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Nothing is more frustrating than watching your newly-purchased consumer electronics

product get replaced a month after you bought it. That happened to me a month ago,when Canon announced the new EOS-10DDigital SLR ($1499 street price), which

replaced the EOS-D60 that I had just bought for more money. Beside the lower price,there are several other significant differences between the 10D and D60, namely:

Uses new DIGIC chip for faster processing and autofocus, plus better photo quality

7 selectable AF points Can now set white balance color temperature (2800 - 10,000 K, in 100K

increments) ISO sensitivities expanded: can now do 1600 and 3200 Higher resolution LCD Selectable color spaces: sRGB or Adobe RGB Automatic image rotation More languages supported Nearly twice as many custom functions

DCRP Review: Canon EOS-10Dby Jeff Keller, DCRP Founder/EditorOriginally posted: March 30, 2003Last Updated: April 2, 2003

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PageDCRP Review: Canon EOS-10D

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When it's time to recharge, pop the battery into the included CB-5L charger. It takes 90

minutes to fully charge the battery.

Digital SLRs do not include a lens or memory card. It's up to you to buy them.

The 10D supports the IBM Microdrive, and I've been happily using one with both my10D and D60. Do note that Microdrives are power hungry, and will drain the batteries

faster than a standard CompactFlash card.

As far as accessories go, if you can name any one accessory, it exists. Want a different

eyecup? Done. Flashes? Take your pick. Filters, flashes, carrying cases, and more are all

available. And don't forget to buy a lens!

The Canon EOS Digital Solution Disk includes the usual software:

ImageBrowser/ZoomBroswer (Mac/PC), PhotoStitch, Remote Capture, and the FileViewer Utility. There are also TWAIN and WIA drivers for Windows. All of the main

programs are now Mac OS X native. The camera does NOT mount on your desktop like

some others -- you'll need to use Canon's software or a card reader to get your photosoff the camera in OS X.

ImageBrowser

ImageBrowser/ZoomBrowser is a simple photo for viewing and performing basic editing

tasks on your photos. It's one of the better programs of its kind. PhotoStitch is myfavorite program for creating panoramic shots. RemoteCapture lets you control your

EOS-10D on your computer, via the USB cable.



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File Viewer Utility (the images shown were taken with my D60, not the 10D)

The File Viewer Utility does just that... it lets you view images on your camera and local

disks. You can also use it to convert files in RAW format to standard formats like TIFF.

Photoshop Elements 2.0

The final piece of the software bundle is Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0. This is an

excellent program for beginners and enthusiasts alike, and I'd recommend it even if you



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Can you spot several differences in these photos. Some of them are good, some aren't.But more on that later.

The official dimensions of the camera, sans lens, are 5.9 x 4.2 x 3.0 inches (WxHxD),

the same as the D60. Despite the new metal body, the EOS-10D weighs just 10 g morethan the D60, at 790 g.

Okay, let's get our tour of the 10D underway, starting with the front.



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Here's a look at the Canon EF lens mount. Practically any Canon EF lenses that you ownwill work (not all, as I've learned -- I tried one 50mm lens that didn't work). One thing

to keep in mind is that you must multiply the lens focal length by 1.6 to find the"effective" focal length on the 10D. For example, a 50mm lens is really an 80mm lens

on the 10D.

Just to the right of the lens mount is the lens release button.

Above the lens mount, you can see the built-in flash. The working range of this flash

depends on many things, including the ISO setting and what lens you're using. At ISO100 on a 24 - 85 mm lens, the range is 1.0 - 3.7 m at wide-angle, and 1.0 - 2.9 m at

telephoto. This is an improvement over the D60.

If the built-in flash doesn't do it for you, the camera has a hot shoe as well. More onthat later.

Over to the upper-left of the lens mount is the redeye reduction lamp, which doubles asthe self-timer countdown lamp.

If you looked carefully at the comparison pictures above, you're probably wondering

what happened to the AF-assist lamp that was on the D60. On the 10D, Canon uses thebuilt-in flash for the same effect. However, you must have the flash popped up to use it,

and when you do that, the camera automatically takes a flash picture as well.

So what do you do when you want to use the AF-assist lamp on a non-flash picture? The

easiest way is to change custom function #05, which I'll describe later in the review.Another way is to use a Speedlite or Speedlite wireless transmitter, which have an AF-

assist system that doesn't require you to take a flash picture.



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The back of the cameras has been refined in a very positive way. The 1.8" LCD is higher

resolution, and it really shows. It's also quite a bit brighter.

