1-Easy of Use
2-Compatible with EOS lens & Flash
3-Quality
4-Great Software

The standard 16Mb flash card was a little too small.

If you are learning how to shoot profressional photos, this is a must camera to have.
You have your results instantly. No more having to buy film, no more having to wait for it to develope to find that you messed up on some pictures.
Nothing like trial and error. After taking a picture that you don't like, just delete it and shoot again.
The built-in flash and the ISO settings were awsome. I did buy the EOS 550EX, and that made the pictures looked even nicer, but without the external flash, the pictures were very good for my needs.
I could take a picture of a room at night with all the lights turned off where the room was almost pitch black, and the picture taken with the built-in flash and the appropriate ISO setting came out unbelievable. It's nice not having to lug around an external flash all the time.
Around $3000 it might sound pricy for the casual photographer, but I think it's a good investment if you love taking photos as much as I do. I had my camera for three days, and I took over 300 pictures. It is worth every penny and more.

Customer Service

haven't had to use the customer service.

Similar Products Used:

None

Superb image quality
Speed of operation

The flap on the USB connector port - difficult to re-fit.
16Mb card supplied

As a photographic purist, I bought this camera for one reason only - I was prepared to sacrifice quality for avoidance of yet more hours in the darkroom. I need not have worried. The images are sensational - at least as good as film, and better in the sense that there is more opportunity for improvement by experiment in Photoshop, the LE version of which is also supplied. What is great is knowing that you have this quality available, yet it doesn't cost anything. I also have an EOS 3, which admittedly feels better quality to use, but I hardly ever do use it. Yaking pictuers with the D30 is so easy, and you are aware that there is no development delay or expense involved.
Have bought a 340Mb microdrive, and with 'motor-wind' in sports photographs several pictures had faults of processing the image on them, so that the image was only half there, so I have a 128Mb Compact Flash card now, which avoids this. (I think the Microdrive is also quite heavy on batteries.) The 16Mb card supplied is really miserly.
The flap covering the ISB port is very fiddly to fit - or perhaps I'm just clumsy! I also have a cheapish card reader, which is much better, so I never use the flap now.

Customer Service

No experience

Similar Products Used:

Other digital cameras: Olympus 3020

Canon EF Lenses
Real Camera Feel
Accepts IBM Microdrive
Long Battery Life

Focus search in low light
Cost high for hobbyist
USB connector difficult to unplug from camera
RAW image format requires Canon software to convert before viewing at useable size

I was VERY skeptical buying this camera since photography was just a hobby to me and lugging a $4K+ piece of metal around with me seemed a bit obsessive. However, I really enjoy taking pictures and had been completely disatisfied with the point and shoot style digitals I'd used so with a fluttering heart I took the plunge. While there are still twinges of guilt at dropping 6 months of house payments on a "toy", I REALLY love this camera. What a rush to be able to get shots that for sure and right now. I've shot hand held at midnight, verified and adjusted settings, then re-shot right with excellent results (using the Canon 28-135 IS lens). It would have been the next day before I realized I'd screwed up the entire roll with my EOS-5. Immediacy is more important than I'd have imagined. People just can't believe my prints came from digital. I've always been a Canon man and this first generation digital SLR proves why. If you've got the means and where with all then THIS is the camera of choice.

Customer Service

Unk

Similar Products Used:

None. Just upperline point and shoot style digitals like Nikon 990, Sony S70.

3+ Megapixal Digital SLR under 3 grand!!! The ability to instantly analyze your pictures on camera. Awesome camera functions. RAW mode. There really are Too many strengths to list!!!

16Meg CF Card too small.

If you are into SLR Photography, whether you are a novice or higher, this is a MUST have camera. No waiting to see what you did wrong, and then forgot what you did. You see it NOW. You can then delete it, fix the parameters and take it again. And not waist any film. Print what you want, share what you want. Total versatility. Very low learning curve, from point and shot to full manual mode...WOW. I can't say enough about this camera!

Customer Service

Shhhhh....Don't jinx me. So far so good... Someone knock on wood please...:)

Similar Products Used:

Minolta XG-M (my first slr camera) still have it. But after having the D30...Don't use it anymore. Going to give it to my son.
Sony Mavica FD-85 (my first digital camera) use it only for MPEG's now.

ALOT (see summary)

- AF get's lost at dark.
- AF assist is annoying white.
- when shooting in continuous mode, it will take longer to save the shots (especially with RAW mode).
- no more wide angle.
- you need a printer (all digitals do!).

what can i say? one of the best digital cameras for its price. i won't be able to write about everything in the camera. it has too many good features. i'm just gonna go over the general ones.
the quality is superb at RAW mode. even at smaller qualities, you still get decent results. the results at ISO 1600 are amazing. almost no grain.
the battery grip is a must. it not only gives you a vertical hand grip, but also allow a space for another battery (2 batteries for total of more than 1000 shots). the batteries charge very fast (around 1 hour), and you don't need to discharge them before you recharge them again.
the custom functions are available right infront of you on the LCD. you don't need to get the manual to see what each function does. the menue is very easy to use, and packed with 10's of features.
no more take a picture, wait till the next day to see it. you check it right away; you don't like it? delete it and retake it.
you'll need atleast 128MG card. it holds 33 RAW shots. i have 2 of them, and they're barely enough for my shootings (portrait and modeling).
the 1.6x feature is good and no good at the same time. i like it because it extends my range for long focal length lenses. i use 1.4x with 300mm for a focal length of 670mm !! but this means no more wide angle. if you attach 28mm, it will give you 45mm. i kinda miss shooting wide.
the built-in flash is E-TTL !! the first EOS camera with ETTL built-in flash.

i have noticed a little problem with the built-in flash though. in indoors, it will overexpose the flash output with 1 stop most of the time (when using AV). i have to run more tests to make sure. i usually use 550EX.

overall, great camera. but little too pricy.

