Slow Low Light Focusing: D30, D60

[droosan]

I have heard complaints about the D30 and D60 having difficulty focusing in low light. While others say it's ok. Obviously, in you go low enough, all camera will have difficulty. My question is "in comparison to what?"

My old Rebel Xs had a difficulty time focusing in anything less than daylight with the f/4.0+ zoom it came with.

My EOS-3 with a 50/1.4 on it can focus instantly in almost any lighting situation humans are normally in. ie. If I can see the subject, it can focus on it. (Yes, I understand the difference the lens makes.)

In between is my Elan 7, which does have difficulty in low artificial light.

I kind of expect that the D30/60 is about on a par with the Elan, (since it seems on a par with it in other ways) and that people complaining are used to the EOS-3 or EOS-1v etc, while people who aren't complaining are used to Rebels, Elan, or digital P&S's even.

Is this true, or is the D30 or 60 worse than the Elan?

[jpbeale]

When using the same lens, my D30 is about 2x slower to focus than my Elan II if that helps you any. I believe the Elan II is the precessor to the Elan 7.

With a slow lens like my cheap 28-200 zoom the D30 will not focus at all in light that the Elan II can still focus in. With a fast lens like the 50/1.4 the D30 will focus but it is still slower. The D60 is reportedly almost identical in focusing behavior to the D30, if you don't use the very much brighter built-in focus-assist headlight.

I think this topic has been discussed to death in every Canon SLR forum there is over the past 1.5 years so you can read more than you want to about it by searching the archives...