Canon 30d camera review
Canon 30d camera review
Canon 30d camera review
Canon 30d camera release date
The Canon 30D was released in 2004.
Introduction
This review is made in 2014 about a ten year old Canon digital reflex camera. Why to write a review of an old camera like this? Why not, I still use it, and perhaps not everybody has the budget for the newest cameras around. The shutter of the camera was replaced two times. First time it wasn’t up to 100,000 actuations as in the marketing material, not even 30,000. Apart from these I didn’t have other problems with the camera. Once I knocked the camera to the stones at the riverbank, but seems the camera has no problem with it since, apart from some lack of paint.
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Handling
For my more bigger hands this camera has excellent handling, much better than the Nikon d7000 for example. The difference between the two cameras is the thickness of the grip at the right side of the camera. The Canon 30D is a prosumer grade camera, with a magnesium alloy body. This cameras has better build quality than most today’s Canons and Nikons at the same category.
Arrangement of buttons, dials
Nice, simple and clean arrangement of controls, works as it needed. Two dials. Much better placement of buttons and functions I think than today’s Nikon d7000 or Canon 60d for example. To chose an autofocus point not need to search next to the lens at the botton of the camera, or changing iso, or exposure compensation not needed to click two buttons. Joystick at the back.
Things you don’t find in Canon 30D camera
The following things you cannot find in the 30D, because these aren’t there:
Touchscreen, flip out LCD, video mode, Live view, Wifi, Gps.
Things missing the most
The thing is missing the most from the Canon 30D is a better LCD according to my opinion. The 230k dots LCD is not very good compare to today’s 920k or 1040k models.
Canon 30D camera specs
Sensor:8 Mpix cmos
Shutter speed:1/8000-30s
Resolution:3504*2336 pixel
Weight: 144×105.5×73.5mm / 5.7×4.2×2.9 inch
Self timer:2 or 10s.
Size:700g
Card slots: 1 CF
LCD: 3″ 230k dots
Picture quality
The 30D picture quality is very good. Not full frame, but not bad at all even today.
Compare to today’s cameras
High iso is not so good as today’s cameras (Nikon d7000,d7100, Canon 60d,70d). The Canon 30d gets very ugly at iso 3200 in dark situations. I usually use it up to iso 1600. Even at iso 1600 the picture quality is not very good as today’s standards, but can be acceptable in daylight. In lower iso’s I won’t say the difference is big. Compare to the Canon 500d the Canon 30d is much better. The shutter sound is much louder than today’s cameras. The Canon 5d shutter is even more louder.
Functions
The Canon 30d camera has not so wide range of function as most of today’s cameras has in this category.
Picture samples
Most pictures at the front page if not all was made with the Canon 30d.
Canon 30d Soligor 100-400 at 290mm little sharpened
Lenses for a Canon 30D camera
I list lenses here for the camera. The Tamron 150-600mm Vc USDlens is a best value bird/wildlife lens you can get for the camera. It has 600mm focal length which is enough for pretty much anything. The Sigma 150mm-600mm lens is an another candidate for the same task. It is big and heavy lens, much more expensive as the Tamron, but has decent optical performance, and solid build.The Canon 200mm f/2.8 lens is one of my favourite lens. It is very sharp even with the teleconverters. Another very useful lens for the camera is theTamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens which is perhaps the best value lens at this technical level. It is very sharp, has nice contrast, and colors, and constant f/2.8 aperture at the all range. It means this lens is 4 times faster than the usual f/5.6 consumer grade zoom lenses.