Canon EOS 30D gets official

Orange country will soon be host to more digicams than mullets (ok, maybe not) when the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) trade show rolls into town next week. Canon decided to put us out of our misery early this morning by announcing their EOS 20D successor, the EOS 30D which we first saw last month. The 30D shares the same 8.19 megapixel CMOS sensor as the 20D including other core components such as the 9-point AF system, 5 fps max shoot rate, and 1/8000 top shutter speed. And yes, it remains compatible with 20D accessories. Some notable enhancements include a new 2.5-inch 230K color LCD, Canon's more flexible Picture Style menu, an increased burst depth, and the welcome ability to change the ISO while looking through the viewfinder. Those of you looking for more than a refined 20D will have to wait and see if we get the rumored 10 megapixel 35D announcement before the day is up. More pix after the break.

[Thanks, Donian]

[Kristjan @ Feb 21st 2006 7:27AM]

Woa that lens sure is big ..

[Kristjan @ Feb 21st 2006 7:29AM]

but this bumps 20d price down and maybe aftermarket 350d too.. but anyways... aftermarkeet..

[Amol @ Feb 21st 2006 7:34AM]

Whoa, that's a weird place for the On/Off switch. Haha, I'm used to my 350D, which has on the top, near the settings dial (which is on the right, not left).

[DigiGrax @ Feb 21st 2006 7:45AM]

Nice carry over until the rumored (and surely coming 35D) The larger LCD is a welcome improvement. What is that top blue button on the top left rear? Print by BT?

I've always loved that 85mm f/1.2L USM lens. You can take pictures in normal light without any flash as your eyes see everything. Cost $1,500 alone without the body of the camera.

http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=152&modelid=7446

[PrepAid @ Feb 21st 2006 7:54AM]

It's excellent, I'll buy it as soon as possible!

[seaotter @ Feb 21st 2006 8:01AM]

that's one big lense. punched right in the face when the picture loaded lol.

so are they going to bundle the lense with the body? or they still going for body only packaging?

[John P. @ Feb 21st 2006 8:07AM]

Sweet! My 20D isn't as obsolete as I feared...

[Manny S. @ Feb 21st 2006 8:09AM]

I hope the shutter mechanism is quieter than the 20D.

[Elias @ Feb 21st 2006 8:13AM]

A few extra points:

- The AF system is said (by those close to Canon) to have more similarities with the 5D's system than the 20D's. The difference involves invisible focus points.

- The 85 mm f/1.2L lens pictured on the 30D above is NOT the same as the one that is currently available. This is a 2nd, NEW version of that lens (mark II), as is made apparent by the "II" on the lens barrel.

[Elias @ Feb 21st 2006 8:15AM]

Oh, and I forgot to mention that this camera has spot metering, which the 20D does not. That, in my honest opinion, is one of the most important differences between the two.

[daaper @ Feb 21st 2006 8:17AM]

@ DigiGrax,

I'm pretty sure that is just their wireless print icon. I think it uses 802.11b wi-fi, not bluetooth.

[Mike @ Feb 21st 2006 8:43AM]

Manny:

It replaces the 20D and is $200 cheaper to boot, so 20Ds will probably drop to less than $1100 in price.

[Jason @ Feb 21st 2006 8:44AM]

#3 -- The On/Off switch at the bottom is just for the jog dial on the back, not the camera itself. Yawn, not the upgrade I was looking for. I wonder if they did anything about the very annoying loud shutter clap.

[zverg @ Feb 21st 2006 9:10AM]

20D = loudest shutter EVAR!

I sorta miss my 20d, but that 18-55mm lens that was bundled with it was the cheapest piece of crap lens I've ever touched. It took damn nice pictures though. For my purposes my current Canon PowerShot S80 suits me a lot better. I needed something smaller that I could always take with me.

[David Cox @ Feb 21st 2006 9:28AM]

#4 - I have that same button and icon on my PowerShot SD450. Mine isn't wireless or bluetooth, but the button is used to print pictures directly from the camera when plugged into a compatible printer via USB. You tell the camera which ones to print and that button is the "Go" button. (I think it can also be used to send pictures to your computer when hooked up if for some reason you don't want to use your mouse)

[Pip @ Feb 21st 2006 9:36AM]

They left the info LCD at the top?? They should have moved it to the back where you can see it like on the XT. Not much of an improvement. Larger LCD is really un-needed for dSLRs. You only check the histogram, and that doesnt need much space at all. If anything they should get smaller. And that lense is actually small for an L.

[Jon @ Feb 21st 2006 9:41AM]

So would you guys recommend this as a good first DSLR?

[Jake @ Feb 21st 2006 9:59AM]

No, for a first SLR get the old 20D or a Rebel. This isn't much of an upgrade. Certainly not enough to get me to spend any money.

