Thoughts on my new 300D (long rambling post...)

[dtrayers]

Well, I took the plunge and just purchased a 300D (Digital Rebel) a couple of weeks ago. I sold my G3 to a coworker. The posting I put up at work was up for about 45 minutes.

I loved shooting with the G3 and have taken well over 5000 images with it. I had not planned on upgrading for a while, and felt that the swivel LCD had some very good advantages over an SLR. However, I learned photography by shooting for my high school yearbook many years ago with several Minolta SLR's and now, in the past year or so, I've 'rediscovered' photography by shooting digital. However, I was finding that the more I got back into photography, the more I missed shooting with an SLR. The G3 is an excellent camera, but can't compare in focus speed, precise zoom control, DOF control and preview, and ISO noise with an SLR. Not to mention I was wanting a little more 'reach' with the lens. So with the introduction of the 300D, I couldn't resist. The nice thing is that I already have a 420EX flash and extra BP511 battery. Not to mention all the software for processing RAW images.

I've had the 300D for a couple of weeks and so far I'm pleased. I purchased the kit lens with the camera but in comparing it to the G3 I felt the images from the 18-55 are soft, even around f/8. So I've put the kit lens away (for later resale when I upgrade again) and purchased a Canon 24-85 USM. The images from this lens compare very favorably with the G3, and the equivalent zoom range is about the same as the G3. Maybe someday I'll get an "L" lens, but for now the budget is too thin.

There's been a lot of discussion on the dpreview.com forums about underexposure with the flash, but after careful reading of how E-TTL metering works HERE (http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/) and practicing a little, I've been able to get very good results with both the internal flash as well as my 420EX. Sure, flash compensation would be nice to have, but I understand how the camera works now and can work with it. I've also found the internal flash pops up quite high. Higher than the 10D, if I'm not mistaken. I borrowed a Tamron 28-200 from a friend for a day or so and found that at all focal lengths, the was no discernable shadow of the lens. Pretty good for an internal flash. I couldn't use the internal flash of the G3 with the 52mm lensmate in place, much less the 58mm lensmate.

Another lamentation some have is the inability of selecting the AI focus mode (one shot vs. predictive). For me, my last SLR was a Nikon N-65 that implemented autofocus in a very similar fashion. Full time predictive AF was only available in the 'sport' mode, like the 300D. So for me I'm really not missing anything. At any rate, I learned that with with the full time manual focus with the USM lens, you can force predictive AF buy moving the focus ring a little after focus lock. Works for me.

Some also bemoan the fact that you can't select the metering mode. Evaluative as the norm, partial with AE lock, and center weight average only in manual. Well, that works for me, too. I've found with using the G3, though I could change the exposure mode, I usually left it in evaluative. And when I didn't, I inevitably forgot to switch it back. At least with the 300D it will switch back to evaluative automatically. For the few times I have used partial metering, pushing a button is not a big deal. One of the big features of an SLR I missed with the G3 was seeing exposure info in the viewfinder. I've been shooting more and more in manual because I can easily meter. It's kind of like shooting with my old Minolta. Move the wheel until the needle is centered. If you want a little under/over exposure, don't use the exposure compensation, just use manual and stop to the left or right of center. Exposure compensation is another 'feature' I always forget to return to normal.

So what do I miss on the G3? I miss the internal ND filter. I used that feature on the G3 quite a bit. However, the G3 tops out at f/8, so being able to go to f/32 with the 300D lens may make the ND filter less of an issue. I miss that that on the G3 there is an infrared receiver for the little remote on both the front AND side of the handgrip. It's only on the front of the 300D. I think Canon missed the mark on that one. I never really compared them side by side, but I think that the image review on the G3 was much faster. I realize that the image size on the 300D is a lot bigger too, but still, it seems slower than I would have expected. I also miss that the histogram display in review mode has to be enabled every time. Yes, it's just one press of the 'Info' button, but it's one I press EVERY time. I also miss the movie mode. I used that more than I thought I would for short video clips of the kids to e-mail to the grandparents. (Maybe it's time to invest in a digital camcorder? :D )

I think that the G3 applied a little less compression of the JPG files than the 300D does. I've compared a RAW vs. the best quality JPG of both cameras. The JPG of the G3 looks very much like a processed RAW. The RAW of the 300D is much better than the corresponding JPG. I couldn't really see any artifacts in the G3's JPG, but they very apparent in the 300D's JPG. Mind you, the 300D's JPG artifacts are only noticeable when compared to the RAW file. Maybe it's not that the JPG is lesser quality, maybe it's that the RAW of the 300D is much better. In any case, I'm shooting RAW most of the time anyway.

