Canon Digital Camera Review

Monday, February 20, 2006

Canon EOS-10D 6.3MP Digital SLR Camera Review

Canon EOS-10D 6.3MP Digital SLR Camera

The EOS 10D is the first digital SLR to offer Canon's exclusive DIGIC Image Processor for maximum camera performance as well as direct connectivity to several Canon Bubble Jet Direct printers and the CP-100 Card Photo Printer. The camera's body, constructed with rigid magnesium alloy covers, houses and protects a number of advanced camera features including a very fast, wide area 7-point autofocus system for precise focusing; 3 frames per second drive speed in 9-frame bursts in either JPEG or simultaneous RAW + JPEG capture settings; an extended ISO range of 100-3200; manual white balance mode; selectable color space options including Adobe RGB and sRGB; a scrollable 10x zoom playback mode; and a Plug and Play USB interface.

The EOS 10D supports EXIF 2.2, DPOF 1.1, FAT32, and Compact Flash Type I and II, and is completely compatible with all EF-series lenses. The EOS 10D incorporates a large-area 6.3 megapixel CMOS sensor designed, developed and manufactured entirely within Canon. This sensor has the same picture area and aspect ratio (3:2) as the EOS D60, but features superior image quality thanks to peripheral circuitry improvements and a refined manufacturing process. A new amplifier circuit boosts the S/N (signal to-noise) ratio to provide an extended sensitivity range from ISO 100 to 3200 and superior noise reduction at all ISO speed settings.

Canon's proprietary DIGIC image processor 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. DIGIC (short for Digital Imaging Integrated Circuit) is much faster at image processing than a general purpose CPU. This extra speed makes it possible to incorporate higher quality signal processing algorithms than conventional digital cameras, improve the buffer performance and consumes less battery power. And because it was specifically designed for use in a digital camera, it is also capable of handling nearly every digital camera function including JPEG compression/expansion; memory card control; Auto Exposure; Auto White Balance control and most other camera functions. In the case of the EOS 10D, for example, the number of consecutive frames is 9, compared to 8 in the EOS D60 and the battery life lasts approximately 30 percent longer. These improvements were made possible by the DIGIC Image Processor, not by any improvements in the camera or batteries themselves.

The EOS 10D's advanced 7-point AF system is a major upgrade from the D60's 3-point system, and its speed is as fast or faster than the EOS Elan 7/7E's. The 7 focusing points are conveniently superimposed on the viewfinder, cover a wide area for superb precision, and are manually selectable for a high degree of control. Ideal focus is achieved whether camera orientation is vertical or horizontal, with moving, still or off-center subjects, and even in low light/low contrast situations.

The EOS 10D uses an Intelligent Orientation Sensor to detect whether the camera is positioned horizontally or vertically and uses that information to improve autofocus and exposure metering accuracy and enables the camera to automatically rotate vertical format images during playback. This rotation data is also added to the image file header so compatible software applications such as Canon's File Viewer Utility, ZoomBrowser EX and ImageBrowser read this data and automatically rotate thumbnail images during downloads to accelerate workflow.

EOS 10D Major Features

Magnesium alloy body with Canon EOS (EF) lens mount, 1.6x focal magnifier
6.3 megapixel (effective), single-plate CMOS image sensor
3072 x 2048, 2048 x 1360 and 1536 x 1024 24-bit JPEG and 3072 x 2048 36-bit RAW file formats. RAW files include an embedded JPEG (user selectable size and quality) that is quickly extracted with the supplied software
Fast, Wide-area TTL AF with 7 focusing points, manual or auto selectable.
One shot AF, AI Servo AF with focus prediction, AI Focus AF, and manual focus modes.
New Canon DIGIC image processor speeds up image processing, camera functions and improves image quality
Full range of exposure modes: Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Depth-of-Field AE, Programmed AE with modes for Landscape, Macro, Night Scene, Portrait, and Sports, and full Manual
35-zone TTL metering, Evaluative (linked to all focusing points), Center weighted average, or 9.5% central-area spot metering
White Balance: Auto, six presets and Manual color temperature (2800 to 10,000 degrees Kelvin in 100-degree increments).
White Balance Bracketing mode, three images at the same exposure level while shifting the white balance up to +/- 3 steps in 1-step increments
Continuous Drive mode captures up to 9 frames at 3 fps (1/250 second or faster)
Shutter speeds: 30 to 1/4,000 seconds, plus Bulb
Eye level TTL viewfinder with diopter adjustment, illuminated AF points, depth-of-field preview and detailed information display.
Exposure compensation: -/+2 EV in 1/2 EV or 1/3 EV increments in all exposure modes
Auto exposure bracketing: -/+2 EV in 1/2 EV or 1/3 EV increments in all auto exposure modes
Improved 1.8 inch, color TFT LCD, 118,000 pixels, 5 levels of brightness
Playback image zoom 1.5x - 10x in 5 steps with scrolling
ISO sensitivity range: 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1,600 (3200 with ISO speed extension)
Built-in E-TTL popup flash with red-eye reduction. Guide Number is 13/43 at ISO 100, m/ft w/18mm lens coverage. Hot shoe for Canon EX Speedlites and a standard PC flash sync connector
CompactFlash Type II memory card slot, Microdrive compatible
I/O ports: USB (TWAIN driver for PC and Photoshop plug in for Macintosh), Video Out with selectable NTSC or PAL timing, PC type flash sync, N3 remote control socket
Power supplied by included BP-511 high capacity lithium rechargeable battery pack. Good for approx 500-650 shots. BC-5L rapid charger included
Optional BG-ED3 Battery Grip holds two BP-511 battery packs and adds vertical grip, shutter release and controls

posted by Admin @ Canon EOS-10D 6.3MP Digital SLR Camera Review

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