In case you're new to D-SLRs, you cannot preview an image on the LCD before it istaken. It is used solely for reviewing pictures and operating the menu system.

One thing that can happen with the LCD is nose smudges. Buying a larger eyecup wouldprobably take care of that problem. The eyecups come right off, and there are several

other types available from Canon.

The optical viewfinder is huge, and covers 95% of the frame. There is an informationline at the bottom, which shows exposure info and settings. Also, there are seven boxes

in the viewfinder that show the points that the camera is focusing on. A dioptercorrection wheel (on the top-right corner of the viewfinder) will help out those with less

than perfect vision.

There are five buttons to the left of the LCD:

Menu - enters the menu system Info - Shows current settings in record mode, and histogram/exposure data in

playback mode Jump - quickly move through photos in playback mode

Direction switching button - for "zoom and scroll" feature in playback mode Playback mode

The button below the LCD is for deleting photos -- one at a time, or all of them. Thenext button over is the main power switch.

To the upper-right of that is what Canon calls the Quick Control dial. You use this tonavigate through the menu system, as well as for adjusting some manual controls. You

can disable this dial by using the switch adjacent to it, so you don't accidentally change

your settings.

There are three buttons at the upper-right of the back of the camera, and two of them

are multi-function. From left to right, they are:



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Okay, now it's time for the top of the camera.

There's plenty to see here, so I'll work my way from left to right.

Over on the left side is the mode wheel, which has many choices. There are task-specific modes ("scene modes") and general shooting modes. Here goes:

A-Dep (auto depth of field) Full manual mode Aperture priority (Av) mode Shutter priority (Tv) mode Program mode Auto mode Portrait mode Landscape mode Close-up mode Sports mode Night portrait mode

Flash off

What are all those for? If you're buying the 10D, you probably already know, but just in

case, here's my explanation.

Auto depth-of-field mode will attempt to put all subjects, even at varying distances, infocus. For example, you may want this mode if you're taking a picture of a group of

people where everyone is in different places in the frame.

Program mode will let the camera pick the best shutter speed and aperture, while giving

you control over all the other settings. This is in contrast with Auto mode, which is

basically a point-and-shoot mode.

Button Record Mode Playback Mode

LeftAssist button - used to quickly get backto your saved focus point

-

CenterAE/FE lock - auto exposure and flash

exposure lockingThumbnail mode / Reduce

Right

AF point selector - AF point selection

allows you to use the command dial tomove between 7 focus points on the

viewfinder

Enlarge



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Over on the other side, you'll find the CompactFlash slot, which is behind a reinforced

plastic door. This is a Type II slot, so the IBM Microdrive is fully supported.

Opening the door while the camera is on will shut it off. If it's still recording images tothe CF card, it will stop doing that as well.

On the bottom of the camera, you'll find a metal tripod mount as well as the battery

compartment. There's an additional compartment for a watch battery that stores your

camera's settings.

The tripod mount is inline with the lens.

Using the Canon EOS-10D

Record Mode

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The EOS-10D starts up even faster than the D60. It takes a little over two seconds

before you can begin taking photos. This number will vary a bit depending on what kind

of memory card you are using.

Autofocus speeds will also depend somewhat on your choice of lens, but it's still blazingfast. It takes well under a second for the camera to lock focus when you half-press the

shutter release button. If the AF-assist lamp is used, it will take slightly longer. In low

light, the camera focused decently without the lamp, and very well with it.

One area in which the 10D really stands out over its predecessor is with regard toshutter lag. I've owned the D60 for several months, and immediately noticed the

improvement when I picked up the 10D. The lag is unnoticeable, even at slower shutterspeeds. I'm impressed.

The shot-to-shot speed is also impressive, as it was on the D60. This is one of thosecameras where you can really shoot as fast as you can compose (or at least until the

buffer fills up).

After you take a photo, you can hit the delete button to review and/or delete the shotjust taken.

Now, let's take a look at the many image size and quality choices on the EOS-10D:

File sizes have gotten a little smaller since the D60. Another change is how the 10D

handles the RAW image format. Now, every time you take a RAW image, a JPEG isrecorded at the same time (it was optional before).

In case you're not familiar with it, the lossless and uncompressed RAW format's big

advantage is the file size: it's at least a third of the size of a TIFF. Another advantage isthe fact that you can "fool around" with the image in software since it's the raw CCD

data.

