Rangefinder Magazine
July 2006

Digital Photography by John Rettie
Canon EOS 30D and Other new SLR Cameras

Even though it looks similar, Canon’s new EOS 30D delivers several requested upgrades from its predecessor, the 20D.

IT CERTAINLY LOOKS as though this year is going to shape up as a significant one in the field of digital SLR cameras. On the one hand, we’ve seen companies leave the business, such as Konica Minolta and Sigma. At the same time, big electronics companies such as Panasonic, Sony and Samsung are entering the field with gusto. Although most of the cameras they are introducing (at least initially) are aimed at amateur photographers, many of the features on these new cameras are ones that will inevitably work their way into pro level cameras produced by Canon and Nikon if they do not want to be left behind.

Pentax is a prime example of the dilemma camera companies find themselves in. Although Pentax has many faithful owners of its cameras—hands up those who started their interest in photography with a Pentax—the company has not been very aggressive in the marketplace in recent years. True, it has a range of point-andshoot cameras as well as some me-too SLR camera bodies. I’m not sure how well they perform; for one reason or another, I have never tried any of their digital cameras. Perhaps the company’s lack of aggressiveness is explained by a comment made by the president of an asset-management company that owns 21% of Pentax. In a recent business article in the International Herald Tribune about Japanese businesses he said: “The mistake that Pentax and other camera manufacturers made was in digital cameras, which as a business are not like cameras but more like home electronics, with short product cycles. It’s not an efficient business for camera manufacturers to be in. We have been in talks with the Pentax management and have been suggesting that they exit from digital camera manufacturing.”

Pentax’s new K100D, an inexpensive 6.1 MP DSLR with Shake Reduction. In philosophy, the K100D is a lot like Pentax’s student camera of old, the K1000.

Samsung, the up-and-coming Korean electronics conglomerate, has been cooperating with Pentax for some time, so perhaps we’ll see the same thing happen to Pentax that has happened to Minolta. Sadly, it seems to be true that cameras have become more of a consumer electronics device rather than a camera, and traditional camera companies are having a tough time converting their expertise in film cameras to digital.

While this may sadden traditionalists, it will eventually improve the breed, since players such as Sony and Samsung obviously see a viable market for SLR cameras.

Canon EOS-30D

Those who have been shooting with the EOS-20D will find several features have been improved on the 30D. The most significant is a larger 2.5-inch rear LCD screen that makes reviewing images and reading menu items much easier on the eyes. From a workflow point of view, the most important change is that file folders can now hold up to 9999 images before the camera creates a new one. Previous models in this mid-range line of EOS cameras have been restricted to holding only 100 images per folder, which was most annoying if you were on assignment shooting several hundred images. Fans of spot metering will be pleased to know that it’s finally been added to the metering options.

Preset picture modes have been added and match those found on the 5D and the 1D Mark II. It has also inherited the one touch PictBridge printing button on the back that allows one to quickly print images using a compatible printer without needing a computer.

Sony’s new A100 camera is the first in its Alpha line of digital SLR cameras.

Beyond these few new items and some performance tweaks, there is not a lot to differentiate the camera from the 20D. It has the same 8.2-megapixel CMOS sensor and DIGIC II image processor, though the 30D is faster in startup operation and sports an increased buffer size. It still retains the 5 fps shooting speed of the 20D, but it can now be dialed down to 3 fps when needed to provide a larger buffer of up to 37 JPEG shots or a dozen or so RAW shots.

Just as I have liked the images produced from the previous generation 10D and 20D models, I found the 30D was excellent in use and produced good images, especially at high ISO settings.

Although Canon now rates the shutter for 100,000 cycles, it has not noticeably toughened up other aspects of the body such as giving it any weatherproofing. It is a bit surprising that Canon went to the trouble of redesigning the body, making it slightly larger and heavier than the 20D. In all honesty, the upgrade is so small that one wonders why Canon did not call it the 20Dn or something similar. After all, when Canon made minor modifications to the 1D Mark II, an n was added to the name rather than calling it the Mark III.

Sony will introduce 19 lenses for the Alpha line this year, and promises more next year.

Naming aside, one cannot really complain—the 30D has a street price of $1399, which is $100 less than the 20D cost when it was introduced. This makes the 30D an ideal backup camera or primary camera, as long as you do not need the rugged build and speed of the 1D models. In fact, you can almost buy three 30D bodies for the price of a single 1D Mark IIn Sony Alpha One year ago, Sony announced it would be entering the SLR marketplace with a camera body and a range of lenses in conjunction with Konica Minolta. Since then, Sony has taken over all the camera assets of Konica Minolta.

