mike-palmer's Full Review: Canon Digital Rebel / EOS-300D Digital Camera with...
There are plenty of reviews on this site covering the typical aspects of the Digital Rebel. This review covers the use of the camera for Model (or fashion) photography and discusses image quality.
Model Photography
I especially like taking photographs of human subjects … model photography. For this you often need to take shots in rapid succession as the model changes poses. The key here is one shot per pose, but maybe one pose per second. You never want to have to ask the model to freeze that pose while you wait for the camera.
So I wanted was a camera that will take shots immediately when I press the shutter button…. Click, click, click…..
I’ve owned several digital cameras in the past and tried a bunch at Circuit City and Best Buy, but prior to my purchase of the Digital Rebel, all I got was….. click (several second delay), click (several second delay), click (several second delay) …. Even the high end non-DSLR cameras such as the Nikon 5700 and Sony F828 suffer from this problem.
Note: I’m not talking about shutter lag here - which is the time the camera needs to take the picture after you’ve pressed the shutter button. I’m talking about the time the camera needs to write the picture you just took to the flash card, which is typically several seconds. The ads say they can shoot pictures in rapid succession, but they mean you can take 10 shots in 1 second in response to pressing the shutter button once. 10 shots of the same thing - how many times do you need that? I have done some research and apparently there are one or two non-SLR cameras that can take pictures in rapid succession in response to the shutter button being pressed, but none of them are anything to write home about.
The digital SLR (DSLR) camera is the answer to the needs of the fashion photographer so you can take pictures quickly – click, click, click. The reason for this ability is nothing to do with being an SLR, but DSLRs have a built-in high speed buffer that allows you to take 4 shots or more in rapid succession. So why doesn’t the almost as expensive Nikon 5700 and Sony F828 have the buffer? I wish I knew!
The Canon Digital Rebel (DRebel) has a 4 shot high-speed buffer and the viewfinder tells you how many shots you have to go before filling up the buffer. The more expensive Canon cameras have a 9 shot buffer, but those cameras cost substantially more - I can shoot a little slower and take more time to compose the shot, of give the model a rest while the camera catches up.
I take most of my model photographs outdoors. You can’t shoot models in full sun (or they are always squinting their eyes) so you must have the sun of to one side. To ensure the face is well illuminated I use the Canon 550EX flash to fill the face. The DRebel does not normally allow for flash exposure compensation, but this is possible in conjunction with the 550EX. This allows you the flexibility to balance the model and background exposure.
Picture Quality
The Digital rebel has produced some awesome photographs for me. I have compared shots of a model taken with the Digital Rebel and a Nikon D1X (a $4000 professional SLR camera). The Nikon was in the hands or a serious amateur who has used the camera for more than a year and I had just purchased the Digital Rebel. The shots I took with the Rebel looked equal in every way to the shots the Nikon took. However zooming in using Photoshop revealed the Digital rebel’s shots were much smoother and had greater detail. I have printed many shots at 12” x 18” and they are spectacular. (Note: Costco does 12”x18” or 11”x14” prints for $2.99).
I shoot only in the RAW mode. This allows me at least plus or minus one stop of exposure latitude that I would otherwise not have saving as JPG. While RAW mode takes up 4 or 5 times as much room on the flash card, this exposure latitude is well worth the extra space. It allows me to spend less time worrying about the exposure on the shoot and hence allows me more time to worry about composition. Back home on the computer I can adjust the exposure up or down a stop without decreasing the picture quality. I use Phase One’s C1 Rebel program to convert from RAW to TIF or JPG and I must say I can highly recommend this $50 program. It’s way, way better than the Canon supplied software. You can even download a trial version of C1 rebel to try if for yourself at no cost.
Overall
I have owned the DRebel for six months now and I am very pleased with the camera. I’ve taken about 4000 pictures with it, and most have come out just fine. I purchased a Canon 75-300mm IS lens to compliment the 18-55mm lens that came with the camera and the pair have allowed me to take a large range of shots. The IS lens needs to be used with care at the extreme zoom settings – remember the lens crop factor means this works like a 120-480mm lens – but it’s taken some great photographs.
The only negative I can say about the camera is the included 15-55 lens barrel wobbles ever so slightly. Not what you’d’ expect from a canon lens, but it doesn’t appear to affect picture quality. It’s not just mine that does it, I’ve seen it on at least three other samples.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 900 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts
Outstanding Image Quality: 10.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor with DIGIC III Image Processor. Auto Lighting Optimizer: The EOS Rebel XS's Auto Lighting Optimi...More at Amazon Marketplace
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