Customer Service

not yet

Similar Products Used:

None

instant preview is nice touch.
feels great to have a Canon in hand again!
works great for my wedding business, but the cross lighting is problem in churches.

Hard to focus in the darker churches, must swich to manual.
The 340Microdrive gives me a ERR 22 sometimes and I have to turn off, remove the Microdrive and batteries, and turn on again, happens often... Canon says don't use Microdrives... whatever... then why are you giving them to people in a promotion...?

The bottom line is I love this camera, I'm glad I sold the Bronica SQ-Ai... although the camrea kept my arms in great shape...hehe....

I'm going to sell this D30 when the NEW PRO EOS model comes out... I believe that it should be around 6-8 megapixles... and from what I hear 29 MB RAW images, and should cost around $7500 US... but thats all just rumors... so dream.. but don't talk too much about that.... also... when Canon's rebate ends June 30... I think the new one is just around the corner... and the Kodak/Canon contract will run out also... That is also another rumor.... anyone with info please email me...

Customer Service

They will not give me an error cheat sheet, they say they don't have one...
then what the hell is ERR 22???
Someone must know what that means exactly???

Similar Products Used:

Minolta RD-175, Nikon 950, 990, Oly 3030

Very solid body, Best image quality I've ever seen, Long battery life

No spot light metering.

The best sub $5,000 digital SLR. I had a Nikon F4 and some Nikon lenses and planned to buy a D1 or S1 pro. However, D30 made me to join Canon system. I have no regret about that. Many people told me that S1 pro produces best image among these three SLRs. After carefully comparing the pix from D30 and S1 pro, I think D30 produces more nature and cleaner images than S1 pro can do. It is for sure D1 has better body than D30 does. However, I think D30 produces better pix than D1 does, and D30's body is solid enough to me. The other reason I joined Canon is that Canon L lenses is cheaper and no less sharper than Nikon AFS lenses. The Canon EF 28-70 F2.8L is the best zoom lens I have ever seen.

Customer Service

Very good in the UK

Similar Products Used:

Nikon D1, Fuji S1 Pro

Digital, nice features, light weight, compact size, onboard flash, price, 1.6X effect
I LOVE IT

Small view finder, only three focus point, slow focusing, problems with microdrive, lots of software problems, 1.6X effect

I love that camera. I used EOS3 for a long time. And finally decided to change to digital. Tried some, love this one best. It combines a low price, a lot of nice features, and a small light weight compact body. I miss many features in the EOS 3, such as big view finder, advanced light measuring, fps speed, ... so many. Generally, EOS 3 is a better one. But D30 is digital. I kept the EOS 3, but seldom used it.
I changed to CF cards, and sold all the microdrive.
Canon software is full of problem on windows ME. I am waiting for my PowerBook G4 :). Hope it will work better.
SOmebody tell me, what is the result if I combine the D30 with a circular fisheye of 8mm? My 15mm fisheye does not work so well now since the 1.6X. What angle will I get with a 8mm?

Customer Service

Never have to use.

Similar Products Used:

EOS 3, Olympus ...(Forgot the model, a digital one), Nikon D1

Everything. Really.
Feels right in the hand.
Reasonably simple user interface.
Excellent pictures "on screen".

Battery life with Microdrive.
Doesn't fit in the pocket (just kidding).

Having used a Kodak DC280 for about 2 years now, after pretty much giving up with film as I was always too impatient with the developing and printing process ("I wonder if that will come out OK" etc.), I needed something that would give me back control over the process of taking pictures. The limitation of the DC280 as a point and shoot camera became all too apparent after a while. I still took over 3000 shots in two years - my film record being about 3 rolls a month.

I started by being entranced by the features and sample images from a Fuji S1 Pro, but dealers never had stock and then I didn't have the spare cash. Finally as recent change in my working life told me I needed to spend some money that I didn't yet have, and I decided to rent a Fuji for a weekend (friends wedding) and see if I could then justify it.

The guy at the rental place advised over the phone I try the D30 instead, and I then read up on it that night on the 'net. OK. I was sold on the D30 over the S1 Pro, but then started thinking about rental costs being wasted if I was going to buy one anyway. More reading. Bought one. Got Dixons (a UK version of Circuit City) to do a price match against a real photo retailer to save me travelling and also being near a store later if anything breaks. Found a knowlegable guy in the Brent Cross branch in North London - a rarety.

The last time I was this impressed by a piece of "consumer" electrical equipment was when I bought a Dyson vacuum cleaner (sad, I know). I have now taken about 700 pictures in 4 days and the hit rate, of bad versus good, is far better than the Kodak just for a start. The user interface is reasonably well thought out, though I can think of some enhancements that might help people, the speed is there and the range of lenses is great.

Got my first USM lense 2nd hand yesterday - I didn't realise they were that silent at focusing. I thought it wasn't working.

Overall I would recommend this to anyone who wants a real SLR, but wants to go digital. The "coming soon" Nikon D1X reads well, but at more than twice the price, I am happy I made the right choice.

Customer Service

One enquiry about upgrade - very good response, no need for action.

Similar Products Used:

Kodak DC280 (yeah I know)

Color Rendition
Low Noise
Balance
Battery life
EOS Lens Compatibility
Exposure Consistency
Build Quality
Feature Layout

Focus Speed Compared to Top Digital Cameras

Unless one is willing a prepared to spend $7000.00 and up, THIS is the camera to own. It basically does everything right, or nearly perfect. It may not be fast enough for all out speed sports photography in some cases, but otherwise it is as close to perfect as a camera needs to be for most work, especially for it's price.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Nikon D1
Olympus E-10
Kodak DCS-330