User reviews for Canon EOS D30: Digital Photography Review

Opinion: This camera, being as old as it is, is an amazing value, if you can get it right on eBay. I bought this camera, set it up with a lens and some other accessories for under $400, and have been blown away by it's performance. It's definately not a pro camera anymore, but it's performance is none the less spectacular. It's a lot easier to use, if not a little bigger, than any Rebel I have played around with.

One tip I can contribute is, if a rebel or a Nikon D series feels a bit cramped in your hand, go for this camera, or the D60. The body is large, strong with little or no flext that I have noticed.

Problems: The AF is not what I would have wanted from an SLR, it is easier for me to manually focus, for the most part.

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Opinion: I'm still using my good ol' EOS D30. Bought it in 2003 at eBay, it still is very competitive, even though phones have 3MP sensors these days ;)

Wonderful colours, noise is within limits up to ISO 400, although I've printed a 50x75cm poster last week at ISO 1600 which looked very clean. Solidly built, really a bargain right now, it's doing about $350-$400 right now. For a camera that was first sold in 2000, that's 5 years ago (!), it is really impressive.

Problems: Cropfactor of 1.6 kills ultra wide angle, but then again: it does give you very cheap telephoto. You'll only need one very expensive wide angle lens, but you will save twice that or more on telephoto lenses.
AF hunts a bit with all my lenses, Sigma 15-30, Canon 50/1.4, Canon 80-200L... Too bad there is no spotmetering on non-1-series camera's. I'm therefore looking for a EOS 1D right now.

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Opinion: I bought this camera 2nd hand from my friend sometime in August last year (2004). Its my first DSLR. I wanted to get a 10D or a 300D but opted to get the D30 since my friend gave me a very good offer. $475 for the body, vertical grip and four BP511, plus all the original accessories.

I have been using the camera now as a sub-pro photographer and all I can say is that it does produce sharp images especially if I use RAW and using my Sigma 18-125mm. I was never sorry I bought this 3.25MP camera...did a comparison with a picture taken by 1D Mk II, printed at 8R, there is very, if not, no difference at all.

Except with its slow focusing on low light situation, this camera is superb in studio shoots using Raw.

Im planning to get the 350D this year and will use my D30 for studio shoot and also, as back-up camera.

Problems: Slow fosusing on low-light.

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Opinion: Many people are complaining about the focus in low light.Just use the manual focus.Very simple and the problem is solved .From 1 metre , just turn the ring to the right.

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Opinion: I agree with what Madmaxmedia stated in his 17 june review.

The 3 megapixels really are so much better than any 5 Mp P&S can deliver, provided you sharpen the image and check colour balance. The post processing of D30 images takes a bit more attention than the 10D or D60, but you get used to it and it is not that much work. When you work RAW with Capture One, the workflow can be made smooth and quick.

Even with the 300D / Rebel around for $900, the D30 is worth considering for say $600: the extra flexibility in settings, such as flash exposure compensation, may even be the reason for some to choose the D30 if money is tight. I did not regret it :-)

I'm very happy with it, even with my 10D around as well !

Problems: Zoom function outdated.
Low light autofocus is not as good as on 10D/300D, but it works fine and is accurate under all conditions with sufficient light (and it doesn't have to be *that* much).
LCD less bright than on 10D. For that matter: the LCD on the 300D is better than the one on the 1Ds! That's progress I guess.

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Opinion: Great camera for a used 3.25 digital SLR. My goal was a DSLR that can print images up to 8x10 and this camera is perfect for it. If you want prints larger than think about 6 MP, but this is perfect for most applications. As a nature photographer I actually like the 1.6 field of view crop.

Problems: Low light, specifically in a large living room with only one table light on, the AF is not good at all, especially with a slow lens like the 28-135, even with the 550ex as a focus assist. My biggest nit is that I also have an EOS 3 and the viewfinder in the D30/D60/10D SUCKS! It is very small and dark compared to the 3. I will wait for a viewfinder close to 100%, under $2000, before replacing the D30.