RAW images are always saved at 3072 x 2048. You can, however, choose the size of theJPEG that is saved along with it. Here's a continuation of my chart above for the RAW

format:

Images are named using the following convention: IMG_####.JPG, where # = 0001 -

9999. File numbering is maintained as you erase and switch memory cards.

Enough of that, let's move onto menus now.

Resolution QualityApprox. file

size# Images on 128MB

card

Large

3072 x 2048

Fine 2.4 MB 50

Normal 1.2 MB 103

Medium2048 x 1360

Fine 1.3 MB 95

Normal 700 KB 184

Small

1536 x 1024

Fine 800 KB 145

Normal 400 KB 282

Quality Approx. file size (total) # Images on 128MB card

RAW + Large/Fine 8.0 MB 14

RAW + Large/Normal 6.7 MB 17

RAW + Medium/Fine 6.8 MB 16

RAW + Medium/Normal 6.2 MB 18

RAW + Small/Fine 6.4 MB 18

RAW + Small/Normal 6.0 MB 19



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The 10D has just one menu which contains options for recording, playback, and setup.

Each is designated with a color: red, blue, and yellow, respectively. You maneuverthrough the menus using the Quick Control dial on the back of the camera. The menu

choices are:

Record menu

Quality (see charts above) Redeye reduction (on/off) AE bracketing - auto exposure bracketing, 2 in 1/2EV increments

WB bracketing - similar to exposure bracketing, but for white balance. 3 inincrements of 1. This feature is new to the 10D.

Beep (on/off) Custom WB - use a white or gray card to set manual white balance Color temperature (2800 - 10,000 K, 100 K increments) - new feature

Parameters (Standard, Adobe RGB, Set 1, 2, 3, Set up) - store your custom

settings here for easy access. The Adobe RGB set is newand cannot be

customized. In each set, you can customize the following (the expandedrange for each is an improved feature):

Contrast (-2 to +2) Sharpness (-2 to +2) Saturation (-2 to +2) Color tone (-2 to +2)

ISO expansion (on/off) - lets you shoot at ISO 3200

Playback menu

Protect - prevent images from being deleted Rotate - rotates an image Print Order - DPOF print marking Auto playback - slide show

Setup

Auto power off (1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 30 mins, off) Review (on/off) - whether picture shown on LCD after it is taken Review time (2, 4, 8 sec, hold) - ... and how long it's shown for Auto rotate (on/off) - automatically rotates images for proper viewing. New

feature. LCD brightness (1-5) -improved feature Date/time (set) File numbering (Continuous, auto reset) - whether the camera maintains the

file numbering described earlier Language (English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian,

Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Japanese) - improved

feature Video system (NTSC, PAL)

Format - format memory card



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Custom functions (see below) Clear settings (all, custom only) Sensor clean Firmware version - shows the current firmware version. Mine was 1.0.0

Ok, how about those custom functions now? These let you get down and dirty with your

camera. They are numbered from 01 to 17. And here they are:

01. SET button function when shooting (none, change quality, change

parameter set, menu display, image replay)

02. Shutter release w/o CF card (possible, not possible)

03. Flash sync speed in Av mode (Auto, 1/200 sec)

04. Shutter button/AE lock button (AF/AE lock, AE lock/AF, AF/AF lock + noAE lock, AE/AF + no AE lock) - define what these two buttons do

05. AF-assist beam/Flash firing (Emits/Fires, Does not emit/Fires, Only ext.flash/Fires, Emits/Does not fire) - okay, here's the magic function for those

who want to use the AF-assist lamp without a flash picture being taken as

well.

06. Exposure level increments (1/2, 1/3-stop) - the setting increment for

shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation

07. AF point registration (Center AF point, bottom, right, extreme right,

automatic selection, extreme left, left, top) - pick a favorite AF point foreasy retrieval

08. RAW+JPEG rec. (RAW+Small/Normal, RAW+Small/Fine,

RAW+Medium/Normal, RAW+Medium/Fine, RAW+Large/Normal,RAW+Large/Fine) - choose what size JPEG is saved along with the RAW

image

09. Bracket sequence/Auto cancel (0/-/+/Enable, 0/-/+/Disable, -

/0/+/Enable, -/0/+/Disable) - Choose the order in which exposure and WBbracketing photos are taken, and if it is cancelled when you power off the

camera, switch lenses, etc.

