Canon EOS 300D
Marketed: September 2003
The Canon EOS 300D, marketed in North America as the EOS Digital Rebel and in Japan as the EOS Kiss Digital, is a 6.3-megapixel entry-level digital SLR camera, initially announced on August 20, 2003 at a price point of $899 without lens, $999 with the "kit" lens. It uses Compact Flash storage. The 300D and Digital Rebel's polycarbonate bodies were originally available in silver color only, whereas the Japanese version was also available in black. Later, black versions of the 300D and Digital Rebel were also released in the US and Europe.
The 300D is often regarded as the little brother of the Canon EOS 10D, which features virtually the same CMOS image sensor and image processing chip. Interestingly, the two cameras also seem to share much of the same in-camera firmware which was demonstrated by hacking back some of the features the 300D missed compared to the 10D. See Hacking below.
The 300D was the first camera to use the Canon EF-S lens mount. Along with the 300D, the EF-S 18-55/3.5-5.6 was introduced as the kit lens, available in a USM version in Japan or as a non-USM version elsewhere.
The introduction of the 300D represents a significant milestone in photography history, as it was the first digital SLR (DSLR) to break the $1000 price barrier.
On 17th February, 2005, Canon announced the 8.0-megapixel EOS 350D (EOS Digital Rebel XT/Kiss N Digital) as the successor to the highly successful 300D.
Because of the 300D's low price point, it has been the subject of much hacking, ranging from homemade white balance cards, flash diffusers and remote shutter controls to unofficial firmware upgrades which enable many of the features of the 10D that were disabled in the 300D, such as ISO 3200, flash exposure (FEC) control, mirror lockup, single-shot autofocus and some of its larger brother's custom functionality. These hacks are not supported by Canon and may invalidate any warranty that the camera may have.
Canon Camera Museum
The EOS 300D incorporates a Canon-developed 6.3-megapixel large-area (22.7 x 15.1 mm effective size in a 3:2 aspect ratio) high-resolution CMOS sensor and Canon's exclusive DIGIC Image Processor, which realizes exceeding image-processing speed and precision to fully utilize the performance potential of the sensor. This advanced technology works in concert to realize outstanding image quality and definition, and more natural color reproduction to satisfy the requirements of a broad user base.
The EOS 300D offers advanced shooting features, including a high-speed 7-point wide area autofocus (AF) with focusing points superimposed in the viewfinder, making accurate framing simple; Continuous Shooting at approximately 2.5 frames per second for a burst of up to four shots; and the ability to record JPEG images in one of six formats or as a 12-bit RAW file. Moreover, when a RAW image is captured the EOS 300D simultaneously records and stores a JPEG image (Medium/Fine) within the RAW data, enabling users to view or transmit the compressed JPEG image quickly while also retaining maximum image quality for future editing.
Employing high-density mounting technology and a new chassis and outer-casing configuration with fewer parts, the Canon EOS 300D realizes the smallest and lightest body in the EOS DIGITAL series, measuring just 142 (w) x 99 (h) x 72.4 mm (d) and weighing only 560g. In addition to compact proportions, the camera's design contributes to outstanding usability, concentrating such operating controls as the mode dial and electronic dial on the right-hand side for one-handed operation of most shooting functions. Moreover, for the first time in the series, the EOS 300D incorporates a cross-configured control-button layout that works with a simple "tab" style menu layout to enable easy control of shooting, playback and camera settings without having to scroll.
The EOS 300D is compatible with the PictBridge industry standard for the direct printing of photos from digital cameras. As a result, users can connect the camera directly to any printer enabled for PictBridge, regardless of brand, and output photos (JPEG) without having to use a computer.
