Canon EOS 30D digital SLR announced

Canon today announced the 8.2 megapixel EOS 30D Digital SLR camera along with new EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM and EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lenses. The Canon EOS 30D Digital SLR carries a suggested, body-only selling price of $1,399 and the EOS 30D Digital SLR will also be available in kit form with an EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II zoom lens for an estimated selling price of $1,499. They will be available in March.

The EOS 30D model builds upon the virtues that made the EOS 20D Digital SLR the number one camera in its class virtually from day-one, including Canon's proprietary 8.2-megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor, powerful DIGIC II Imaging processor, fast five fps shooting capability and field-tested tough construction. This new EOS 30D Digital SLR takes professional photographers even closer to the upper reaches of Canon's pro digital SLR line, incorporating input from users and features and innovations from the EOS 5D and even the EOS-1D Mark II N Digital SLRs, at a fraction of their respective prices.

Top lining the improvements that set the EOS 30D Digital SLR apart from its worthy predecessor are:

A rugged new shutter fully rated up to 100,000 cycles;

A brilliant 2.5-inch, 230,000-pixel LCD monitor (that yields a 92 percent increase in viewing area compared with the EOS 20D model's 1.8 -inch monitor); and

A new spot metering capability that covers approximately 3.5 percent of the viewfinder area at the center while maintaining the 20D model's 35-zone metering sensor (raising the EOS 30D camera's available metering modes to four).

Increasing the new camera's flexibility and ease of use, the ISO speed can now be set from 100 to 1600 in 1/3 stop increments, rather than full stops (and can be pushed to 3200 with ISO expansion). What's more, users can see the ISO setting in the EOS 30D SLR's viewfinder while changing it (and not simply on the monitor display as on the EOS 20D model), which in turn permits photographers to keep their eyes on their subject.

Recognizing the need for efficient and effective work flow controls - particularly for professional photographers - the EOS 30D Digital Camera has improved folder management, providing manual folder creation and raising the number of images in each folder to 9,999 (from 100 as it was on the EOS 20D model). The unit offers enhanced camera-controlled direct print features and incorporates both direct print and direct download capabilities with the single press of the camera's print/share button.