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Counting down my five favorite Canon digital cameras ever. Coming in at #5…..

Canon Rumors
Posted onApr 12, 2020 at 12:38 PM
Updated onUpdated on Apr 13, 2020 at 10:06 AM

….. The Canon EOS Digital Rebel/300D

This was the first sub $1000usd Digital SLR to hit the market and the first Digital SLR (or SLR for that matter) that I ever purchased.

An added bonus was the hacked firmware that would add some of the Canon EOS 10D features to the Canon EOS 300D.

Canon EOS 300D Specifications:

  • 6.3mp APS-C CMOS sensor
  • ISO 100 – 1600
  • 2.5fps
  • 7 Autofocus Points
  • 12bit RAW
  • DIGIC Processor
  • CF Card Slot
  • Launched in 2003
  • Launch Price: $999usd

The first lens I had mated to this camera was the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, which I thought was fine until I purchased my first L lens, the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, That first L lens purchase was quickly followed by another L zoom, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM.

I used this camera for about a year before moving up to the Canon EOS 30D.

Canon Rumors
View thread (59 replies)
privatebydesign

privatebydesign

Garfield is back...
CR Pro
Jan 29, 2011
9,043
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20D First camera that illustrated what digital was capable of.
1Ds MkI, that was the writing on the wall.
1Ds MkIII, mainstay for 8 years, outrageous price new, ridiculous bargain now, but still more than capable of professional output for most people most of the time.
1DX MkIII, possibly what the 1 series digital should always have been.
M5, best IQ to size ratio of any camera made. Who said you could have any two of IQ, size, or value? The M5 scores way above it’s fighting weight on all three.
 
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brad-man

brad-man

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Jun 6, 2012
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"The first lens I had mated to this camera was the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, which I thought was fine until I purchased my first L lens, the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, That first L lens purchase was quickly followed by another L zoom, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM. "

I'll contribute to the Slow News Day headline. 350D with same as above lenses, except I erroneously picked the 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM as my first tele rather than the 70-200 f/4L. I very quickly upgraded to the 70-200 f/4L IS.The rear LCD was small & sucky, but it was my first "real" camera. Completely agree with PBD about the M5. It's great always and magnificent with the 22 & 32...
 
slclick

slclick

Cyclist, photog, drummer & sardonic haiku writer
Dec 17, 2013
4,163
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Ok, just like the OP....Had that one as well. Was a great gateway into digital ILC. Put a 28-105 on it *shudder*, it wasn't until I slapped on a 70-200 f/4L that I started to see how this could turn me from film. (It hasn't completely)
 
Andy Westwood

Andy Westwood

EOS R
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Dec 10, 2016
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My first serious Canon camera was a second-hand EOS D30 an upgrade at the time from an Olympus bridge camera I can’t remember its model name, but I remember it having an incredibly slow buffer rate even shooting slow fashion jpg images, I know, hard to believe these days.

After that I moved through the Canon models 10D 20D 30D and 40D before finally moving on to the 1D series mostly for reliability reasons at the time as the shots I was putting through the smaller bodied cameras meant they didn’t usually last very long sadly.
 
W

wanako

I'm New Here
Aug 1, 2018
18
25
Oh man, my first DSLR was a 30D. That thing kept me going for 10 years before I replaced it with an 80D.
 
Alastair Norcross

Alastair Norcross

EOS M50
Nov 29, 2015
30
17
The 300D was also my first DSLR (first SLR was a Russian Zenith, followed by Mamiya, before finally moving to Canon with the incredible A-1). They were running a generous rebate program at the time, so I got the 300D with 17-40L and 70-200 F4L. I didn't get an EF-S lens until the 10-22 a couple of years later. I loved the 300D, with the Russian firmware, but moved on to the 20D after a year, because I wanted the faster shooting speed for sports. When I compare the 300D with my latest camera, the M6II, I'm amazed at the improvements Canon (and every other camera company) has made.
 
S

SteveC

R5
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Sep 3, 2019
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brad-man said:
Unless price is a super critical factor, I would highly highly recommend the EF 16-35 f/4L IS USM. It is a bit larger and a bit heavier, but it's IQ is much better and it's 1mm wider and it has IS. It is one of the finest lenses Canon has ever produced.
Click to expand...
Dang it! Yes, that's actually the one I was thinking of. Sometimes the numbers turn into soup inside my head, especially when they're similar (16 vs 17 mm), same f/ number.

Don't worry, I'll re-verify before I actually order! (But, I will probably order sometime AFTER I get a full frame.)
 
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D

dick ranez

I'm New Here
Apr 26, 2013
15
7
My favorite Canon camera is still the A1 - light, sturdy, high quality images and a wide range of lenses that you could manually control. Too bad Canon can't make a digital version.
 
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vjlex

vjlex

EOS R5
Oct 15, 2011
387
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Osaka, Japan
The Digital Rebel/300D was my first DSLR as well. I gave it away to a family member some years ago, but just came across it when I returned home over the winter break. Still works. Still capable of pretty good images for a 15 year old camera. I'm pretty sure for a while I was shooting with the kit lens until I could get a couple Tamron 2.8s that I liked.

I think I used mine for a good 3 to 4 years before upgrading to the Rebel XTi/Kiss Digital X.
 
slclick

slclick

Cyclist, photog, drummer & sardonic haiku writer
Dec 17, 2013
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brad-man said:
Unless price is a super critical factor, I would highly highly recommend the EF 16-35 f/4L IS USM. It is a bit larger and a bit heavier, but it's IQ is much better and it's 1mm wider and it has IS. It is one of the finest lenses Canon has ever produced.
Click to expand...
+1, immeasurably better
 
slclick

slclick

Cyclist, photog, drummer & sardonic haiku writer
Dec 17, 2013
4,163
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AlanF said:
I still have my 300D. It was a breakthrough.
Click to expand...
Thought the same, I used mine from being an early adopter to 2010 when the T2i came out. That too was a huge leap. Not just for a digital body but for myself as a creative person. The next year I got a 60D and the year after a 5D3 and that's my current body. Funny though, my EOS 3 stayed with me the entire time.
 
P

picperfect

EOS 90D
Mar 29, 2020
112
92
300D was definitely breakthrough for Canon and DSLRs, thanks to affordable sub-1000 price tag, not because of IQ and features.

glad i skipped 300D and went for better 350D a bit later.
 
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