10. Superimposed display (on/off) - whether the AF point is shown in theoptical viewfinder

11. Menu button display position (Previous [top if powered off] menu,previous menu, top menu) - where the cursor starts when you invoke the

menu system



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12. Mirror lockup (on/off) - enable it when the vibration of the mirror can

blur your photos

13. Assist button function (Normal, select home position, select home

position while holding down button, Av [select aperture and exposurecompensation while holding this down and using the dials], FE lock)

14. Auto reduction of fill flash (on/off) - When turned on, the camera will

reduce the flash power for good daylight fill-flash shots

15. Shutter curtain sync (1st, 2nd-curtain)

16. Safety shift in Av or Tv (on/off) - if the subject's brightness changes

suddenly, the camera can shift the shutter speed or aperture to obtain aproper exposure

17. Lens AF stop button (AF stop, AF start, AE lock while metering, AF point:

M-->Auto/Auto-->Center [for changing the focus point], One Shot AI

servo, IS start) - this button is only found on super telephoto lenses

Some of those are pretty confusing, so be sure to consult the camera manual before youchange any of the custom functions.

Well, I'm tired of all this menu talk, so let's talk about photo quality now.

This night test shot is interesting for many reasons. It was taken from a different spotthan usual, as Twin Peaks is closed during these "orange alerts". You can see helicoptersin the sky that were keeping an eye on the anti-war protesters below. You can also see

the new Asian Art Museum, the brightly lit building to the right of City Hall.

With the trivia out of the way, I can comment on this 4 second exposure. It's clear, butsoft. What I mean by clear is that the resolution is so good that you can identify the

billboards miles away. At the same time, this "softness" gives it a kind of blurry look.But more on this later.

Aside from that, everything looks good. No noise to speak of, and the full manualcontrols give you a ton of flexibility in situations like this.



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The macro test isn't really necessary here, because a lot of it depends on the lens you're

using. Still, it's a good test of color and sharpness. I took this one (and the night shotabove) using my personal Canon 24-85mm lens. Like with the night shot, the 10D

produced a very good, but soft image. Colors are perfect.

If you've read my other reviews, you know about how the placement of the flash affects

redeye. The closer to the lens the flash is, the worse the redeye will be (generally). Itook two redeye shots for this test, one with the 10D's built-in flash, and the other with

the Canon 550EX Speedlite. The difference is obvious, as you can see. I was prettysurprised at how bad the redeye was using the built-in flash.

These next two sections are more detailed than in my typical review, as D-SLR buyers

request. First, I'm going to talk about the image softness I have referred to thus far.

Canon cameras of late have a soft, "smooth" look to them. Canon applies very little in-

camera sharpening to their images (at default settings), leaving it to the photographerto deal with later on their PC. And a lot of people like it that way. I prefer a little sharper

image straight out of the camera myself. Here's a little comparison about the effect of

in-camera sharpness settings on photo quality.

With built-in flash With 550EX Speedlite



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Normal Sharpness (0)View Full Size Image



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+1 Sharpness

View Full Size Image



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+2 Sharpness

View Full Size Image

I'm hoping you can spot the differences there. Be sure to pull up the full size imagesand take a closer look. Cranking up the sharpness helps for sure, especially at the

maximum (+2) setting.

There has been much discussion on the Internet about focus and image softness issues

with the 10D. One of the things brought up was about resetting the camera settings.Some folks, myself included, got much better results after resetting the camera. That fix

doesn't always work though.

A related problem (covered in DP Review's articleabout the 10D) is front/back focusingproblems. That means that the camera doesn't focus where it's supposed to -- either a

little in front, or a little in back of where it should be. Here are crops from two photosthat I took at the exact same settings and fancy "L" series lens, with a tripod and

remote shutter cable. The ONLY difference was the focus mode used:

Section below added 4/2/03

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Auto focus



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See the difference? My point is that it's not clear what the cause of the image quality

issues I've raised is -- but something is definitely strange.

The other image quality topic I wanted to bring up is one that I'm sure many people

want answered: how does the 10D's photo quality compare with that of the D60? Well,

I've compiled three photos will hopefully will help you answer that question yourself. Allthree were taken with the exact same lens and same default camera settings at thesame time. Again, be sure to view the full size images when comparing these.

Manual Focus

EOS-10D EOS-D60



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Some of my observations about these: I'd say the 10D did a better job of exposing the

first two, though photo #2 may be up for some debate, as the D60 metered the shot

differently, producing a brighter hallway at the expense of blown-out highlights on theright side. Photo #3 looks very close, but the 10D seems a little clearer... look at the

street sign and stained glass. The differences aren't dramatic, but they are there. Andplease, don't take my word for it -- have a look and draw your own conclusions.

