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The new Canon EOS 30D digital SLR is a meaningful upgrade of the widely admired and
immensely successful EOS 20D model. The EOS 20D was among the first mid-priced
DSLRs to gain broad support, not just from advanced amateurs and serious photo
hobbyists, but from a wide range of working professionals: wedding and portrait
photographers, journalists, sports shooters, press organizations and newspapers. It
was number one in its category virtually from start to finish over its 18-month market
life, an outstanding accomplishment for any digital SLR in this highly competitive time.
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Its biggest rivals turned out to be other EOS cameras, first the Digital Rebel XT, which
was priced below it, and then the more expensive EOS 5D. Now, new adversaries have
emerged and the time has come for Canon to move on.
The reasons for the EOS 20D’s success are not hard to figure out. First, it produced
exceptionally high quality images, particularly at ISO 400 and above. The EOS 20D
delivered accurate color and excellent detail with speed and precision, even in adverse
lighting conditions. Without this, obviously, nothing else would matter. Next, it was both
compact and rugged. Its handling was fast and easy, with logical controls and many
custom functions for tailoring the camera to particular situations and tastes. Finally, the
price was right. At $1,499, its introductory price was sensible for the many pros who have
to pay for their own equipment and for the equipment pool managers who have to stay
within budgetary limits. Many EOS 20Ds have been “ridden hard and put away wet,” only
to serve loyally the next day. The EOS 30D is a thoughtfully conceived and meticulous
“rev up,” an exciting new model that retains the best core features of the 20D while
improving virtually all other camera functions.
Canon is a company with immense technological prowess. In 2005, it was second among
all corporations in the number of patents granted to it by the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office.
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As great an achievement as this was, it was no surprise to those who know about
such things. Canon has been in the top 3 for the past 14 years, consecutively, and Canon
is number 2 overall for total number of patents received in the past 10 years. Aside from
manufacturing the CMOS sensors in Canon DSLRs, as well as the equipment that
manufactures those sensors and the tools which maintain and adjust that equipment,
Canon truly controls every step of the way in the image creation process, from optics to
sensors to image processors to software to printing devices. Canon is in the highly
I. OVERVIEW
1. OVERVIEW
5D
30D
Digital Rebel XT
20D
1D Mark II
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1Ds Mark II
