Canon's 300D (Digital Rebel) vs 10D: Battle of the DSLRs
by Stephen Caston on July 5, 2004 12:23 PM EST- Posted in
- Digital Camera
Conclusion
What is the difference between the Rebel and the 10D? If you had to buy one, which would it be? It's a tough decision. The 10D has a much more solid construction. It offers a lot of user flexibility such as the ability to set custom functions. The 10D allows you to specify what metering and AF modes you would like to use. You can select a specific color temperature in Kelvin as a white balance option and you can take nine consecutive frames at three frames per second. Are these enough reasons to warrant the extra $500 for the 10D?We felt that the differences in performance during our time tests were not really significant enough to notice when using the camera casually. We really liked the layout of the buttons on the 10D better than the Rebel. One problem with the 10D that really dragged us down was its weight. It doesn't feel very heavy at first, but after carrying it around all day, you begin to grow fond of the lighter Rebel. But then again, the rugged construction made us feel more confident when we were out in the field.
It really comes down to a personal preference. If you are an amateur photographer who is looking for a camera that will give you great image quality at a reasonable price, you might feel that the Rebel is the way to go. If you are looking for a more professional-level DSLR and you want something that will give you more control over your shots, you might feel that the 10D is right for you. Basically, the key differences that the 10D offers are: a solid metal body, 3fps for 9 shots, custom functions (including mirror lock-up), and auto-focus and metering mode control. If you are a sports or nature photographer, the 10D is a better choice. If you are looking for a camera with great image quality, but you don't need all the extras that the 10D offers, the Rebel would be a perfect solution.
Recently, 10D and Rebel users have been in a state of turmoil due to a new "hack" (a firmware update) that promises to unlock some 10D-equivalent functions for the Rebel. More information can be found here. We will certainly keep an eye on this as it develops.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
19 Comments
View All Comments
Mday - Wednesday, July 7, 2004 - link
how the hell are you going to compare these two cameras?This does not compare to what dpreview can offer.
GOSHARKS - Tuesday, July 6, 2004 - link
i agree with shuttleboi, there are many sites out there that already provide excellent reviews from varying viewpoints (dpreview, imaging resource, megapixel.net, steves digicams, dcresource, etc). anandtech should focus on the things that the other large sites dont cover, what shuttleboi listed is a good start.shuttleboi - Tuesday, July 6, 2004 - link
Although your review is nice, I recommend you focus your attention more towards computer issues related to digicams rather than the cameras themselves (which other professional websites already do extremely well). Some other issues might be: (1) There is a 3rd party hack to the 300D firmware that reveals features found in the more expensive 10D. Is this safe? Does it really work? (2) How well do portable storage devices work (that let you dump a memory card to disk)? Relibability? Performance? There is absolutely nothing on the web right now that fully evaluates the products on the market. Here is an expansive list: http://fhoude34.free.fr/PortableHD.htm . (I'm waiting for the Nikon Coolwalker, but only because I don't trust companies whom I've never heard of.) (3) Software that manages/downloads photos. Photoshop Album? Breezebrowser? WTF?opaper - Tuesday, July 6, 2004 - link
And if you go to this digital camera review site you see that they found no diffrence in the resolution tests. I'm not saying that thier test is more valid than yours it's just a second opinion.http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos300d/page2...
jliechty - Monday, July 5, 2004 - link
For covering the basic differences between the two cameras, this was a good review. However, to me this was pretty old news, since this particular topic has been covered a gazillion places already in a gazillion different ways.And of course, any camera can be a "professional" camera if you use it to make money, but in the traditional definiton, the 10D comes close to being a pro camera. The Rebel is not. If you want to see some real pro stuff, google the 1Ds. Or if you'd like some real sticker shock, check the price of the Phase One P25 (then add $8K USD more for the medium format autofocus camera system to go with it). ;-)
stephencaston - Monday, July 5, 2004 - link
#2, sorry if I didn't make it clear in the article, but on page 3 I did mention that I was using a Canon 50mm Macro lens for all tests. I will add another reference to the lens at the beginning of the image quality tests too.You make a good point though. The quality of the final picture lies in the quality of the lens used. Thats why I decided to use the same 50mm lens for all the tests on both cameras.
DerekWilson - Monday, July 5, 2004 - link
I'm not the resident camera expert (hi Stephen), but these cameras are "prosumer" and not professional ... kinda scary isn't it :-)I liked the article too. Maybe I'm a little biased, but I thought it was both very thurough as well as easy to follow (especially not being a camera guy myself).
shuttleboi - Monday, July 5, 2004 - link
How can you possibly have tests trying to show detail and colour and not even mention the lenses you use?? As any good photographer knows, the lens is far more important than the camera body, even for digital. Did you use the kit 18-55 EF-S for the 300D? That's a horrible lens. Unless you used the same lens for both cameras, your tests are meaningless.Araemo - Monday, July 5, 2004 - link
Great Article, I was very pleased to see you guys are going to do digital camera reviews, since I'm going to be in the market for a camera soon. I hope to see reviews of more 'prosumer' or 'consumer' level cameras, rather than these $1000 cameras.. though I understand you probably get pretty much what you pay for.