In conclusion, I'd say that the EOS-10D produces very well-exposed images with superbcolor and good detail. The downside is that images are too soft (in this reviewer's

opinion) at the default sharpness setting. You have two ways around this: either crank

up the in-camera sharpening, or leave it as is, and do the sharpening in Photoshopinstead. In the 10D's defense, the D60 also produces soft images, and in my own usage,

I've cranked up the sharpness a notch.

I have created an extensive photo galleryfor you to check out. Have a look, and decide

if the 10D is right for you!

Movie Mode

No digital SLRs have movie modes.

Playback Mode



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The playback mode on the D60 was kind of embarrassing. Even $200 cameras did itbetter. That's not the case anymore, as Canon has updated the playback features

considerably on the EOS-10D.

I've already listed the basic playback features back in the menu section, but here they

are again: image protection, thumbnail mode, DPOF print marking, and slide shows.

There's also an image rotation feature.

The thing that's really been improved is what I call "zoom and scroll". This lets you

zoom in as much as 10X into your photo, and then scroll around in the zoomed-in area.

This is a great way to check the focus on a photo.

Zoom and scroll

On the D60, you had to repeatedly press a button just to get into this mode, and then

you had one zoom level to work with. Now you have several zoom ratios from 1.5X to10X, and the whole process is much easier. Kudos to Canon for improving this.

You can use the jump button to quickly move ahead 10 images (or 9 in thumbnail

mode), which is handy when you've got lots of pictures on the memory card.

Deleting photos is easy, as there's a button right on the camera for that purpose. You

can delete one or all of the photos on the card. I would've liked a way to select a group

of photos to delete, but most cameras don't offer that option.

As you'd expect, the camera tells you plenty about the photos you've taken. Ahistogram is also shown. The camera moves through images fairly quickly, showing a

low-res version instantly, with a high-res version about two seconds later.

How Does it Compare?

The Canon EOS-10D is the best deal out there for a digital SLR camera. It's hard tobelieve, but the 10D sells for $500 less than the Olympus E-10 I bought just a few years

ago. It's a heck of a lot more capable, too. The 10D offers all the benefits of a D-SLR,



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namely interchangeable lenses, support for external flashes, full manual controls, androbust performance. The 10D improves upon the already excellent EOS-D60 with its

faster processing, more solid metal body, higher resolution LCD, improved playbackmode, and all the other items that I've mentioned above.

Image quality is excellent, though I find it to be too soft at the default settings (I've

already mentioned two ways around that). I'm also not a huge fan of the new AF-assistlamp system, which uses the flash instead of a separate lamp. That's fine if you want to

take a flash picture, but if you don't, it requires a lengthy trip to the custom settingsmenu.

As an owner of an EOS-D60, I'm able to notice and appreciate the improvements Canonmade in the 10D. At the same time, I am not planning on trading up for the latest and

greatest -- the changes aren't significant enough for me.

But, for someone who wants a D-SLR, the EOS-10D is a great buy, especially with astreet price of $1499. I would imagine that it's only a matter of time before the other

manufacturers start cutting prices as well.

What I liked:

Excellent image quality (but note softness/focus issues)

Absolutely, positively, no noise Improved performance over D60 Very nice metal body New white balance by color temperature option; more control over color,

sharpness, contrast Noticeably better LCD display Modern playback mode (at last) All the benefits of a D-SLR: lenses, flashes, and full manual controls Nice software package included

What I didn't care for:

Images too soft at default sharpness - focus issue, or worse? Camera doesn't mount on Mac OS X desktop (must use software) Not a fan of new AF-assist lamp system More redeye than expected with built-in flash FireWire port would be nice

Some other D-SLRs to consider include the Canon EOS-D60(nearing the end of its life),

Fuji's S2 Pro, the Nikon D100, and the upcoming Pentax *ist D.

As always, I recommend a trip down to your local reseller to try out the 10D and its

competitors before you buy!

Photo Gallery



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All content is 1997 - 2003 The Digital Camera Resource Page. All Rights Reserved.Reviews and images from this site may NEVER be reposted on your website or online auction.

All trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Comments should be directed to Jeff Keller.

I've got tons of photos in our gallery!

Want a second opinion?

Check out other opinions about this camera at Steve's Digicams, Imaging Resource, and

DP Review.

Feedback

Jeff welcomes your comments or questions. Send them [email protected]. Due to mylimited resources, please do not send me requests for personal camerarecommendations.


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