Canon EOS 300D Digital RebelCanon knocks the bottom out of the Digital SLR market, with an amazingly affordable, full-featured model!<<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>> Page 10:Image Storage & InterfaceReview First Posted: 09/04/2003 |
Image Storage and Interface
The
EOS 300D 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 300D 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 300D'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 128MB memory card. Like
the 10D before it, the 300D is fully compatible with IBM MicroDrives and other
Type II CompactFlash devices.
Like the EOS 10D before it, the Digital Rebel 300D supports 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. (As an aside, I had an opportunity
to try one of Lexar's new 4GB CF type II cards in the Digital Rebel, and it
performed beautifully. Besides offering huge capacity, this "40x"
card is very fast as well.)
| Resolution/Quality 128MB Memory Card | | | | |
| Full Resolution 3,072x2,048 | Images (Avg size) | 17 7.4 MB | 39 3.26 MB | 1.93 MB |
| Approx. Compression | ~2.5:1 (Lossless) | 6:1 | | |
| Medium Resolution 2,048x1,360 | Images (Avg size) | - | 66 1.92 MB | 1.26 MB |
| Approx. Compression | - | 4.5:1 | | |
| Low Resolution 1,536x1,024 | Images (Avg size) | | 1.4 MB | 962 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 3 to 1,but can vary greatly depending on the image content, as images with large areas of relatively flat tint will compress much more than ones with lots of fine detail.)
NOTE that the 300D's RAW format automatically includes an embedded JPEG as
well, which several of Canon's various software packages can extract via an
on-screen button labeled "Extract JPEG." (The RAW Image Converter
applet, TWAIN driver, and Mac Photoshop plug-in all offer this option.) Note
though, that the embedded JPEG size is limited to Medium/Fine. 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, where the JPEG is a separate file altogether.)
The 300D 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 pro models
like Canon's own EOS-1D and 1Ds and the Nikon D1x and D1h.) Actually, even
among USB-connected cameras, the 300D's transfer rates are a little on the
leisurely side. I clocked it at 318 KB/second on a Windows XP machine, copying
via Explorer and 158 KB/second copying via Canon's ZoomBrowser package. Under
Mac OSX v10.2, downloads via iPhoto ran 315 KB/second. For reference, USB-connected
cameras I've tested generally run between 300 and 600 KB/second. (Some recent
models with USB 2.0 connections can hit speeds of well over 2 MB/second.)
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