I was researching for a course I was writing on the history of camera technology and realized that that Canon EOS D30 was the first digital camera built as a complete unit - as opposed to digital innards inside a film camera body. Earlier Canon DSLRs had used Kodak tech inside their EOS SLR bodies.
Intrigued, I realized that I could get one of these units on eBay. For the princely sum of $30 I got a body that was essentially unused: it seems that as it was unboxed someone had made a cut across the back of the camera, scoring the body and LCD screen. It did not impact the functionality of the unit, but it seems to have stopped the camera from being sold and the shutter count was 0 when I got it. This was backed up by the total lack of wear on the body.
One interesting characteristic of the unit is that while it has an APSC sensor, it can only take EF lenses (EF-S lenses had not been developed then). I got the Canon EF 28-135 IS USM lens, which was Canon's first USM unit and would have been a contemporary item. For a complete write-up and review of the body see the following:
2001 Original DPReview of EOS D30
DPReview Retrospective Review of EOS D30
In a world dominated by pixel counts I wanted to see how this unit (offering a pioneering CMOS sensor of 3.2MP) would perform and I took it on a trip to the Auckland Museum of Transport and Technology. Knowing it would be used in confined spaces I married the body up with the Canon EF 17-40L lens, which with the crop sensor would give me an equivalent FoV of 27-64mm.
All shots were taken hand-held, in available light. They were taken as RAW and lightly processed in Photoshop.
Inside the main fly wheel of a pump house 17mm, f5.6, 1/8sec, ISO-400
The fly wheel from the other side: 17mm, f5.6, 1/8sec, ISO-400
In true proof of my status as a living fossil, this is a mechanical calculator that I used in my early engineering and survey career. It was eventually superceded by the electronic calcuator. Photographed through plexiglass.
17mm, f4.5, 1/4sec, ISO 400
Inside a Victorian single-room school. 17mm, f9.5, 1/8sec, ISO-400 (focus was on the closest inkwell)
A Victorian Soldier's cottage exterior: 17mm, f5.6, 1/2000 sec, ISO-400
Inside the cramped living room, taken through plexiglass 17mm, f5.6, 1/8sec, ISO-400
The parlour of a potter's house, 17mm, f5.6, 1/20sec, ISO-400
Overall I think the camera performed amazingly well for such an early unit. I was very impressed by the low noise and for use in publishing to the web 3.25MP is absolutely fine!
All of these rooms were pretty dark - a characteristic of the period - so the sensor had to perform in low-light and I think it did pretty well.
Comments welcome.
This on was taken as a JPG file with the venerable Canon EF 70-300 f4-5.6 IS USM MkI zoom as I waited for my other half to finish paddle boarding.
This one was taken in a hotel suite with the 28-135mm lens from the period. Focal point was the white jar.
28 mm, f6.7, 1/8 sec, ISO-200
