Canon EOS 10D Review
Canon delivers their most affordable digital SLR yet, the EOS 10D is
available now with a suggested list price of just $1,999 ($1500 street.)
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.
When a RAW image is captured, the EOS 10D simultaneously records and
stores a JPEG image in the RAW image file. Unlike the EOS D60 where this
mode was only possible for the Middle/Fine setting, the JPEG image can
be set to any of the six JPEG quality settings on the EOS 10D. In
addition to the five preset White Balance modes featured on the EOS D60,
the shade setting (approximately 7000K) has been added for a total of
nine white balance modes. The EOS 10D also features a Manual color
temperature setting accessed directly from the menu with 2800 to 10,000
degrees Kelvin values in 100-degree increments. In the White Balance
Bracketing mode, a set of three images is made at the same exposure
level while shifting the white balance up to +/- 3 steps in 1-step
increments, to render a cooler or warmer color temperature. Each step is
equivalent to 5 Mired (Micro-reciprocal degrees).
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
The EOS 10D is bundled with an upgraded software package featuring
powerful drivers which are compatible with Windows XP and Mac OS X.
Additional Canon utilities such as ZoomBrowser EX, PhotoRecord, RAW
Image Converter, PhotoStitch and RemoteCapture are also supplied,
together with Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0.
The EOS 10D measures 5.9 x 4.2 x 3.0 inches and weighs 27.9 oz. (body
only). It is available now at authorized retailers with a suggested list
price of $1,999.
