Canon EOS 30DBy: Shawn Barnett and Dave EtchellsMyriad minor feature and interface tweaks make a great SLR even better. <<Viewfinder :(Previous) | (Next): Exposure & Flash>> Page 6:OpticsReview First Posted: 04/14/2006 |
Optics
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With most digital SLRs we test, there's not a great deal to report in the "optics" section of this review. That's mostly true here as well, except that the Canon EOS 30D accepts both standard EF lenses and the newer Short back-focus lenses, or EF-S lenses. These are specially designed to create a smaller image circle for the Rebel, Rebel XT, 20D, and 30D's smaller APS-C-sized imager. Key features of the Canon EF lenses and most of the EF-S 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. Unlike the 20D, the 30D will only be available in two packages: body only for $1,399 and bundled with an EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II lens for $1,499.
Like most digital SLRs, the sensor in the EOS 30D 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 using regular EF lenses. This has all changed, now that the wide angle 10-22mm USM lens is available. 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, an f/2.8 300mm is a lot cheaper than a f/2.8 500mm!
Two professional lenses were introduced and will likely ship at the same time as the 30D: The EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM and the EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM. Canon says that the 17-55mm lens will approximate L-series performance. We've been told that Canon will likely never designate any EF-S lens as "L," but last year's EF-S 10-22mm and this 17-55mm would easily qualify. Equivalent to a 27-88mm lens on a 35mm camera, the new lens has a very wide aperture, which is further assisted by an image stabilization mechanism, which should make it an excellent low light performer.
The second lens is a redesign of a very fast lens that first appeared in 1989, an 85mm portrait lens with an astonishingly large aperture of f/1.2. The update includes a fast CPU, a ring USM drive, and more modern lens coatings. The new design provides distance information to the camera, useful for calculating flash exposure with E-TTL II.
Neither lens is cheap, however. The EF-S 17-55mm will retail for $1,149, and the EF 85mm comes in at $2,099.
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