Just as I was finishing up this column, Sony announced details on the first camera in its Alpha range, the A100. Some of the specs of the A100 are quite exciting. It has a 10.2-megapixel CCD APC-size sensor, which is presumably all but identical to the one used in the Nikon D200. When a Sony official was asked this question he just smiled and said, “No, they are not the same.”

What’s most significant is that it has built-in image stabilization, which works by moving the sensor to counteract camera shake. If it works as well as image stabilization in a lens, the advantage is that it brings this feature to every lens. Of course, this is not a brand new idea, and it appears in some amateur cameras.

However, Sony has gone one step further and added dust removal to the system as well. It uses the same principal as Olympus, which is the only other company to date offering this extremely worthwhile feature. The A100 body is made out of plastic and is not built to professional levels. However, if it delivers a decent image, it should prove to be very competitive with Canon and Nikon’s offerings—especially since Sony is selling the camera body for under $899, which undercuts the Canon EOS-30D by $500 and the D200 by $800.

Besides the body, Sony is also introducing 19 lenses and many accessories. Several of the lenses are modified Minolta lenses; others are of fresh design, including three Carl Zeiss lenses. The fixed length lenses range from 16mm to 500mm, and the zoom lenses range from 11–18mm to 70–300mm. The lenses will be introduced between now and the end of the year at prices ranging from $200 to $6000. Sony will not say when a professional-level camera will be introduced.

By the time you read this column I will have had the chance to try out the camera and several of the lenses. Hopefully next month you’ll be able to read my firsthand account of my experience with this significant new player. If the camera system proves to be a good one, it’s certainly going to force Canon, Nikon and Olympus to be more competitive on pricing and features.

Nikon D2Xs

Nikon introduced its flagship D2X camera a little over a year ago. Based on this, one would not expect Nikon to introduce a replacement for perhaps another year or so. However, Nikon has announced an upgraded model with a few modifications that answer some of the criticisms of the D2X.

Nikon surprised many by announcing an upgraded version of the D2X called the D2Xs.

The D2Xs, as the upgraded model is called, has a larger 2.5- inch rear LCD screen in keeping with the excellent one on the back of the D200. More significantly, the viewing screen has been changed so that in high-speed crop mode the edges of the image not being captured are grayed out. The original D2X just highlighted the four corners of the crop mode, so it was sometimes too easy to miss, especially when photographing in bright lighting.

Other changes include more choices in several menu settings, and an increased buffer allowing up to 60 shots to be captured at up to 8 fps. A more powerful battery promises longer shooting time between charges.

Sadly, there is no adjustment downwards in price. But at least the improvements have not driven the price upwards, either. Nikon also says it will offer a firmware upgrade for the D2X which will incorporate some of the improvements from the D2Xs. Obviously this will not include the larger LCD screen or the improved high-speed crop view on the viewfinder screen. It did not say when this firmware upgrade will be available or what it will deliver.

Quick Book review

The Best of Adobe Photoshop

Learn from several masters by reading this book and studying the many examples of great photographs modified in Photoshop.

Studying the work of masters, whatever the field, is inspirational. Learning from them is the best way to master the skills needed to improve one’s own work. Read The Best of Adobe Photoshop, by Bill Hurter (published by Amherst Media, 128 pages, $34.95), and you’ll be inspired.

In this book, Hurter, the editor of Rangefinder, takes a look at some fabulous work produced by a wide variety of photographers who have used Photoshop to edit or totally rework their photographic images. Although Hurter describes how many of the images were reproduced, the book is not another how-to book on Photoshop. He covers some of the basics, such as checking the exposure meter in your camera, how actions work in Photoshop, and setting up a printer, but the primary thrust of the book is to let the examples speak for themselves. Take a look at how David Wendt takes an ordinary photograph of a car and transforms it into an incredibly well lit studio shot. Or how he takes a studio shot of a car and inserts it in a beautiful snow scene. There are plenty of examples of wedding and portrait images transformed using Photoshop, by numerous photographers, many of whom have won awards at WPPI competitions.

John Rettie is a photojournalist who resides in Santa Barbara, CA. He has been using a camera as a professional for 36 years, a computer for 26 years, and has combined his knowledge of both for the past 13 years. Readers can contact him by e-mail at john@johnrettie.com or by snail-mail c/o Rangefinder.