I was browsing the internet from an internet cafe in Manila last
month when I read of the announcement that Canon was coming
out with the EOS 30D, the long awaited replacement for the 20D.
First thought was, 'whew!' what a relief! Now, that I'm back to Nikon,
I'm glad the specs don't tempt me to switch back or stir up my gear
lust. The 30D, by all accounts, appear to be an evolution of the 20D,
one of my favorite digital cameras ever. Do a Google search to find
all the improvements Canon has made in the 30D over the 20D. What
I like is the larger back display, the larger buffer, and the ability to
change ISOs in 1/3 increments.

Many Canon fans were so disappointed in the fact that this is not the
D200 competitor they were looking for. The 30D is still an 8mp camera,
and with a nice build, but not the build quality of the Nikon. These folks
should realize that the 30D was probably thought of, designed, and built long
before Canon had any idea about what Nikon had in store. Ok so forget the build,
why only 8mp you might ask? Canon is known for aggressively upping the ante versus
the competition. Here is my personal feelings on why Canon chose to stick with 8 megapixels
on the 30D: The noise/image quality ratio on the 20D was about ideal. Cram any more pixels
into that tiny APS-C sensor and you're likely to bump up the noise quite a bit. That's one reason.
But if anyone has the noise reduction technology to make a low noise 10-12 megapixel camera,
Canon does. One thing a lot of folks forget is that if Canon came out with, say, a 10 megapixel
30D at the $1500 mark it would absolutely KILL sales of their current pride and joy, the
incredible 12.8 megapixel EOS 5D! And they won't do that, at least not right now. When Canon
actually releases a camera that competes with the D200 in build, and specs is anybody's guess,
but when they do, you know it will be a monster. But then again, Nikon could have another
surprise up their sleeves too! Hey man, I love this game :-)

Don't worry so much though. As much as I love my Nikon, I can't honestly say that I'm seeing
detail from the D200 that is significantly better than the 20D, when I had that camera. The 30D has
addressed almost all of people's wishes for an improved 20D, and I think it will be a killer camera
in its own right. The fact that Canon has even come out with a 30D with specs that show it to be pretty
much an upgraded 20D only confirms my long held assertion that even Canon believes the 20D to be one
of their best cameras ever. If you already own a 20D, I see no reason to upgrade. But if you're looking for a
killer low noise, high ISO camera with the 20D's proven track record, and even more refinements the EOS 30D
looks to be a very worthy, and appealing contender.