Canon EOS 30DBy: Shawn Barnett and Dave EtchellsMyriad minor feature and interface tweaks make a great SLR even better. <<Executive Overview :(Previous) | (Next): Viewfinder>> Page 4:DesignReview First Posted: 04/14/2006 |
Design
Canon's latest in the entry level professional EOS line of digital cameras, the EOS 30D, will be familiar to photographers already accustomed to other EOS cameras, film or digital. With a body-only weight of 1.78 pounds (28.57 ounces; 810.5 grams) with battery and card, the weight has gone up just a bit from the 20D's 1.75 pounds (28.1 ounces; 796.8 grams) with battery and card, most likely due to the larger LCD screen. The 30D is well-balanced, and certainly a lot lighter than the "industrial strength" Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II and 1D Mark II, and lighter than the full frame 5D. The EOS 30D is practically identical in dimension to the 20D, with a minor exception for a slight retooling of the grip, which adds a 2mm lip above the grip, right below the shutter button. Body dimensions of the 30D are 5.7 x 4.2 x 2.9 inches (144 x 105.5 x 73.5 millimeters).
The front of the camera features a Canon EF/EF-S lens mount, indicated by the presence of both red dot (standard EF) and white square (EF-S) alignment marks for the two different styles of lens. There's also the lens release button, a depth of field preview button (on the lower left of the lens mount as viewed from the rear), a flash head pop-up button (on the upper left of the lens mount) and the redeye reduction lamp/self timer lamp (the frosted window at upper left in the view above). Nestled in the inside bottom of the handgrip, but just about visible in this picture, is notch through which the DC coupler cord hole emerges, when using the dummy battery of the AC adapter.
The top of the camera features the Shutter button, Mode dial and a small status display panel that reports most of the camera's settings. An LCD Illuminator button next to the redesigned status display panel backlights the display with an orange glow for better viewing in dark shooting conditions. Also on top are the Main dial and several control buttons (AF Mode / White Balance, Drive Mode / ISO Speed, and Metering Mode / Flash Exposure Compensation). The top of the camera also contains a hot shoe for mounting an external flash unit. The hot shoe has the usual trigger terminal in the center, as well as four other contacts for interfacing to Canon EX Speedlight flash units, and a hole for a locking pin to prevent rotation of the speedlight. Fixed neck strap eyelets are located on both sides of the top panel as well.
The top-panel data readout conveys a wealth of information about the current status of the camera and its settings, and has only a few new features since the 20D. One is the addition of the H for High Speed Continuous mode, and the other is not really a change to the LCD, but to its function. Instead of three stages of alert, the battery indicator offers four: a solid battery icon, a 1/3 indicator, a flashing 1/3 indicator, and a flashing empty battery. It's not a huge improvement, but offers a little more warning before complete battery failure. Here's an illustration showing all possible segments and icons and their interpretation:
On the right side of the camera, toward the rear of the handgrip, is a large door which slides back and out to reveal the CompactFlash slot (which supports Type-I and Type-II cards, including the Hitachi MicroDrive). Inside the compartment, underneath the CompactFlash slot is a small gray eject button for removing the card.
The opposite side of the camera features a hinged rubber flap covering the digital (USB) and Video Out sockets. Below this are two more sockets, likewise protected by a rubber flap. Forward of these sockets is a standard PC flash sync terminal, while the rear socket is for an N3 remote control. This picture also shows the Depth of Field Preview button (bottom) and Flash Pop-up button (top) on the side of the lens mount a little more clearly.
The rear panel of the EOS 30D is home to the bulk of the camera's controls, as well as the much improved LCD screen. Most controls are in their same relative positions, but have been nudged around a bit to make room for that big LCD. One new button has been added, the Print/Share button that brings up the PictBridge menu. It shines blue when the camera is connected to a computer or printer. Beneath the LCD monitor's lower right corner is the main power on/off switch, with an additional setting that turns on the Quick Control dial. Lining the left side of the LCD monitor are four buttons: Menu, Info, Jump, and Playback. Underneath the LCD screen is the Delete button, and to the right of the screen is the Quick Control dial, in the center of which is the Set button. The Set button in the center of the Quick Control Dial acts as a menu selection button. At the lower right of the Quick Control Dial is the Access lamp, which indicates when the memory card is being written to. Upper right of the LCD is the Multi-Controller, introduced on the 20D, an 8-way "joystick"-style controller located at the top right corner of the LCD display that also functions as a button when pressed directly inward. On the top right corner of the optical viewfinder is the diopter adjustment knob, recessed slightly to prevent accidental changes, and featuring a ridged surface to give grip. Finally, the top right corner of the rear panel features the AE/FE Lock / Index / Reduce and AF Point / Enlarge buttons.
The very flat bottom of the camera reveals the metal tripod mount, as well as the cover for the BP-511A Lithium Ion and CR2016 button battery chamber. Like the 20D, the 30D places both batteries (the latter of which is used for keeping the date / time) in the same chamber, the button battery being held in a little tray that slots in next to the main Lithium Ion battery. No coin is needed to open the battery compartment for the button battery, although that isn't a task that needs to be performed often. The main battery compartment cover is removable, necessary when installing the optional vertical battery grip (BG-ED2) on the camera. A small latch lever at the outside edge of the battery chamber cover unlocks it so that it may be opened. The battery compartment cover is far enough from the tripod socket that you should be able to swap batteries without removing the camera from your tripod mount. The large surface area of the camera's bottom provides a stable mounting surface for use with a tripod, even with fairly large lenses attached.
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