Canon EOS 30D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

Ok, I cheated... But this camera really is AMAZING! I hummed-n-hawed for quite a while before I pulled the trigger. Well...I think I just retired my Nikon F4s...and I LOVE that camera! It got to me just before my son's performance in "A Midsummer Nights Dream." This is not my first digicam but I have NEVER, NEVER, EVER taken one to use at such an event. They rarely (read: never) ever seem to handle low light and I've NEVER had a usable image from the stage. With all the good things I read about the 30D I took a BIG chance and took it to the play...and it only. I snapped 70-odd shots and was amazed at how well they all turned out. The cast has been thrilled. They hired a photographer but he only shot "set" photos/portraits...nothing while the play was going. Simply amazing. The next weekend I took it out and ran it through its paces. I can't get over how many "keepers" I had. And the level of control is nothing short of stunning. I'm a control freak when it comes to photography...and the 30D has it in spades. All in all, I don't think there is a better camera in its class. I'd even go so far as to say that I prefer it over the 5D! (Which is why I got it in the first place.) You really have to go out of your way to get more...1Ds Mark II anyone..? For the record, the lenses I purchased have been pretty sweet as well. I got the EF-S 10-22...if it weren't for the "S" it would probably be an "L" lens for sure. I also picked up an EF 24-70 2.8L as my main lens. That's what I shot the play with. Great lens that one. Lastly I grabbed an EF 70-200 2.8L and what a beauty that is. I agree will a previous post...even if you have to eat ramen for a month: Go for it! Best money I've spent in quite a while.

As the title says, if you can afford this, do it -- and this is coming from a Digital Rebel XT/EOS 350D owner. I love digital cameras. But I hate configuring them. For example, I've got a Sony T33 credit card camera that because of its small size, I've got to fiddle with the dumb menu. I'm farsighted, which means I need my glasses to see the menu, and ... arrgh. I own the Digital Rebel XT/350D and like many things about it, but I have never liked having to play around with it to configure the manual settings. And that's a real drawback, because I think you'll find that once you own a DSLR like one of the Canons or Nikons then you won't be shooting "automatic" all that much. But searching through the menus and trying to puzzle out what combination of button presses sets the ISO to 1600 so you can get those fireworks shots just ain't no fun. Get ahold of a 20D or 30D and spend 20 minutes with the manual, just once. The overall idea of the control layout will make you smile, and throw away the manual. Honest. Of course, that's not the only benefit of the 30D. For one thing, PictureStyles makes more sense to ME, anyway, than does the more common approach to exposure presets. The significantly larger LCD makes reviewing shots actually possible on the LCD, and the bigger LCD means bigger text -- better for us farsighted guys. I do wildlife pictures and portraits where it's great to motor-drive 20 or 30 shots at a go, and the 30D supports that. And I grew up with hand-held spot metering, so its return in the 30D is wonderful. However, if you ARE thinking of upgrading from a 350D, be aware of a few things. First, you've got to re-buy your wired and wireless remote controls at outrageous prices. All of the power stuff, including the AC adapter, your batteries, any battery chargers and the 350D's battery handle will require new purchases. One more thing that is a bit annoying: despite the fact that Microsoft has announced that 32 bit's on the way out, the four included photo applications run badly or not at all on my copy of XP x64 edition. There are workarounds, of course, but it's blasted annoying. Whether you stay with a current camera or upgrade, I wish you the best of luck with your digital photography. Even with the worst on-board menus, it still beats developing negatives in the closet!

The LCD screen did not work

The EOS 30D is an excellent camera for the price. I have been using it for a few weeks and it has produced some really great shots. I will be ordering a higher end Canon soon and the 30D will become a backup. It is easy to use and understand. Canon has a great collection of lenses too. If you are in the market for a great camera on a budget, this one just may be what you are looking for!

I Got this from Adorama via Amazon, along with what I considered to be a bare essentials kit for this beginner on a $1,500 budget: Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras , Sandisk Ultra® II CompactFlash® Card 2GB , extra battery Canon BP511A 1390mAh Lithium Ion Battery Pack for Select Digital Cameras and Camcorders , a couple of filters, Slik Professional Universal Deluxe Tripod with 3-Way Panhead and Panoramic Photo Guide , Lowepro Topload Zoom 2 - Holster bag ( for camera ) - TXP, TXP ripstop - black, navy blue , Domke J-803 Digital Satchel Camera Bag, Canvas, Black. ... Great price, great delivery; I had not taken into consideration that the tripod would be as heavy and bulky as it is (not a con though), which added to the delivery price, but that's my fault. What made me take the plunge was a combination of the lower price once the 40D was out; research which led me to better appreciate the value of a good lens first, a good camera second; and the fact that the Canon Rebel line never felt right in my (6 feet tall) hands. First impressions? Swoon... It had been a long time since I had been wowed by anything electronic - computers lower one's expectations by that much, I guess. What I appreciate and will be obvious to any pro: - It feels like a well made quality product; great ergonomics, if a tad heavy; - It takes the picture "right now" with the manual modes, which is a major reason why you would buy this instead of a "point and (eventually) shoot"; - You can unleash your creativity by fiddling with the dozens of parameters; I just read Ken Rockwell's excellent online tutorial and feel like I've been liberated: I'm getting the type of pictures I want after only a couple of days of playing with it. My main concern was getting blurry pictures because of my somewhat shaky hands; the combination of a fast lens and tinkering with shutter speeds and exposure has saved the day. Does the 40D do more things? Sure. Is it better? Not until you are able to master the endless combinations this amazing camera affords; only then does it begin to make sense, for a beginner at least.

