Canon EOS-10DCanon revamps their hugely popular D60 SLR, with ahost of improvements and a dramatic price cut!<<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>> Page 10:Image Storage & InterfaceReview First Posted: 02/27/2003 |
Image Storage and Interface
The
EOS 10D utilizes CompactFlash (Type I and II) memory cards as its image storage
medium, which should never be removed from the camera while in use. (Removing
a card while the camera is still writing to it could cause permanent damage
to the card.) The EOS 10D does not ship with a memory card, so you'll want to
purchase a large capacity card right away. I'd recommend picking up at least
a 128MB card for starters, given the EOS 10D's large, 3,072 x 2,048-pixel maximum
resolution. The table below shows card capacities and approximate compression
ratios for the various file sizes and types, based on a 138MB memory card. Like
the D60 before it, the 10D is fully compatible with IBM MicroDrives and other
Type II CompactFlash devices.
New on the EOS-10D is support for the so-called FAT 32 directory structure.
(Like most other digicams on the market, the earlier D60 supported only FAT
16.) The larger address space provided by FAT 32 is necessary for managing high-capacity
memory cards of 2GB or greater capacity. This hasn't been an issue until now,
but recently announced CF cards with capacities as high as 4 GB require FAT
32 support to use them.
|
Resolution/Quality 128MB Memory Card |
|
|
|
|
| Full Resolution 3,072x2,048 |
Images (Avg size) |
19 6.64 MB |
50 2.36 MB |
1.26 MB |
| Approx. Compression |
2.9:1 (Lossless) |
7:1 |
|
|
| Medium Resolution 2,048x1,360 |
Images (Avg size) |
- | 96 1.33 MB |
692 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
- | 6:1 |
|
|
| Low Resolution 1,536x1,024 |
Images (Avg size) |
|
871 KB |
449 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
|
|
|
|
The RAW mode listed above deserves some explanation. This is a format that records all the data from the sensor, exactly as it comes from the A/D conversion process. It is lossless compression, meaning that the file is reduced to a smaller size, but without losing any data in the process. It thus preserves all the original data from the sensor, but is nevertheless much more compact than an equivalent TIFF file. (The effective compression ratio relative to final file size is about 2.9 to 1.)
NOTE that the 10D's RAW format automatically includes an embedded JPEG as
well, which several of Canon's various software packages can extract via a
new button labeled "Extract JPEG." (RAW Image Converter applet,
TWAIN driver, Mac plug-in.) This should provide a quicker workflow for situations
where your final file format is JPEG. (Although I think my personal preference
would be for the dual-file RAW/JPEG approach used in the EOS-1D.)
The 10D has a USB port for (reasonably) rapid file transfers to the host computer.
I say "reasonably" fast, because the USB connection obviously aren't
nearly as speedy as the FireWire (IEEE 1394) connection on Canon's EOS-1D
and the Nikon D1x and D1h.) Unfortunately, the 10D's USB connection also doesn't
appear to be nearly as fast as those of many other cameras currently on the
market. - When I plugged it into my 2.4 GHz WindowsXP-based Sony VAIO desktop,
I clocked its download speed at only 305 KBytes/second. This is on the lower
end of the scale for USB-connected cameras I've tested. (The overall range
is from about 300 KB/sec to a bit over 600 KB/sec.) It therefore looks like
you'll need to consider picking up a fast card reader as part of your EOS-10D
purchase.
Lost Images? - Download this image-recovery program so you'll have it
when you need it...
Since we're talking about memory and image storage, this would be a good time
to mention the following: I get a ton of email from readers who've lost photos
due to a corrupted memory card. It's tragic when it happens, there are few
things more precious than photo memories. Corrupted memory cards can happen
with any card type and any camera manufacturer, nobody's immune. "Stuff
happens," as they say. A surprising number of "lost" images
can be recovered with an inexpensive, easy to use piece of software though.
Given the amount of email I've gotten on the topic, I now include this paragraph
in all my digicam reviews. The program you need is called PhotoRescue, by
DataRescue SA. Read our review of it if you'd like, but download the program now,
so you'll have it. It doesn't cost a penny until you need it, and even then
it's only $29, with a money back guarantee. So download PhotoRescue for
Windows or PhotoRescue for
Mac while you're thinking of it. (While you're at it, download the
PDF manual and quickstart
guide as well.) Stash the file in a safe place and it'll be there when you
need it. Trust me, needing this is not a matter of if, but when...
PhotoRescue is about the best and easiest tool for recovering digital
photos I've seen. (Disclosure: IR gets a small commission from sales of
the product, but I'd highly recommend the program even if we didn't.)
OK, now back to our regularly scheduled review...
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