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Opinion: This D30 is my third digital camera, and the best, I just love it. I had earlier Canon EOS 500Q so the natural for me was to buy a D30 just so I can use my EOS-lenses.
it was used but in mint condition. I will keep it for a long while...

Problems: No problems, but the AF and sharpen could be better.
Perhaps I will someday in future sell it but only if I can buy a D60 or newer EOS.

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Opinion: I am evaluating the D30 as it stands today, taking into account both its current market price and compared to current digital cameras. At its current price it is nearly within reach of the more expensive compact Canons, Sonys, Nikons, etc. I almost bought a G3, decided to splurge a little extra for the D30, and have never regretted it.

The Canon D30 represents an excellent value for anyone interesting in moving from consumer/compact digicams to the SLR arena. Here are some of the advantages you get with the D30:

1. Incredible image quality. It's 'only' 3 megapixels, but look closely at the sample images on this site. Those 3 megapixels are MUCH better than your 4 or 5 MP images from those $500 compact cameras. Much sharper and lower noise. Also, this camera provides great image quality at higher ISO's, with 200 being my default setting, and 400 being very usable out of the camera. I believe the larger image sensor contributes significantly to this with a higher signal to noise ratio.

2. Fast operation. This camera starts up lightning fast and shoots very fast as well. The D60 and 10D improve on the buffer, but the D30 is head and shoulders above most compacts. Autofocus is only average to mediocre for a SLR, but again much faster than compacts.

3. Interchangeable lenses. You have a lot of flexibilty here, and can add more lenses as you refine your style and learn more what kind of shooting you want to do. Plus there are Canon image stabilization lenses that reduce movement blur. There are also your 28-200 or 28-300 inexpensive super-zoom types that I wouldn't recommend in general, but probably make great travel lenses.

Plus your lenses are still usable if you upgrade later to another Canon DSLR, or even buy a Canon film SLR. Eventually, I will probably move up to a 10D or its successor, and when I do the lenses will stay with me.

Problems: I haven't encounted any problems, but will list some of the things to be aware of with basically any digital SLR:

1. Size- these cameras are much bigger, no doubt about it. But the size difference from a G3 to the D30 isn't really significant for me since neither is pocketable.

2. $$Lenses$$- You will spend extra money on lenses, and if you're not careful it will become an addiction! ;-) The camera is only as good as the glass, so it's not worth buying this camera and then pairing it with a $75 off-brand 28-200 zoom.

However, there are some EXCELLENT values out there, and I was able to put together a decent kit for around $300-

1. Tokina 19-35 f3.5-4.5 for wide angle (the 'plastic fantastic')
2. Canon 50mm f1.8 for general shooting (fast and very sharp, and VERY cheap!)
2. Canon 70-210 f3.5-4.5 USM for telephoto (great USM focusing, joy to use)

The DPReview Canon SLR forum has a ton of posts regarding lens recommendations and tips, all you need to do is search the archives...

3. Digital darkroom. You will probably need to do a little more post-processing of the D30 images. Most cameras automatically sharpen images in-camera, the D30 does this to a lesser extent. For optimal image quality, you should sharpen images with Photoshop instead which gives you greater control and less artifacting.

However for general use, I do find pretty much all images are great out of the camera. You just want to tinker a bit for larger prints, etc.

4. Outdated? The 10D has 6 MP and some beefed up features, but costs $1500 (this is the main reason why some of my ratings are less than a '5'). I think the D30 market price fairly reflects the introduction of the 10D, so it's up to you whether you want to pay extra for the 10D. Again, my perspective on the price is that for not that much extra money, you're moving up from compact digicams to a D30 digital SLR.

Either way you can't go wrong.

So as you can see, there is a little more effort involved. But it is more than worth it if you are at all serious about your photography.

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Opinion: I've had my D30 since Thanksgiving of 2002 and it has performed well. I've added a few nice attachments including a battery grip (recommend any serious shooter have one) and now am in the process of selling it as I'm waiting on a 10D I ordered today. This is a great camera to really get the feel and action of a pro level camera and I'd recommend it to any serious amatuer.

Problems: Primarily one of the main challenges which has been noted in most reviews is the AF and in low light conditions you get quite a bit of noise.

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