It's been a while since a digital camera caused tidal waves among photography enthusiasts and hobbyists.

The EOS D30 and 10D rocked the world of digital SLRs when they were launched, and the EOS 300D looks set to carry on this tradition. This new kid will definitely spark frenzy among existing serious shutterbugs, and even tempt obstinate film users to throw in the towel finally.

At a glance, the basic specifications of the EOS 300D look strikingly similar to the 10D. There's the specified 6.3-megapixel sensor and seven manually selectable focus points. However, the changes are there, although their significance will depend on individual shooting styles. Immediately noticeable is the number of frames stored in the continuous shooting mode. The EOS 300D sports a smaller buffer compared to its bigger brother; as such the 300D is able to store only four frames versus the nine offered by the 10D.

Other more obvious differences are the loss of some controls. While the 300D allows for partial, evaluative and center-weighted metering modes, you can really select only partial metering as this dSLR automatically decides between evaluative and center-weighted. Likewise, there are restrictions with focus tracking. While the 300D does meter with the flash in some circumstances, there is no flash compensation which is found on the 10D. Hence, it is possible to obtain slight overexposures on some of your shots.

Whatever the differences, with a suggested list price of just AU$1,999, the EOS 300D is the market's most affordable digital SLR yet. Coupled with the company´s wide range of EF (Electro Focus) lenses--more than 50 and counting--and accessories, this camera is sure to draw more than a few diehard film-based SLR users to the digital camp. Besides being compatible with the "older" EF lenses, this fresh digital EOS is also the first dSLR to support Canon's new EF-S lenses. The EOS 300D comes bundled with an 18-55mm EF-S lens in the Australian market.

This aggressive pricing follows Canon´s strategy to carve out a greater share of the dSLR--and to a certain extent the prosumer--market. At AU$1,999, the EOS 300D will actually be of more value than the higher echelon in the prosumer range.

Like the recent spate of Canon digicams, the EOS 300D also incorporates the DIGIC (Digital Imaging Integrated Circuit) image processor for enhanced digital performance. Canon's proprietary DIGIC technology was developed specifically for use with its line of digital cameras and combines the jobs of image processing and camera function control into one chip. Therefore it stands to reason that DIGIC will be much faster at image processing than a general purpose CPU. This extra speed makes it possible to incorporate higher-quality signal-processing algorithms to improve quality.

The EOS 300D uses a 6.3-megapixel CMOS sensor which Canon claims is virtually the same as the one found on the 10D. The manufacturing process has been modified, probably for higher yields. In any case, the 300D has the same picture area and aspect ratio (3:2) as the EOS 10D. However, the sensitivity range has shrunked, dropping the ISO 3,200 setting altogether. This leads us to believe the amplifier circuit is of a lower quality. Still, the low noise performance of the 300D remains impressive, with hardly any artifacts visible even at traditionally high ISO settings. To put things in perspective, we found the noise generated by the unit's ISO 800 shots comparable to ISO 200 pictures of some consumer digicams! This is a big advantage for low-light and indoor photographers, and should be one of the biggest factors for consideration over a similarly priced prosumer model.

We won't include any numbers as per our usual reviews. Suffice to say, we had trouble clocking the timings as the 300D is one sprightly performer--responding as quick as the EOS 10D before it. The EOS 300D's 7-point AF (autofocus) implementation seems to be virtually identical to the one found on the more expensive 10D despite a slightly different name. The AF proved just as fast, accurate, and worked well at lower-light levels, too. The seven focusing points are superimposed on the viewfinder and manually selectable for a high degree of control--the placement of the AF points also lends itself to ease of focusing in either vertical or horizontal orientation, and with moving or off-center subjects.

The AF-assist lamp found on the D60, but done away with on the 10D, makes a resurgence in the 300D. Therefore, when the AF-assist lamp fails to help, the 300D fires micro flashes from its built-in speedlight to help illuminate the subject for more accurate AF operation.

The continuous shooting mode of the 300D allows for four frames at a rate of 2.5fps. However, we didn't find this to be limiting as the buffer cleared itself rather quickly and allowed us to take more shots while it discharges the remaining images in the cache. We reckoned that most shutterbugs won't have a problem with this small restriction.

By far the greatest gripe we have with the 300D is the lack of control over the metering modes. It's also particularly annoying that the default metering changes whenever you change shooting modes. Admittedly, the camera's evaluative metering gave us almost perfect exposures in its automatic setting. Even so, we did miss this flexibility that we'd gotten used to from the manufacturer's PowerShot series. We believe Canon has deliberately dropped this function to provide more differentiation between the 300D and 10D, so as not to cannibalise the sales of the more lucrative 10D.

We tested the 300D with the EF-S (18-55mm F3.5-to-F5.6 zoom lens equivalent to 28mm to 88mm on a 35mm SLR) kit lens and were quite pleased with the results. The images captured were always sharp and detailed, with colors captured staying vivid. Of interest to some, the rear elements of the new EF-S lenses sit further in the body as compared to the existing EF variants. These are lenses designed to be used with dSLRs. As the imaging area is more compressed on digital cameras--the sensor is a fraction of the 35mm frame--, the lens are made smaller and lighter.

Even if the 300D didn't support interchangeable lenses--including the complete catalog of Canon EF-mount products--this digicam will still have great specs for the price. It´s quite obvious the EOS 300D will dominate the entry-level dSLR arena for some time. To date, there's no announcement of a rival from Nikon and its affiliates--at least in the under AU$2k price range. Despite the "programmed" limitations, we think the 300D will be hard to beat in terms of value and performance, especially when priced against the likes of Minolta's Dimage A1 and Sony's DSC-F828.

Canon EOS 300D
Company: Canon Australia
Price: AU$1,999
Distributor: Selected resellers
Phone: 1800 021 167

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