Compared to... (features & specifications)

When Nikon released the D70 the 'value D-SLR' feature set bar was raised, making the EOS 300D look fairly basic. Olympus responded with the E-300 which was a fairly strong match for the D70 on features but brought an increase in resolution with its own eight megapixel CCD. The EOS 350D puts back a lot of the features 'coded out' of the EOS 300D as well as adding further enhancements brought about when Canon developed the EOS 20D. In addition of course Canon couldn't allow themselves to slip back in the megapixel race and so outfitted the 350D with an eight megapixel CMOS sensor.

A quick glance down this feature comparison shows that the EOS 350D has now almost caught up with the E-300 and D70 for features, its advantages being the new smaller and lighter body. It's worth noting that we fully expect the D70 to be replaced this year. Prices correct at time of publication.

	Canon EOS 350D	Olympus E-300	Nikon D70
Price body only	$899	$799	$899
Price kit	$999	$899	$1,199
Announced	17 Feb 05	27 Sep 04	28 Jan 04
Review	You are here	Click here	Click here
Kit lens	18 - 55 mm F3.5 - F5.6 II (28.8 - 88 mm equiv.)	14 - 45 mm F3.5 - F4.5 (28 - 90 mm equiv.)	18 - 70 mm F3.5 - F4.5G (27 - 105 mm equiv.)
Body	Plastic	Plastic	Plastic
Sensor	8 megapixel CMOS	8 megapixel CCD	6 megapixel CCD
Lens mount	Canon EF / EF-S	Four Thirds	Nikon F
FOV crop	1.6x	2.0x (Four Thirds)	1.5x (Nikon DX)
Modes	Auto, P, A, S, M, A-DEP, 6 preset scene	P, A, S, M, Scene, 5 preset scene	Auto, P, S, A, M, 6 preset scene
Image formats	JPEG, RAW	JPEG, RAW,TIFF	JPEG, RAW
RAW+JPEG	One RAW, One JPEG	One RAW, One JPEG	One RAW, One JPEG
Image params	Contrast (5 settings) Sharpness (5 settings) Saturation (5 settings) Color tone (5 settings) 3 preset parameter sets	Gradation (3 settings) Saturation (5 settings) Contrast (5 settings) Sharpness (5 settings)	Auto Sharpness (6 settings) Tone (6 settings) Saturation (3 settings) Hue (7 settings) 7 preset parameter sets
Color space	sRGB, Adobe RGB	sRGB, Adobe RGB	sRGB (2), Adobe RGB
ISO	100 - 1600 (1 EV steps)	100 - 400 (1 EV steps) 800, 1600 via boost	200 - 1600 (1/3 EV steps)
EV steps	1/3 or 1/2 EV	1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV	1/3 or 1/2 EV
Exp. compen.	+/- 2.0 EV	+/- 5.0 EV	+/- 5.0 EV
Flash exp compen.	-2.0 to +2.0 EV	-2.0 to +2.0 EV	-3.0 to +1.0 EV
Metering	35 zone, Partial, CW Avg	ESP, CW Avg, Spot	3D matrix, CW Avg, Spot
Shutter	30 - 1/4000 sec	30 - 1/4000 sec	30 - 1/8000 sec
Flash X-sync	1/200 sec	1/180 sec	External up to 1/500 sec
AF mode	One shot, AI Servo, Auto	Single, Continuous	Single, Continuous
AF area mode	Single, Dynamic	Auto, Single	Single, Dynamic, Closest
AF assist	Flash strobe, must be up	Flash strobe, must be up	White lamp
AF system	7-point TTL CMOS sensor	3-point TTL Phase Differential	5-point Multi-CAM900
Continuous	JPEG: 3 fps, 14 images *1 RAW: 3 fps, 4 images *1	JPEG: 2.5 fps, 4 images RAW: 2.5 fps, 4 images	JPEG: 3 fps, 12 images *1 RAW: 3 fps, 4 images *1
Self-timer	10 sec (3 sec with mirror lock-up)	2 or 12 sec	2 - 20 sec
Mirror lock-up	Yes (custom function)	Yes (new firmware)	No
WB	Auto, 6 preset, Manual	Auto, 8 preset, Kelvin, Manual	Auto, 6 preset, Manual
WB fine tuning	Yes	Yes	Yes
Bracketing	AE, White Balance	AE, White Balance	AE, White Balance
Slow sync flash	1st or 2nd Curtain	1st or 2nd Curtain	1st or 2nd Curtain
Viewfinder	Pentamirror Eyepoint: 21 mm Magnification: 0.8x (-3.0 to +1.0 m-1 diopter)	Optical porro (mirror) Eyepoint: 20 mm Magnification: 1.0x (-3.0 to +1.0 m-1 dioptre)	Pentaprism Eyepoint: 18 mm Magnification: 0.75x (-1.6 to +0.5 m-1 dioptre)
LCD	1.8", 115,000 pixels	1.8", 134,000 pixels	1.8", 130,000 pixels
Orientation sensor	Yes	Yes	Yes
Custom functions	9 functions with 24 settings	n/a, 2 setup menus	9 or 25 settings
Storage	Compact Flash FAT16 / FAT32	Compact Flash FAT16 / FAT32	Compact Flash FAT16 / FAT32
Power	Lithium-Ion NB-2LH	Lithium-Ion BLM-1	Lithium-Ion EN-EL3 CR2 carrier
Connectivity	USB 2.0 (Hi-speed)	USB 1.1	USB 2.0 (only 1.1 speed)
Text comment	Yes (set via PC software)	No	Yes (set on camera)
PictBridge	Yes	Yes	Yes
Dimensions	127 x 94 x 64 mm	147 x 85 x 64 mm	140 x 111 x 78 mm
Weight (no batt)	490 g	580 g	595 g
Remote release	Wired (optional) Infrared (optional)	Infrared (optional) (Wired with vert. hand grip)	Infrared (optional)
Vertical grip	Yes, optional	Yes, optional	No
Status LCD	Rear of camera, backlit	No (uses LCD monitor)	Top of camera, backlit
Command dials	One top	One rear	One rear, One front
Power on	Virtually instant	2 seconds	Virtually instant
Shutter release	Fast	Fast	Very fast

*1 These are conservative figures with a standard card