[DigiGrafx @ Feb 21st 2006 10:29AM]

Good catch Elias on the "II" Being a Mark II this is not a cheaper version of the first lens I was speaking of.

"EF 85mm f/1.2 II USM - �2,049" which converts to something like $2,438.63 U$D

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0602/06022112canonef85f12l.asp

[D W @ Feb 21st 2006 10:29AM]

That lens looks incredible (although reviews online say it's images are not so sharp). Still it begs the question of what you get...

30D + 85mm f1.2 = $2888.
5D + 50mm f1.4 = $3300
(Figuring 85mm w/ 24mm frame image = 50mm w/ full frame 35mm image).

To me thats a no brainer, get the full frame EOS 5D, and a well tested/trusted 50mm lens.

[popeye @ Feb 21st 2006 10:48AM]

Hmmm nice glass...

[Jason @ Feb 21st 2006 11:20AM]

DW, maybe it's just me, but I think you have math backwards there regarding the lenses.

[nicmyers @ Feb 21st 2006 11:40AM]

"The On/Off switch at the bottom is just for the jog dial on the back, not the camera itself."

Actually, that switch on the back does turn the camera on and off. It's has been located their since the 10D, though they increased the functionality of it in the 20D.

[Leo @ Feb 21st 2006 11:49AM]

Lol, DW, you have got that wrong. It should be

30D + 50mm F/1.4
5D + 85mm F/1.2

if you want to be correct and about equal including crop factor...or, you'd need to have the 50 on the 5D and the 35mm on the 30D

Leo

[Jason @ Feb 21st 2006 12:01PM]

#3, The power switch has been in that place since the 10D and is similar in placement and function to the power switch on the 1D series.

#12, The switch on the back is for both the power and to control whether the quick command wheel is on or off. Moving the switch to "On" powers the camera up but leaves the quick command wheel disabled. Moving it to the "line" position activates the quick command wheel.

[kelly @ Feb 21st 2006 12:31PM]

some of their lenses are on the hefty side... i have the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM, let's just say you're not going to forget it's attached.

[Jeff @ Feb 21st 2006 2:14PM]

Maybe it's just me (or the size of the glass in comparison), but does this camera look significantly smaller than the 20D to anyone else? It looks almost the size of the Rebel XT.

For some people that may be good, but I own a Rebel XT and I find that it's too small. My hand hangs off the grip; I can only get about three fingers around it, and on an angle.

Spec-wise, though, this seems a nice upgrade, especially with the spot-metering. It puts a little more differentiation between the Rebel XT and the next model up - previously, there wasn't a lot of meaningful difference between the XT and the 20D beyond size, subjective build quality and menu/control placement.

"They left the info LCD at the top?? They should have moved it to the back where you can see it like on the XT."

No, you don't want it on the back. It's only on the back of the XT because they couldn't fit it on the top. The XT was the compromise, not the other way around - and as I said above, it's one of the few meaningful things that differentiates the XT from a higher-end camera.

The reason is you don't have your camera at eye level unless you're taking a picture. And if you're taking a picture, you don't want to waste time checking your settings in the LCD first. That LCD exists so you can quickly check your settings while the camera is hanging around your neck in between shots. The XT forces you to bring your camera up to eye level whenever you want to do this; it's not a natural way of using an SLR. Though for most XT users, it's probably not a big deal, because XT users are by nature not the kind of people that are going to be fiddling with their settings many times during a shooting session.

[Whitney @ Feb 21st 2006 8:52PM]

"It looks almost the size of the Rebel XT."

It's actually slightly larger than the 20D. According to DPReview the dimensions of the 30D are: 144x106x74 mm. And the 20D is 144x106x72 mm.

[Justin @ Feb 21st 2006 9:47PM]

From this day forth, it shall be known as "Goatse Lens!"

[Amit Inamdar @ Feb 22nd 2006 8:20AM]

i am a comment spammer: [e-mail]

[Ryan @ Feb 22nd 2006 2:51PM]

also regarding the power switch on the back, It is there for a reason. Locating it centrally on the back allows easy access to it with your thumb no matter which grip you're holding the camera by. There is an optional portrait grip that attaches to the bottom and allows much easier shooting in the vertical "portrait" orientation, and the power switch being located there makes it operable while holding the camera by either grip.

[Washington DC Photographer @ Feb 25th 2006 12:25AM]

I recently added the entire Canon line (1Ds Mark II) and full line of lenses to my Nikon system -- I'm not a switcher, I'll await the D3, but for now Nikon's are gathering dust -- and am excited by this 30D as a secondary body!

John Harrington

[vudean @ Apr 5th 2006 12:52PM]

Good Point #27 - Jeff

I would also add that most of that info is IN the viewfinder, so when your looking through the camera, you can already see that.. the screen is to view it, when your NOT looking through the viewfinder, like you said.