Not quite dpreview standard, but hope this helps those who are trying to decide.
For countless nights I lay tossing and turning, debating with myself - 1D or 10D? 10D or 1D?
The wife had given the go-ahead to get the best one (so that I would stop upgrading). Of course I wanted the 1D... or did I? Simon had told me about a mint condition secondhand 1D available for a pretty good price. I could get it immediately, without having to wait a week or two for the 10D to arrive.
Yet I hesitated. Although everyone on dpreview who has it declares that they never regretted getting one, I wondered if it would fill my needs, as a street photographer. It was just too darn big, and a different ball game from what I was used to with the D30. Color matrix profiles, RAW processing (to get the best images) and stuff I was not sure I wanted to bother with. Plus a CCD sensor that attracted dust, and NiMH batteries instead of Li-ion ones. I really did not need 45 AF points, since I prefer to decide for myself where I want the AF by using one AF point and recomposing. Neither did I need weather sealing since I did not plan to ever cover Iraq or Vietnam. The only things that the 1D had which the 10D did not have were the 1.3 crop and 8 frames per second (though I wonder how useful that would be since I already have great difficulty choosing between 6 frames shot at 3 fps. Imagine having to choose between 16 identical frames for that one good shot).
On the other hand, the specifications of the 10D met all 3 requirements I would want in an upgrade to my venerable D30 - better autofocus, lighted AF points and 6 MP. The D60 had two out of three - not good enough, so I did not upgrade. The 10D, if you look at Canon's camera chart, shares more in common with the 1D and 1Ds than the D30 and D60, as you can guess from the position of the "D" in the designation. A baby 1D, so to speak, rather than a grown-up D60. Yet it is so similar to the D30 that I would be able to operate it immediately without having to relearn a lot of things.
So I got the 10D today. What do I like about it?
1. Better autofocus. This has got to be the top of the list. It addresses the one weakness of the D30 and D60. So now my DSLR has no weakness. It focuses spot-on in dim room lighting. Sure, it does not focus in total darkness, but it is able to focus in lighting conditions way below the level of handholdability, even at ISO 1600, which incidentally is very low in noise.
2. Quieter shutter. It's just so much smoother and quieter than what I am used to. "Sherk" rather than "Clackety-clack". Very important for shooting discreetly in the street.
3. Faster shutter response. I never thought the D30 had any shutter lag until I used the 10D today.
4. LCD backlight.
5. Lighted AF points. At last I can see WHERE the AF point is when I am trying to focus in dim light. D60 owners will not understand this problem.
6. Brighter viewfinder (not that I will do any manual focusing).
7. Ability to use the BG-ED3 and BP-511 batteries. This is important, since I already have these. It makes the 10D two cameras in one - a small consumer SLR I can tuck into my MiniOrion and cycle round with, or a 1D lookalike and feelalike with long battery life and a wonderful balance to the heavier lenses I use for event shooting. The dual battery charger is great for home use, and the single charger is great for travelling. You can "convert" a 10D into a 1D, but not vice versa.
8. The new position of the buttons.
9. Much faster writing times and formatting times.
10. There's more, but I'm rushing this review.
What don't I like about it?
1. 6 megapixels. What? Only 68 shots on my 256MB CF card? You've got to be kidding! Time to get a bigger CF card. In the meantime I'll use the 2.8 MP mode if I'm short of disk space.
2. That's about it.
I'll be testing all my Sigma lenses now and will report any incompatibilities.
Many thanks to Simon who camped overnight for 3 nights at AP just to reserve one set of 10D for me.
PS I got the long white gown to go with my new girlfriend. TOGETHER they cost $50 LESS than what I would have paid for a secondhand 1D.
For countless nights I lay tossing and turning, debating with myself - 1D or 10D? 10D or 1D?
The wife had given the go-ahead to get the best one (so that I would stop upgrading). Of course I wanted the 1D... or did I? Simon had told me about a mint condition secondhand 1D available for a pretty good price. I could get it immediately, without having to wait a week or two for the 10D to arrive.
Yet I hesitated. Although everyone on dpreview who has it declares that they never regretted getting one, I wondered if it would fill my needs, as a street photographer. It was just too darn big, and a different ball game from what I was used to with the D30. Color matrix profiles, RAW processing (to get the best images) and stuff I was not sure I wanted to bother with. Plus a CCD sensor that attracted dust, and NiMH batteries instead of Li-ion ones. I really did not need 45 AF points, since I prefer to decide for myself where I want the AF by using one AF point and recomposing. Neither did I need weather sealing since I did not plan to ever cover Iraq or Vietnam. The only things that the 1D had which the 10D did not have were the 1.3 crop and 8 frames per second (though I wonder how useful that would be since I already have great difficulty choosing between 6 frames shot at 3 fps. Imagine having to choose between 16 identical frames for that one good shot).
On the other hand, the specifications of the 10D met all 3 requirements I would want in an upgrade to my venerable D30 - better autofocus, lighted AF points and 6 MP. The D60 had two out of three - not good enough, so I did not upgrade. The 10D, if you look at Canon's camera chart, shares more in common with the 1D and 1Ds than the D30 and D60, as you can guess from the position of the "D" in the designation. A baby 1D, so to speak, rather than a grown-up D60. Yet it is so similar to the D30 that I would be able to operate it immediately without having to relearn a lot of things.
So I got the 10D today. What do I like about it?
1. Better autofocus. This has got to be the top of the list. It addresses the one weakness of the D30 and D60. So now my DSLR has no weakness. It focuses spot-on in dim room lighting. Sure, it does not focus in total darkness, but it is able to focus in lighting conditions way below the level of handholdability, even at ISO 1600, which incidentally is very low in noise.
2. Quieter shutter. It's just so much smoother and quieter than what I am used to. "Sherk" rather than "Clackety-clack". Very important for shooting discreetly in the street.
3. Faster shutter response. I never thought the D30 had any shutter lag until I used the 10D today.
4. LCD backlight.
5. Lighted AF points. At last I can see WHERE the AF point is when I am trying to focus in dim light. D60 owners will not understand this problem.
6. Brighter viewfinder (not that I will do any manual focusing).
7. Ability to use the BG-ED3 and BP-511 batteries. This is important, since I already have these. It makes the 10D two cameras in one - a small consumer SLR I can tuck into my MiniOrion and cycle round with, or a 1D lookalike and feelalike with long battery life and a wonderful balance to the heavier lenses I use for event shooting. The dual battery charger is great for home use, and the single charger is great for travelling. You can "convert" a 10D into a 1D, but not vice versa.
8. The new position of the buttons.
9. Much faster writing times and formatting times.
10. There's more, but I'm rushing this review.
What don't I like about it?
1. 6 megapixels. What? Only 68 shots on my 256MB CF card? You've got to be kidding! Time to get a bigger CF card. In the meantime I'll use the 2.8 MP mode if I'm short of disk space.
2. That's about it.
I'll be testing all my Sigma lenses now and will report any incompatibilities.
Many thanks to Simon who camped overnight for 3 nights at AP just to reserve one set of 10D for me.
PS I got the long white gown to go with my new girlfriend. TOGETHER they cost $50 LESS than what I would have paid for a secondhand 1D.