I ordered my Canon 30D camera body from Amazon through another vendor. When I opened the box I noticed the manuals' plastic bag was torn in the middle and the camera's mirror had dust spots. I was a bit worried about whether it was a returned item. However, I cleaned the dust away with my blow brush and have taken several hundred test shots. The camera works fine and I am happy that I have bought it. Initially, though, it was not my choice. Since I already owned several cameras and lenses of Canon, Nikon and Mamiya, I knew I would choose a DSLR camera body between a Canon and Nikon model so that I could use my old but great lenses. I was leaning using my Nikkor lenses, so after some research, I decided to buy Nikon D80--its large and bright view finder was a major attraction to me for I do like to take photos through the view finder rather than a live screen. But before I ordered it, I went to the stores to have a look at the camera. My impression of the Nikon D80 body was not good. It looked small and a bit cheap feeling. I just didn't like the design and the feeling of it while holding it. And it's not made in Japan. The Canon models are. Somehow I more trust in cameras that are made in Japan. But Canon Rebels are too small and light. Even though I have rather small hands, I still like a more solid and a bit more weighty camera body. The newly launched Canon 40D looked nice, but I wasn't inclined to buy a camera that's just come to the market. So, leaving the stores it seemed I still didn't have a camera to buy. After I did a bit more research, I found Canon 30D was right for me, so without actually seeing the actual camera, which was not available at the stores, I ordered it believing a predecessor of 40D must also be made in Japan. And it is. It looks and works great with its well designed features. Ever since I moved three years ago, I have lost the access to the great darkrooms of a college where I enrolled in a darkroom class for five years just to use the facilities--I had such an incredible time processing, printing and enlarging my own color and b&w photographs that when the digital wave came I was rather skeptical and considered using computers and printers was rather mechanical and not romantic or artistic at all, but I guess that prejudice has left me now and with Canon 30D, I found my passion for photo making has come back to me, it's great fun to switch between color and b&w using one camera, and it is no less fun to crop and alter contrast to instantly create impressive pictures. One suggestion, for general color photography, avoid shooting in the sunlight, always using the open shadow or shooting in a cloudy day. That way you don't need a hood, even with a hood, you won't get the best colors in the sun. And I don't like to use filters either. But I highly recommend Canon 30D, it's not the most "professional" camera, but an ultra expensive camera doesn't mean it will bring you great photos, which can only be got through good eyes and some impromptu moments, and of course, practice. Have fun!

Got this honestly as a super-duper version of a much needed "point'n shoot" to take good reference shots for my paintings and drawings. However, now I'm getting picky about the great shots I'm taking now. Wow, some real "winners" coming out! The reasons I give it 3 stars is that it came packed in bubble wrap with no lens opening cover and the sensor came full of dirt specks which show up on anything taken over F9. F22 makes a clear blue sky look like a hundred gnats flew in the picture frame. So, another 60 bucks at the local camera shop to get it cleaned is in order. The other thing is, the pop up flash doesn't work at all...it's frozen shut. But, hey, I guess for an eight year old camera that used to sell for 1500 bucks...it's not half bad.

If you are anything like me and love Black & White Photography, but don't want to do a lot of processing, this camera is great. The larger screen and the "film type" options are the main differences between this and the 20D and for my money well worth it. You get beautiful black and white results that have much more dimension than usual with a digital camera. I've been shooting with it for a month or so now and really love everything about the camera. I purchased it as a second body and an upgrade to my Rebel XT. I couldn't quite justify the money for the 20D, but with the added "film style" options on the 30D I felt I was getting another dimension that would justify the second body. Now I can carry them both hiking with the dog, have a short lens on one and a long on the other and not have to risk my sensor with in field lens changes. Aside from the black and white being much better than any other I've seen with a digital camera the "landscape film" setting, not the fully automatic picture setting, but the film one really makes the greens in your landscapes pop. The "standard" setting gives you beautiful, accurate colour and great skin tones. I haven't had a chance to play with the other two settings much. The camera is blindingly fast, I have to be careful to not fire off five or six shots the thing is so fast. The alternate 3 fps setting is a nice option to have if you have a slower lens and want to give it time to focus in a sports type situation. The only draw back I had was the size and weight of the 30D compared to my Rebel. I however, am one of the few people I know or have read about that felt the Rebel was the perfect size for my hands. Most people felt they had to add a battery grip onto the Rebel to have enough space to hold on to it. The 30D is much bigger and heavier and that takes some adjusting to, but I have been able to shoot great hand held stuff after just a little bit of aclimization. The battery life is also exceptional. I am still shooting on the original charge of the battery after a month of use. Going back to the black and white, you can also add "filters" to the monochrome settings that save you the cost of getting a red, yellow, orange or green filter to further bring out depth in different situation. I just love this camera. I would rather take the picture I want in camera than go home and play with an exposure that isn't what I had in mind with software and I really feel that I can with this camera. Total die hard Canon fan and started out with a point and shoot Canon two years ago. The quality on that was amazing and with this camera your imagination is your only limitation. I am also bad about reading instruction manuals and find that the menus are pretty intuitive and easy to use. I know I am not utilizing all the potential of this baby and I am still taking amazing photographs! This camera is well worth the money for the serious amature.