| Type | Digital AF/AE SLR | |||||||||||
| Recording medium | Type I and II CF card | |||||||||||
| Image size | 22.7 x 15.1 mm (0.89 x 0.59 in) | |||||||||||
| Compatible lenses | Canon EF including EF-S lenses. (Focal length conversion factor: Equivalent to approx. 1.6x indicated focal length compared to 35mm format.) | |||||||||||
| Lens mount | Canon EF mount | |||||||||||
| Image Element | ||||||||||||
| Type | High-sensitivity, high-resolution, single-plate, color CMOS | |||||||||||
| Pixels |
Effective pixels: Approx. 6.3 megapixels Total pixels: Approx. 6.5 megapixels |
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| Aspect ratio | 3:2 (Horizontal:Vertical) | |||||||||||
| Color filter system | RGB primary color filter | |||||||||||
| IR Cut Low-pass filter | Located in front of the imaging element, non-removable | |||||||||||
| Recording System | ||||||||||||
| Recording format | JPEG supporting Design rule for Camera File system (except when Adobe RGB is set) and RAW. | |||||||||||
| Image format | JPEG and RAW (12-bit) | |||||||||||
| File size |
(1) Large/Fine: approx. 3.1 MB (3072 x 2048 pixels) (2) Large/Normal: approx. 1.8 MB (3072 x 2048 pixels) (3) Medium/Fine: approx. 1.8 MB (2048 x 1360 pixels) (3) Medium/Normal: approx. 1.2 MB (2048 x 1360 pixels) (3) Small/Fine: approx. 1.4 MB (1536 x 1024 pixels) (3) Small/Normal: approx. 0.9 MB (1536 x 1024 pixels) (4) RAW: approx. 7 MB (3072 x 2048 pixels) *Exact file sizes depend on the subject and ISO speed |
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| File numbering |
(1) consecutive numbering (2) Auto reset |
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| Processing parameters |
Parameters 1 and 2, Adobe RGB, and three sets of custom processing parameters (4 parameters with 5 available settings each) can be set |
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| Interface |
USB(Standard/DTP) Video Output(NTSC/PAL) |
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| White Balance | ||||||||||||
| Settings | Preset: (Auto, daylight, shade, overcast, tungsten bulb, fluorescent light, flash.) Manual : (Custom: read off photo quality gray card or white subject.) | |||||||||||
| Auto white balance | Auto white balance with the image sensor | |||||||||||
| Color temperature compensation | White balance bracketing:+/-3 stops in whole-stop increments | |||||||||||
| Viewfinder | ||||||||||||
| Type | Eye-level SLR (with fixed pentamirror) | |||||||||||
| Coverage | Approx. 95% vertically and horizontally (with reset to the effective pixels) | |||||||||||
| Magnification | 0.8x (-1 diopter with 50mm lens at infinity) | |||||||||||
| Eyepoint | 21mm | |||||||||||
| Dioptric adjustment | -3.0 - +1.0 diopter | |||||||||||
| Focusing screen | Fixed | |||||||||||
| Mirror | Quick-return half mirror (Transmission:reflection ratio of 40:60, no mirror cut-off with lenses up to EF 600mm f/4) | |||||||||||
| Viewfinder information | AF points, AE lock, FE lock, AEB in progress, flash ready, improper FE lock warning, high-speed sync, flash exposure compensation, shutter speed, bulb, FE lock, processing data, aperture, exposure level (exposure compensation, manual exposure level, AEB level, flash exposure compensation, red-eye reduction lamp-on indicator), Max. burst during continuous shooting, AF/MF focus confirmation, CF card full, CF card error, no CF card | |||||||||||
| Depth-of-field | Enabled with depth-of-field preview button | |||||||||||
| Eyepiece shutter | None ( provided with neckstrap) | |||||||||||
| Autofocus | ||||||||||||
| Type | TTL-CT-SIR with AF-dedicated CMOS sensor | |||||||||||
| AF points | 7 | |||||||||||
| AF working range | EV 0.5-18 (at ISO 100 at 20°C/68°F) | |||||||||||
| Focusing modes | One-Shot AF, Predictive AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF (Automatically selects One-Shot AF or AI Servo AF selected according to shooting mode), Manual Focusing (MF) | |||||||||||
| AF point selection | Automatic selection, manual selection | |||||||||||
| Selected AF point display | Superimposed in viewfinder and indicated on LCD panel | |||||||||||
| AF assist beam | Intermittent firing of built-in flash, effective range: approx. 4m (approx. 13.1 ft) at center, approx. 3.5m (approx. 11.5 ft) at periphery | |||||||||||
| Exposure Control | ||||||||||||
| Metering modes available |
