| 
Stevens Digicams reviewed the new Canon 30D, replacing the popular Canon 20D camera. Here’s his conclusion:
“…The most visible upgrade is the 2 1/2-inch LCD monitor, having nearly twice the viewing area of the 20D’s and a much wider 170-degree field of view. Other welcomed enhancements are the addition of spot metering, and the inclusion of Canon’s Picture Style processing parameters for producing finished JPEG’s.
…While there’s a lot to like about the 30D, it’s the 20D that in 2004 set a new benchmark for what an enthusiast dSLR should be. Canon’s effort with the 30D was essentially a marginal technology upgrade like the EOS 1D Mark II N was to the 1D Mark II; based on our testing results, this camera would have been more appropriately named the 20D N. That’s not to say that the 30D is not a capable camera; with 8-megapixels of resolution, excellent image quality, low noise at high ISO settings, robust shooting performance and accurate and responsive AF, it is a highly desirable enthusiast dSLR. But it has been displaced as best of breed by the Nikon D200.
Viewing the 30D as a mid-life refresh of the successful 20D, photographers upgrading from consumer digicams and Canon film SLR’s will find it very attractive, especially considering its body-only street price of under $1400. Users of Canon’s earlier dSLR’s, the Digital Rebel, 10D, D60 and D30, may find the 30D’s improvements sufficient to justify its purchase, especially sports shooters who will benefit from its improved AF performance and reduced noise at high ISO settings. Users of Canon’s 20D will likely not find the 30D sufficiently advanced to justify an upgrade; those with the upgrade itch should instead consider improving their lens inventory with high quality glass that will not only improve the results from their current camera, but also any EOS dSLR they might purchase in the future. “
Website : Canon 30D Review at Stevens Digicams