What I don't miss on the G3 is the ISO noise I would get any anything higher than 100. The G3 has very good ISO noise performance for a small CCD, but it can't compare to the larger CMOS of the 300D. I don't miss the camcorder-like zoom. It was always too much or too little. I never really had any issue with the G3 focus speed or accuracy, but I welcome the speed of the SLR and USM lens.

I wish I could afford to keep both, but I had to sell the G3 to help finance the 300D. And, I know that even if I had both, I would use the 300D 90% of the time anyway.

If you've made it this far thanks for reading. I just wanted to express my thoughts so far about the 300D. I'm really having a good time with it and look forward to getting a longer lens. Maybe the 70-200 f/4 L after Christmas. When I'm really broke. :D

[robekert]

Dave,
Good post. One thing. You can display the image and the histogram after the shot if you change the "Review" setting to (Info) "On". After the shot a small image with a histogram is displayed. No additional buttons to push. I changed my review time to 8 seconds. This way I can get a good look at the histogram.

Rob

My small Digital Rebel Gallery
http://homepage.mac.com/robekert/index_2.html

[RichardtheSane]

Dave, that is a very good post.
Some very useful infomration to new 300D owners out there, and I am glad you are getting on well with your camera.
Be sure to share some phtots :)

Rob, I love your photo of Taylor Falls :)

[TimNYC]

Dave, thank you for the intelligent/eloquent review of the DReb. The only point I slightly disagree with is the jpeg vs. the G3 jpeg. I shoot 99% of the time in jpeg with my DReb as I do with my G3, and fing the DReb superior. After reading your RAW information I will start shooting more in that mode. Thanks again, nicely done!

[pradeep1]

Thanks Dave. You brought up some points others have not covered in their eagerness to fall over themselves to get a 300D.

[Larrynca]

Thanks Dave for the insightful review.

I currently have the G-2 & G-3 and having just odered the D-Rebel (Kit - $919 w/free shipping from Harmony)
I am anxiously awaiting its arrival, should be here Wednesday. I naturally have been curious as to what differences I can expect and thanks to your informative post I feel I have a leg up already!!

If you don't mind I would be curious to know where you purchased your Canon 24-85 USM?

I will most likely be selling the G-3 and keeping the G-2 for hiking, mountain biking and days at the beach.

Larry in Ca

[CyberDyneSystems]

Tyhe mor ei hear about this camera the more it sounds like the best bargain in a Digital camera since they were introduced.

Sony makes cameras that cost more! Ha!

[dtrayers]

Thanks for the comments...

Rob, thanks for the tip about the review setting. I am aware of that setting and it's how I have my camera set. I was referring to the playback mode. Unlike the review, you can only see the histogram by pressing the INFO button. Playback doesn't default to the histogram display like the G3 can be set to do. Sometimes I may shoot several frames in succession and don't look at the LCD until after. It's a very minor thing.

TimNYC, I went back and took another look at the photos that prompted me to make my comments of JPG vs. RAW for the G3 and 300D. That's when I realized that the RAW of the 300D was better than the RAW of the G3. Then it hit me... although all the photos are of the same subject (my backyard), the G3 was shot last March, and I converted the RAW using Breezebrowser. I now use Adobe's Camera Raw for Photoshop 7. I think what I'm seeing is that ACR does a better job of coverting the RAW file than Canon's converter (which BB uses). It isn't that the G3 does a better job of making a JPG, it's that ACR does a better job of converting RAW files without adding artifacts. HERE (http://home.comcast.net/~dtrayers/jpg_vs_raw/) is what I was looking at. These are enlarged crops, taken with the 300D. Seeing this is what convinced me that any photo I may enlarge beyond 4x6 I want to shoot in RAW.

Larry, I purchased the 24-85 locally. I live near Minneapolis, so I shop at National Camera. That's where I buy most of my stuff. Mail order I usually buy from B&H or Amazon. I'm not adverse to shopping for price, but the folks at National Camera spent some time with me when selecting a lens and didn't pressure me to go with one or another. It didn't feel right after all their work to go and buy it from B&H. What's more, I talked them into including the lens hood, so I got both for about the same price as B&H. It's a nice lens, and I like the internal focus. One thing about it though, and this may be the case for most Canon lenses. When I work the zoom, I noticed that the front element acts like a piston and I can feel air rush past the rear element when zooming-in (the lens was off the camera, of course). I wondered if this zooming in and out could be 'pumping' dust inside the camera? I have noticed some dust particles on some images and some aren't removed buy the hand bulb blower. I may try THIS (http://www.pbase.com/copperhill/ccd_cleaning) technique. Has anyone else tried it?

[Merric]

Hi.

I have also recently purchased a 300D and you can use the selector next to the sutter release on the camera to switch between images in playback and keep the current LCD screen settings ie info display or current zoom level etc. Hope this helps.

Regards,

Merric