Metering Modes: Max. aperture TTL metering with 35-zone SPC. (1) Evaluative metering, (2) Partial metering at center (approx. 9% of viewfinder), (3) Centerweighted average metering (in manual exposure mode) |
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| Metering range | EV 1-20 (at 68°F/20°C with 50mm f/1.4 lens at ISO 100) | |||||||||||
| Exposure control systems |
Program AE (shiftable), shutter-priority AE, aperture-priority AE,
auto depth-of-field AE, full auto, programmed image control modes
(Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, and Flash
OFF), E-TTL autoflash program AE, and manual. |
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| ISO speed range | Equivalent to ISO 100-1600 | |||||||||||
| Exposure compensation |
Up to +/-2 stops in 1/2 or 1/3-stop increments (1) AEB (Auto exposure bracketing). (2) Manual exposure compensation. (3) Flash exposure compensation. |
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| AE lock | Auto: Operates in One-Shot AF mode evaluative metering when focus is achieved. Manual: Enabled with AE lock button. No AE lock in Basic Zone modes. | |||||||||||
| Shutter | ||||||||||||
| Type | Electronically-controlled focal-plane shutter | |||||||||||
| Shutter speed | 1/4000 to 30 sec. (1/3 increments), bulb, X-sync at 1/200 sec | |||||||||||
| Shutter release | Soft-touch electromagnetic release | |||||||||||
| Self-timer | 10-sec. delay | |||||||||||
| Remote control | Remote control with RS-60E3 terminal or wireless Remote Controller RC-1 and RC-5. | |||||||||||
| Flash | ||||||||||||
| Type | Auto pop-up E-TTL autoflash (retractable) | |||||||||||
| Guide No | 13/43 (at ISO 100 in meters/feet) | |||||||||||
| Recycling time | Approx. 3 sec. | |||||||||||
| Flash-ready indicator | Flash-ready indicator lights on in viewfinder | |||||||||||
| Flash coverage | Up to 18mm focal length (equivalent to approx. 28mm in 35mm format) | |||||||||||
| EOS-dedicated Speedlite | E-TTL autoflash with EX-series Speedlite. | |||||||||||
| Drive System | ||||||||||||
| Drive modes | Single, Continuous selected automatically according to shooting mode, Self-timer | |||||||||||
| Continuous shooting speed | Approx. 2.5 fps (at 1/250 sec. or faster for all recording qualities) |
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| Max. burst during continuous shooting | 4 shots | |||||||||||
| LCD Monitor | ||||||||||||
| Type | TFT color LCD monitor | |||||||||||
| Monitor size | 1.8" | |||||||||||
| Pixels | Approx. 118,000 pixels (Displayed pixels) | |||||||||||
| Coverage | Approx. 100% (with respect to the effective pixels) | |||||||||||
| Brightness control | 5-levels (settable with menu's “LCD brightness”) | |||||||||||
| Image Playback | ||||||||||||
| Image display format |
(1) Single image (2) Single image with information (3) 9-image index (4) Enlarged (5) Auto play (6) Image rotation (7) Jump |
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| Highlight alert | In the single image with information display mode, the highlight portions containing no image information will blink. | |||||||||||
| Image Protection and Erase | ||||||||||||
| Protection | A single image can be protected or unprotected | |||||||||||
| Erase | A single image or all images stored in a Compact Flash card can be erased if they are unprotected. | |||||||||||
| Direct Printing from the Camera | ||||||||||||
| Compatible printers | Canon card photo printers and BJ printers for direct printing from the camera | |||||||||||
| Printable images | JPEG images | |||||||||||
| Settings | Print quantity, style (image, paper, borders, date), and trimming | |||||||||||
| Menus | ||||||||||||
| Menu categories |
(1) Shooting Menus [8] (2) Playback Menus [4] (3) Setup Menus [14] |
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| LCD monitor language | English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Chinese (simplified), and Japanese. | |||||||||||
| Firmware update | Enabled by the user | |||||||||||
| Power Source | ||||||||||||
| Battery | One Battery Pack BP-511/512 (lithium ion rechargeable battery) | |||||||||||
| Number of shots |
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| Dimensions and Weight | ||||||||||||
| Dimensions (W x H x D) |
142 x 99 x 72.4 mm (5.6 x 3.9 x 2.9 in.) | |||||||||||
| Weight | 560 g (19.7 oz.) | |||||||||||
| Working Condictions | ||||||||||||
| Working temperature range | 0°C - 40°C (32°F-104°F) | |||||||||||
| Working humidity | 85% or less | |||||||||||
| Data from Canon Camera Museum | ||||||||||||