performance , well built , value for money .
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Cons:
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None
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The most important thing with this camera is to use the right lens otherwise you will not maximise it's real potential.I purchased the camera with a 17-85 IS lens and while the results were better than the Nikon D70 I used previously I was not entirely happy.The problems were distortion at short focal lengths,noticable vignetting but most worrying was a general softness over all the images which even heavy unsharp mask did not improve so I changed the lens for the 17-55 f2.8 IS.The difference was stunning,sharpness and contrast greatly improved ,colours are brilliant and distortion is negligable.I can now say I am very pleased I have switched to Canon,overall image performance is definitely superior and the camera has a beautiful smooth feel to the overall operating operating system .This camera/lens combination at a price of under £1500 is unbeatable and even at twice the price I doubt it would be.
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Jan 9, 2007
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Sayeret18
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Apr 1, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 598
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Review Date: Dec 5, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Good ergonomics, intuitive interface, wide feature range, excellent IQ performance at all ISOs, proven technology. The 30D is an outstanding value!
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Cons:
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After limited use, I have found the on-camera flash to be less than stellar. However, I suspect user error in a number of cases.
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This is a wonderful product - proven technology, good ergonomics, easy to use, wide feature range, excellent IQ performance. Coming from the XT (a fine camera on its own terms) I found the 30D's AF to be far superior. The 5 fps is a pleasure. The high ISO performance is simply amazing - I compared some prints from T-max 3200 with the 30D's 3200 captures (pre-noise reduction) and the 30D images are far better. Unless you are shooting sports for SI and absolutely need the 45 point AF of the 1 Series, or are a PJ in a war zone who needs rock-solid construction, its hard for me to see what more one could ask for from a camera body. Finally this camera is well worth the money - in relative terms, I paid less for the 30D than I did when I purchased my Minolta X-700 with a 35-70 variable apeture zoom lens back in 1985.
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Dec 5, 2006
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Steven Myatt
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Registered: Nov 29, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Dec 1, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,200.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Solid build, outstanding low-noise sensor, wide range of lenses available.
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Cons:
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No anti-dust system. Some controls not-so-smart (care to print from the camera, anyone?).
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It came down to the 30D or the Nikon D200. It was a no-brainer. Besides regular photography I needed a camera to hook up to my 12.5" telescope. Canon has the best low-noise sensors out there. Nikon wasn't going to cut it. I ordered the 30D.
I was up at Yosemite about 4 months ago and a person asked me to take a family picture for him using his Canon 350D. What a revelation! It felt like a plastic toy compared to the 30D. I felt a wave of satisfaction over my purchase.
I've had this camera about 8 months now and I haven't had any problems. I've done weddings, big-time travel photography, and astrophotography and the camera performs flawlessly. This camera is fast, the battery usage is low, and the pictures are awesome.
.... but there IS a fly in the ointment. No matter how careful you are, dust WILL land on the sensor and you WILL start to see dust bunnies in your picture. This is the single drawback to the camera. Fortunately, there is something you can do about it. After reading up on this problem on the internet, I found the best solution was to buy a Giottos Rocket Air Blower (large size) and use that to blast the dust off the sensor. Notice I said "blast." This is because the Rocket Blower sends out a stream of air that rivals what you get with "air in a can" products. The advantages are: you're not using a propellent that will freeze the chip when it hits it (the Rocket's air stream is room temperature), you're not using foreign chemicals of any kind in the air stream, you don't have to buy refills, and those dust bunnies are annihilated. Cost? ~10 bucks... and darn well worth it. Every now and then I give my 30D a few blasts from the rocket and the sensor stays squeeky-clean.
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Dec 1, 2006
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bbrat
Offline
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Registered: Nov 28, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 5
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Review Date: Nov 29, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,000.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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build, size, weight, low iso noise, speed and of course picture quality.
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Cons:
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maybe weather sealing would be nice.
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fantastic camera! very easy to use, not menu driven like some other brands. speed is fast, build is great, size and weight are ideal for me. picture quality and low iso noise is icing on the cake! get the grip and the camera runs for days and balances larger zooms better.
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Nov 29, 2006
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hermitport
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Registered: Nov 20, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Nov 20, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,100.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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fast burst, crop factor good for extending reach of normal lenses, solid build, great battery life, very good low light quality with high iso
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Cons:
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auto white balance is inconsistant, raw files often less sharp than jpg's (may be particular to my copy), physical interface is not intuitive
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love this camera but recently noticed some problems with raw file quality
did a fashion shoot last week and files came in without sharp detail
very disappointing as it was an important shoot that can't be rescheduled
did some side by side tripod tests
of identical subject, focus, settings and lens (50mm 1.8 II)
using raw format and then jpg format
jpg's came in consistantly sharper with more detail
the raw files were disappointing from an IQ point of view
ran tests again today with a different lens (24-70mm 2.8)
and found the same results
i'll be sending this body back to canon for service
as far as the interface goes
in order to make adjustments to balance exposure in manual modes
you spin the dial in the opposite direction of where you want to go
on the exposure meter
its counter intuitive and takes some getting used to
but its a minor gripe
overall
my jpg's are really excellent
trouble is i need raw to work
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Nov 20, 2006
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RyanFlynn
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Registered: Dec 15, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 2295
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Review Date: Nov 20, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,049.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Deeper finger groove than the 20D, spot metering, sturdy build quality, LCD very viewable at extreme angles, great image quality, shutter is quieter than the 20D
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Cons:
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I wish it was weather sealed, but I had no negative surprises with this camera.
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For right around $1000.00 USD (from B&H), you can't get a better camera than this. I got this in addition to my 20D, and I most definitely like the 30D better. The upgrades are somewhat minor, but to me, they're important and very nice to have.
-The ergonomics on the 30D are better, most notably the deeper groove where you middle finger rests (compared to the 20D). This makes it much more comfortable and secure to hold.
-The 30D actually shoots at 5fps when you're in AI Servo mode, unlike the 20D, which drops to about 3-4fps.
-Finally we get spot metering in the "prosumer" bodies.
-The body is sturdy and well built, although I really wish it was weather sealed.
-The big LCD is nice, although not necessarily more useful for checking sharpness.
All in all, I think this is a worthy successor to the 20D - retaining all of the strengths, and perfecting its weaknesses. Definitely worth the money, and highly recommended.
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Nov 20, 2006
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Syed Hafiz
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Registered: Nov 14, 2006
Location: Malaysia
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Nov 14, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,000.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Great Build, Fast,
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Cons:
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none
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Nov 14, 2006
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aladyforty
Offline
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Registered: Feb 3, 2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 1351
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Review Date: Nov 11, 2006
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Recommend? |
Price paid: Not Indicated
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Pros:
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great build wheel on the back fast camera start up
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Cons:
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Ive had the 30D for about six months now. I upgraded from a 300d and could not believe what I had been missing with my sport and wildlife shots. I actually find this an easier camera to work with and the wheel on the back is great. I shoot a lot of higher ISO shots and have no complaints. The thing I like most about this camera is the decent size as I really dislike the smaller DSLRs. 30d is solid and with a battery grip its a very steady camera to use. 8 mega pixels is more than enough and I would recommend this camera to anyone who has past the entry level status.
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Nov 11, 2006
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tasos_at
Offline
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Registered: Aug 22, 2005
Location: Greece
Posts: 273
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Review Date: Nov 4, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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huge ISO range Great price large LCD, 1/3 stop ISO control
spot metering 5fps
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Cons:
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Nov 4, 2006
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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137
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134528
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Dec 5, 2010
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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96% of reviewers
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$1,229.64
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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9.33
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9.03
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9.4
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