Canon EOS 300D Digital RebelCanon knocks the bottom out of the Digital SLR market, with an amazingly affordable, full-featured model!<<Image Storage & Interface :(Previous) | (Next): Test Results & Conclusion>> Page 11:Video, Power, SoftwareReview First Posted: 09/04/2003 |
Video Out
A
video cable comes packaged with the 300D, allowing you to connect the camera
to your television set for image playback. The video signal can be switched
between NTSC and PAL via a menu preference. All menus, etc. appear on the external
video monitor, but do note that it won't work as a viewfinder for the same reason
that the rear-panel LCD won't. (The SLR optics mean that the sensor is only
exposed to light when the shutter is open.)
Power
The EOS 300D uses the same BP-511 battery form factor first seen on the D30,
and now appearing as a standard design in many of Canon's camera and camcorder
lines. These batteries are a bit larger than a 2CR5 lithium cell, and look
like two of smaller semi-cylindrical LiIon batteries glued together. The BP-511
battery pack provides 1100 mAh at 7.4 volts for a hefty charge of 8.1 watt-hours.
A separate charger comes in the box with the 300D, but the 300D does not
appear to include the "dummy battery" pigtail to power the camera
from AC power. The charger that ships with it doesn't have any provision for
connecting the dummy battery pigtail to it, nor is a pigtail included in its
standard bundle - You'll need to purchase the AC adapter kit ACK-E2 if you
need to run the camera from AC power.
Lacking the ability to power the camera from an external power source, I wasn't
able to conduct my usual power-consumption measurements. For what it's worth
though, battery life seemed to be very good, as I could shoot literally all
day before getting a low-battery indication. (The D60's circuitry drew very
little power when it was in capture mode but not actively capturing an image.
Assuming that the 300D works more or less the same, you could expect a single
BP-511 cell to power it for as much as 10 hours in capture mode.)
Of course, regardless of how good a camera's battery life is, there's rarely
an excuse to not purchase at least one extra battery to bring along as a hot
spare. Plan on buying a second battery along with your 300D, it'll save you
a world of grief later on when the battery that you were sure was full of
juice runs out of gas in the middle of an important shoot.
Included Software
The 300D ships with a pretty complete complement of software on both Mac and
Windows platforms, including Canon's EOS DIGITAL Solution Disk (version 6.0),
and a copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements. The EOS DIGITAL Solution Disk enables
image downloading and management, as well as the necessary tools to process
the camera's RAW files. Adobe Photoshop Elements is a streamlined version of
the larger Photoshop application, and offers creative editing tools.
Not Included: "Brainware"
Every manufacturer includes some level of needed software with their cameras,
but what's missing is the knowledge and experience to know what to do with it.
For lack of a better term, I've called this "Brainware." There's a
lot involved between snapping the shutter, and watching a beautiful, professional-quality
print spool off your printer, and there's sadly very little guidance as to how
to get from point A to point B.
Fortunately, Uwe Steinmueller of OutbackPhoto.com has come up with an excellent series of e-books that detail every step of the process, show actual examples of files moving through the workflow, and the final results. If you want to get the absolute best prints possible from your digital files, you owe it to yourself to purchase one of the Outback Photo Digital Workflow books.
In the Box
|
The EOS 300D comes with the following items in the box:
- Neck strap.
- Eye cup.
- BP-511 battery pack and charger.
- CR2025 lithium battery.
- Video cable.
- USB cable.
- Two software CDs.
- Instruction manuals and registration information.
If you purchase the Digital Rebel Kit, the camera also comes with the EF-S 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6 lens.
Lost Images? - Download this image-recovery program so you'll have it
when you need it...
Since we're talking about memory and image storage, this would be a good time
to mention the following: I get a ton of email from readers who've lost photos
due to a corrupted memory card. It's tragic when it happens, there are few
things more precious than photo memories. Corrupted memory cards can happen
with any card type and any camera manufacturer, nobody's immune. "Stuff
happens," as they say. A surprising number of "lost" images
can be recovered with an inexpensive, easy to use piece of software though.
Given the amount of email I've gotten on the topic, I now include this paragraph
in all my digicam reviews. The program you need is called PhotoRescue, by
DataRescue SA. Read our review
of it if you'd like, but download the program now, so you'll have it.
It doesn't cost a penny until you need it, and even then it's only $29, with
a money back guarantee. So download PhotoRescue
for Windows or PhotoRescue
for Mac while you're thinking of it. (While you're at it, download
the PDF manual
and quickstart
guide as well.) Stash the file in a safe place and it'll be there when you
need it. Trust me, needing this is not a matter of if, but when...
PhotoRescue is about the best and easiest tool for recovering digital
photos I've seen. (Disclosure: IR gets a small commission from sales of
the product, but I'd highly recommend the program even if we didn't.)
OK, now back to our regularly scheduled review...
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