EOS30 (Film) Owner wanting to upgrade to a DSLR

[FlyingPete]

Hi all,
I am currently the owner of one very well used Canon Powershot G3 (around 12000 images so far), and one very under utilised EOS30, which hasn’t had a roll in it for over 18 months.

I miss some of the SLR functions with the G3, and defiantly miss the speed, manual zooms, and the range of focal length options (I have a 28-105 and 75-300IS). On top of this it would be nice to have cleaner images at higher ISO’s and even have higher ISO options than 400 for real low light without a flash (I often shoot in ISO400 on the G3, and use NeatImage to clean up the mess).

So my question is, what DLSR? An older second hand, a new 300D (all I can afford brand new at the moment), or to wait. If I was going to go down the 300D path, what I would miss that the 30 has (I don’t use eye control). I only stick to the Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual. I understand that the 300D has got some functionality disabled or hard to get too and this makes me wary of rushing out and buying one.

Thanks heaps!

[sGu]

if you use EOS 30, then 10D or 20D is more suitable for you, 10D was designed on EOS 30 body.

you can try to pick up a second hand one quite cheap at the moment due to the release of 20D.

I wouldn't suggest go down the 300D path if you are used to EOS 30, you'll miss a lot of functions.

[FlyingPete]

There are two big wins that I percieve for the 300D package, 1st the cost, and second the kit lens. Due to the focal length multiplier on the DSLR's (an EOS 1D woudl fix that :)) the 28-105 I have will not be a wide as I would like.

What are the main features that are missing from the 300D?

[MrChad]

I currently have an Elan 7N, a good buddy of mine owns the older 7E and he upgraded to the Rebel-D. For the most part he finds the AF speed of both cameras to be comparable.

But, he has issues with it and his 550EX flash, it over and under exposes all the time compared to the Elan body.

I've found the 300D body to be less to my tastes then my Elan body and both of us tend to dislike the darker Mirror prism 300D vs. the Penta prism of the Elan.

Now he has had his Rebel-D since it was new on the market, but both of us are waiting for the new 'we speculate' Digital Rebel-2 which should come out with in a year. Maybe Canon will improve a feature or 2 on the new body hopefully the flash features for sure.

Else the most logical alternative would be a 10D or 20D model. But both are quite pricey compared to a film body but I'm going to try and hold out a bit longer. The Dslr bodies just keep getting better every month it seems.

So basically your choices in order of increasing price are:
300D (Rebel-D)
10D
20D

[Quinn Porter]

While it is true that the EOS30 is similar to the 10D from a feature standpoint, the DRebel should be considered if you find that you don't regularly use many features of your EOS30 (or your G3 for that matter). For instance, if you don't change metering modes or focusing modes very often with your EOS30, then you might not miss them with a digital rebel.

If I were you, I would review the features sets of the 10D and Digital Rebel. If you find that you currently use the features of the 10D not found on the DRebel, get a used 10D. If not, get a new or used DRebel. Even though you can afford a new DRebel, I'd buy used because there are so many available as many people are upgrading to the 20D.

Finally, some people really like the look and feel of the 10D over the DRebel. However, the DRebel is closer to the size and weight of your EOS30.

Compare the features of the 10D and DRebel here (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos300d/).

[RichardtheSane]

Look out for a good 10D deal on ebay

They really are selling dirt cheap now!

[FlyingPete]

Had a look at the DPreview article on the 300D, a couple of things jump out that concern me, they are:
- Frame buffer, only 4 shots rapid fire? My G3 does better than that, and I consitently fill that up
- Control of Metering Mode
Is the frame buffer the same reguardless of compression etc? I think that for me is a major negative. A lot of the really good action shots I have got on my G3 are from rapid fire. I never really used it on the EOS30, due to the cost of holding down the shutter button ($3NZ per second!).

I am keeping any eye out for 10d's here, but the 20d is not readliy availalble yet, so I might have to wait.

[Quinn Porter]

If you want a good buffer and control over metering modes, then a used 10D is for you.

In addition to ebay and the marketplace board here, you should watch the Buy and Sell board at Fred Miranda (http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/10)(FM is much more active than this forum).

Hold out for a 10D in excellent condition, there are plenty of them.

Good Luck

[FlyingPete]

Well, I have put my old 30 and grip up on a local auction site, so at least I have the $$$ when a good 10d comes up, decided the 300d won't really work, as I will end up wishing I had bought the 10d within a short time.

That leaves one issue - lens.

The 28-105 doesn't do well for wide angles on a D-SLR, it is going to cost me more $$$ than I originally anticipated, so my budget will be slim. Might ditch the 75-300IS, as I hardly ever used it.