Editors' note: Changes in the competitive landscape for digital SLRs as well as the release of a newer model have prompted us to adjust the ratings for this camera twice. In September 2007, we dropped the Design and Performance ratings to 8, for a new overall rating of 8.0--and removed its Editors' Choice designation. More recently, we dropped the Features rating to 6, for a new overall rating of 7.6.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it--that seems to be Canon's approach to its EOS 30D, the follow-up to its perennial favorite, the EOS 20D. Aside from a few performance tweaks, the Canon EOS 30D is the same camera as its predecessor. (For complete details of the 20D/30D, read the EOS 20D review; in this piece, I address mainly the enhancements that differentiate the 30D.) It has the same well-balanced, magnesium-alloy body with its intelligently laid-out controls; an almost identical set of pro-level, extremely customizable features; and roughly the same, excellent performance. Also, thanks to the identical 8-megapixel CMOS sensor and image-processing system, it yields the same superb photos, especially at high-ISO sensitivity settings.
![]() | Raw shot-to-shot time | ![]() | Typical shot-to-shot time | ![]() | Shutter lag (dim light) | ![]() | Time to first shot | ![]() | Shutter lag (typical) |
![]() | Typical continuous-shooting speed |