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Canon EOS D30 Digital SLR Canon's first digital SLR packs 3 megapixels of CMOS sensor into a speedy, compact body! (Smallest/lightest digital SLR as of August, 2000) Select a topic Reference: Datasheet EOS D30 Sample Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Design 3. Internal Design(!) 4. CMOS versus CCD & what's it all mean? 5. Viewfinder 6. Optics 7. Exposure & Flash 8. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 9. User Interface 10. Camera Modes & Menus 11. Image Storage & Interface 12. Video, Power, Software 13. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Viewfinder :(Previous) | (Next): Exposure & Flash>> Page 6:Optics Review First Posted: 8/27/2000

Optics
As with other digital SLRs we've tested, there's not a great deal to report in the "optics" sections of this review. The Canon EOS D30 accepts all standard EF-series Canon lenses, a collection that includes something on the order of 75-80 currently produced models, and a total of about a hundred designs over the history of the line. Key features of the Canon EF lens series are models with the exceptionally fast, silent "ultrasonic" focusing mechanism ( a coreless motor built into the lens body itself), and the exceptional range of optically stabilized models that permit hand-holding way beyond light levels that would normally require the use of a tripod.

As we mentioned earlier in this review, like most digital SLRs, the sensor in the EOS D30 is smaller than a 35mm film frame. This means that the "effective" focal length of your lenses will be 1.6x their normal values on 35mm cameras. Just to be clear, nothing's changed about the lenses or their behavior, it's just that the CMOS sensor is effectively cropping a smaller area out of the lens' coverage circle. The net result is that shooting really wide angle photography is tough with digital SLRs, the D30 included. At the other end of the scale though, it's like having a 1.6x teleconverter on your lenses with no cost in light loss or sharpness. Thus, a 300mm telephoto has the same "reach" as a 480mm on your 35mm film camera. - And of course, a f/2.8 300mm is a lot cheaper than a f/2.8 500mm! The net of it is that a 31 mm focal length has the same angular coverage as a 50mm lens on a 35mm SLR, and the common 17-35mm zoom lenses have a range equivalent to 27-56mm on film cameras.

When we tested the production model D30, we asked Canon for a broad range of lenses, including the 24-85mm model shown in the illustration above, a high-end 28-70mm f/2.8 L-series lens, a 100mm f/2.8 macro, and a wonderful 100-400mm L-series "IS" (Image Stabilization) zoom. This last was excellent fun at kids soccer games: The 1.6x focal length multiplier of the D30 meant this was equivalent to a 160-640mm zoom. With the optical stabilization, we could actually hand-hold shots at maximum telephoto with relative impunity. Combined with the ~ 3 frames per second speed of the D30 and the high capacity of the 340MB Microdrive we used in the camera, it convinced us that equipment really can make you a better photographer!

We tested the various lenses quite extensively, with the results and test shots detailed on the D30's pictures page. We were surprised to find how well the relatively inexpensive 24-85mm lens did against its much higher-priced brethren: Wide open, the hands-down winner for corner to corner sharpness was the 100mm fixed focal length macro. Other than some fairly severe coma in the far upper left-hand corner of the frame with the 24-85mm wide open, it was actually sharper than the 28-70mm overall. Stopped down, it easily held its own with the other lenses too. When we tested the Nikon D1, we tried a number of different lenses on it as well, including some true "consumer" grade units. The lenses we had available for testing on the D30 didn't extend as far down the price scale, but we were still surprised by how well the 24-85mm did overall. In our assessment, it would make an excellent general-purpose companion for the D30.

Autofocus System
This is an area where we're probably least qualified to comment, given the relatively small amount of time we've spent with professional-grade SLRs. The D30 has an autofocus system with three sensors, arrayed horizontally across the frame. You can manually select which of these three you want the camera to pay attention to (handy for off-center subjects), or you can let the camera decide. When it's operating in automatic AF mode, it will use the sensor corresponding to the part of the subject closest to the camera.

AF speed with the Canon "USM" (Ultra Sonic Motor) lenses is quite fast, but we found that the camera had a little trouble following fast-moving action in the soccer games we shot. Also, it was very prone to being fooled if a player momentarily passed between the camera and the subject we were following. Canon advertises that the D30 has the same "focus prediction" of its high-end EOS 1v and 1nRS, which should be able to handle situations like this. We haven't used those higher-end film cameras, but were a little surprised that the D30 was so easily tricked by moving subjects like this. It's possible that the much greater number of AF sensors in cameras like the EOS-1v (45 AF sensor areas) would greatly improve upon this performance.

Not to cast undue aspersions on Canon's AF technology though: Compared to most digicams we've tested, autofocusing was very fast and sure-footed, and we rarely if ever got an out-of-focus image except in "pathological" situations like that described above.