Who loves the 300/350/400Ds BECAUSE they're so small?

The 300D is the only DSLR i have ever held

So i dont know.

Having moved from a 300D to the 400D, it's size was very surprising to me. My 300D felt big whereas the 400D with grip feels more at home in the palm.

I have small hands. My 350D feels just right.

The 350D is a small camera. Now I have the 30D it feels too small. I was finding it uncomfortable as my finger tips were jammed against the body the whole time.

Sorry, can't go back now! 30D for good stuff, 20D to throw in a bag for snapshots.

I started with a 400D. The EOS disease struck swift and hard, and it was a matter of mere months before I acquired a 20D and then a 1D Mk II N. The latter two are highly regarded for their ergonomics, and I concur. Nonetheless, the 400D is a pleasure to hand-hold; the trick is in exploring all possible positions to determine what suits you best.

Personally, I use both hands: the left cradles the lens and part of the camera's base; with the right hand, the pinky shifts to the base, and the other three fingertips press against where the lens mount meets the body. I do not squeeze the grip! This is exceptionally comfortable over a day of shooting, even with the 70-200mm f/4 L IS.

To sum up: yes, I'm with the OP. The 400D is ergonomic, but it takes experimentation to find your best fit.

I started with a 300D, after using EOS500s for years. Virtually the same size camera. I put a BP on the underside of the 300D and was very happy with the fit. (I have BIG hands!) Then early this year I bought a 350D with the BP attached and couldn't believe how much smaller it is. Without the BP it would be TOO small. It's a lot faster camera as well. I have hand/wrist straps on both units that make for great setups. The 300D is only a back-up unit for me, as I do all my work with the 350D. Saving up for a 5D . . . !

I used to have a Rebel XT for a little over 2 years, and I absolutely hated the size of the body. I have rather massive hands (27cm handspan, about 10.5") and I would get cramps in my hand holding it so long, especially at my sister's wedding before I had the battery grip. I upgraded to the 40D about a week ago, and it's SOOOO much nicer to hold! I imagine it will be even moreso once the BG-E2 arrives.

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I bought my XTi specifically because it was small. I think its a great camera, the size doesn't bother me at all. There are many times when I want to take some pictures, but I'd rather not go out with my 5D and some big zoom on it. Sometimes its nice to just have the XTi with a small lens on it and be a little less conspicuous.

I can attach a 50mm 1.4 to my 300D and drop it in the pocket of a field jacket I have. Even more discrete is dropping my G1 in the pocket of a pair of baggy shorts. Sometimes small size is nice.

I liked my 350 for its compact size. It would squish my finger nails sometimes, but it wasn't that big a deal (I know, cut my nails.). But it was stolen. But I think I'll go for the 40D over the XTI, but not because of size. Size doesn't matter.

its cool actually, before getting 30D I was cool with its size... but after handling 30D I cannot really go back

When my 10D was in the shop for a focus issue, the camera store loaned me a Digital Rebel. I don't recall which one (300 or 350), but after the size and heft of the 10D, the Digital Rebel felt like a toy.
And for those of you who are saying that size matters, it probably felt like a toy in my hands due to the fact that I'm 6'4" tall, and a tad over 250 pounds.

Yeah I do... I have small girly hands =/

I was interested in the canons as my entry DSLR mainly because they were a very similar form to my old Fuji S5500, which I'd always found very comfortable. In fact, as soon as I picked up the 400D it felt more natural to use!

One of the main factors for my choice of Canon over the other brands I liked the look of enough to play with in the shop was the comfort of the 400D body in my hand. The Pentaxes were too small and the Nikons were all square.

The size hasn't been an issue for me. I did put a battery grip on my 350D and it gives it a more solid feel. My wife has recently gotten into photography and since she isn't as gung ho as me with this photography hobby I got her a used 300d on eBay. I have to admit I love how it felt in my hands, however the feel alone wasn't enough to sway me towards size factoring in on my next camera purchase.

I'm sure when I do upgrade I will keep the 350d as my back up carry along so I always have a small camera with me. Keeping the 350d will allow me to not have to carry around a little p&s as I can just stick my 50mm on the 350d (sans batter grip) and it will be small enough yet take outstanding pictures.

I had the 350D which felt comfortable. Now I have a 300D and it took a bit of an adjustment (mostly mentally) and it also feels comfortable. but i only have the 18-55 kit lens

I have soft computer hands.