Q: I am new to photography and would like to buy a digital camera. What is the difference between the 350D and the 30D and which one should I choose?

A: The two bodies under discussion are Canon’s entry level 350D and their semi-pro body, the 30D. I know of several pro’s that use the 30D as their second body. Let’s look closer at the major differences between the two:

• Construction: The 30D is bigger with a more rugged build quality compaed to the 350D. For someone with big hands the 350D can feel very small and the ergonomics uncomfortable without the additional extra vertical grip.
• Image Sensor: The 350D has a 22.2 x 14.8mm CMOS and 8 MPixel effective sensor. The 30D has a slightly larger 22.5 x 15mm CMOS 8.2 MPixel effective sensor.
• Image Processor: Both have the DIGIC II processors.
• Focussing: Both cameras use the same focussing sensor, but the 30D has 9 AF points against the 7 of the 350D. The focussing points are also arranged slightly differently giving the 30D better compositional options. See images below: (350D - left, 30D - right)
  
• Exposure Control:
  • Metering modes: The 30D has a major new function not found in the 350D and that is the spot metering function. This function only uses 3.5% of the viewfinder centre to calculate the exposure rather than the 9% of the centre of the viewfinder that the partial metering uses for the 350D.
  • ISO Speeds: The 30D has 1/3 stop increments rather than the 1 stop increments of the 350D as well as an expanded H function that will take the ISO to 3200 via a custom function.
• White Balance: The 30D has white balance compensation for Blue/amber and Magenta/Green whereas the 350D doesn’t.
• LCD Monitor: The 30D has the large 2.5” TFT monitor which is great for viewing your images. The 350D has a smaller screen that measures 1.8” TFT.
• Flash: The built in flash on the 350D and 30D is exactly the same whilst the 30D has a PC socket for studio flash and a higher sync speed of 1/250 sec.
• Colour Matrix: Both cameras have two colour spaces namely sRGB and Adobe RGB.
• Image Parameters: The 30D has added Picture Style to the parameters. These settings can also be fine tuned by the photographer if he is not happy with Canon’s default settings.
• Drive Modes: The drive modes are the same but the 30D has an additional continuous high setting that allows the 30D to photograph at 5frps rather that the 3frps in low mode that is equivalent to the 350D.
• Continuous Shooting (Buffer): The 30D can photograph 30 Jpeg images or 11 RAW images before the buffer is full. This is a major advantage over the 350D that can only do 14 Jpeg images and 4 RAW images.
• Custom Function: The 30D has 19 custom functions with 53 settings whilst the 350D has 9 custom functions with 24 settings.

In Conclusion:

The 30D is packed with great features while the 350D is an entry level camera. Which camera? You must decide on what you want to achieve with your photography and what fits your budget. Are you going to be a serious photographer and your budget can afford it, then I would go for the 30D. As a wildlife photographer the major reasons for this would be:

• the extra focussing points
• the additional buffer and drive speeds
• the spot metering option