I was researching for a course I was writing on the history of camera technology and realized that apparently the Canon EOS D30 (now almost exactly 19 years old) was the first Canon Digital SLR camera built as a complete unit - as opposed to digital innards inside a film camera body. As I understand it 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. For another $17Aus. I got the battery grip - also like new.
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 and lens see the following:
2001 Original DPReview of EOS D30
DPReview Retrospective Review of EOS D30
28-135 EF IS USM Review
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 It was eventually superseded by the electronic calculator photographed through Plexiglas.
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 Plexiglas 17mm, f5.6, 1/8sec, ISO-400
The parlour of a potter's house, 17mm, f5.6, 1/20sec, ISO-400, photographed through Plexiglas
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 seems absolutely fine!
Comments welcome.